Of elbows and faith

Mike Synder has an excellent post at The Master's Artists which was something that made me ponder for a while, in fact almost all day. So we're all on the same page, I quote Mike:

Steve and his cronies traded blood, sweat, and elbows with murderers and rapists and thieves. That was their job. And they were good at it, winning more than they lost. The point was not to make friends or to play nice. They played to win first and make friends later. They took no crap and made no apologies. It was serious business with eternal implications. These guys demanded respect, annihilated barriers, and eventually reached the otherwise unreachable. And they earned it. See any parallels for a Master's artist?

What an interesting way of looking at the battle for souls. Yes. Yes. Michael's post was pointed toward Christian Fiction and an excellent point. But, I think this example goes bone deep and I wanted to explore it.

If, indeed, we were here on earth to "win" the war, we would have far different armor than the whole armor of God. The belt of Truth, breastplate of integrity, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of Salvation, sword of the Spirit. These are the weapons of Spiritual War because our battle is not against flesh and blood. If we put on Jesus, we are fully equipped for that battle. That battle is really more of a personal one.

But... the battle for souls is a bit different. Surely we must have the whole armor of God when we battle for souls. Absolutely. However, it is different because the world holds a different standard than Jesus. Lack of respect creates a barrier. It's more than respect, it is meeting on the same plain. A person with an 8th grade education does not understand college level words (some of those words I have trouble with, too). Some singles could care less about mommy things. Some young adults cannot relate to senior adult problems.

It is a matter of common interests.

Selah.

God did not design us to all be Football Maniacs or Ballet Enthusiasts or Bloggers (no, really, it's true.)

Someone on a blog I visited (I truly wish I had bookmarked the blogs I've visited because I found so many that are really interesting but I do not know how I got to the blog and so I cannot retrace my steps) ...on a blog I visited, stated that blogs are not ministries. [shocked look]

Our interests are precisely how God designed us to relate to others and to draw them to Him. Why else did Jesus tell Peter to come follow Him and He would make them fishers of men. Was that interest related or what?

Mike points out these guys traded elbow shots and sweat and won most of the time while playing these prisoners. Was the ultimate goal to win The Game? Winning souls, yes. Winning the basketball game, no.

On another blog, Wind Scraps (look on the left and you'll find the link), Shannon is rejoicing because she will finally be able to bring Bible study to some of America's finest in the Navy. Praise God!

These are two totally different ministries but there is one thing that is the same. They are based on Common Interest. Each and every person under the sun is unique. Each and every person can connect to another person because of common interest. The Great Snatch is coming folks. We must labor and be ready. What better way to labor than to have fun while doing it through common interests?