Tap Tap Tap

Tap Tap Tap.....someone knocking at my door. 

There was another one today:  someone coming by to check on the status of my immortal soul.  Sometimes I think there's an invisible sign in my front yard that reads Please Proselyte Here.

But, you know, I can't find it in myself to be cross with the people who come by to talk religion.  Those folks are doing what they believe to be important and they are doing it to the very best of their ability.  It's hard, really hard, to go cold-calling at the doors of strangers who are likely to reject and revile them.  I admire their persistence, and I deeply appreciate that they care about whether or not I'm headed to heaven.  It's kind and compassionate and worthy of respect.

It doesn't matter if I agree with them or not, I welcome those folks from their various denominations with a smile, and I gladly talk with them about Jesus.  He's my savior, too.  I talk to them on the front step, and I don't invite them into the house but I won't ask any stranger in no matter why they come here; it's a matter of privacy and safety. But I do try to be polite and friendly--maybe they need to hear what I have to say, too.

The gentleman who came by today was surprised by my response to him when he mentioned John 3:16--I quoted it to him from memory.  After all, it's one of the first Bible verses I learned as a child.  And his face absolutely lit up when I told him that I knew that I was a sinner, saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who rose again.  He was happy that he had come to my house.

I told him that, although we worship the same Christ, I was a member of a different church and would remain so.  He respected that.  I accepted the literature he offered, and we parted on good terms.

It's not necessary to send people away with a flea in their ear.  They get enough of that everywhere.  I can welcome them in the name of Jesus Christ because I believe, and I can be positive in that because I know my salvation is real.  And maybe, if they need to and if God moves them to, they'll listen to me because I am treating them kindly. 

As my mother used to say, we need to remember that Jesus has no face but ours.

I'll be ready next time I hear Tap Tap Tap again.