Bible Thumping (Pizza Delivery and Mechanics)
When you hear the term ‘Bible Thumping’ what comes to mind? Do street preachers, or TV evangelists with sermons about going to hell come to mind?
An internet search on Bible Thumping will generate many of those perspectives and more. Bible thumping is generally used as a negative term to depict someone who is overly zealous about their faith, someone who aggressively pushes their beliefs on others?
When Bible Thumping is expressed as a negative it is typically due to the approach used more so than the message given.
With that in mind, how do we exemplify in our own lives the following Scripture, without coming across as Bible Thumpers?
For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold. - 2 Corinthians 3:11,12
And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. - Philippians 1:14
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” - Acts 4:29,30
Speaking about the Bible and Jesus is also referred to as witnessing, or sharing and all Christians should witness and share with boldness. However, the answer to how to speak with boldness without being obnoxious is to speak from the heart. When we speak from the heart, we speak as a witness to what Christ Jesus has done in our lives. It’s a personal account of how our lives have changed because of a personal relationship with Christ.
Unfortunately, some can still be obnoxious in their delivery of that message so let me give you a perspective to help you avoid being that person. It all comes down to your objective.
Are You a Pizza Delivery Person or a Mechanic?
Years ago, I was talking with someone about a friend whose life I knew would be radically different if they would accept the free gift of mercy and grace that Christ offers. But that friend would have nothing to do with it and it really bothered me. The person I was discussing that with offered some very wise insight, he said I was the pizza delivery guy not the mechanic.
My job, if you will, was to deliver the message of how my life was radically changed when I accepted the free gift of forgiveness. After that, what my friend decided to do with the pizza (the message) was totally up to them. It was not my job to make my friend eat the pizza and to enjoy the pizza, I was just the delivery guy.
To that extent, none of us are mechanics either. Mechanics fix things and none of us have the job of fixing others. Only God can fix someone. Therefore, we should all choose to be pizza delivery people and leave the fixing to God who, by the way, designed us and knows best what we need to be ‘fixed.’
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
1 Corinthians 3:6,7
