Make Them Thirsty

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6).

There is an old adage that says, “You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” This mindset has been used to soften the church’s ineffectiveness in evangelism efforts. But we must acknowledge the fact that making people drink is not the task we have been sanctified to accomplish. Our call is not to make them drink, but to make them thirsty. Jesus never taught evangelism as making somebody do anything. He never made people obey His desires for the safety of their souls. What He did was offer their parched soul the water of life (John 4:14). How can anyone whose soul is parched not thirst for living water? The answer to this question might be because they do not understand how invigorating this water can be to their souls.

God’s purpose for His church can only be successful when we show the world how much of a positive difference salvation can offer. This is how the fruit of the vine is revealed. We are all branches connected to the true vine of God’s Son (John 15:1). When we are connected to the nourishment of Christ’s love, our lives reveal the power of God to change our lives for the good. His life has given us a new hope, a new perspective and most of all a new song (Revelation 14:3). We have been saved from a life with no purpose because we believe in the purpose of God. Life in His kingdom is different because of the transfer of authority: “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). People of the world are confused about the good life. Satan has deceived them by keeping the joy of eternal life hidden. He has tricked them by giving them the happiness of the physical pleasures of this world so they will not seek the joy of the eternal life that is found only through faith in Christ.

God’s plan is for our lives to bear fruit and our lives should reveal the greatness of accepting this change. We should be eager to get to go to “the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). We should celebrate the chance to get to worship the One who provides life of joy. Why there is even one empty seat in His assembly is astonishing, especially when they charge such a great price to see sporting events and not one empty seat remains. The opportunity to worship the Lord is free admission, but the price of making that seat available cost Jesus His life. The fruit of receiving the victory that His Son’s blood offers is far more rewarding than any Super Bowl could ever be.

When we approach the chance to study the word of God with the same mindset that the world approaches the chance to read the TV Guide, then we are not making anyone thirsty for the truth that has the ability to save our soul. When people are not seeing the fruit of a changed life within us, they will remain in the life in which they have found comfort. God’s truth is the source that provides life and when this is not made known by our desire to study, we cannot expect anyone else to desire this fountain of life. Our hearts must hunger for the truth that God supplied to equip us for His work (2 Timothy 3:17). Our desires must reveal the fruit of loving God’s word with all our hearts. People of the world will only desire to die to the flesh when they see the people of God’s kingdom desiring to live through His Spirit. Only when our hearts need the nourishment of His love will we have an influence on those whose life has not been touched by His grace.

In His Grace,
Cub