More and more now days people are reacting with anger and hate toward Christians who share Christ with them. I'm sure there are a multitude of reasons for that people don't want to hear the gospel message proclaimed but as Christians we cannot let that deter us from pursuing God's mission, which is spreading His message. However, we must work towards that objective and earn the right to share Christ with people if we want them to truly listen and hear.
So how do we earn that right? The simplest way of doing this is by showing Christ's love for people by our actions. For instance, if a coworker or classmate gets sick or injured and you visit them at home or in the hospital, that will show them love. Or if you remember someone's birthday, and that's not even hard with Facebook reminding us everyday. Or here's a tough one, if you hurt someone and you are strong enough to go to them and apologize. When someone can see that we as Christians are different, they will open up to a relationship with us and be willing for us to share Christ with them.
Many unbelievers want nothing to do with Jesus or the church with varying reasons. Some include political views which indicates Christians may be better known for who we would vote for than who we will spend eternity with. Christianity is the only organization in the world that is better known for what we can NOT do, do NOT support, and do NOT believe in than anything else. Think about it, most companies or organizations have a mission statement and belief IN something...not AGAINST it. We need to be more focused on showing love for people instead of our opposition to their sins. According to Jim Putman, "political" Christians who have the bumper sticker that says, "My boss is a Jewish carpenter," next to another one that says, "I'll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands," are allowing themselves to get in the way of the message.
We are still to absolutely stand up for what God says is right and not waiver on such things. But as Putman says, "We should not fight like the Devil for the things of God!" 1 Peter 3:15 tells us that we are to always be prepared to make a defense to "anyone who asks you" for the reason for the hope that is in you." We are also to answer with gentleness and respect but that phrase "anyone who asks you" hit me hard. Am I living out my faith in such a way that people are asking me about it? I don't mean am I posting stuff online, I mean in my daily activities and walk going to the Y, at work, and other extracurriculars.
In order to really have an impact on someone's life they have to care and know that you care. You cannot be effective in discipleship by shoving the gospel down people's throats. And while proclaiming it on the streets can be an effective way to get the message heard, it's not going to build relationships. My prayer going forward is that I recognize opportunities from the Lord to share, that I walk in such a way the opens doors to share, and that I can become less self-focused and more others-focused to build stronger relationships with the people around me.
So how do we earn that right? The simplest way of doing this is by showing Christ's love for people by our actions. For instance, if a coworker or classmate gets sick or injured and you visit them at home or in the hospital, that will show them love. Or if you remember someone's birthday, and that's not even hard with Facebook reminding us everyday. Or here's a tough one, if you hurt someone and you are strong enough to go to them and apologize. When someone can see that we as Christians are different, they will open up to a relationship with us and be willing for us to share Christ with them.
Many unbelievers want nothing to do with Jesus or the church with varying reasons. Some include political views which indicates Christians may be better known for who we would vote for than who we will spend eternity with. Christianity is the only organization in the world that is better known for what we can NOT do, do NOT support, and do NOT believe in than anything else. Think about it, most companies or organizations have a mission statement and belief IN something...not AGAINST it. We need to be more focused on showing love for people instead of our opposition to their sins. According to Jim Putman, "political" Christians who have the bumper sticker that says, "My boss is a Jewish carpenter," next to another one that says, "I'll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands," are allowing themselves to get in the way of the message.
We are still to absolutely stand up for what God says is right and not waiver on such things. But as Putman says, "We should not fight like the Devil for the things of God!" 1 Peter 3:15 tells us that we are to always be prepared to make a defense to "anyone who asks you" for the reason for the hope that is in you." We are also to answer with gentleness and respect but that phrase "anyone who asks you" hit me hard. Am I living out my faith in such a way that people are asking me about it? I don't mean am I posting stuff online, I mean in my daily activities and walk going to the Y, at work, and other extracurriculars.
In order to really have an impact on someone's life they have to care and know that you care. You cannot be effective in discipleship by shoving the gospel down people's throats. And while proclaiming it on the streets can be an effective way to get the message heard, it's not going to build relationships. My prayer going forward is that I recognize opportunities from the Lord to share, that I walk in such a way the opens doors to share, and that I can become less self-focused and more others-focused to build stronger relationships with the people around me.
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