Christianity doesn't look appealing on the outside. If you told someone that Christianity meant following a God who rose from the dead and tells us to stay away from all the "fun," sinful things of the world in order to avoid an eternal fire pit, they wouldn't likely see the point. That's the issue. People don't understand Christianity and Christians rarely know how to teach it. Yet we were called to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. How do we do that successfully?
One thing we need to remember in sharing Jesus with others is that it isn't about the rules or telling people they will go to hell without Him. Before you even open your mouth about your faith, your job should be to show them your faith. If your faith is genuine, you will have been changed just by knowing Jesus. You won't be like the rest of the world. Those are things that people recognize and admire. By showing them Jesus as He lives through you, you are opening a door for them to actually respect what you say when they do find out about your faith. They need to experience the real Jesus before they hear anything about Him--to "taste and see" that the Lord is good.
The other big thing is not to guilt people about their sinful lifestyles or how they will need to change everything with Jesus. That's not the point of Christianity. The point is that we have a God who us unconditionally loving despite our sins. We all mess up and even Christians sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But He wants a personal relationship with us all despite our misgivings, and that leads to our desires to be changed through knowing Him in all His perfection.
If you want to make a difference in this world, show the true Jesus through your own lifestyle and relationships. That is what changes lives. Even if you only reach a few in your lifetime, you may have started something much, much bigger. If you reach even one person for Jesus how many might they reach? Get out there and start changing the world, one person at a time.
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! (NLT)
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (NIV)
2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (NLT)
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (NIV)
Romans 10:15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (NIV)
John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV)
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (NIV)
One thing we need to remember in sharing Jesus with others is that it isn't about the rules or telling people they will go to hell without Him. Before you even open your mouth about your faith, your job should be to show them your faith. If your faith is genuine, you will have been changed just by knowing Jesus. You won't be like the rest of the world. Those are things that people recognize and admire. By showing them Jesus as He lives through you, you are opening a door for them to actually respect what you say when they do find out about your faith. They need to experience the real Jesus before they hear anything about Him--to "taste and see" that the Lord is good.
The other big thing is not to guilt people about their sinful lifestyles or how they will need to change everything with Jesus. That's not the point of Christianity. The point is that we have a God who us unconditionally loving despite our sins. We all mess up and even Christians sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But He wants a personal relationship with us all despite our misgivings, and that leads to our desires to be changed through knowing Him in all His perfection.
If you want to make a difference in this world, show the true Jesus through your own lifestyle and relationships. That is what changes lives. Even if you only reach a few in your lifetime, you may have started something much, much bigger. If you reach even one person for Jesus how many might they reach? Get out there and start changing the world, one person at a time.
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! (NLT)
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (NIV)
2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (NLT)
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (NIV)
Romans 10:15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (NIV)
John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV)
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (NIV)
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