On my way home from class yesterday, I was approached by a guy, his teenage son and young daughter, while I was waiting for the bus stop.
He had a bunch of leaflets in his hand so I figured that He was going to witness to me.
The majority of the time, I actually allow myself to be witnessed to for three reasons.
1. I want to encourage the person to witness more by actually giving them the chance to do so.
2. To possibly learn a new/better way to witness to people.
3. Check if the gospel (or whatever is) presented is biblical, and if not, to hopefully show/teach that person what is biblical in order to help them evangelise better
Anywhoo... so the conversation went like this.
Guy: Are you a Christian?
Me: Yes I am
He had a bunch of leaflets in his hand so I figured that He was going to witness to me.
The majority of the time, I actually allow myself to be witnessed to for three reasons.
1. I want to encourage the person to witness more by actually giving them the chance to do so.
2. To possibly learn a new/better way to witness to people.
3. Check if the gospel (or whatever is) presented is biblical, and if not, to hopefully show/teach that person what is biblical in order to help them evangelise better
Anywhoo... so the conversation went like this.
Guy: Are you a Christian?
Me: Yes I am
Guy: What church do you go to?
Me: What does it matter
Me: What does it matter
Guy: Well, if you are committed to a church, that shows that you are committed to God.
Me: No it doesn't
Me: No it doesn't
Guy: Yes it does. Because people who are Christian should be in the church as iron sharpens iron.
Me: I agree with that but just because a person is committed to a church doesn't mean they are saved at all. There are plenty of religious people who go to church every Sunday and believe that they are saved but are not.
Me: I agree with that but just because a person is committed to a church doesn't mean they are saved at all. There are plenty of religious people who go to church every Sunday and believe that they are saved but are not.
Guy: Well, I don't know what's going on in people's lives so I can't say one way or the other, but once that person is committed to a church then they will eventually be committed to God.
Me: You can't say that. If the church is not biblical and teaching false doctrine you can't assume that just because its called a church that people there will eventually be saved. Even if they weren't preaching false doctrine, it’s still not something you can promise.
Me: You can't say that. If the church is not biblical and teaching false doctrine you can't assume that just because its called a church that people there will eventually be saved. Even if they weren't preaching false doctrine, it’s still not something you can promise.
Guy: Well that's what I believe.
Me: The bible doesn't say that though.
Me: The bible doesn't say that though.
Guy: I just talked to a guy around the corner who says He was a Christian but doesn't go to church.
Me: There may be reasons why He isn't a member of a church. Maybe all the churches he's been to are preaching false doctrine and he'd rather find one that doesn't instead of stay in one that does just because someone says he need to be committed to a church.
Me: There may be reasons why He isn't a member of a church. Maybe all the churches he's been to are preaching false doctrine and he'd rather find one that doesn't instead of stay in one that does just because someone says he need to be committed to a church.
Guy: I believe that its better for an unsaved person to be committed to a church, than for a saved person to not be committed to a church.
Me: That's not biblical. Being committed to a church does not grant salvation to someone. And there can be a myriad of reasons why a Christian is not committed to a church.
Me: That's not biblical. Being committed to a church does not grant salvation to someone. And there can be a myriad of reasons why a Christian is not committed to a church.
Guy: You are saved though
Me: Yes, but if I wasn't saved, you haven't said anything that would've converted me. All you asked me was whether I was a Christian and the name of the church I go to. Any religious person would answer those questions and be satisfied that they were saved, even if they were not. When witnessing, you shouldn't dwell on subjects that religious people would feel justified in themselves.
Me: Yes, but if I wasn't saved, you haven't said anything that would've converted me. All you asked me was whether I was a Christian and the name of the church I go to. Any religious person would answer those questions and be satisfied that they were saved, even if they were not. When witnessing, you shouldn't dwell on subjects that religious people would feel justified in themselves.
Guy: I'm sorry
Me: There's nothing to apologise to me for. You said earlier that iron sharpens iron. That's what's going on right now. I'm trying to help you. You are at a bus stop. So the people here are waiting for their bus. If I wasn't saved, and you asked me those two questions and my bus came, I'd cut the conversation short, get on my bus, and feel justified in myself that I'm a Christian. You should ask heavier questions to get people to actually think about whether they are saved or not. I'm not saying that you can't build a rapport with someone if you have the time to, but you really need to bring the gospel to the forefront. Ask the proper questions.
Me: There's nothing to apologise to me for. You said earlier that iron sharpens iron. That's what's going on right now. I'm trying to help you. You are at a bus stop. So the people here are waiting for their bus. If I wasn't saved, and you asked me those two questions and my bus came, I'd cut the conversation short, get on my bus, and feel justified in myself that I'm a Christian. You should ask heavier questions to get people to actually think about whether they are saved or not. I'm not saying that you can't build a rapport with someone if you have the time to, but you really need to bring the gospel to the forefront. Ask the proper questions.
Guy: Like do you have Jesus in your life.
Me: Yes, but even that can be answered by a religious person. If you asked that question, and a person says yes, then the next thing you could ask is - How do you know? You need to get through the fluff and get to the heart of the matter....at this point, the guy's kids were looking really bored, so he left.
I did not get the impression that he took any of the things I said to heart, and felt that he would say the same thing to the next person he had the chance to "witness" to.
I did take a leaflet anyway - just so I could examine it.
Upon doing so, surprise… surprise, the gospel was not present. No where on the leaflet did it actually show how to get saved, and there was plenty of room for it to.
Here is some of the stuff on it:
- Do you have Jesus in your life?
- He came into this world to give us hope, and to give us peace and joy in our hearts.
- Why not try this Jesus and receive the gift of eternal life.
- Lord Jesus, I accept you as my Lord and Saviour. I know that you died for my sins and that God raised you from the dead. Come into my heart, that God's will be achieve in my life.
- Romans 10:9, John 3:16, Acts 4:12
When I realised that it didn't show how to be saved, I went to look for the guy in order for me to ask him about it, but I couldn't find him again.
In all of that, the gospel was not declared.
Let's say I didn't live in London, and was just visiting someone for the day, so couldn't even go to this person's church if I was interested. Because the leaflet didn't declare the gospel fully, or even show how to receive salvation, I would have gone back home no more better than I left, if the only thing I encountered spiritually was this guy.
This is a shame.
Me: Yes, but even that can be answered by a religious person. If you asked that question, and a person says yes, then the next thing you could ask is - How do you know? You need to get through the fluff and get to the heart of the matter....at this point, the guy's kids were looking really bored, so he left.
I did not get the impression that he took any of the things I said to heart, and felt that he would say the same thing to the next person he had the chance to "witness" to.
I did take a leaflet anyway - just so I could examine it.
Upon doing so, surprise… surprise, the gospel was not present. No where on the leaflet did it actually show how to get saved, and there was plenty of room for it to.
Here is some of the stuff on it:
- Do you have Jesus in your life?
- He came into this world to give us hope, and to give us peace and joy in our hearts.
- Why not try this Jesus and receive the gift of eternal life.
- Lord Jesus, I accept you as my Lord and Saviour. I know that you died for my sins and that God raised you from the dead. Come into my heart, that God's will be achieve in my life.
- Romans 10:9, John 3:16, Acts 4:12
When I realised that it didn't show how to be saved, I went to look for the guy in order for me to ask him about it, but I couldn't find him again.
In all of that, the gospel was not declared.
Let's say I didn't live in London, and was just visiting someone for the day, so couldn't even go to this person's church if I was interested. Because the leaflet didn't declare the gospel fully, or even show how to receive salvation, I would have gone back home no more better than I left, if the only thing I encountered spiritually was this guy.
This is a shame.
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