I know a girl who is extremely fond of a saying. I don't like it so much because it forces me to face my shortcomings and acknowlege everything I'm not doing that I should be.
"You have to really hate someone to not tell them about God".
Does this surprise you? I know that there are a ton of people that I am extremely fond of and I never talk to them about my faith - and I know they aren't already Christian. But by doing so, I am condemning them through my cowardice.
Let's imagine a theoretical situation. Suppose that I never talk to one of my atheist or "agnostic" friends about my faith - I never tell them about God's love. They continue on their way, maybe hear about Christianity but never take the time to try learning. Then one day, they get hit by a car and die. They didn't know the Lord, so they spend the rest of eternity in torment.
If I knew that this happened, I would spend the rest of my life miserable. I honestly don't know how I could go on, knowing that I could have saved someone but was too cowardly to try.
We are talking about people's ETERNAL SOULS. That's HUGE! Often, I hear people at school say, "Oh, I'll probably go to Hell". And they laugh. I may laugh too, but inwardly I am wincing. How can you even say that? Do you comprehend what that means? In the Bible, Hell is usually described as a "place of eternal fire" and a place where one will be eternally seperated from God. Eternal is a long time, folks. In Second Thessalonians 1:9, Paul tells us that Jesus will "punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and the majesty of His power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed." I certainly could not bear to know that I had helped deny someone the chance to know Him.
Jehovah's Witnesses are often the brunt of many jokes for their habits of trying door-to-door conversions. I've heard the jokes, made them, and laughed at them. Maybe their method isn't the best. But their heart is in the right place. I think that they have the right idea - the idea that, no matter how much adversity we face, saving just one soul is worth it all. I pray to have that courage - I think that it is something I need to improve in a great deal as a Christian.
When I was in tenth grade, a boy in my Honors Communications class shared his opinion that when Christians try to convert people, it is a selfish act. They attempt to convert people solely for the purpose of feeling good about themselves. Maybe, in some cases, he is correct (I certainly hope not). But when I heard this, I was utterly nonplussed. I had never heard something like that. Growing up knowing Jesus is the one thing in my life I am most grateful for, and I never imagined that sharing the knowlege of God's love could be seen as something selfish.
This post jumped around a little bit, but I think you guys got my message. If you are a follower of Christ reading this, I encourage you to talk to me about it. If you aren't a follower of Christ, I encourage you to talk to me about it. Best of luck with the rest of this week.
Until next time - Bradley
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