- 1/25/18 James about 25
The guy I’m talking to in this picture is James. He has got to be the most polite person I
have ever met in my hundreds of gospel conversations. He didn’t hesitate to respond to my initial
conversation-starter question, or to agree to allow me to record it. He had thoughtful responses, asked good
questions, withstood the cold without complaint, and patiently listened to my presentation
of the Gospel. He was an all-around nice
guy.
Does that mean he is going to heaven?
Judging from the comments of other believers about how they
share their faith, a large majority rely on being pleasant and courteous, which
also involves being too courteous to state an opinion or take a stand. They trust that their pleasant demeanor alone
will win people to Christ, or at least cause people to ask them questions about
what makes them so pleasantly different.
But are they nicer than James, a non-believer?
And what is the underlying message they communicate if their
evangelistic strategy does get through?
That being a Christian simply means being a nice person?
If being a Christian means following Christ, it makes me
wonder – was Jesus “nice” by today’s standards?
Matthew says the crowds were amazed at Jesus’ teaching. Why?
Not because he was a nice guy, but “because he taught as one who had
authority”.
Jesus stood for something.
Something that was more important than his social popularity.
Getting back to my conversation with James – no, his courteous
demeanor won’t get him to heaven. But
what it did do is allow him to hear the Gospel.
We are called to “repent and believe” (Mark 1). I have to believe that repentance involves humility,
which gives people the courtesy to listen, which makes belief possible. And that’s a great start.
https://youtu.be/hNMTjQlhFUI
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