Telling others about Jesus

So you just became a Christian and you are excited about telling others about how great your God is. But, no one doesn’t believe you or doesn't want to hear it. So what do you do to convince them that God is real?

Mark 16:15  And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Telling people about Jesus is a big topic.

When you first become a Christian, you want everyone you know the great news that you’ve just embraced and their unbelief must seem quite crazy. Don’t they know what they’re missing? But the thing is no they don’t. And until recently, neither did you! So firstly, remember where you’ve come from. I’m guessing it took a while before you became a Christian - it usually does. So don’t lose heart, these things take their time.

I’m guessing that no one “convinced” you to be a Christian. Sure there may have been some discussions with people that helped to show where you needed to think some more, or showed where you believed things that were wrong, but it is extremely rare for someone to be convinced that they need Jesus and to become a Christian in one sitting (though it does happen). You may like to share how God has worked in your life and why you follow Jesus and offer opportunities for them to find out more (would they like to meet up with you to read one of the gospels?). Again, this can take time.

You see becoming a Christian is a process where by a person sees and hears about God and what he has done for them. They need to reflect upon that, ask questions, and look at the evidence. This takes time and most likely involves a number of Christians. For some of those Christians, their involvement may be as little as a friendly word at church that showed the non-Christian that Christians are normal people. Or it may be that the Christian has had a profound impact over many years and many conversations on the non-Christian. The point is - it is a process and we may not know what part we will play in each individual.

So this means you need to be ready to do and say the right thing at any time. You may only do a little thing or you may have a big part to play.

Colossians 4:2-6  Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Finally (and certainly not the least), you need to realize one important fact about convincing people about God. You can’t do it!

Becoming a Christian is about entering into a right relationship with God. You can’t convince people to enter into that relationship. That is God’s responsibility. You role is to keep pointing people to God, it is God’s role to call them to himself. If God is not calling them, then nothing you do will convince them otherwise (that doesn’t mean you don’t do it, rather it means you spend a lot of time in prayer for them). God needs to actually work in the life of the people for them to become Christians. He did it in you and everyone else who becomes a Christian, and he uses people like you to foster the relationship on his behalf. The best way to “convince” people is to introduce them to Jesus (in the Bible) and let God do the convincing.

So pray for the people around you who aren’t Christians, live the godly life God called you to live before them, make the most of the opportunities that come your way and trust that God will use you to bring others into his kingdom.