There are great ways to share the love of Christ, but there are also
some practices that we as messengers of God should follow. Here are five
of the most commonly committed mistakes in sharing the Gospel that we
should avoid.
1. Don't call them "unsaved."
The
Gospel may come across as offensive to non-Christians because it tells
people just how sinful they are and how they need a Savior because they
cannot redeem themselves. The last thing an evangelist wants to do is
offend a person some more by calling them "unsaved". It's true that the
person is "lost," but one doesn't have to hear it from you.
2. Don't try to change them
Although
God has called us to participate in the work of bringing the Gospel to
the ends of the earth, it was never assigned to us to bring change to
the person's life. Only God can do that. After leading a person to God,
the last thing they want to hear is a list of "Dos and Don'ts." It's
important however that they know what is right or wrong, so in order to
teach them God's laws encourage a convert instead to read the Bible and
find out for themselves.
3. Don't scare them
It's
common for Christians to try to convert loved ones by "scaring them out
of hell." This is not how the Gospel works. Instead, the Gospel is a
story of the love of God that drove out the fear and consequence that
comes from sin.
4. Don't neglect their ideas
At
first, recent converts will have a lot of ideas, and a lot of them will
be theologically wrong. It's important to listen to them and hear their
side. Instead of debunking their thoughts, it's best to try asking them
why they believe in such instead. We can provoke people into godliness,
but we can never force them into it through shooting down ideas.
5. Don't debate with them
Lastly,
it's important that encounters with those who are hungry for the Gospel
should not turn into debates. When an atheist or non-Christian does not
believe at first, respect their decision and accept they're rejection
of the message of Christ. Again, it is not up to you to change the
person. Instead of debating with a person, offer to pray for him or her
instead or pray for him or her on your own time if they refuse.
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