HEY THERE! Quick read here!
In the blog post Message from My Friend, an Ex-Atheist , I shared the testimony of my friend, Jack, who recently accepted Christ. Jack was an atheist who despised religion and had full belief in science. Now he is a Blood-Bought Believer...a brother in our Kingdom family who is in love with Christ Jesus and committed to His Word. Though new to the Faith, Jack has so much wisdom and a great perspective on how we should interact with those who are not a part of the Kingdom and/or those who hate religion being that he was once like them.
I asked Jack what message he had for fellow believers on how to reach the lost so I could share it with you all. His response on Christianity and how to witness to others is this:
“I think it is far more difficult to reach an atheist - compared to say a Muslim, Hindu or Jew - as they already come from a position of a belief in a god/gods so they are more open to the idea. I think I would listen to what they say, approach them in a friendly manner and try my best to answer their concerns. They will probably have many, I certainly did when I was an atheist. At present, my knowledge of the Bible isn’t at a standard where I would feel confident to openly preach to someone, but I would absolutely come from the point of view of saying this is what Jesus can offer.
Everyone focuses their life on something...some on fashion, music, sports, even food. I used to worry about what people thought of me. I worshiped the god of opinion, whereas now I worship God’s opinion. I would show him/her the factual evidence of the Bible, give them my own testimony and show the uniqueness of Christianity as a religion. That for every mistake you have made, every time you have sinned, through a sincere belief in Christ you have been forgiven and can attain everlasting joy following the commands of the Bible. If they asked for evidence of God, I would simply present myself. I have an extensive history of medical issues, no friends for almost a decade, been betrayed by family members, suicidal depression and been a victim of bullying. But throughout all that time Jesus was with me, He was just waiting for me to come home to Him. Now my life has changed for the better, God is working for me and I know that with patience, then, whatever happens He will come through with what He believes is best for me. I believe myself to be a miracle and I’m here for the reason that He wants me to continue my learning so that I can eventually preach the Gospel. And the positive direction, spiritual comfort and guidance He gave to me He can also give to an atheist. I realise this answer is all over the place, but it’s really my best answer. I would embrace them with the love of Christ and try my best to lead by example. The rest is in God’s hands.
I’m not sure I would focus most of the conversation on the topic of the afterlife, necessarily. I wouldn’t point my finger in someone’s face and say you’re going to hell if you don’t accept my religion. I think I’d just do my best to leave them walking away with enough information for them to do their own research and find their own path.
My message to fellow Christians is simply to always choose the teachings and behaviour of Christ. To do our utmost to choose God in every scenario. In the modern world that is difficult to do, as our countries and cultures move away from their Christian heritage, we will be confronted by huge challenges. But the answers are here for us, in the story of Jesus, we may not always see it but He is always there. We cannot see the wind, but we can feel the wind and I feel God’s love upon my life. I would say to remain optimistic, even as our populations turn away from God, even in the face of competing religions, and with our religiously hostile society. Our focus has to remain on God! When He is ready, I believe He will deliver for us if we deliver for Him. I know I’m mentioning it again but the words Bahati told me have never left my brain and it entered my mind like an electrical charge. God wants to act through us, He will use the bodies of believers to battle against the sins of humanity. In that regard we must always do our utmost to achieve the highest standards of the Bible. That isn’t always possible as no person is perfect, but I made a commitment to God that He is my Saviour, and I will share the best of Christianity through my own attitude and actions to show the world to come to Christ for the right reasons. We must all try and do that. The only way to rid diseased minds of immortality, to reverse the sins of fallen souls, to defeat the wickedness and evil of racism, and to achieve the result of a collective worldwide population doing good in the world, I believe that this can only be attained by committing one’s life to the ultimate Saviour. I met such people, who welcomed me with pure intentions and if this once “religion hating atheist” can be brought back to God’s love then anyone can. But we must always start with ourselves, and, God willing, we will one day be able to bless others with the greatest gift of all... a belief in Jesus.”
- Jack
Jack's past has allowed him to have a wonderful perspective on how to reach the lost. I have been blessed through our conversations and am grateful that he was willing to let me share excerpts from our conversations. I hope that this quick read can help you as you interact with and witness to unbelievers around you.