At some point in a your walk with Christ, you will be persecuted for your beliefs. You will most likely be called...JUDGMENTAL! (DUN! DUN! DUN!)
Christians tend to be over-zealous, and overbearing due to their desire to share what "Christ" has done in their lives. Christians simply have beliefs that differ from the secular world. Admit it! Often times you shut down a topic without ever hearing the side of the non-religious argument. This should not be the case. If you want someone to listen to you, then you need to be prepared to listen to them.
Of course Christians need to have some level of "judgment," or "discernment" This is how we can tell the difference between right and wrong. This can be found in Proverbs 3:21, which says, “My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight.”
However, there is a difference between honorable judgment, and sinful judgment. Often we will hear the phrase, "Do not judge, only God can judge." Well this is actually not true. Yes, the Bible states in James 4:12, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you – who are you to judge your neighbor?”
The truth is, we are not supposed to judge our "neighbors," "brothers," or even "non-believers." However, we are supposed to judge their sin, for it is by their "fruits," that we can know whether or not they are saved. Note that this is different from "condemning." We have no place in telling someone that they are "going to hell," because only God is the examiner of hearts. Using our discernment, judging by a person's sins, we will be able to discern whether or not they are good influences, good friends, or even good enough to have around our children. That is as far as our allotted "judgment" is permissible.
When in a debate, or in the company of an Atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Pagan, or someone of a different Christian denomination, how do you react? Are you willing to do anything to prove that you are right, even if you have to stoop to fallacious, malicious statements? I ask, because I, too, was once like this.
I used to pull out my Bible, and be proud to have proved someone wrong. Did I ever successfully lead them to the Lord? NO. Why not? It is because I came off exactly what I was--proud.
As Christians, we are taught that we should not be proud, or judgmental, and that we should be kind. We are taught that we should only speak words of encouragement and edification. So why then, is it so easy for us to get into a heated debate with non-Christians? It is not even our place to debate with anyone. All we can do is tell them what we believe if they are willing to hear.
For the Atheists reading this post, there is a difference between being judgmental and having an opinion. You, too, can become a judgmental person by assuming that all Christians are judgmental. It is kind of like being black, and assuming that all white people are racist. Guess what? That makes you racist as well.
Christians, there is a way to share Jesus without sounding judgmental. Let others see Jesus through you. If Jesus himself "came not to the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved," then who are we to think of ourselves higher than God, to condemn others? We need to preach TO people, not AT people.
As for confronting our brothers and sisters in Christ, we do not need to wag our finger in their faces and point out their sins. If they are truly saved, they already know what they are doing wrong. Instead, we need to point a way out for them. Share scripture with them, or offer to pray with them. Do not act sympathetic, and do not exhibit pity. That is damaging to a person's dignity. Your duty is to show them LOVE. That is what you are called to do, and that is the very best way to shine your light so that other's may see.
Another thing, DO NOT be afraid to confess your faults with others. In James 5:16, it states, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
In order to have proper Christian fellowship, you need to find other Christians to admit when you do wrong. In order to grow in Christ, and into a better person, you need to have more accountability. Your brothers and sisters in Christ can give you that accountability! It is tough trying to look perfect all the time and it is NOT YOUR JOB to look perfect. It is okay to mess up. It is okay to admit you have weakness. Humble yourselves, and use your discernment to understand to whom you can share your faults with and to whom you should not. Learn to confide in God, and in his true followers.
So here are some tips on Evangelism I find helpful so as to avoid coming off "judgmental" or "condemning."
1. Let others see Jesus through your life- The way you think, dress, speak, and act, should reflect Jesus. In everything you do for someone else, you should do it as if you were doing it for God. Do everything you possibly can to assist others, and to put them above yourself. Do so with a good heart. People should know you are a Christian without you even having to use words. The world will put you under a microscope to watch you mess up if they know you’re a believer. Do not let this worry you, and do not ever perform for anyone. Every act should be genuine. When you mess up, admit your fault. Never try to justify your sinful actions--especially to nonbelievers. When you stumble and fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again.
2. Make Jesus your main focus when witnessing- Do not make your church, pastor, or denomination, your main focus. It is not your job to put your church or pastor on a pedestal, and it definitely is not your job to appeal to a person's ignorance by convincing them that your specific denomination is the one for them. Remember that if a denomination's belief of the "method of salvation," adheres to the Bible, then you do not need to sweat the small stuff. If you do not concur with the believer, then pray for them that they would see the light. Only the Holy Spirit can give a person the right convictions, not you.
3.Always be yourself- Do not try to stick to specific techniques or scripts. I have been taught "The Way of the Master," and have even taught the course myself. It is a beautiful strategy, but several times I have heard people say, "Hey, I have heard this before..." or I forgot I already used it on them and they will make a comment like, "Didn't you already tell me this a few years back?" People aren't stupid, and chances are that if you are speaking to an educated atheist, they are going to catch on real quick. (Alot of Atheists despise Kirk Cameron and his methods, and you'd be a fool to think they don't educate themselves on these methods.)
4.Avoid senseless arguments- Yes the Bible says that we should always be ready with an answer, but arguing is not acceptable. You will be wasting your time, while other people who would be receptive to the gospel are just struttin' on past you.
5. Do not try to convince anyone- It is not your job to convince anyone of your beliefs. You did not see Jesus trying to convince anyone of who he was when he was spat on, hit, whipped, and nailed to a cross. He kept his mouth shut. He knew who he was, his followers knew who he was, and God knew who he was. That was all that mattered. You let people know what you believe, and why you believe it. You share your testimony. If they want to learn more, you tell them more. If they want to argue, or ignore you, move on. The worse thing that happens is your pride gets damaged, and you know what? You could use a blow to your pride. Use these moments to learn humility. Do not think that you let the Devil win by giving up, or that you did God some great injustice. Remember that the Devil has already lost, and that God does not ever NEED anyone to "seal the deal." The Holy Spirit will continue to prick the heart of the person until he/she is either saved, or has reached the level of the ultimate unpardonable sin--the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit.
6.Always treat people with love and respect- God loves us all regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. Believe it or not, God LOVES homosexual people. Do not take every opportunity you see on a Facebook post to beat up on gay people on a pro-homosexual post. God loves them and hates their sin. We, too, should show them love. Let them see that not every Christian is a condemning, self-righteous bigot. Even if you are heterosexual, odds are that you as a human being have a)watched pornography b)lusted after an individual and c) have had sex outside of marriage. These are all sexual sins, and guess what? You are just as "bad" as a homosexual. As for other religions, or for atheism, do your research on what they believe. Carm.org is a very good website to get yourself educated on others' beliefs. Do not expect people of other religions to educate themselves by reading your Bible and then not even do research on their religion.
7.Never "beat around the bush"- Get to the point when you are evangelising. Don't you hate it when Jehovah Witnesses come to your house at 9am on a Saturday morning? Isn't it uncomfortable when they keep pressing their beliefs on you? Does their persistence make you want to listen more to what they have to say? No. Do not do the same to others. Do not waste people's time. (Not that we believe it is a waste of time, but they will.) Jesus may have lived for 33 years, but you don't have to take that long to tell his story!
8. Never underestimate yourself- Never worry that your testimony of salvation is too insignificant to help someone.It is okay if you have always been raised in church. You do not need to have some miraculous "Saul to Paul" conversion. Your testimony will help those specifically that God wants you to witness too. If the Holy spirit is leading you to talk to someone and share your testimony, do it. God will give you the words to speak at the right time.
9.Witness at the appropriate time- When trying to witness to somebody, do so at the appropriate time. Do not get all self-righteous when your boss comes up to you and tells you to get to back to work instead of chit-chatting with a co-worker. Don 't just write it off as the "Devil's handiwork." You simply chose a bad place and a bad time. If you run out of time, offer your number or ask to get together some time.
10.Never fear rejection- Rejection is inevitable. You probably have heard, "They are not rejecting you, they are rejecting Jesus." Let's just face it, they are writing you off as a Jesus-freak. Jesus is a part of you, and yes, they are rejecting you too. Now that you have swallowed that horse-pill, you can acknowledge that it is a valid fear, and face it. You will be rejected. That is the price that you will have to pay. Jesus promises that the world will hate us for his name's sake. That never stopped the biblical men (and women) who faced such adversity. (Note: Hosea, Noah, Elijah, Paul, Stephen, [not to mention Esther who faced death]...and many more.)
11.Make evangelism a lifestyle, not a solitary event- Do not make a church event your only time to witness. You will have many opportunities throughout your week or even day to witness to others. For women who stay at home, you can even use social media websites to witness to people. Make sure you are always Holy-Spirit led.
12. Not all Atheists are hateful- This means exactly what it says. Many Christians assume that all Atheists are bitter against God or Christianity in general. A real Atheist is not going to be bitter against someone he/she does not believe in. For you to assume all Atheists are this way is actually...well, judgmental. And hey! Guess what folks? Being upset at Atheists for judgmental behavior when you do the same is hypocritical. Also, Atheists are not Devil worshippers. Devil worshippers are "Satanists." Atheists don't believe in the Devil. If you make a comment about an atheist being a devil worshipper, you lose them completely, and you never even stood a chance.
13.Discipleship is important- Once you have successfully led someone to the Lord, don't just drop them like a hot tamale! Exchange numbers, set up dates to meet with one another. Teach them what you know, and encourage them to read their Bibles. Be their friend and help them grow. Evangelism does not just end at a successful seed-plant, or soul-winning. Once you lead someone to the Lord, you are held accountable for their discipleship. If you are not able, then point them in the direction of someone who can! :)
Below I have posted a few silly memes that actually present very valid points!:
For Atheists, people of other religions, and Christians alike:
Yeah...most human beings are hypocritical regardless of religion. Don't let yourself get too heated over it. It is bound to happen.
Christians, stop saying you'll pray for those who don't believe. They don't want your pity. Go home and pray in secret. Odds are, they will get defensive...or just think you're insane.
For all of humanity out there!!!
Come on people! Can't we all just get along? :D
Play it! You know you want to! :)
Dear Mariah,
I just finished reading your post! =-)
It really hit home! Alott of times, people are so ready to jump at other people's throats for the sake of religion. It is very sad. The memes were really funny! 8-)
I am one of those Christians who post a thousand Christian antigay or antiabortion posts, and it always causes more of a fuss than it does any good!
@Megan Russel: Thank you so much! Yes, it is sad but true! I have trouble following my own tips mentioned. I know that I should follow them, but sometimes I allow my pride to swallow me up! Heh...sinner problems. Ha! :D