Day 17: The Basis for Disciple-Making. So, this video that we watched today…it is so interesting! He makes a lot of good points. He seems to understand the urgency that we should feel better than a lot of Christians. He said a lot of things that really hit home for me. One of them was “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” Wow! I know there have been times where I have avoided that pointed conversation with someone because I didn’t want to offend them or lose them as a friend, but when you put it like that…wow, how did I not share!? Another thing he said that I thought was really interesting was at the end of the video. He says, “Now, I know there’s no God, and one polite person living his life right doesn’t change that…” When he made that statement, I couldn’t help but think: would it change his stance on God’s existence if he met 5 polite people living their lives right? What about 10? What if every Christian he met welcomed him with the love of Christ and showed him that kind of care and grace? It is amazing how every interaction matters. You never know who is going to be open to the gospel until you try. Don’t miss someone because of false assumptions.
I had a friend in college who had different beliefs than I did. In fact, he was someone who I tried to avoid that pointed conversation with because I liked to hang out with him and we worked well together. There came a time though that I just couldn’t avoid it any longer. I felt a sense of urgency that he know how much God loves him and wants him to be in a relationship with Him. So, we had coffee together and chatted about what was on my heart. His response was not what I expected. He told me that in his hometown there were many “Christians” who were not kind to him and wanted nothing to do with him because of his lifestyle and beliefs. He said “And then I met you. You were a Christian who was actually really nice to me and I couldn’t figure out why.” That story, like the video that we watched, breaks my heart. As Christians we should be living lives that show Christ to other people, at all times. We should live with an urgency, because the reality is that we know the One who can give salvation, and we need to tell others about it, because the consequences of them not having the opportunity to know Christ are more costly than we should be willing to pay.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
