Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Just Convert Already!

Let me ask you a question.

Whose responsibility is it to convert someone?

That is right.

God's!!!

So why do many Christians behave in such an unsightly manner by trying to impress their beliefs upon others and force them to convert? Why do they act in such a way as if the conversion of a person relies entirely upon them?

News flash! There is nothing that you or I can say or do in order to convert another person. Absolutely nothing! Our job is simply to preach the Word and answer their questions, doubts, and skepticisms. Until you learn Who God is, and come to terms with His sovereignty, you will forever be doing evangelism wrongly by doing it in your own power.

I learned long ago that no matter what I say or do I will never be able to convert a single soul to Christianity. Why? Because it is God who must change their heart in order for them to respond to the Gospel. When I am talking with people, I will make it known to them early on that while I would love to see them saved and born again, I am not trying to convert them because it is not in my power to do so. I cannot convert a single being. If they have questions, I will answer them; if they have doubts, I will provide the facts and evidences; if they have skepticism, I will correct them; and I will share the Gospel. That is all I can do; provide answers to the best of my ability. If they want to end the discussion and move along, I oblige them. I have planted the seed and/or watered it. The rest is up to God.

Christians who keep hounding an individual and pounding them with their beliefs are doing a huge disservice to the individual and making the whole of Christianity look bad. If the individual walks away, do not keep following after him/her casting your pearls before swine. No matter how many times you say something, or how many different ways you say it, or how much more information you try to give them in order to attempt to persuade them, you will never convert them! Conversion of a soul is not your responsibility, nor is it in your power to do so. Stop trying to be God!

When I read through my Bible, I see Jesus and the Apostles doing precisely what I have learned to do. When the rich young man came to Jesus and asked how he might inherit eternal life, Jesus did not keep adding more and more information on top of what He had already said in hopes of making a conversion. He said what needed to be said and left it at that. All hounding an individual is going to get you is a false conversion just so you were able to put a notch on your belt. You may never see a person genuinely converted because of something you said or did, but when you get to heaven you might be surprised to find out all the people God converted using you. But when you try and force conversions, keeping record of how many you supposedly saved, when you get to heaven you will be devastated to learn that none of them were converted by God and every single one of them ended up in Hell because you felt the need to force a conversion to appease your ego.

God is the only person who can convert a soul. Stop trying to play God by doing what only He can do. You do what you are responsible for doing and leave the rest in God's capable hands. When unbelievers know you are not trying to convert them, even though you wish to see them saved, they will be more relaxed when speaking to you about these things, even if they disagree entirely with everything you have to say or share. They may even get angry at some of what you have to say, but they will continue conversing because they do not feel as if you are trying to force something down their throat. Our job is to simply give them the truth; provide them with answers. God will deal with how that truth is shaped within their lives. God can take a single nugget of truth you shared and use it to bring about a conversion. You do your work and leave God to do His.

"Salvation is from the LORD." Jonah 2:9c