That's what we believe, isn't it? But boy, how that must sound to an unbeliever.
Talk about arrogant!
So what's got me on this topic? A book by John Shore: I'm OK, You're not. The Message we're sending unbelievers and why we should stop.
With chapter titles like How dare they leave when we're offending them, it explains why evangelism in the modern world doesn't seem to be working really.
We're so into the Great Commission, that we've forgotten about the Great COMMANDMENT:
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’No other commandment is greater than these.” -Mark 12:29-31
Mr Shore doesn't say evangelisation is wrong or that it never works, but that in a world that already has heard about Jesus and chosen not to serve Him, it is futile to tell them to repent. They believe just as strongly in whatever it is they've chosen to believe in, and with our attitude of "you're wrong, I'm right" we're just pushing them further away and damaging the reputation of the Christian faith.
Rather, we can be like Jesus and just love people. What about becoming friends with an unbeliever (*shock, horror, gasp*), live an example of Christ's love and then if they have questions about our faith, we can answer in love.
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