Did you know that 94% of Christians have never led a person to Christ?

Question

My Pastor confronted our church this past Sunday with this unbelievable news. What do you think the reason/reasons behind this fact is? Do you think that in a world where so many people reject the Gospel, that we as Christians are afraid of that rejection? Or do you think maybe we just don't care anymore as long as we know the truth?

I know sometimes trying to witness to others can be difficult. Just a few months ago I was helping pass out flyers in my community for a church event... when I came upon this man and handed him a flyer he crumbled it up in my face and he said, " I don't want nothing to with no God! And no church! Talk about rejection! It really hurt! Needless to say I didn't care much for that man at that time. Yet it is still our duty as Christians to witness to others. What do you think?

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Just to let everyone know...I was not pushy or forceful in any way in my handing out the flyer to this man. I simply invited him to our church fair. I was't out there pushing anything on anyone. I was simply and nicely handing out flyers/invitations and wishing everyone a nice day! which was my whole point about rejection. It was when the man took a look at the flyer and read it that he crumbled it.

Answer 1

It is the duty of Christians to do as Jesus said.

Leave your home and family (take your spouse of course), go out into the world with nothing in your pockets, the shoes on your feet, go from door to door, ask for what you need, do twice the work asked of you, spread the word and the truth, if your are rebutted, turn, wipe the dust off your feet and keep going.

Ghandi once said, the problem with Christianity is Christians.

They DON'T FOLLOW the words of Jesus, they just PRaise God, tith, pass the plate and go home for supper.

YOu don't have to be religious to do that!

You have to be REALLY RELIGIOUS to leave home FOREVER and go out into the world and minister with NO MONEY, NO CREDIT CARDS, NO AUTOMOBILE

That takes a lot of guts, but Jesus expects a lot of people.

Too bad he ain't getting it!

He just gets a lot of lip service...

Answer 2

1. What is the source of this statistic? I don't mean your pastor, I mean who did the statistical analysis?

2. If you think you were hurting when the man crumbled your paper, can you imagine how much HE was hurting to be compelled to do that? It's not about YOU.

3. Witnessing is not just handing out papers and not just talking. Witnessing would have been abandoning your papers and sitting down, shutting up, and LISTENING to the pain of that man.

4. Be careful how you live your life, it may the only Gospel some people ever read (or hear).

5. Please rethink what it means to witness. It may be quite different than you can imagine.

Answer 3

Some of us prepare the soil; some of us sow the seed; some water the seed; some harvest the seed! In other words, some of us may have said something to a person that stuck in his/her mind. Later another person comes along and confirms the original thought/pray/scripture. Then later still, another person sees that the person is ready to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and leads him/her to the Lord.

We may never know, this side of Heaven, whether or not we were instrumental in another person's salvation. I have lead three or more people in the "Sinner's Prayer", including my own two sons; but the greatest reward I have received concerning this, was finding out years later, from a young man who had been in an adult Sunday School class I taught for six months in the 1980s, that in the course of my teaching, he had accepted Jesus into his heart! This was such a blessing to me!

Answer 4

Are you qualified to lead someone to Christ?

I don't see it as my "job" to lead people to Christ. I am called to deliver His message (both in word and action), but I firmly believe that God will do the leading.

I plant the seed, God tends the field.

And think about this. Jesus Himself preached for 3 years and at best He was only able to bring a couple of hundred people to Him - and this is THE man Himself. How much better do you think you can do on your own?

In your example, you admit that you "didn't care much for that man" that threw your flyer in your face. What do you think Jesus would have done? He answers that question - "Shake the dust of your sandels" and move on - with kindness and love - not hurt feelings and anger. You did what you are called to do - the other person didn't accept, but you planted the seed. Now it is up to God to bring him home.

Answer 5

We are all links in a chain. You might be the first one who shares the gospel with someone. Someone else will re-enforce what you shared, and the one last in the chain has the joy of seeing the person come to Jesus. But we can all PRAY and ask God to lead us to people with hungry hearts. We are called to be faithful in prayer. It is up to God to change people's hearts from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. My philosophy is that one must first win the heart of a person, before one can reach the ear. Everyone is starved for love and is looking for someone who really cares. Can you respect people, even if they don't agree with you? Can you love them for who they ARE, the unique creation God made them? Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Answer 6

Sometimes God calls us to lead a person to Christ so we need to be ready....but sometimes the time isn't right and all we need to do is plant seeds or water them....The Holy Spirit can guide you to the people who need to hear something. As God to give you the words and you'll find yourself saying things that you didn't plan on saying but that are just right for the person you're talking to.....Don't give up....Sometimes even the people who look like they are rejecting the Lord, may come to Him later in their life because you thought they were important enough to try and reach them.
God bless.

Answer 7

I never understood how people can claim to come up with figures like this. How do we know that our very example doesn't lead someone to a better way, days or weeks or even years later?

Besides, for me witnessing is about LIVING the gospel as best I can. I want to do that whether people are inspired by it or not.

Answer 8

It should be our goal to lead others to Christ but most of us have a problem with forgetting worldly passions to the point so we can live a truly godly life that can be used as an example for others.

Even though "religion and spirituality" is my favorite forum on here, I have that problem. I have trouble leaving the world behind because I don't have much confidence in myself. I try to keep on track with the Lord but sometimes it is hard.

Of course, I think its in the Bible that it would be hard.

Answer 9

It's the way you do it.

Most Christians are very forceful when they talk about their religion. They range from the openly hostile to the patronizing "I don't want anyone to go to hell if they don't have to."

If you want to present a Christian life as a pure and moral one, than lead by example. There are few kinds of people more hypocritical than (most) Christians, in my experience. Believe me, non-Christians of any type have little desire to listen to a hypocrite preach values.

I, personally, don't mind any religious person wanting to talk about their beliefs. If I tell them I'm not interested, though, then I don't expect them to push. Even if you think your way is the only way, and that you're doing it for their own good, do you have any idea how arrogant that comes across? "I need to save you and civilize you because you don't have any idea how to be moral or spiritual on your own." Christianity, inherently, presents itself as the only way by virtue of being monotheistic. You ARE approaching others with a sort of arrogance, correct or not. Most people pick up on this and don't appreciate it, unless they're desperately looking for something to believe in.

And try to understand others before you preach to them. You come across as ignorant and dumb when you preach against or about science without understanding it. When you tell a nonbeliever s/he is going to hell, s/he laughs at you because they don't believe in hell. If you approach a polytheist speaking like a monotheist, you're going to come across as arrogant--not everyone believes there is only one god, and saying so is like saying, "I am right and you are wrong."

There are paths outside of your book. If it really really makes you happy to go and witness, hey, whatever floats your boat. But if every Christian took the time to learn about other people--thought of them as people with minds and beliefs of their own, rather than conversion points in the great Video Game of Christianity--than the world would be a lot better off.

Answer 10

Your right it is our duty as christians to witness to others but, there are a lot of people out there who do not believe because they are waiting for proof but' you know what? They will be judged in the end.