We’ve looked at the reasons for evangelism and the purpose of making friends. Perhaps some of us would be thinking: “God is crazy. How can I spend every waking moment with my non-Christian friends talking about God? They will think I’m a nutcase! God did create everything else for our enjoyment right?” That might be true. But on the other extreme, if we don’t tell others about Jesus, how will anyone be saved? Let’s see what the Bible tells us about how we should relate to those on the outside. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone”. (Col 4:5-6). This passage addresses 2 areas that Christians need to work on in their relationship towards non-Christians:
1. In the Way We Act
2. In the Way We Talk.
In the Way We Act
Non-Christians generally apply higher standards to Christians than to normal people. For example, last year when an elder from a church here was convicted of having sex with a prostitute here, there was a big hoo-ha in the media.
We know that we do not have to live according to their standards, but according to Christ’s standard. And we try our best to live under Christ’s law without offending them. We need to show them how a Christian should live in the way we make our choices, and in the way we work. There are many things that limit the time we have with our friends. I’ve not seen most of my primary school friends since I left my primary school. That means that while I was there, I only had those few years to show my friends then how a Christian should behave, before we part ways. Of course God can bring other people into their lives, but we too can contribute to their impressions of what Christians are supposed to be, and perhaps the next Christian would have an easier time sharing the gospel.
“Making the most of every opportunity” refers more to our time rather than that of non-Christians. We are the ones striving to live a life that pleases God, and should strive to live for Him at every moment. The way to live for God is to live in a self-controlled, upright, and godly manner (Titus 2:11-14). Also, during the days that Paul wrote the letter, “making the most of every opportunity” would have meant not passing up on a good deal. Let’s not pass up on a good opportunity to please God by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ!
In the Way We Talk
Paul tells us to add one main thing to our conversations for one main purpose.
The One Main Thing
The ingredient we’re to add to our conversations is grace seasoned with salt. Grace would mean that our speech would be acceptable to others just like a gift would be. A Christian should then strive to let his words be acceptable to his friends, speaking in a way that would not cause them to get offended. And seasoned with salt would mean that the way we talk must be different from non-believers, and should be influenced by our understanding of who God is. So while those outside the church can identify with the way we talk, how we talk is also influenced by the good news, and if we can, to bring God into the conversations. Like we can talk about whether God was fair in allowing earthquakes to happen, or why God created some people to be smart enough to get A’s although they didn’t study, all to stir their interest in talking about God. We do not have to bring God or the gospel into every conversation. But I think most of us fall into the other extreme. When was the last time we talked about God to our friends, Christian or non-Christian? Since the good news of Jesus Christ is so important to us Christians, we should be telling others about Him.
In Singapore, we have more difficulty because once we offend those from other religions, we just might find our faces plastered on the front page of the local newspapers for running afoul of the law. This is where speaking in “grace” comes in which we were referring to earlier. When we do speak to them especially about God, we should do so graciously, so that we might not offend them while sharing with them what Christianity is about as much as possible.
The One Main Purpose
And the one main purpose is for us to answer everyone about what we believe in. Why should we be wise to them?
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory”. (Col 3:1-4) We should be wise because our lives belong to Jesus now. Keep living wisely, and keep speaking wisely.
Nicolas Wong