Episode 4: How to deal with Non Christians

                                            Episode 4 (2/7/2020)     

The New Christian Podcast

Title: How to Deal with Non-Christians

1.    Greetings

As we look at this week’s episode I would like us to reflect on how we came to know Christ. What were are feeling to someone telling us about the Gospel and finally understanding?

This leads us into how we are to deal with non-Christians as we live out our faith in a world that can be increasingly hostile to God, Jesus, and the Bible.

1.    Paul tells us (Col. 4:5-6): 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," We should be wise in our contact with nonbelievers making the most of our opportunities to tell them the Good News of salvation.

2.    When we tell others about Christ, it is important always to be gracious in what we say. No matter how much sense the message makes, we lose our effectiveness if we are not courteous. Just as we like to be respected, we must respect others if we want them to listen to what we have to say.

3.    “Seasoned with salt” means that what we say should be “tasty” and should encourage further dialogue. Salt in a wound will hurt, so this is where the grace, mercy, and love, comes in.

4.    God wants your conduct to be with wisdom. This conduct is your manner of behavior. This means you are to be

a.    Sympathetic (this could be in counseling, listening, etc.)

b.    Compassionate and humble (1 Pet. 3:8). "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”

c.     Loving – (John 13:34-35). “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

d.    "Don't repay evil for evil, or insult with insult, but with blessing repay the evil cast at you" (1 Pet. 3:9). Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

e.     Patient - you are to be considerate and longsuffering with the unbeliever.

f.      I would hope that as Christians you would not become complacent about evangelism. God uses the Gospel to call His people out of the world.

g.    The time is short and the world is evil: Ephesians 5:15-17 says, "Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise, 16 Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

 How are we to react to hostility?

Christians are experiencing this more and more these days and we are not to react with hostility back. That doesn’t mean we are to be a “punching bag” but we can take the advice of Matthew 10:14 - If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

There are things that Christians do that Non-Christians don’t like it.

The problem has been around awhile.  As Mahatma Gandhi famously (and sadly) said: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Christians can be their own worst enemy. We tend to think Non-Believers should act like Christians. But why, they don’t know Christ why should we expect them to think like a Christian.

This sometimes can hinder our relationships with non-believers. Yes, I’m a big believer in “relational evangelism.” This means we build a relationship with those that don’t know Christ. This, in turn, builds our credibility to speak truth into someone’s life. 

Some Christians will say I’m not gifted in evangelism, some shy away from it, thinking they are not equipped to speak to someone about Christ, but Matthew 28:19-20 has no clause for those not “equipped for evangelism.” It simply tells us to “Go and make a disciple.”

Lastly, just listen:

If we Christians just close our mouths and listen to what someone is saying we might have a better conversation and win the hearts of those we are trying to share God with. Most time Christians are on the defense, we try to win an argument, God doesn’t need our help.

There are times when we debate, but not in a friendly discussion. We are not trying to win an argument or argue someone into Heaven. We are simple and more often than not just listening and waiting for the opportunity to interject God into the discussion.

So, the next time you are confronted with a person that is a non-believer, love them as Christ would and treat them as a person created in God’s image and remember to build a relationship on love and then watch God soften their hearts to hear Him.