Romans 10: Being a Voice for Christ

"8 'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: ⁹That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ¹¹As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame...¹⁴How can [non-believers] call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"

It's relatively easy for me to write about my faith in God. It's also very comfortable for me to discuss the finer points of my faith with other Christians. However, it can be incredibly difficult for me to discuss my faith with those who are not Christians. Yesterday, I had an anonymous person post a couple comments on various blog posts (Hello, Mr/Ms. Anonymous! I prayed for you this afternoon!). This person is, presumably, an atheist... or at least not a Christian. They questioned my faith. They questioned my integrity. It gave me pause.

At least here I have the luxury of taking my time to respond. I can read and re-read comments and monitor my response before proceeding. I can take the time to make sure I answer in love. Or, alternatively, I can simply delete an offensive comment and put it out of my mind. I, however, do not have this luxury out in the "real" world. 

In the real world I don't always have the option to think over my responses for a couple hours. I often have to respond within a few seconds, and make sure that not only do I say the proper words, but that I say those words properly. I need to keep my emotions bridled and respond out of love... even in the heat of the moment. I don't have the protection of time, distance, and relative anonymity the internet offers. 

Witnessing, as we Christians call it, has become a very difficult thing to do in this New Age Millenium. We can share some of our beliefs with relative ease (with the exception being in the presence of those who love being argumentative or hostile towards the faith), as most agree that we are all entitled to our own opinions. However, it gets difficult when our beliefs go against the "norm" set by the secular world. It gets even more difficult when we have to tell people they're wrong. 

I find myself living in fear of the reactions of others when it comes to bringing up my beliefs. However, I have come to realize, it's not up to me to make people change. That's God's job. My job is merely to offer those around me the opportunity to hear and understand the Truth. If they are hostile towards it, or would really rather not hear it... then there isn't really anything I can do. My duty is to continue loving that person and showing them what a Christ-led life looks like... but it's not my place to "convince" anyone. God saves people. 

However, I try never to hide my beliefs. Most people know I am a Christian within a week of knowing me. From there I seek to build a loving and sincere relationship with those around me so that we can get to the point where I can bring my faith into the conversation. The first time this opportunity arises is always scary. I know that what I need to say will likely make the listener uncomfortable. I just have to pray that God speaks to their heart through my words. God's Holy Spirit needs to be acting as a liaison between a Christian and a non-Christian before anything miraculous happens. If God is not directing the conversation, it won't matter how eloquent or convincing I think I am... I'll be speaking to the person's mind, rather than their heart. 

God,

Thank you for being there for me. I publicly acknowledge You as my God, my Lord, and Jesus as my Saviour. I understand that it would be incredibly insulting to Your Son and the sacrifice He made if I kept quiet and failed to tell others about the Gift You gave me. I also understand that it would be incredibly cruel of me not to tell others about You and give them the opportunity to accept Your gift as well. Replace any fears or trepidation I have with faith and confidence. Please tell your Holy Spirit to act as a liaison in all my conversations. I don't want to be speaking to people's minds... I want you to speak to people's hearts.

Thanks

-Me