“Every Saved Person this Side of Heaven Owes the Gospel to Every Unsaved Person This Side of Hell”
Pastor David Platt made this true and reflective statement.
Does this bring a conviction to your heart?
Does anyone come to mind who needs your gospel witness?
Barna Research recently concluded this from one of their surveys on “What Non-Christians Want from Faith Conversations”
“A growing secularization and a waning interest in religious matters have contributed to tension in faith conversations today. This apathy is spreading among Christians themselves. Almost half of practicing Christian Millennials say evangelism is morally wrong.”
Nearly all non-Christians and lapsed Christians (haven’t attended within the past month) have a friend or family member who practices and prioritizes Christianity—but these believers may not be their ideal conversation partners when it comes to faith.
Look over some of the informative findings in the chart below (also attached) to understand how unbelievers are currently viewing our gospel witness, the Christian they would be drawn to talk to, and the perception they have of the Christians in their life.
Also mentioned it the report, 76% of practicing Christians believe someone who listens without judgment is gifted at sharing their faith, but only 44% believe it is completely true of themselves. (View the full report here.)
It’s one thing to know that every non-Christian needs to hear the gospel this side of hell, but it’s another to participate in gospel conversations and to do so by letting “your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Colossians 4:6).
Remember God’s non-judgmental love toward you (“while you were still sinners, Christ died for you” Romans 5:8).
Remember Peter’s reminder to use “gentleness and reverence” when you are giving a defense of the gospel (1 Peter 3:15).
Remember how Jesus treated the woman at the well who had “five husbands and the one whom you now have is not your husband” (John 4:18). He told her the truth while perceiving her need for “living water.”
Sharing the truth with you,
Pastor Jeff