Wow, yesterday witnessing was really awesome! I didn't plan on going out this week, but the Lord really put it on my heart yesterday morning that I needed to go out and share the gospel that evening. I was very blessed because it wasn't my usual "false conversion" encounters. Meaning, when I talk to people they usually proclaim that they are Christian, but yet do not understand the gospel, know what they believe, can tell me what to do be saved, or they even admit that they are not after I explain to them the law and the gospel.
Don't get me wrong though. People who think they are Christian need to have the biblical gospel shared with them as well. It's just rare sometimes to find people in the bible belt that are honest about their faith and don't just say they are Christian because they grew up that way or it is more of a cultural thing. We can't always be sure about somebody's salvation so we are to love and share the gospel with them regardless. People often say that we are not to judge, "just not, lest you be judged", which is referring to a hypocritical judgment if that verse is actually taken into context. But we are told to judge in a righteous way.
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” - John 7:24
In the same chapter of the famous "judge not, lest you be judged" Jesus tells the disciples - "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16You will recognize them by their fruits."
"The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one." - 1 Corinthians 2:15
And it gives more details further into the verses. So there are instances in which we are to judge discerningly.
Anyways, my point of this post today is to explain that we need to be worshiping the right Jesus and understand that different religions have different views of who He is. Even those who claim to traditional Christian teachings can have the wrong idea of Christ. And if we have the wrong Jesus, it is the wrong gospel because it is all about Him.
What got me thinking about this was my encounter last night. I talked to a Zen Buddhist. I'm familiar with traditional Buddhism, but not Zen so he explained to me and basically said that he doesn't believe in Buddha as a deity (god), but he just believed it was in himself to go to a better place and reach the state of nirvana. He was well versed in the teachings of different religions, could quote scripture, and had a rehearsed argument on why he believed what he believed. After I explained the gospel to Him he said he believed that there was someone named Jesus who did good things, but not that He was son of God.
We got to the root of one of the issues when he said that he believes that all paths lead to the same place, which is very popular now. I told him if that I believe that I would turn into a cricket would I definitely turn into a cricket after I die? I also asked that if I thought the sun is blue and he thinks it's yellow then who is right. Am I right just because I really believe it's blue? It was basically a case of relativism, where someone believes that what is true for you is truth and what someone else believes is truth is truth for them. They make it sound fancy, but it's really silly logic. You just turn it back around on them to show the silliness of it. He saw my point and after some more discussion he asked me if he really wanted to be forgiven what he had to do. I explained who Jesus really was and the nature of God and the atonement. He actually mentioned atonement early and I explained why we cannot atone for our own sins and evil that we do. Zen Buddhism and all other religions is man centered and that there is a way that we work our way to heaven/nirvana or whatever that good place in the afterlife may be. Christianity is the only "religion" where you must completely surrender, repent, and put your trust in Christ instead of your own efforts.
The conversation was a real blessing because he showed genuine interest and actually knew what he was talking about even though it didn't make much sense once we unraveled it. The next conversation I had was with a group of guys, which was rather interesting. One guy was agnostic, one Catholic, one Mormon who was training another guy there to become a Mormon. We went through the good person test and then I explained the gospel (which is the most important thing to share with someone). The Mormon was well versed in a lot of his teachings, but the odd thing was is that he agreed with everything I said. I had to explain to my new Catholic friend how purgatory is not a biblical doctrine because that is what a lot will say where we go after death. To the Mormon I asked him if he had taken his two year mission trip yet (Mormons are usually required to take one). He said he was about to go in a couple weeks so I pleaded with him to check out the roots of his faith and gave him some points to consider.
Our terminology is the same in many ways, but there are different definitions to the same words. For instance, I brought up that the Mormon teachings believe in the celestial, telestial, and terrestrial heavens (they have three levels of heaven), baptism of the dead, becoming your own god, the origins of Joseph Smith. They also believe Jesus not to be the God-man, deny the trinity, and that Christ was the brother of Satan. He was a really nice guy and wanted to know more so we exchanged contact information and he wanted me to send him some links and info. on everything I was telling him. Please pray for him because the other guy with him there was also training to become a Mormon.
Overall it was a great experience. I love talking to people of different religions, especially when they actually practice and understand what they proclaim. The danger I see is that there are many people who are not Christian, are of different religions or have different system of beliefs (including atheists)know more about the Bible than many self-proclaiming Christians. More than ever we all need to understand and apply this truth...
"but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect," - 1 Peter 3:15
Whether you go out and witness, hand out tracts, or just even claim to be Christian, this is a truth that we must all apply. One of the biggest dangers I see today is self-proclaiming Christians having the wrong idea of Jesus, which I had for most of my life. I believed Jesus to be someone who winked at my sin, would let me hold onto my secret sins, and live like hell Monday through Saturday and play church on Sunday because that somehow made me good or worthy. I was so wrong. Jesus is Lord of all. And to be born again meant that I wouldn't keep diving into sin because my heart had genuinely changed. That's what it means to become a new creature in Christ. You begin to hate the sins you once loved and love the things God loves. You repent, turn from sin, because of who you are sinning against, not because it makes you feel cruddy or you want to be "morally better". You trust in Christ instead of your own efforts for your salvation.
I want to wrap up with this. In my blogs I often discuss other religions. While I believe that to be vitally important you do not have to know all the things that I am talking about to witness or share your faith with someone. The most important thing to know is the law and the gospel. Apologetics does help and I believe people should be versed in it, but we have to understand what we believe and be able to share it with the lost as it says in 1 Peter. Just like I tell people when I share the gospel with them, I cannot convince you that Christianity is true. I can help you make some sense of it and show you why what you believe can't be right, but ultimately you have to repent and trust in Christ in alone for your salvation. He is the only way, the truth, and the life!
If you are interested in sharing your faith, want some resources, or have any questions in general please shoot me an message! I plead with you to please pray for all the people that heard the gospel last night. Pray that the Lord would save them, that they would repent of their sin and trust in the one true Savior. Thank you for reading!
In Christ,
Joey
