Displaying Jesus In your lifestyle
When your friend sees things like these in your life, it may lead to an open door to discuss faith.
- The reality of forgiveness in your life. That would include both your freedom from guilt, and your readiness to forgive others.
- Your reactions, especially to those who wrong you. Reacting to your enemies as Jesus did is a strong indication that Christianity is real, and not just talk. On the other hand, if you find yourself responding to pressure in ungody ways, all is not lost. You could tell your friend that you were wrong, but that you have asked God to forgive you. This enables your friend to see what Christianity really is
- Your priorities. If your friend knows that the Bible warns against the love of money, he may not find your witness credible if you are obviously pursuing riches. On the other hand, he may be drawn to talk to you if he sees you sacrificing your material goods and your time for the sake of helping others.
- Your personal behavior standards. Unbeliever hold Christians to a higher standard, and may use inconsistencies in our life as an excuse to reject Christianity.
- The reality of answered prayer in your life. Giving a testimony of how God has helped us is a non-threatening way to surface conversation about God.
- Showing love. What I mean here is your willingness to accept loss for the sake of helping others.
These points are summarized from page 8 of the author’s book Great Commission Living You may see a complete table of contents at the bottom of this bibliography link.
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