How do I share Christ with non-believers without being too pushy or shoving Christ down their throats? 1 Peter 3:15 and 16 says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." Notice the passage says to share Christ with others with "gentleness and respect." When dealing with non-believers, I would simply stay as respectful and gentle as possible. Remember, you are their earthly representation of who Jesus is. They may judge Him based on how you treat them. So be bold yet careful. As long as the dialogue is open, you are not being pushy. If they get to the point where they tell you to back off and leave them alone, then accommodate their request. You gain nothing by being pushy. Believe me, when the chips are down in their life or they have questions about God, they will come to you because they know where you stand.If 75% of those reached by the Gospel fall away, have they lost their salvation? As I studied for this sermon, that was a question I asked myself. Jesus doesn't make it real clear, but it appears that the person described by the path maybe never had salvation. The person in the rocks, appears to have had it, but left it. The person I had the most struggle with was the person in the thorns. This person was described as being "unfruitful," not as having rejected Christ. That's why in the sermon, I referenced this person as one who is a follower of Christ in name only. Obviously, this person has put other things before Christ. And while that is a danger zone, I'm not sure if Jesus would say they've lost their salvation. Jesus is pretty strong on what it means to call Him Lord. For example, Matthew 7:21 that "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." That's pretty strong language. So whether a person loses their salvation or not in that 75% may be up for debate. However, I think it is clear that we should all be pursuing the "good soil" way of life.
What should you do if you are trying to reach someone for Christ and they stop listening? I think this question may have been answered in the first question I answered. However, I would add praying for the person. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Pray hard for those you are trying to reach that God would soften their heart toward Him.
When you ask God into your life, how do you know you asked the right way? How do you know that He has accepted you? Romans 10:9 says, "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." If you have done this and believe it in your heart, then you have done it "the right way." John 3:16 answers you other question. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." God loves everyone in the world and if they accept His Son, He accepts them as part of His family. Romans 8:14-16 says, "Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." "Abba" can be translated, "Daddy." As this passage in Romans says, if we are led by the Spirit of God and are truly committed to Him, He is our father and we are His children. It's a wonderful concept and way of life!
What if your faced with rejection of Christ's name every time you try and spread the love of Jesus? How do I respond to this kind of rejection? Matthew 5:11 and 12 says, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Any time we are persecuted or insulted because of Jesus, God blesses us. That does not mean we just harshly talk to people about God and invite insult (see question above related to this). In this world, we are going to experience rejection. Don't ever let that deter you from trying to be a light for Christ. Jesus said in Mark 8:38, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of Him when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels." Keep being a light for Christ!
What concrete evidence do we have to explain the age of dinosaurs and their existence? Why does science go against this? I'm not an expert on this by any means, but I'll give you some food for thought. Some scholars believe the leviathan mentioned in Job 41 is a dinosaur-type creature that lived in the sea. Whether it was a dinosaur or a great whale, we may not be sure, but it's perhaps evidence of dinosaurs in the Bible. Job is believed to have lived during the time of Abraham or before. There is no mention of the Law or the Exodus in Job, so scholars believe he lived in what we might call "the prehistoric days." As far as the age of the earth as it appears in the Bible, versus what secular scientists say, I don't know that it really matters. I asked a college science professor who was a Christian at a secular university how he looked at it and he said, "It could be said that scientists have missed it and have dated the earth much older than it is, or it could be said that God created the world over a vast number of years and the days mentioned in Genesis are figurative rather than literal, but either way, does your faith hinge upon a concrete answer?" I thought that was a good way to look at it. It's an endless debate with people who simply like to debate. If you enjoy this type of study and research, there is a wonderful magazine I used to get entitled, "Answers." They have great articles regarding the origin of the earth, dinosaurs, archeology, etc. Check our their website at www.answersingenesis.org.
