Why Must We Be Careful in Encouraging People to “Accept Christ”?

Terminology matters. Use of the wrong terms can cause misunderstanding, especially if terms are not explained. Reader’s Digest once told of a German exchange student staying with a family in Illinois. The student was invited to an alcohol free prom party. So his host family faxed his parents in Germany asking permission for their son to attend. A quick response came, “No. We do not want our son attending any party where free alcohol is served.”

Terminology is important in spiritual matters as well. Nowhere is it more important than inviting people to come to Christ.

That’s why we must be careful when we tell the lost to, “accept Christ.” The problem is they might do it! The problem is they may accept Christ the way you accept me or I accept you – as no more than a person. A non-Christian who came to Christ in one of our outreaches said to me, “Years ago I accepted Christ. I felt he was the person He said He was and if I lived as good as He lived, I would go to heaven. I never knew eternal life is free and I had to trust Christ alone to save me.” To that testimony, I could add countless more.

“Wait a minute,” you might say, “doesn’t the Bible tell us to “accept Christ?” Yes – in one verse. Let’s look at that verse carefully.

John 1:12 tells us, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” “Received” would have the idea “accept”. How though do you “accept Him”? The last part of the verse explains, “To those who believe in His name.” You accept Christ by believing, i.e. trusting Christ alone as your only way to heaven.

When John talked about “accepting or receiving Christ,” be made it clear to accept Christ means to trust in Christ alone as your only way to heaven.

Conclusion? Ask people to do what the Gospel of John ask lost people to do – believe – that means trust in Christ alone to save them. If you use the phrase “accept Christ,” be sure to explain it the way the Gospel of John does.

Remember – terminology matters. Nowhere does it matter more than explaining to people how to receive the gift of eternal life.

Dr. Haddon W. Robinson on Relationships with Non-Christians

It has been said that it does not take new believers very long to distance themselves from their non-Christian friends and neighbors after their salvation experience. What a tremendous witnessing opportunity he or she is missing as a result of the misguided influence of self-righteous Christians. Are we supposed to be “set apart” and pursue holiness to the extreme that we miss the opportunity to tell of the same grace by which we were saved? No! By all means, convince a new believer that they are a missionary to those in their lives that are lost. Encourage them to take the Good News of their salvation to their friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Remind them to “make the most of every opportunity” (Col. 4:5). Realize that a new believer is instantly qualified for evangelism. He can share his testimony of the trust he is placing in Christ for his salvation. Or he can tell of the security he has of knowing that he will spend eternity in heaven.

Relationships with non-Christians should be maintained regardless of the amount of effort it may take. According to Dr. Haddon W. Robinson:

“Making a place in your life for non-Christian neighbors demands effort, thought, and at times risk. Bridges are harder to construct than walls. But that doesn’t alter this reality: Outsiders to faith are first drawn to Christians and then to Christ. Unfortunately, not all Christians attract. Like a turned magnet, some repel. Yet Christians, alive to God, loving, caring, laughing, sharing, involved at the point of people’s needs, present an undeniable witness for Christ in their society” (from the foreword of Aldrich’s “Lifestyle Evangelism”).

God may use your relationship with that person to draw your friend to Himself. God may use you to share the gospel with your friend. If He did provide that opportunity, would you be prepared? If not, visit Evangelism.net and EvanTell.org for resources and training to help you overcome any obstacles that would render you ineffective if an opportunity to share the gospel comes your way.

One Mission, One Message…

Everyone has significant moments in their life; moments that are so impactful they change you forever. My most impactful moment occurred when I first understood what Jesus Christ had done for me. I remember how I felt leading up to that day, isolated and burdened because of my sin, knowing that when I died, I would have to give an account to my Creator.

I knew that no matter how good I tried to be, no matter what I did, the guilt from my sin remained. God was perfect, heaven was perfect, but I wasn’t. How could God love someone as sinful as me? How could a perfect God even think about letting me in to heaven? I greatly feared death knowing that I would have to answer for my sin.

This was my mindset seconds before I heard a message that changed my life forever. Through a very simple gospel presentation, I came to understand the good news of Jesus Christ. As I listened, I saw myself before a holy God, ready to receive the guilty verdict and punishment for my sin.

I then saw in my mind Jesus on the cross, realizing for the first time that HE had taken that punishment for me. Wow! There was nothing left to be done. Jesus had paid it all and His resurrection proved it was true. My response was to trust in Him and what He had done for me.
My eyes were opened and my burden was lifted. I experienced the joy of knowing that I had a relationship with my Creator that would last forever, not because of what I had done, but because of what Christ had done for me.

My heart’s desire is to be used by God to share the good news I heard that day with the world and equip and encourage other believers to do the same. That is also the passion and calling of EvanTell, the ministry where I serve as Director of International Ministries. We believe that when the gospel is communicated clearly, it has the power to change the life of anyone, anywhere, at any time.

My prayer is that this blog would be an encouragement to you as I share my heart about evangelism and how God is working around the world to give people hope through the good news of Jesus Christ.

What is the Gospel?

The Gospel - the Good News of Christ - is that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. Paul defines the Gospel in I Corinthians 15:3-5: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.” The facts concerning Christ are conveyed by four prominent verbs.

Christ Died
Paul said, “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3). Christ died as our substitute. Had he not taken our punishment, we would all bear it ourselves. Christ died as my substitute and yours. Isaiah, seven hundred years before Christ, prophesied His death when he said, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:5).

Christ Was Buried
The second verb Paul used concerning Christ is that ” He was buried” (I Cor. 15:4). Since Paul did not repeat the phrase “according to the Scriptures,” it is likely that he mentioned Christ’s burial simply as a proof that HE died. The proof of death is burial.

Christ Rose
The third verb Paul used is that “He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (I Cor. 15:4). This is the second time Paul used the phrase “according to the Scriptures.” He wanted his readers to know that, just as Christ’s crucifixion was not a surprise, neither was His resurrection. David predicted the resurrection of Christ when he said, “For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption: (Ps. 16:10).

Christ Was Seen
The fourth verb Paul used is “seen”: “he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve” (I Cor. 15:5). Notice again that Paul did not repeat the phrase “according to the Scriptures.” It is likely that just as Paul mentioned Christ’s burial as proof that He died, he mentioned that Christ was seen as proof that He arose.

The Gospel - the Good News of Christ - is that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. His burial is proof that he died. The fact that He was seen is proof that he arose. The clearest way to present the Gospel is to give the historical facts as they are given in the New Testament. The Good News we are privileged to announce is that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.