Witnessing Love: Bridging the Gap to the Lost

In middle school, I was riding home on the bus when I witnessed a girl crying a few rows behind me. This was a girl who didn't have the best reputation, and a lot of the people around her seemed to be making fun of her. I knew that this girl was troubled and broken. Frankly, I was a little scared of her. Yet, something inside of me wanted to approach her. My heart told me yes, while my mind was sounding an alarm. We got off at the same stop, and I went over to her. I asked her if she wanted to sit and talk about why she was crying. I'll never forget the way she looked at me, like relief flooded her body. We sat down right there on the curb of the road and talked for just short of an hour. At the end of the conversation, she asked me why I cared and even approached her. The only answer I could come up with was, "God told me to." I told her I would be praying for her, and we went our separate ways.

I'd like to say that conversation planted a seed in her, but I'm not sure whether it did. However, I do know that I was able to be a witness of my faith to her at that moment. Knowing her reputation, I could've dismissed her and continued on in my own little world, but I felt the urge to pursue her. Yet, how many times do we as Christians dismiss the lost or broken because of their reputations, their past, or their beliefs?

We know without a doubt that the world we are living in is very lost. A world that has become comfortable in their sin. Generations before us knew some of the Bible stories at the very least. Yet, today's generation is completely deprived of the Bible and Jesus. Because of this, we need to be burdened for them. It's so easy to have an attitude of judgment or even disgust when looking at the broken world, but Jesus never approached them this way. The only way the lost will be willing to listen is if we approach them with gentleness and respect.

In today's culture, Christians tend to be seen as judgmental and always "shoving their beliefs down your throat." It's a sad reality that we face. Oftentimes, simple conversations are viewed as us trying to force our beliefs upon others. I truly believe this ideology is a result of having experienced this attitude from people who labeled themselves as Christians in the past. There is a group of Christians that view the lost as dirty and less than. Yet, Jesus never did. I'm reminded of the story of the woman who was bleeding for 12 years. Someone whom others would've viewed as unclean, Jesus blessed and loved her because of her faith. Or take the story of the prostitute. When she had heard of where Jesus would be having dinner, she came and anointed Him with oil. Yet Simon, the Pharisee, was disgusted and tried to avoid her "kind". In both these situations, we see Jesus embrace the lost rather than viewing Himself as above them. The only man who had the right to hold Himself above these culturally "unclean" people, lowered Himself to the place of a servant. In all of Jesus' interactions with the lost, we see beautiful examples of love. When we approach the lost, we don't need to ask, "What would Jesus do?" because we can ask "What did Jesus do?". The answers are so evident in the Bible. While we should never compromise the truth for love, we should always speak truth in love.

In everything we do, we can be witnesses of the faith. We should always be asking ourselves, how can I best communicate Jesus to this person? Oftentimes, we think our evangelism needs to be this perfect speech. But sometimes what a person really needs is to see the broken, imperfect side of you. Sometimes the best way to provoke repentance in others is to begin with a confession from us. Our lives consist of complicated and messy circumstances, and we shouldn't hide this in our witness to others. When we are trying to reach the lost, we must be able to understand the chasm of the cultures so that we can build a bridge across. Sometimes that bridge is our own brokenness. We can then use that to articulate our testimonies; after all, no one can argue with what God has done in your life.

To understand the "chasm of the culture", it is helpful to know what other cultures and religions may believe. Yet in our evangelism, we must be careful to get to know the individual for who they are and what they believe, rather than stereotyping or assuming. Remember, when we are dealing with people we are never dealing with pure ideology or theology. We are dealing with people who have had unique experiences and are viewing their beliefs through the lens of those experiences. Many people think that reaching the lost begins with sharing your beliefs, but it actually begins with listening. So many of the lost today have been hurt by the church or wronged by Christians. The first act of love we can show them is to listen. It's often noted that Jesus asked far more questions than he answered. The one who knew all people never stopped asking about them. After we listen, we love and empathize free of judgment. Then we build a bridge and share the good news of Jesus.

1 Peter 3:15 is the typical verse sighted on evangelism. It reads, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." While yes, the only way we can defend the truth is by knowing it ourselves, it is important to look at what Peter says before this. In verse 8 of this chapter, we are called to be sympathetic, compassionate, humble, and to love one another. Peter's command to "give an answer" isn't an excuse to condemn or shame those who may be lost. The posture of our hearts should remain in love, humility, and compassion. People want to interact with those who are real and genuine. I believe one of the biggest problems we face in evangelism is the attitude of our hearts as we approach the lost. Need I remind you that we were all lost and unclean before we knew God? We may view certain sins as being worse than others, but God sees us all the same. For every single lost soul, God desires a relationship with them, and He loves them. So, we should do the same.

Jesus gives value to the lost. After all, that's what the Gospel is all about. Jesus gave his life for every single one of us so that we can have a relationship with Him. Jesus pursues the lost. He didn't spend His time on earth looking at them in disgust. He embraced them, and we are told He leaves the 99 to find the 1. We shouldn't be avoiding the lost, we should be having dinners with them and praying for them because they are so valuable and precious in the sight of God. Break down the barriers in your heart towards the lost and take on the burden of their eternal souls. We have an urgent job to do, and we will never help bring souls to Christ if we are judgmental, discouraging, prideful, or negligent of them all together. Whether they're a murderer, adulterer, liberal, conservative, gay, straight, or the worst of the worst, they are in need of Christ, and we have the ability to share Him with them.

May your roots run deep, and your faith remain strong! As always, Stay Rooted, my friends! <3