Reasons for Being Better Examples of Christ-likeness to Non-Christians

(by Bill Stevenson, 9/10/05)

What do you think of witnessing? Where do you share the Gospel? I am ashamed to say that
I don't share it much anywhere. I tell others that I am not the evangelist type or have the talents
of an evangelist, and that I must just focus on the second part of the Great Commission. Today I
was stunned about the following: The New Ager group Omega Faith and Universalists are telling
people that there is no Hell and that all will go to Heaven. The former are now focusing on doing
such in the hospital wards where people are dying. The Christian chaplains have stopped
ministering to such patients. This is according to a retired doctor. That doctor had become a
Christian after saying a prayer for a dying atheist who had testified about seeing Hell. It was the
change in the patient after he had been brought back to consciousness that persuaded the doctor
to ask Jesus Christ into his life. In the film we saw, there were other testimonies about atheists
who had strange experiences in hospitals. There were five men and for of them were very
intelligent and successful in secular life before their life-changing experiences. One said that it is
easy to be an atheist when one is successful, but he never had felt peace. He searched for such
drinking all types of alcohol and being with many women. He had become a successful medical
doctor and he knew the aneurysm he had was fatal He asked for a man who had been pestering
him for five years to become a Christian. That could not come until the next morning because he
was far away. The doctor had horrible experiences of being in a horrible indescribable place and
he fought to get out of that place grabbing the sheets and the mattress. But he had felt out of his
body too. By the time Ron came, he was ready to accept Ron’s advice. Ron showed him Bible
verses which had the words that he wanted the doctor to us for his prayer for Salvation. After the
prayer, the doctor felt the wonderful peace he had sought. Each of the 5 men who gave their
testimony and the host of the program were the most credible witnesses I have seen. Another
reason that this documentary was done was because there were many testimonies of individuals
having experiences where they testified to seeing the way to Heaven and even some of Heaven.
The only legitimate testimonies of life after death experiences are ones which influenced the
testifier to greatly repent to true Christian living. If the six former atheists became courageous in
sharing the Gospel, what is holding us back from doing such too? I want to have more courage to
do such.
I was ready to e-mail the above to the first group of my contacts but the Holy Spirit urged me
to write the following and to add a confession to the beginning of the first paragraph: The Holy
Spirit urged me to focus another film which had just begun on TV. It was about a Christian
magazine writer TJ who invited a young Muslim man he had met during an assignment in
Muslim country, to stay in his apartment while was attending a USA college. TJ told the other
staff members that he wanted to do all he could to encourage Mohammed to be a Christian and
also write an article after. He received reluctant approval to try to do so in order to write an
article. He did a lot of study in the Muslim books and other sources. He even wore some of the
African clothes he had purchased. His guest came unexpectedly because TJ didn't answer the
phone. Later, TJ got him a job, tried to get him to be in the staff Bible study, go to church but
could not present him even the Gospel to him. Mohammed showed that he was much more
committed to his religion than TJ was to even the Bible. Mohammed decided that he should
move out and move in a co-worker's apartment Mohammed said he saw the project folder about
him in the computer. TJ admitted he was trying to find a chink in the Muslim armor in order to
get Mohammed to become a Christian. Mohammed asked him how much he read the Bible and
prayed in his preparation for his project and TJ had to admit he hadn't. He said that he did
believe in the Jesus Christ because of His compassion and Mohammed's facial expression
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indicated the truth that TJ and his friends actually showed no Christ-like compassion. Later,
Mohammed saw racial prejudice in his job and was later fired for sticking up for another Black
staff member. TJ felt like a failure and thought he could not write an article before the deadline.
Then he told a co-worker that the fifth of five pillars of the Muslim faith is prayer. Then he went
to a church prayer meeting and talked to the pastor before it started. He learned that increasing
prayer was the only way that he could get the passion he used to have for Christianity. Such
passion is different than passion for his writing and his job. He wrote an article of confession
which mainly said that it took a faithful Muslim to teach him Christ-like passion and compassion.
It was made the cover article for the next issue instead of not being published as some of TJ’s co-
workers thought would happen. Reconciliation occurred between TJ and Mohammed happened
too, even though the latter hadn’t read the article before TJ found where he was living.
What should we learn from this? What do others of different faith see in us? In relation to
the first paragraph above, what do atheists and agnostics see in us? Is our behavior example good
enough to encourage them to convert to Christianity? Think about what are the behaviors that
would encourage non-Christians to ask us about our faith in Christianity. I have been ashamed of
a lot of my past life because of my not being a very good Christ-like example especially in the
area of compassion. That guilt has kept me from ministering a lot of time. It almost kept TJ from
writing a wonderful article and reconciling with Mohammed. The just mentioned agreed to move
back in with TJ. I only proceed from such guilt by doing what Christ-likeness and Great
Commission needs I am best in. The same has been happening in my current Internet ministry
even: when I am not being a good example in church, in the community, in my marriage, and in
my e-mail communicating. And repentance to again using more of the precious time God allows
me to have in doing the Christ-likeness and Great Commission needs I am best in.
Now the challenge is for you: What needs to be done by you so that you be a better example
of those who have not accepted the Gospel for eternal life with God the Creator, to encourage
them to want the faith you have in being Heaven-bound?