Visitors at the Door (article)

Article 35 of 35 from the Ponder This - 2000 series

September 2000 – "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14).

Two nicely dressed people knocked on our door, a man and a woman who said they were from the local Kingdom Hall. I said I would be glad to welcome them if they would agree with me that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God who came from heaven to die for the sins of the world and that he himself is God equal in power, majesty, blessing and honor with the Father. They said that they too believed in Jesus, that he was the Son of God and that he was “a God.” “But you must believe that Jesus is fully equal with God the Father,” I replied, “for only a fully divine Jesus can save you from your sins.” “We don’t believe that,” the man said. “If you do not believe this, you are not a Christian at all.” “We don’t believe in hell either,” he added. “That’s unfortunate, because the Bible teaches that hell is a real place of eternal conscious torment where sinners spend eternity separated from God.” “We believe hell is nothing more than the grave.” “I urge you to turn to Jesus Christ who is very God of very God, fully equal with the Father, the Second Person of the Divine Trinity. He alone can save you. Your eternal destiny hangs in the balance.” We parted on friendly terms and they walked away wishing me a good day. I wished for them a miracle of grace that their eyes might be opened.

Have you ever wondered why unbelievers don’t “get it?” The answer is in I Corinthians 2:14. They don’t “get it” because they can’t. The gospel is God’s wisdom, not man’s. The unsaved need a divine “translator” to help them understand it. Without that “translator,” the gospel is just so much religious nonsense. That’s why they roll their eyes when you talk about Jesus. That’s why they laugh when you try to share your testimony. You might as well be talking Navajo to them.

We have the message and the Holy Spirit is the “translator.” Your words won’t work without the “translator” and the “translator” doesn’t do any good unless there are words that need translation. As you share Christ, pray for God to give your friends the “translator” that will help them understand what you are saying.

Here is a simple prayer for effective evangelism. It balances our part, God’s part, and the greatest need of those who don’t know Jesus: “Lord, give me the right words to say. And give them ears to hear the words you give me. Amen.”