Larry Lulay - Christianity: Witnessing and Salvation
So, I just went through the greatest experience of my life - an experience that will change the way I live the rest of my life... I am a sinner that has just accepted that free gift that was paid by my savior suffering and dying on a cross. I am still a sinner, but now I am a sinner saved by grace. How the GOD of all creation can look at a screw up like me and forgive me for repeatedly doing bad things or making bad choices... is simply beyond me.
So if GOD can do this great thing for me (the biggest screw up I know), then I can just imagine what he can do with all of my un-saved friends and relatives. Out the door I went to tell all of my friends and relatives to change from their wicked ways and turn to GOD. Anyone who knows me knows a couple of things about me:
- I am not a patient man (GOD continues to work with me on that).
- I am persistent.
I tried to tell everyone how wrong they were and how right I now was. Hmmmmm... they still know me as that screw up... "this must be a phase"... "we'll give him time and he will be cussing and doing all the bad things in a couple of weeks". Well after a few weeks and I was still trying to cram salvation down their throats, I came to a revelation... my friends and family will get saved, but I will have to play a different role. If I couldn't be the one to lead them in that most glorious time when all of heavens angels rejoice at the reception of another human into their new life, I would have to just sit and pray... and pray... and pray. Is that it? Why not? It seemed that I was destined to become a prayer warrior, but I was over looking another role... using GOD's gift of encouragement. Stay the course, fight the fight, and love GOD through it all. It is ok to just love on people and let GOD do the rest. If he wants to use me at what I call stage one - praying for someone's salvation, or stage two - encouraging them, or stage three - leading them in the sinners prayer... I will do whatever and whenever.
It didn't seem like it was long after that when one of my closest friends went through one of those real dark times in life (the darkest time in his life) and came to my door. He lived with me for two weeks where all I could do was "love on him". At the end of that time he came to my wife and I... and said he was ready. We went into a small bedroom and the three of us got on our knees and I had the greatest honor a human can have on this earth - I lead my friend in the sinners prayer and saw the most undescribeable deliverence you can imagine. We cried and cried and the end result was the greatest turn around a human could imagine. His relationship with his wife and family, his career, his living conditions... everything took a turn for the better. Looking back now, it seemed like an over night change - but I know they had many struggles... but to this day my friend clings tightly to GOD and will most assuredly experience heaven with me and my family.
Since then I have had the privilege of leading two more friends in the sinners prayer, and I continue to pray for my family and friends.
My "take" on witnessing:
- Try not to push the idea of Christianity.
- Be consistant in your faith.
- Love on people. We all do various things that we shouldn't as we move towards being the best Christians or soon-to-be Christians we can be. Don't look at the degree of sin of someone and think that GOD can't reach them. GOD loves us all the same... yes the same... he doesn't love me more than the guy who just cut me off in his car, or the sales phone call gal that is trying to earn a living with a difficult job, or the cussin' smoker that works at the gas station, or that cranky dude that knows how to push my buttons... he loves us all the same (man I hope I am reading this, cuz this is some good stuff).
- Be prepared and ready to act. If someone realizes that they should not risk another moment being un-saved in this crazy world... invite them and be willing to drop your knee and lead them in the sinners prayer. Don't leave it for the next guy, because this person could die on the way home and you would have been their last chance.
- Don't quit praying for salvation for your friends and relatives.
Disclaimer
I am not a trained theologian... I am just a dude that is a sinner saved by grace. I am sharing things as I see them, and you should challenge anything I or anyone else says by looking in the word and praying for discernment.