This Is the Secret

Colossians 1:27-29
For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me. (NLT)

Many depend on their church service to bring someone to Christ. They work hard at inviting people they meet to church on Sunday. Often they ask them to some event the church is putting on and then spring the "come to church on Sunday" invite. And of course if they are serious about getting them there on Sunday, they pick up the friend and drive them.

All through the service they are praying hard to themselves that their friend likes what is happening. They have introduced them to the friendly people before church and hope the music meets their approval. The pastor gives a great message, but who knows what their friend is thinking about it. Then comes the alter call. The pastor invites those who want to accept Jesus as their Lord and savior to come to the front of the church. They give their friend a look, even a nod, and hope they walk forward.

Now do not get me wrong. This method has been working for hundreds of years. But is it what Jesus asked us to do? He told us to go and preach the gospel everywhere. Those that believe will be saved.

It is not the Bible we wave or the Christian T-shirt we wear. As a matter of fact those things are great ways to meet other believers, but most of the time will turn away the un-believers. It is our lifestyle. It is the way we treat others. It is the way we handle things that disrupt our lives. It is how we react to pressure. It is our character resembling the character of Christ that makes a visible difference between us and their unsaved friends.

We do not have to pressure them. All we have to do is be there for them and not hide the fact that we are a Christian; that we are a follower of Jesus Christ. We need to let go of our worldly marketing schemes to get them saved and let God work through us as He intended.

Yes, when God opens the door for us to bring the Gospel message to them, we must be ready to tell the story. And that story is our story. It is not a magic formula with certain words to say; words to have them say out loud to us. It is a story of how a relationship with Jesus Christ has changed our lives; how it has changed us.

The secret is that Jesus Christ lives in us. It is the Holy Spirit in us that speaks to us in many different ways to guide us, correct us, comfort us, and teach us. As we allow Him to work in us, He reshapes our character to be more and more like the character of Christ.

The fact is that we do not bring someone to Christ; we let them see Christ in us!