[Just found this and realized I forgot to publish it at the time!]
Last semester I was approached by a man, while I was walking to my car in the parking lot. "excuse me sir, I like your tie. By the way, are you registered to vote in Placer County and would you be willing to sign this to stop the tuition hike?" (extending a petition with a few signatures already on it.) I was grumpy, tired, and ready for Spring Break, so I answered brashly, "Sure, if you can tell me exactly what I'm signing, and how that will stop the tuition hike." He promptly responded, "Thank you have a great day" and walked away.
Hands down, I wasn't the most polite person to deal with, but really?! I asked a question and he left! As I got in my car and began to criticize the man on his inability as a petitioner, I realized that I have done the same thing when trying to "get signatures" for Christ or even just to go to church! This thought, ultimately led me to three conclusions that I had rarely thought about as a follower of Christ.
1) Cut the Flattery- The minute he gave me a compliment was the minute I gave him one strike. I didn't know him, and he was obviously selling something. The flattery as a use of persuasion was not only extremely obvious, but extremely hurtful to his cause. It immediately shut me down. Now, this is not to say you can't compliment a person and be polite, but examine the motive behind it. If you weren't trying to ask them about church or Christ, would you still have given that compliment?
2) Have the information- 1 Peter 3:15 says, "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." If you walk up to someone and tell them that Jesus loves them, and they should accept him in their hearts, you better be ready for "why?" Imagine how strange you felt when you first heard this, if you can remember, imagine: An invisible God, who you don't know about, sent His son from Heaven to Earth to die for your sin, which you may or may not see as bad.Not only that, but you should also seek after this invisible being, and ask His forgiveness. Does that not sound nuts if you aren't a Christian?
3) It doesn't matter how pretty you wrap it up, it is still about them- I was in a bad mood before I saw him, I was in an even worse one while talking to him. But it didn't matter. I knew while he was talking that I wasn't going to sign the petition, and it didn't matter to me how eloquently he stated his case. Short of bribing me to sign the petition, there is really nothing he could have done to get me to sign it. Often as followers of Christ, we think it is our job to get the signatures. It isn't. Our job is to love the person, present the material, and let God do the work. At the end of the day the burden is on the person you have shared with, not you. If they aren't ready to accept Christ, there is nothing that you can do or say in that moment. All you can do is love. Often we consider pestering them, yet this only results in working against your cause, making them believe that believers are insensitive to their desires, pushy, annoying, and just flat out rude.
These lessons only reinforce in my mind that the acceptance of and leading to Christ must be done through a personal relationship. The following of Christ is a process, not a moment, and we as followers of Christ need to respect that it is something that takes time. All we can do is continue to show love.
-Chris
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