Why are Christians always telling others about Jesus? (Why Christians evangelise or proselytize!)

Introduction

I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord God and Savior, that is, I am a Christian.

Every opportunity I get, be it online (Facebook, Twitter, Web, IM) or offline (face to face), I am always asking Jesus to help me find a way to share Him with those I deal with.

Why?

Why do I and the many faithful followers of Jesus Christ, go to great lengths to fervently and constantly share the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ with our family, friends, loved ones and strangers – who practice or follow other faiths or gods or whatever?

Why can’t Christians just leave everyone else alone and let them believe whatever god(s) they believe in and let them follow whatever religion that makes them happy?

Why can’t Christians just shut up about Jesus Christ and live and let live?

Why do Christians want to convert other people to Christianity? No one ever sees a Hindu going around trying to convert anyone!

To put this question in more technical terms: Why do Christians evangelize or proselytize?

For the most obvious reason, we have to go to the Bible. Jesus, who was crucified, had risen from the grave and appeared Himself to His disciples, to their shock and astonishment! Now, as He was getting ready to return to Heaven, He had one last commandment to give, the Great Commission:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

So, that’s it, right? Christians are just supposed to go make everyone else a disciple of Jesus Christ and this is the only reason why we go around talking about Jesus to every person we meet.

NOPE! While it is true that Christians are called to fulfill the Great Commission, that’s not the only reason why we do what we do.

Besides obeying our Lord’s command, we Christians go around telling other people about Jesus and their need to repent and follow Him, because of LOVE! In the face of immense persecution, insult from family, friends and strangers and ridicule from the rest of the world, it is LOVE that motivates us to share Jesus with everyone.

I know that I love my dad, my mom, my sister and my brother – even though they may not like the fact that I turned away from the Hindu faith and instead, embraced Jesus and the Christian faith. I love my family even though they have harsh words for me because I accepted Jesus and denied the Hindu faith that I was born into, the faith that they all still hold on to. It is this love that I have for them that causes me to pray for them everyday, to pray for their salvation.

Some Background Information

Still not following? Please bare with me as I give you a little background, which is necessary to understand all that’s going on.

For every follower of Jesus, the Bible is God’s Word and reveals everything we need to know about God and life.

In the Bible, we learn that:

• God created the universe

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

• God created human beings

the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:21-22)

• Humanity sinned against God

“Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Genesis 3:11)

So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:23-24)

• Death is the punishment for sinning against God

“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)

Sounds pretty grim for us, doesn’t it?

Don’t despair! For in the Bible, we also learn that:

• God loves us

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; (Jeremiah 31:3)

“For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16)

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.(Romans 5:8)

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

• God cares for us

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:26-33)

• God is patient and does not want us to perish (even though we are wicked), but turn to Him!

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? (Ezekiel 18:23)

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

I have only mentioned a few verses from the Bible to make these points, though there are many more that will further validate these points I have made. Unless you read the Bible, you will not know everything God has revealed through His Word. By read, I am not talking about skimming.

Nor am I saying that you need to read the Bible, cover to cover, to understand. If at all anything, do yourself a favor and carefully read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and learn who Jesus truly is, what He taught and how He lived!

What is clear is that humanity messed up because of our disobedience against God and as a result of this sin (read what is sin here and here), we deserve death as per God’s standards. Though God could wipe us out (and He did it once by sending the great flood during the time of Noah in Genesis 6-8), He chose to redeem us by sending Jesus to die for us, that whoever believes in Jesus, would be saved from this death that awaits all humanity!

The Bible is available for everyone to read. Unless you read the Bible for yourself (not believe what other people tell you about the Bible), you will not and cannot know how important and significant Jesus is!

Who said that the Bible is true? Can the Bible be trusted?

Rather than going into the details here, I direct you to Bible Questions and Answers on the website of Creation Ministries International. They have done the hard work in answering many such questions!

So, why do Christians always talk about Jesus with everyone else? What’s the big deal about Jesus?

As someone who was raised in the Hindu faith, I can assure you that there is no god in Hinduism who can be remotely compared to Jesus. How Jesus was born, how He lived, what He taught about God, love and living life, how He died – nothing about Jesus can be compared with anyone in the pantheon of Hindu gods.

Here are just some of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-11)

(on murder, Matthew 5:21-22)
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

(on adultery, Matthew 5:27-29)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

(on divorce, Matthew 5:31-32)
“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

(on revenge, Matthew 5:38-42)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

(on love for enemies, Matthew 5:43-46)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?

Can you honestly look at these teachings of Christ and say you know better or that none of the above applies to you?

This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the teachings of Jesus goes. What is amazing about Christ is that unlike the gods of the major faiths, He came down and lived what He was preaching! He not only gave us the standards, but in His life, He demonstrated every single one of them, setting the perfect example for us to follow!

Jesus is not just a good teacher or merely a prophet or just a miracle worker. He is the Son of God, God Himself!

The importance and the significance of Jesus Christ can be summarized in these verses (there are many others):

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

It breaks my heart to think that there are so many people whom I love and care for, who think that being good and nice and following any faith or religion will get them to Heaven. Jesus, the God of the Bible, is NOT the same as the other gods from other faiths. A few similarities that Jesus may share with other gods in other religions DOES NOT make Him the same as them. Christianity is NOT the same as Hinduism or Islam or Buddhism or anything else.

If you want to go to Heaven, Jesus is the ONLY way.

Conclusion

So, if the Bible tells us Christians that those who don’t know Jesus will perish and be eternally separated from God, would we not go out there and no matter what the opposition, try to share Jesus with those whom we know and love and care for? Would not the love we have for Jesus and the love that God has for us and everyone else, compel us to share Jesus with even those whom we do not know? Do you see how it is our love that compels us to share Jesus with others?

Why? Because we don’t want anyone to perish! We Christians long for our families, friends and loved ones and everyone on Earth to be with us in Heaven!

I know that I always think about and pray for my dad, my mom, my sister (and her family) and my brother and the thought of them not being in Heaven with me and suffering for all eternity because they refused to learn who Jesus is, breaks my heart.

To believe in anything else but what you have been taught and how you were raised, for fear of disrespecting your traditions or hurting your family’s feelings or fearing what everyone’s reaction will be, my question is this: is an eternity without God, without Heaven worth it?

This is why Christians evangelize. This is why Christians proselytize. This is why Christians can never stop sharing Jesus with others!

I want my family, my dad, my mom, my sister, my brother, my niece, my nephew, my brother-in-law, my extended family, my friends, people I have met, people I will meet – I long for everyone to be in Heaven!

I know that I am not perfect, that I could have written more, that I could have shared more Bible verses.

At the end of the day, only God Himself, through the working of His Holy Spirit, can change your heart, open your eyes, and help you see the truth about Jesus Christ and the lie that is everything else.

My prayer for everyone in my life, be it my family or friends or loved ones, is that all will come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

God bless you all.

Thank Sri 🙂