Christians: how effective are you?

Is the gospel life-changing? Does it affect a person´s eternal destiny? Is it going to improve the human race, beginning with the individual? Is the gospel God´s plan for every person?

Most Christians would answer yes to each question, but do our actions bear out that belief? Do we actively promote the gospel publicly as Jesus said to do? The honest answer must surely in general be no (thank God for the exceptions), hence non-Christians won´t believe in something they don´t hear about.

Some people risk all for what they believe. Suicide bombers blow themselves up almost daily in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. They are misguided, as most of us would agree, but the "cause" is more important to them than their very lives!

People with guts will take great risks for what they believe – but with most it isn´t Christianity. Those over 30 will remember that terrible day in Beijing in 1989: the video clips of the lone protester taunting the tanks of the Chinese Army. There are those who go and help civilians while under crossfire; the journalist goes into a war zone risking death, just to get the frontline news onto TV screens.

In the Early Church the Christians were equally adventurous – but for Christ. When forbidden to preach in public they did it anyway, knowing they would be arrested. Some were flogged and put in jail. Some were stoned for proclaiming the gospel, but they didn´t care, they were confident of where they were going.

And today? Most Christians (are they really?) in the western world won´t take the slightest risk for Jesus. They are too scared to even put a sticker on the car, lest some angry unbeliever scratch its beautiful paintwork.

"Friendship evangelism" is today´s in thing, but what if the person being befriended exits this world before they´ve heard the gospel? It can and does happen! In any case, sooner or later a person has to be told the non-sugar-coated awful truth about the lake of fire which the Bible says awaits those who reject Christ. To omit that is withholding truth, however unpalatable that truth is.

Even if they are persuaded to visit a church, chances are that non-believers will hear only a watered-down, candy-floss gospel message.

Generally, the live-for-today western world ignores the Christians who huddle in the churches, where nasty interjectors and hecklers don´t upset the comfort. The biggest risk is of an upset stomach from that after-church coffee made from unboiled water.

How will an unbelieving world embrace the gospel when they see so few prepared to stand for it? What respect will they have for a gospel which so few are willing to proclaim outside the safety of the church platform? People surely ask themselves: "Why should I believe in something that Christians are not willing to promote?"

The world is watching and they are not impressed with what they see. If inspiration is needed, Christians need to read again Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; Acts too, and realize how far removed we are today from those full-on believers.