3 Things Christians Do That Leave The Wrong Impression

If society isn’t avoiding Christians, it’s criticizing them. We’re the recipients of such great news yet why doesn’t the public get excited when we share it with them?

In the middle of a world discarding beliefs, and in the middle of a university full of people trying to find meaning to life, Christianity seems to be a solution that people are trying to run from.

I’ve dived myself into places that reject Christianity based on the people that believed in it. Here are 3 things that seem to be the cause of the problem:

1.) We make Christianity seem like a lifestyle choice.

Too often we make it seem that Christianity only affects our lifestyle. Following Christ is not a guideline to living a morally appropriate life, but the reason we want to.

To others our faith seems centered around a set of rules that are derived from fictional books. Truthfully, it is our core and purpose for living. When people ask what our faith involves, we focus on what we do; we tithe; we abstain from immorality; we care for the poor. It all sounds appealing to us though it is something that anyone can do with or without believing in a God. People don’t want to hear what they should be doing; they need to hear why we want to do them.

Many ‘Christians’ live a half-and-half life, applying a section of doctrine here, and dismissing it elsewhere. It is then not surprising that many of our non-believing friends label us as hypocrites; we don’t practice what we preach. In perfect honesty, we have to admit that we cannot practice what we preach to a complete consistency – although we will keep trying – but once we start conveying the message that we are about intent not deeds, it starts to give valid explanation of the “religious rules” we fail to uphold. It is no longer about what we can’t do, but what we’re trying to do and why we’re doing it.

2.) We don’t even know how to defend our own faith:

1 Peter 3:15 says: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” We seem to think that we need to answer the big questions: why is there suffering? How can there be free will with an all-knowing God?

Whilst it is great to formulate our own answers for these tough questions, we forget to say why we ourselves choose to be a Christian. We don’t need wise answers to even wiser questions for it’s the simple one that counts for the most. “Why are we a Christian?”

The people who ask difficult questions are usually those who are trying to disprove your faith and not find their own. Contrariwise, those who are asking for our personal reason of belief might gain better understanding and acceptance of it if we knew how to provide it.

Jesus resurrected from the dead to save our sin and it is not because the Bible declared it, but because eyewitnesses died for this truth. We also tend to make the mistake of saying “your sin,” Non-believers don’t know what sin is; they don’t even know they need salvation yet! Jesus Christ’s death was not so we can feel condemned, but so we can experience what it’s like to be free!

We need to give concise answers that pack a punch. People first need to know what Christianity is about and not what it entails. Saying “why I’m a Christian” is much better than “why you should be one.”

3.) We’re intentionally and unintentionally disrespectful of other people’s beliefs.

We don’t have to deliberately harbor disrespect to show disrespect. As Christians we’ve experienced God, we know unconditional love, we’re a part of something incredible beyond our comprehension and so we want to share it – I get that. We make the mistake of being forceful with our ideas, or even worse, we don’t bother listening to others.

We want so badly for the other person to believe us, to immediately reap what we sow and so we begin to make people feel uncomfortable. The Bible in James tells us to be “quick to listen” and “slow to speak”. What we have is so amazing that it must be shared, but that urgency has the tendency to be to the detriment of our evangelism.

Our ears must be open. Not every moment is a time for us to share the gospel. Sometimes it first takes a listening ear and a friend before the Holy Spirit begins its work. Sometimes, we’ll just have to wait.

There are definitely things we do well that help to give positivity to ‘Christians.’ It is always important to keep such things in mind when we seek to further the kingdom of God. Be patient and work in God’s time, not your own. Do all the good you can, whenever you can, and make sure people know why.