Don’t Disqualify People

It can be a little intimidating for a Christian to think about trying to witness to a hardcore Muslim, or to a hardcore Atheist. But you just never know when an opportunity like that might come up and you must be ready.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was a Somali-born Muslim who became a human rights activist. During her younger years, she was involved with the Muslim Brotherhood – a radical Islamist group. Ali was radicalized as a young person and bought into the Muslim ideology that the “greatest achievement possible was to die as a martyr for the sake of Allah.” These days she often speaks of the Muslim Brotherhood’s ability to transform her and other teenagers from passive believers into radical activists.

After 9/11, she became disillusioned with the hate and evil she experienced in Islam and became an Atheist. Turning her attention to Marxism seemed to be a logical step at first, but as she further examined the authoritarianism and expansionism of the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia, she found that her heart was empty. Atheism failed to answer a vital question for her: What is the meaning and purpose of life?

It was not until she came to Christ that she discovered an inner freedom that her previous beliefs failed to deliver. She found in it a faith that provided freedom of conscience and speech – a faith that was based on freedom and purpose, as opposed to oppression and meaningless.

It seems that with her background, Ali would have been one of the most unlikely people to come to Christ. Intellectual that she is, she would also seem to be one of the more difficult people to convert to Christ. Yet here she is – a convert to Christianity.

Of course, she is not the only one who fits into that category. C. S. Lewis was an intellectual Atheist and he testified that when he came to Christ, he was one of the most reluctant converts on the planet. He didn’t want to become a Christian, but one day found himself believing. He had several people that he would interact with concerning matters of religion, and some of them shared Christ with him.

And how about the apostle Paul? He was a Jewish intellectual, and not only did he hate Christ and Christians, he was all about persecuting them – even to the point of killing them. And look what happened to him? God got hold of his heart and he became one of the greatest Christian missionaries the world has ever seen, and a writer of much of the New Testament.

We live in a world full of hate and turmoil. A lot of that is instigated by people who hate Christ and Christianity. But they are not beyond hope. God loves them, and wants them to come into a relationship with Him. He is knocking on the door of their heart, and wants to use us – to use you – to touch their lives.

We should never look at someone who seems to be a hopeless case and think they are beyond God’s reach. And we should never look at our own life and think God can’t use us in these people’s lives. You don’t know where they are in their heart. You may have the opportunity to be the one who ultimately harvests their soul for the gospel, but that is not the only possibility. You may be a sod buster or a soil cultivator for the person who ultimately does lead them to the Lord. Don’t look at hard cases and disqualify them. God hasn’t. Just be faithful to share Christ.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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