Stop Being Pushy!

I must confess up front that this is more of a pet peeve of mine that I'm venting than it is an altruistic thought to ponder. I feel strongly about this topic because I was "pushed" away from the Christian faith several years ago. I would like for you to read this with an open mind and PLEASE take what is written into consideration. We're losing too many people because of our pushiness. One of the biggest problems we have as Christians testifying for Jesus is that we don't know when to back off from the verbal "witnessing." We are supposed to plant the seed of truth, but any farmer will tell you that you don't keep stomping the ground after the seed is planted. It must be watered. It must be fed. It must be given sunshine. Our sincere actions combined with our testimony will determine whether or not the seed flourishes or dies.

Another thing that we are bad about doing is saying, "Christians don't do this;" and "Christians don't do that ..." or "I'm a Christian! I don't talk like that!" Yes, we have moral standards that we should live by, but we make our faith sound so oppressive and restrictive by repeating those and other similar remarks. Being a Christian is supposed to be a good thing, and we need to show more of that to people if we are going to get them to listen to us and maybe even come to know Christ. If you are in the presence of people who are saying or doing things that are unChristianlike, you should either suggest another topic of conversation, suggest another activity, or remove yourself from the group.

Remember the line, "What would Jesus do?" He didn't push himself on people. He lived his life as he taught. People started going to Him ... and listened. Once you've made it known to them that you're a Christian, don't push your testimony unless you know for a fact that they want to listen. Let people know that you will be there for them if they have questions. Be a friend. Show love, compassion, and mercy to them. Be real, not phony. People will be more likely to listen to you.