I Stand At The Door And Knock. A few weeks ago, on one of our beautiful Southern California Saturday mornings, I heard a soft knocking on my front door. I opened the door to find a middle-aged woman and her young pre-teen son standing on my front porch.
“Hi, we’d like to talk to you about the Bible!” was her cheery greeting to me. “Great!” I replied. She identified herself as a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was ready and willing to engage her in conversation. We spoke for about 5 minutes, and then she asked if she could come back the next week to talk some more. I agreed, and set a time for us to meet again.
Are You Crazy?
I realize at this point many of you are questioning my sanity. But I think that as Christians we often miss golden opportunities to share our convictions with others. I have heard many reasons why people choose not to share their faith. People aren’t comfortable sharing their beliefs in public. They are worried about violating work place rules. It’s embarrassing. It never seems a good time. They wouldn’t know what to say. What if they’re asked a question and don’t know the answer?
But consider this for a moment. All people need to hear the Gospel, and here are people showing up at your front door wanting to talk about religion! If this isn’t an answer to prayer, it should be! You can witness without leaving the comfort of your own home. And if things don’t go well for you, you can easily escape back into your house!
Who’s That Knocking At My Door?
There are basically two categories of people who show up on your doorstep. The first group are from other Christian denominations simply inviting you to try out their church. I have chatted with many of these good people. Usually as soon as they find out I already attend a Christian church, they graciously thank me for my time and leave. They will usually depart saying something along the lines of “we are not trying to take you away from your home church”.
The reason for this is simple. While we might differ on secondary theological issues with other Christian denominations, we recognize that in the essentials of Christian doctrine, we agree with one another.
Other Opportunities
Members of the second category, however, will not leave when you tell them you are a Christian. The two most common groups in this category are the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They will continue to witness to you, because they believe that you cannot be saved without being a member of their organization.
This is not my opinion. Just ask them a simple question. “Can I be saved if I am not a Mormon/Jehovah’s Witness”? While these groups may make the claim they are Christian, their own teachings deny that central claim of classical Christianity, that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is sufficient for salvation. In their view, it is Christ + works, as opposed to Christ + nothing that is needed for salvation.
So what are you waiting for? Instead of hiding in your closet until the coast is clear, why not strike up a conversation? You might just make some new friends! Don’t worry if you don’t get someone to the foot of the cross in every encounter. As the Christian philosopher Greg Koukl says, “You don’t have to hit home runs every time out, just get up to bat”!
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