“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 (tniv)
Is there a nonbeliever you’ve been trying to talk to about Jesus? Are they argumentative with you? Or are they evasive, not answering your questions or cleverly twisting the topic around? Or are they passive-aggressive, pretending to pay attention to you just to make you go away?
We don’t want to become buzzing flies, irritating nonbelievers with our words about Jesus, but when we care about someone, we want them to experience the abundant life Jesus offers. We want them to understand.
The problem is that they may not be able to understand. The Bible says that certain things are impossible for nonbelievers to grasp because a person needs the Holy Spirit to give divine wisdom so we can understand things about God. It makes sense: God is so infinite and powerful, our puny minds wouldn’t be able to comprehend Him and His will if we didn’t get a bit of supernatural help.
So then how can a nonbeliever understand about Christ? First of all, trust that the Spirit can speak to someone no matter how you might have screwed things up. Second, don’t give up, because the Spirit can speak to them through you. Third, take a look at the exact words and phrases you use when you speak to your nonbelieving friend or loved one. They may be common words you use with your church family, but would they really make sense to an outsider? Is it possible that the words you use would make a nonbeliever feel alienated? The meanings of words change so quickly in our culture, so make sure that there’s no negative connotation with the words you choose. Is there a different way you can phrase things?
FAITH STEP: Spend time in prayer for a nonbeliever in your life whom Jesus has laid on your heart. Ask for wisdom in how to speak to that person, and pray for the Spirit to help him or her understand about Jesus. Don’t give up. Jesus can reach your non-believing friends in ways you don’t see.
Written by Camy Tang
