We Can’t Save People

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. – John 6:44a

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. – 1 Corinthians 2:14

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In my last post, I wrote about the Christmas pageant performed by the little ones in my junior church class.

The bus kids were particularly excited to invite their friends and family. In prior years, we’ve had several people visit and stay for the sermon afterward. Pastor generally preaches a Christmas message with a salvation theme, so that everyone has the opportunity to hear the true message of the Christmas story.

Image by Anuja Tilj from Pixabay

 

But sadly, no new faces appeared in the crowd this year.

During the performance, I was too busy to think about it. But after it was over, I felt a bit disappointed that all of the children’s hard work seemed wasted.

No lost souls they loved had come to watch their play.

But then, I considered the fact that whether or not any visitors came, it still wouldn’t be up to me, or the children, to draw those people to Christ.

Only the Father can do that.

Image by Terri Cnuddi from Pixabay

 

The same idea applies to any witnessing opportunity. We can pass out tracts, perform acts of kindness, and demonstrate to others through our words and our lives that we are Christians. We can invite friends to church and pray for opportunities to engage strangers in a conversation about the real meaning of Christmas.

But we cannot save people.

What we can do is pray for courage to speak about Christ when opportunities present themselves. We can pray that we will shine brightly with the light of Jesus, that others may want to know why we are different. We can introduce them to the gospel message.

Especially at Christmastime, when lonely people may feel lonelier, and searching hearts may be seeking the truth, let’s look for opportunities to tell others of Christ.

And (the shepherds) came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. – Luke 2:16-18

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Have you ever thought about the fact that although it’s our responsibility to witness, it’s not in our power to convert others? I welcome your comments.