Making God Attractive

“When Got Isn’t Attractive” by Russ Ewell is available now for purchase on BACC Press.

When many of us think of evangelism, we imagine all those doors we’ve closed on people trying to tell us all about why their religion is the best. But in reality, we listen to evangelism every day. How else have companies like Apple convinced us that their product is the best? When selling a product, a company must be enthusiastic and aggressive; if they don’t believe they’re the best, no one will. This is exactly how Christians live their lives. They make God attractive by the way they live. There is no greater sin than to stop evangelizing, to become silent about the best “product” we could ever offer—God!

A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of their books was several million dollars. So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect. Acts 19:19-20 (NLT)

The way we sell or spread God is through inspiration. The disciples in Acts didn’t just spread the church they went to, but the word of God that transformed their lives. The result was a powerful change in other people. The thing that gets the world’s attention the most is when we change. So why do we sometimes feel that we aren’t able to inspire anyone? If you’re not inspired about God on your own, you’re not going to inspire anyone else. Disciples in Acts were excited about what they were doing and had a heart for the people around them. Because of that, the word spread and evangelism was powerful.

Evangelize = Inspire

Yesterday, I learned four ways how to evangelize and become an inspiration.

1. Make God attractive
2. Make friends
3. Make time
4. Make a difference

First, the only way to show others an inspiring God is to live an inspiring life. In Titus 2:10, Paul tells us that people view the God we believe in as attractive as the lives we live. So to make God attractive to others, our lives should be attractive as well. Secondly, when we make friends, we inspire unselfishness. Jesus was an expert at making friends. He not only cared about their lives, but was loyal and stayed people’s friend no matter what they put him through (John 15:13). When we love like that, we prove to them we care. When we make time for others, we inspire compassion. In Mark 8:2, Jesus had compassion on the people around him, and sacrificed his time and effort to help them. To inspire and love others, we need to be doing things that are a sacrifice for us—whether that’s calling them, driving to meet them, or doing thoughtful things for them. Sacrifice inspires others. Lastly, making a difference inspires influence. In Acts 10, Peter ate with someone who was not a Jew—something never acceptable to do before. Because he decided to love and take a chance, he made a difference for the rest of the world.

• How do you need to change your life to make God attractive?
• Who do you need to be friends with and how can you make time for them?
• What action can you take that may make a difference in other people’s lives?