Open Up!
By Erik Farstad
March 19, 1998
"...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses..." Acts 1:15
A reader asks: How would you approach a girl of nine who was agnostic that you wanted to convert? A total innocent unaware of either Christianity or good or evil.
First, I must say that I don’t believe any nine year old child is unaware of good or evil. From the time we are infants we know the difference between good and evil. We learn from our parents, through experiences, what is good and bad for us. It’s naive to say that anyone is walking around without any idea of what good and evil is. Maybe not naive, but a cop-out. Yes, a child of nine has no real experience yet with good or bad people, situation or activities. Yet if I hit a nine year old over the head with a bat, they’ll know immediately that it’s an evil act.
As to converting a nine year old girl that was agnostic and had no awareness of Christianity. Let me say firmly, I do not desire to convert anyone to be like me, to be a Christian or to follow Christ. God does the converting, I’m just the messenger! Let me say it again. I don’t convert people, God does that through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts people’s lives, revealing their sins. Don’t get me wrong, I love to watch people come to Christ or to belief in Christianity, but it’s not because of me...Erik. What I do desire is to put myself in a position where God can work through me, like through this devotional ministry. I can’t convert you with my words, my insights or wisdom, only God can do that.
Let me give you an example of what I’m saying: I write something that you read and it totally applies to your life. You are comforted, challenged or maybe convicted. Did my words do that to you? No, how could I ever know what you needed to hear? Not in a million years. Only God knows what you need to hear and He gives me the words to give to you. Once again, I’m the messenger of His message! If God wasn’t around, His Holy Spirit working on your life, my words would be just...words. But God uses messengers to make His words come alive. God places in my heart a burden, allows me to experience something, and I write on that topic. Do I know if it will make a difference in anyoneís life? No, not specifically at least. But I don’t believe God would have me doing this for nothing. God works very purposefully.
I don’t walk around trying to convert every person, let alone every nine year old girl I see. But what I do try to do is live my life as a servant to Christ. The sharing of my beliefs happens when I make myself available to do just that. When I give myself over to Christ, saying "Lord use me in anyway, at anytime," He’ll do just that. He’ll provide me with the opportunities, the encounters with people or a ministry to be involved with (like this one). Do I bully people to believe like me? No. Do I tell them that there is no other way to Heaven than through Jesus Christ? Yes. Do I tell them that all have sinned and are headed to Hell if they don’t repent and turn to Christ? Yes. Do I convert? No. Does God do the converting through people like me and you? Yes.
If you want to know who Jesus Christ is and what He can do in your life, open up your heart to Him. If you want to be used by God to reach others for Christ, open up your life and time to His service.
Yes it’s quite simple. You want God, to know Jesus? Open up! Open your heart, your mind and your life. God will meet you if you go to Him. So where are you?
In Him, "E"