Evangelizing the Secular

A practical step in building new friendships, and maintaining the old ones, without discriminative influence is to realize that those close to us are gifted by God into our lives. This being realized, individuals close to us become opportunities for us to promote the Biblical word of God and share the power of restoration in which He bears. While the concept of Jesus Christ has become stigmatized among modern humanists, it is important to seek an understanding of why this has occurred before raising questions in those with secular worldviews. The totality of the American pursuit of happiness has been crafted without God in mind, assuring the public that a state of utopia can be achieved through the consistent accumulation of materialism and a pragmatic approach to morality. This encourages an endless voyage of faithless diversion from the intention in which we are created to uphold. Through initiating a personal relationship with His divine supernatural power our lives can be restored. In the transformation of our minds and the renewal of our hearts, as Christians, we are inherently called upon to spread the good word of the Lord in all that we do.

In order to share the Gospel with a secularist, it is important to avoid sounding offensive to their personal conglomeration of the nature of our reality. Many secularists base their worldviews in opposition to their own personal fear and negative experiences. This means the internal strength of the secularist is the pursuit of truthful information which results in a greater understanding of the nature of their own existence or sheds light onto their intended purpose. Their hope, like many others, is relieving the burden of uncertainty that plagues us all. That is the basis of the good news of Jesus Christ. Scripture provides historically accurate answers to life’s biggest questions, allowing human beings to clear their thoughts and allow for more information to be absorbed, with less focus on the impending doom of the unknown. While we cannot know everything, we have a direct connection to the One who does. In addition, we house His Holy Spirit which carries us through difficulties and past confusion. To the secular humanist, this begins a solid basis for an invigorating conversation into the works of the Lord.

It is important to not accuse the secular humanist of being wrong in their learned beliefs while avoiding becoming pragmatic. Speaking from experience as opposed to claiming the secular humanist is living a life of sin, is a far more effective strategy when sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. For someone to be accused of doing wrong, the majority believe that they must knowingly be committing an act of evil. The unfortunate truth is that by not having a strong belief system, we as depraved humans are open to relativist manipulation. To begin by explaining how you “woke up” from the pragmatic conglomeration of deception leaves enticing thoughts the secular humanist can ruminate. By definition, the secular humanist must determine for themselves that something works and will be worth their time, before adhering to it. Never personally giving Christianity a chance without external imperialistic influence is likely the reason they are secularists in the first place. To share the gospel with the secularist, one must begin first by revealing the impacts Christ has had upon their existence and how they incorporate the message of Scripture into daily life. Of course, this should be discussed using secular humanist terminology, and not Scriptural quotes. As a Biblical example, the secular humanist will be more responsive to the gospel speaking more directly in more modern terms, like the New Living Translation (NLT) than quoting the King James Version (KJV), or the Geneva Bible.

While the secular exists in many forms, to the humanist, previously held beliefs hold sentiment. Assuming the individual is not a narcissistic nihilist, they may fear there is nothing after this physical life we currently reside in. Acting upon both personal fears and their abandonment of hope for eternal life, the secular humanist relies on personal nostalgia within the physical realm to induce humility, allowing them to remain altruistic. This could include to acceptance and adherence to false doctrine as a means of perpetuating that humbling sentiment in their lives. Or, this could also include the reliance on materialism or traveling for leisure two weeks per year, to motivate them to commit beyond themselves, contributing to society. The secular humanist exists in many forms. For those who have gained a conglomerate worldview, there are many layers of preconditioning which require individual reassessment. A secular humanist may have gained a revelatory perspective from a friend or family member with conglomerate worldviews of the nature of reality. On the chance that a friend or family member has passed away, the secular humanist may be that much more committed to upholding the memorialization of their experience. In these ways, an Evangelist is faced with extreme difficulty, as are the person who hold false beliefs. If an artificially produced belief has not improved the individual’s life, only inducing a feeling of nostalgia, it is not a belief but the avoidance of holding one. By realizing that a strong belief system based on truth will retain its continuity through any circumstance, the secular humanist is more likely to implement the Biblical faith of absolute truth through Scripture into their lives.

One of the biggest personal challenges when sharing the gospel with the secular humanist is to grasp a total understanding of the Scripture beforehand and be able to recite its verses, applying it to personal areas of life which have resulted in an impactful and Holy change, all without pulling out a physical (or digital) Bible. The secular humanist can explain and defend their own conglomeration of beliefs without the need for external stimuli. This means, the secularist views the need for a Bible or other physical means as “the parroting of generic religious talking points” and “sharing the religious indoctrination which the gullible Evangelist so willingly bought into.” The most common response from the secular humanist, when faced with an Evangelist who requires a physical accessory in order to explain their own faith, is “that is good it works for you, but it is just not for me.” The truth is, upon realizing that Scripture is not just a work of fiction, nor is it an old-fashioned self-help inspiring story, but a True and historically accurate account from dozens of disciples describing Jesus Christ’s resurrection, spanning over a thousand of years on three different continents. Secular humanists are always in pursuit of self-truth, and nothing is more accurate than a personal God which speaks Truth. Upon presenting to Bible as a learned doctrine the secular humanist will begin to view the Scripture from a materialistic perspective. After reading the Bible and applying to Biblical doctrine to their lives these initial views will transform, aligning with the Christian perspective. The reason the Evangelist should maintain faith that implementing the comparison of spoken Scripture will get through to the secular humanist is in every situation, the Bible presents Truth. Once the secular humanist attains a Bible of their own, by the simple act of opening the book God will present information that will transform their life. The magic of the Scripture means that human thought does not even need to go into the act of choosing a Biblical section to read. The only thing He asks is that we open the book, read the words, understand the meaning, and apply it to our lives. He will do the rest. Once this is accomplished, it becomes difficult to keep the excitement of the life-changing revelation gained through Jesus Christ to yourself.

Evidence of a Biblical Duty to Evangelize -

The Bible justifies our duty for evangelism, by basking us to confront our greatest fears during any period of crisis. Scripture reveals the biggest, and possibly only fear we should hold as Christians is the depravity of man. For something we cannot rely purely on faith in God is in changing the will of others. Without ourselves facilitating evangelism and contributing to His Kingdom, we cannot expect the depravity of man to be cured. The materialist secular platform exists to perpetuate our fears, with the furthering of artificial catastrophes, calling for greater government intervention and the extinction of liberty. The Bible calls this platform the “iniquity of my foes.” The fact that Scripture calls them “foes,” indicates that the views of the secular and depraved seek to invoke persecution upon resistance to the humanist narrative., or total rejection of, the initial presentation of the gospel.

Psalm 49 shows us that holding total faith in the Lord against all odds, is the true Biblical definition of wealth. Psalm 49:5-8 (CSB)“Why should I fear in times of trouble? The iniquity of my foes surrounds me. They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches. Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God — since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying —” Verse 9 reminds us that the root of the pursuit of self-manifested abundant riches lies in fear, and a desire to distract ourselves by replacing that void of despair with a materialist goal. Psalm 49:9-10 (NIV) “so that they should live on forever and not see decay. For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.” Verse 11 concludes that all that can be achieved through the pursuit of materialism, beyond our name, will be our tombstones in the graves that we are buried in. Although appearing nihilistic, the message is to despose materialism and the pursuit of an illusive synthetic utopia, instead seeking a relationship with God. Psalm 49:11-12a (CSB) “Their graves are their eternal homes, their homes from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves. But despite his assets, man will not last;”

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) reinforces this presupposition stating “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Jesus Christ teaches us in Luke 6:38 (NKJV) to “Give, and it will be given to you:” This lesson from God includes the sharing of information. It is through faith in the Lord, that we can achieve total liberation from the confines of materialism in this life. Scripture shares this promise in Matthew 6:24 (NKJV) Jesus said to his disciples, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” As another justification that it is our duty to spread the gospel and free others from the secular grasp of secular control, in Matthew 6:34 (NKJV) Jesus assures us “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Conclusion -

In correlation with our individual faith and personal connection with God, the sword is essential to battle, however, requires consistent sharpening and daily practice. Although it may be difficult to share the gospel with secular humanists, and even can be uncomfortable exposing our vulnerabilities through personal testimony in the face of the potential of rejection, it is our duty as Christians to spread the word of the Lord. This includes enduring persecution and standing up for what is right no matter the circumstances in which we experience. Evangelism cannot happen without first ascribing one’s complete faith to God. By witnessing and providing individual personal examples of the revelations experienced through God, secularists are more likely to believe in the word and ultimate power of the Lord. In the civil field, it means producing good works in communities. In the political field, it means passing legislation that adheres to the Biblical principles of Jesus Christ. By faith alone, we can enjoy eternal life with God, a path that begins here on Earth.