How to Talk to Unbelievers
I say the same thing every Sunday:
“Whatever your week’s been like or your life’s been like—whatever you look like—whether you believe what we believe, or even if you vehemently disagree: in the name of Jesus Christ you are welcome in this place today.”
The reason I say this is because I know that Jesus can take care of himself. It’s my job to knock down bad arguments and to clear the path for folks to come to Jesus, but it is NOT my job to argue people into the Kingdom. So, I don’t worry if there are folks at Munger on a Sunday who aren’t believers—I know that as long as I make the space for them to meet the Lord, he can take care of himself.
Look at how how Phillip deals with Nathanael when Nathanael asks some skeptical questions about Jesus.
Nathanael asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (For whatever reason, he is not impressed when Phillip tells him where Jesus is from.)
To which Phillip replies, “Come and see.”
Phillip knows that Jesus can take care of himself, and that if he only makes it easy for Nathanael to be confronted by Jesus, Jesus will take care of the rest. So, Phillip invites Nathanael to take a step toward the Lord with those simple words: “Come and see.”
I think this is exactly how we should talk to unbelievers in this culture. Note how Phillip doesn’t allow himself to be drawn into a pointless argument; instead, he brings it back to Jesus, and gives Nathanael an invitation to meet Jesus himself: “Come and see.”
We have a part to play in bringing people to faith, but it’s the part of invitation.
Once people encounter Jesus, he has a way of surprising them, just as he surprised Nathanael.
So, the next time you get in an argument with a non-believer, I believe the best thing you can say is,
Come and see.