How do people become Christians?

Hey, thanks again for sending in questions related to our recent sermons. We are in the middle of a series entitled Next 85, where we are envisioning our next 85 years, uh, at Bridges Community Church. We’ve just completed our first 85 years, so we’re turning the page to the next 85. Um, and dreaming and visioning, uh, what our, what, what we will do in ministry, um, what our campus will look like, what our programs will look like, how to continue our mission in the community setting that we are

right now. And this last week, we talked really a lot about the, uh, importance of relationships and connection. It’s part of, uh, what Jesus commands us to do, is love God and love people. It’s all, uh, in the context of relationships. Um, and so we want our campus to reflect, uh, and and foster relationships, not in any way hinder relationships. Um, in the course of, uh, that sermon, I talked about how the majority of people come to faith, um, in Christ through personal relationships right now.

That’s not to say other means of evangelism are not still effective and shouldn’t be used. Of course, all of it’s great. Any way to talk about Jesus is a great way to talk about Jesus. It’s just seems to be the most fruit comes from relationships. Um, and so the question comes in this week is, um, it has lots of layers, is how do people become Christians?

How does this actually happen? Of course, theologically, I mean, we would say on on on the one hand, uh, it’s it’s it’s God’s sovereign choice of us. Jesus says in, uh, John 3, that we must be born of the spirit, same as we are born from water. And and when that happens, it’s the wind comes from who knows where, it comes and, uh, does what it does.

And so it is as anyone who’s born of the spirit. We don’t can’t really pinpoint where it comes from. It’s just the spirit comes into our lives. Um, just as when we were born the first time, we that that that happened, that’s more so happening to us than than us somehow, you know, checking all the boxes and then achieving it. It God has just lifted us up out of, um, out of where we were before. He became our father, right?

When, uh, for our earthly fathers, we, it was our father’s choice over us that made us his, less than us again, making sure we’ve achieved enough, like to become his. It’s his work in our lives. At the same time, you know, it’s we confess Jesus with our mouth and believe in our heart, um, that he was raised from the dead and we will be saved.

Romans 10. So there is this consent on our part, our, um, our our acceptance, our willingness to go along with what God is doing in our lives. That’s absolutely critical. Um, and so those, but those things are kind of either abstract or, um, the the the, uh, last point in the road along our journey.

I mean, how does someone get to the place, um, from God to begins to work in their life to them actually confessing with their mouth and believing in their heart that Jesus has saved? Like, what’s this, what’s this in between? Um, or how’s it often happening? And that happened, again, it happens a lot of ways differently for a lot of people, but right now, that is happening through relationships in our country the most. Um, somebody knows someone who they trust, who they respect, um, and that person

shares faith, uh, shares what it’s like to believe in Jesus, shares their need for Jesus. Um, and it it resonates because it’s coming from someone that they know and trust. Uh, you know, it’s peer-to-peer, it’s friend-to-friend, it’s, you know, parent-to-child or child-to-parent or coworker-to-coworker.

It’s you’re around someone who’s a Christian, that Christian starts talking about Christ and you, and it resonates with you because you trust that person. Um, we’re we’re in a cultural moment, it seems, where where where our friends and those around us carry a lot of authority in our minds and hearts and wills. Uh, they carry more authority than others.

With all the, you know, false information that happens in the news and all the spin that happens from every, you know, ideology, it’s I I maybe that’s why we’re finding more authority in just somebody that we actually know, right? What can I trust that I see on the news? Who knows? But I trust my friend because I know my friend.

And so then we we believe our friend more than what we might even read in a book or hear on a podcast or, um, you know, hear from a sermon. Like we don’t, those those people probably have their own biases and spins and all that, but we know our friend. And so we start, we really, we really do believe our friend. Um, same as like, you can think about somebody’s trying to lose weight. Like, who are they going to listen to how to do that?

You know, the doctor might tell them something, they see an ad for some kind of diet. I mean, maybe that those things can have some influence, but what’s really going to influence them is they have like three friends who’ve lost a bunch of weight. They’re going to go talk to those friends. Those friends have authority in their lives. That’s just the moment that we’re in right now. Friends have more authority than like experts in the field.

And so that that’s how Christ is, uh, being accepted mostly in our country right now. Um, and so it’s it’s a it’s a encouragement and a challenge for us. Our friends will probably listen to us. Uh, you know, we hopefully have friends who are not believers. And so what are we doing to speak into their lives, uh, and influence them?

Because that it it’s probably who if they’re going to listen to anybody, they’re going to listen to you because you’re their friend. Uh, so that’s really how it’s happening, uh, today. Uh, we we thank you for the question and we’ll see you next time.