FAMILIARITY

For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing,And their eyes they have closed,Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,So that I should heal them.’ 

(Matthew 13:15) 

Many people today, including some who claim to be faithful in their religion, choose to side with scientific explanations over biblical proofs regarding matters such as the origin of the universe and life therein. While this can be blamed on fear of obeying the gospel, there is another prominent factor that we must acknowledge. People tend to prefer things which they are familiar with. Most individuals are familiar with the theory of evolution, causing them to prefer it as an explanation to the origin of human life. However, for most of us in the Church, after being taught time and again on the account of creation, it has become our accepted explanation.

This is the root cause of how evolution can seem irrational to us but perfectly logical to non-Christians.

How can we overcome the challenge of familiarity? First of all, we must act quickly. The sooner we can bring someone to the gospel, the less rooted they will be in other teachings. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” The best time to spread the gospel is now. Matthew 28:19 tells us to “go therefore”, not to wait. If we do not act quickly, the lost will only find more reasons not to obey the gospel and become more resistant to the word.

Acts 9:20 tells us that Saul immediately preached Christ after his conversion. We must have the same eagerness to spread the gospel in order to positively influence prospects before they are influenced by the world.

We can also break through familiarity by gradually introducing biblical concepts to prospects. It is normal for a non-Christian to be shocked by practices which are considered standard for us, but it can sometimes cause them to immediately refuse Christianity. There have been many instances where someone who has observed our worship proceedings has been repulsed by them due to unfamiliarity and immediately left without consideration. Without a proper introduction and explanation for why we do certain things, people will naturally view them as foreign concepts.

In scripture, there are no records of conversions through worship services. Sermons that led to conversions were targeted at non-Christians to enlighten them on God’s word. In contrast, a sermon is not the entirety of worship and is meant to be received by Christians who know the word. The focus of worship is to honour God.

Instead of inviting someone to worship, we can begin by teaching them the fundamentals and proofs of our faith. In Acts 8:35, the first thing Philip did was to preach Christ to the Ethiopian eunuch. In Acts 2, Peter also preached Christ to those in Jerusalem. A demonstration of worship practices cannot convince a person to become a Christian, but proving Christ to them before teaching them God’s commandments can. “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)

Additionally, in our discourse with non-Christians regarding Christian evidences, we must be mindful not to allow our own familiarity with the Bible cloud our judgment. We cannot misuse facts to support the Bible or trust unreliable sources only because they align with our beliefs. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says “Test all things; hold fast what is good.”