1 Peter 1:9 & 3:1-2
By Drew Zuverink
"You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
"Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives."
Do you feel an intense desire to win people over to Christ? Is there something inside of you that loves Jesus so much and you just want everyone else to have that love too? God has done so much for us and he continues to love us so well, how could we not want other people to experience all that comes with being a Christian? I'm glad that you feel that way because I do too. There is nothing that sounds more fulfilling than dedicating my life to sharing Christ's love with people who need it. Plenty of Christian's feel this way, but figuring out how to go about doing this is something that we can struggle with. While reading through the book of 1 Peter, I was struck by 2 major ways that I think Christian's can win people over to Christ.
Number one: our story.
Our testimony of what God has done for us, and what he continues to do for us, is one of the most powerful ways that we can win people over. Our story is simply firsthand experience of how good God is. It's not a clever argument, it isn't part of an agenda, it isn't fake, it is genuinely just a way to tell someone what God has done for you and to let them know that you believe he can do it for them too. Peter writes in chapter 1 verse 9 that God chose them to be his special possession so that they could declare the praises of all that God had done for them. They used to be on a downward trajectory towards a dark life but Jesus saved them and brought them into the light. We all have our own story of what Jesus means to us. If you get the chance, tell people about it. It isn't hard, after all, it's your story.
Number two: our behavior.
The second way that Peter said Christian's can win people over to the faith is through their righteous behavior. Peter instructed Christian wives in chapter 3 to submit to their unbelieving husbands so that they would hopefully be won over by their behavior. Without getting into an argument about marital roles, the point is obvious; a Christian's godly behavior is a wonderful way to win someone to Christ because people are drawn to goodness. Thousands of people were drawn to Jesus while he was on earth for many reasons. Some came to see miracles but others were drawn to him because of his character. Still today, both Christian's and non Christian's are drawn to the gospels because Jesus' behavior was so genuinely good. Even now, I am drawn to God, not just because he exists but because he is good. Maybe you've met someone who's character resembles Jesus, and I'm willing to bet that you left their presence thinking to yourself, "I'd really like to become more like them." People are drawn to goodness, it actually makes us want to become "more good" ourselves. If we will commit our lives to pursuing goodness, it can become another wonderful way to win people over to Christ. And if anyone asks you about why you behave the way that you do, remember point number one, and share with them your story of how God has transformed you with his love.
This devotional might not have blown you away with new and profound information, that is totally ok with me. My goal was not to be profound but to be empowering and encouraging. Sharing our faith can sometimes feel overwhelming and difficult but sharing our story is easy. Having pure behavior is a little bit more difficult because of our pesky sin nature, but it's still something that all of us can do. I hope that this leads you to feel encouraged that you are fully capable of fulfilling your hearts desire to win people to Christ.
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