An Open Mind

Often Christians are, asked ‘to keep an open mind,’  by a friend who declares there are many ways to God. I believe that’s a great opportunity and a fantastic open door to witness to our friend for asking us such a loaded question. Here’s a dialog we could possible have,   

My response,

Me: That’s fine. Will you keep an open mind too if I ask you who you believe Jesus is?

They generally will say,

Friend: Yes, He was a great teacher.

Me: Cool, so you trust everything Jesus taught?

Friend: Well, I guess so.

Me: Great! Because Jesus says, ‘you will die in your sin if you don’t believe who I have said I Am.’

Friend: WOW, Who did Jesus say he was?

Me: Jesus says He was God almighty, the Son of God in the flesh!

Our dumbfounded friend utters,

Friend: WOW

Me: Jesus says in one place, ‘I and the Father are One;’ and in another place, ‘I Am the ONLY way to the Father.’

Friend: You mean there aren't many ways to get to God?

Me: Nope, not according to Jesus. So do you still believe Jesus was a great teacher?

Friend: I don’t know.

Me: That’s wonderful, you have done exactly what Jesus teaches us to do!

Friend: It is?

Me: Yes, Proverbs says not to lean upon our own thinking, our own understanding; and Jesus says, you must change your mind and become like a child or you will never be able to see or even enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Friend: What do you mean by ‘change my mind,’ about what?

Me: Jesus says, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The word repent is a military term, it means, ‘to change our mind; to make an about face’ about something. We are to completely turn all the way around and change our mind about what we think the kingdom of Heaven is.

As you know, where there is a kingdom there has to be a king. We have to surrender our life and swear allegiance to the King of Heaven. Christianity is not a Democracy. Jesus will not accept allegiance to any other kingdom but His. Jesus is Lord! He’s the King of kings, Lord of lords.

Our friend injects,

Friend: That sounds too simple to do, it sounds so simple even a child could understand it.

Me: You got it my friend! If people only knew how simple it is to change our mind about God, they would be breaking down our front doors, not to rob us, but to wake us up at night begging to hear more about Jesus!”

Friend: WOW, how do I surrender to Jesus?”

Me: It’s all by grace, God’s unmerited favor, it’s a gift from God that we can be part of His Kingdom. He gives us the right to be in His Kingdom. We cannot earn it. In the Bible verses from Romans 10:9-10 it says, ‘If you surrender you life and swear allegiance openly with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, Jesus is God, come in the flesh, and believe in your heart that His Father has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with your heart you believe everything Jesus taught was true and that causes you now by grace to be in a right relationship with Him, His Father and the Holy Spirit; and now by God’s unmerited favor your mouth’s declaration is turned unto salvation!’

Friend: I don’t know everything that Jesus taught.

Me: That’s good, because nobody does. The Apostle John said if all the WORDS that Jesus taught were written down in books, the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen! We don’t have to know everything about God, only He does, but we do have to believe everything He says is true! How ‘bout it, what do you declare now?

Friend: “WOW, I surrender my life and swear allegiance openly with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, Jesus is God, come in the flesh, and I believe in my heart that His Father raised Jesus from the dead, I am saved! For with my heart I believe all what Jesus has taught was true and that causes me now by grace to be in a right relationship with Him, His Father and the Holy Spirit; and now with God’s unmerited favor my mouth’s declaration is turned unto salvation!”

Me: Bingo!

Both: Glory to God! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!