Last Sunday we looked at the parable of the wheat and the weeds and we saw that one of the reasons God has allowed us to co-exist alongside unbelievers is so that we can influence them for Jesus.

How can we do this in practical ways?

• Showing love and kindness to them beyond what is expected. We Christians should out-love the people of this world. Jesus spoke about this in the Sermon on the Mount when He spoke about going the second mile and giving more than what they ask of us. It’s about returning good for evil, unconditional forgiveness and blessing those who mistreat us. The way we treat others should so affect them that they want to know why we are like this. You and I can do this in our own circle of contacts and in our own neighbourhood.
• Sharing our faith when the opportunities arise. This involves being alert to those opportunities.
  We don’t have to be great conversationalists to do this, sometimes a few words is all that is needed. God can take those words like seeds and plant them in the hearts of unbelievers and they can take root and grow.
  An employer was interviewing a young man for a position in his firm and he asked the young man, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And Bob said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ The employer said, “For the first time in my career I was speechless.”
  Let’s not be afraid to speak up for Jesus when the opportunities present themselves. We simply need to speak naturally about how our faith in Jesus affects our life and outlook and trust God to guide us. We stand to lose nothing but gain so much more.