Last night, I had the privilege to witness something extraordinary. Approximately 60 people gathered on a covered bridge in the dark to witness the baptism of an exchange student from England. Alex came to Appalachian State University last August not knowing anything about Christianity or Jesus. He said it was the profound kindness of the Christians he met that set him on the path that led him to Jesus.
Kindness, as Paul explains, is one of the attributes of love (I Corinthians 13:4-8), and, thus, one of the attributes of God, who is love (I John 4:8). And it is kindness that God seeks to use to lead people to repentance.
He does not treat people’s sins as they deserve (Psalm 103:10) and neither should we. Often, we followers of Jesus feel the need to remind people of how sinful they are or point out the particulars of where they fall short. Or we just avoid being involved with them altogether because their lifestyles make us feel uncomfortable. Neither approach allows the kindness of God to reach into their lives.
As simple as it sounds, being kind to atheists, those determined to live life as they want, and those who continually search for meaning and purpose in all the wrong places is the starting point to leading people to Jesus. It was the kindness of strangers and newfound friends that started Alex on the path toward finding His Savior and Lord.
There is a false dichotomy among the thinking of many believers that to be kind to unrepentant sinners is to condone their behavior. A mere glance at the life of Jesus shows the ludicrousness of this. He hung out with a lot of sketchy characters and refuted the criticism of the religious folks by saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13)
Kindness creates cracks in hardened walls, creating access points for living water to penetrate. And as that water seeps through, the cracks become larger and, eventually, the wall collapses because its strength has been compromised. Then the life-bearing water flows unabated and the full restoration begins. If our goal is to lead people to Jesus, then the testimony of Alex is a good reminder that it is simple kindness rather than judgment that opens the path toward repentance.
Today, remember to be kind to those who have yet to believe, regardless of how they are living. It may just lead them to take the first step onto the path of repentance.
© Jim Musser 2015
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