For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. -1 Corinthians 9:19-23
We can neither coddle nor shout people in to Jesus. I know that seems like a harsh thing to say, but I think it must be said. To coddle someone is to try and make the Cross comfortable, and when everyone is shouting, no one is listening. Jesus was not soft on sin. In fact, the woman caught in adultery was told “go and sin no more” after being humiliated by the Pharisees; and, while He did flip over tables, His reason was because people were taking advantage of worshippers for profit.
To reach people for Christ, we should do all we can to reach them where they are at without participating in the worldliness of it all. The message, though, should always be the same: God is good, so His justice must be done, but God saw fit to punish His Son instead of us. If Jesus died for our Sin, then we can no longer live in it if we belong to Him, and the only way to the Father is through the Son. We must, therefore, follow Jesus and be born again to be saved.
There is no amount of arguing or appeasing that can bring someone to Christ. Our job is not to convince, convict or convert: if they listen to the call of the Holy Spirit, that is His job. We are messengers. Become all things to all men that by all means we might save some, yes, but never compromise the Way of Christ. Confront sin, yours first (as I try and do mine), addressing your need for a savior, using it as a bridge to confront sin everywhere, addressing the whole world’s need being as great as your own. Care about people; do not worry about their opinion of us. Destruction is our natural destination, so someone moving in the opposite direction may seem quite mad, until the danger becomes quite imminent.
1 John 3
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
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