Should Christians Minister to Unsaved People?

Christians are commanded to love, serve and pray for one another, but should Christians also minister to unsaved people?

Attracted to Christ

You can be the hands and feet of Jesus to them by serving them at a local kitchen or shelter.

Christians are commanded to love, serve and pray for one another, but should Christians also minister to unsaved people? If I only did good things for Christians, any unsaved family or friends I know would likely reject my faith as being hypocritical and they’d be right. They would see me as helping only those who are in the church and discounting those who are not saved, but that’s so wrong! I too was not saved but someone came to me and shared Christ and then helped me out when I needed it. More than once I had Christians help me before I became a Christian, but that’s why I was so attracted to Christ; seeing His working through these believers. They helped me, despite my rejection of their faith and them, in some cases, them as a person. How sad, but I’ve repented of that.

Serving Others

The Apostle Peter speaking to the church tells them (and us, of course), that “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Pet 4:10). Every believer has at least one gift and that gift is for the church, but we are to “use it to serve one another.” If we do this, we will “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2), however if we limit our good works only for the church, then those we are ignoring those in need outside of the faith. The Apostle John says that “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11), remembering that God loved us first or He made the first move (1 John 4:19). The Bible says that God has appointed or foreordained for us good works, so that we should walk in them (Eph 2:10), but the question is, will we walk in them (or do them)? He did not say to do good works only to those in the church. Remember our works are to glorify God and act as witnesses for Christ’s working through us (Luke 9:23-26; 2 Cor 4:1-7).

All Will Know

Jesus Christ gave us all a new commandment and that commandment was “that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). This love exhibited by believers will be so powerful that “all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). By Jesus saying “all people,” I presume this means the lost and the saved will know we are His disciples. How? By the way we love! When unbelievers see that kind of love being displayed in public; a love that is so missing in the world today, and is so radically different from the world they live in, it sometimes draws people to Christ living in these believer’s. That’s how “all people” will know; the lost and the saved. It will be by our love. Not our love only for the church, but for all men.

Love Our Enemies

If we are told to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:32), why not be tenderhearted towards those outside of the faith? When I see someone reject the gospel, it breaks my heart because I know their final fate is worse than can be described. Since God loved us while we were still wicked, ungodly enemies of God (Rom 5:6-10), so how can we not love our enemies? Jesus told us, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44b). Why would we do that? Most people take revenge or “get even,” but we must love those who hate us “so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt 5:45). Since God blesses both the just and the unjust, should we do any less for the saints and the unsaved of the world? When we love our enemies, the world knows who Jesus’ disciples are and those who are in the world. We should shine as the children of God and stand out in this dark and decaying world.

God’s Elect

We might be scorned for our sharing the gospel with the lost, but we don’t know if that person is elected by God or not (Eph 1). So what do we do? We act as if God wants us to share Christ with all people because only He knows who the elect are. We don’t know that, so we must act as if no one we meet is saved. If they are, fantastic, but it’s our duty or command from Christ to go into all the world (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8), while not forgetting to go next door.

Conclusion

I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: What Does the God Say About Serving Others?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: evangelism, good works, One Another, serving, Witnessing