Making Christ More Appealing

What does it say for our faith when we believe that we have to make Christ more appealing in order for someone to accept Him or want to follow Him?  That’s the topic that the Ordinary Pastor took up recently in his post How Do I Make Christ Appealing?

Regrettably, we can often, in our ostensibly noble ambitions, find ourselves employing unbiblical means. We aim to make Christ more appealing to the one who seems to that he is not very appealing. This usually means giving Jesus something of an extreme-makeover so that the eligible unbeliever might be won over. We may be tempted to change his message, his tone, his requirements, his work, his kingdom, and his demands.  Somehow our humble desires got laced with pride. There is nothing worse than making a Jesus in the image of the unbeliever. God-making is not noble, it is idolatry.

I’ve often wrestled this as well.  Why would someone in our culture that seemingly has it all want to come to a church, sing with others, and listen to a speaker whose goal was to proclaim a God that they do not believe that they need.  There’s the appeal of the health and wellness crowd and that God wants to bless you financially– at least their god has a benefit for everyone.

The truth is that we must do what the Master commands– to make His truth known, to proclaim who He is and what He has done, and leave the saving to Him.  Being a witness for Him doesn’t mean persuading someone into accepting Christ or forcing them to proclaim Him as Lord of all– it means telling others what He has done and what He offers everyone.  Then letting Him do the work.