How do you bring someone to God?

We periodically get the following question;

How do you bring someone to God?

Exciting question! And the answer to that is:

We don’t.

Full stop. End of story. The response to that answer is usually something similar to: “What???? Huh??? How, what, where??? Hey???”. Why don’t you do that? I see you guys doing that, so how can you say you don’t?!

Then we start with the next verse:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

In other words, I cannot lead anyone to God because I am not the way. Christ is the way, and only through Christ can anyone come to God. So if there’s one thing I need to do, it’s tell people who Christ is, and that He is the way to God and His heaven (and more).

That is a first basic principle that you must understand VERY well, because no one can come to God without Christ. But we’re not there yet…

Even Christ cannot bring anyone to God by His own power.

The same here, the reaction is usually something along the lines of: “What???? Huh??? How, what, where??? Hey???”. Why can’t He? I see Him doing it in the Bible, so how can you say He can’t?!

And then we give this bible verse:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.

John 6:44

In other words, God must draw someone to Christ (as that verse so beautifully says) and only then can someone come to Christ and only then can Christ raise him up.

Do you see the order? God decides, not you or me, not even Christ. God must open a person’s eyes and ears and draw them to Christ. And if God does that, then Christ will raise him up and bring them to God. That is a wonderful promise!

Still too complicated, perhaps? Let’s try to explain it this way:

So I can speak what I want, sing songs what I want, tell what I want, but the bottom line is: it is The Shepherd decides and not me. The following verse is more than clear about this:

Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Romans 9:18

God determines whom He has mercy on, whom He draws to Christ and back to Him through Christ. That’s the order. And there is no “I” anywhere in that sentence. “I” does not exist in that path that leads to God.

On the one hand, that is a difficult realization. We, as humans, can do NOTHING about it. We can jump high, jump low, preach all we want, listen all we want, but it is God who decides. We cannot even determine that we would like to come into His flock. He determines who will come into His flock.

On the other hand, that gives us a lot of freedom as Christians. The “only” thing we have to do (!) is tell people that Christ is the way to God, and then… we are done. Whether someone listens or not, becomes part of that flock or not, that is up to God and not up to us. Is anyone listening? Praise God! If not? Praise God, He knows what is best, who He wants in His flock, and we trust Him in His timing.

The only thing we can and must do after telling someone who Christ is, is to pray to God, that God will be merciful, accept that person into His flock, and open that person’s ears, eyes, heart. That choice was already God’s and still is God’s.

If you understand that the choice is up to God and what He does, that you are not God, then that gives you a lot of peace and rest. What should(!) we do?

And before and after that? It is up to God. That makes our work so much calmer. We don’t have to use a lot of “force” to tell people something. No foot between the door, no pressing leaflets into someone’s hand if they don’t want it, no tension, no nothing. Because we can’t even do it. That gives so much space in conversations! Then you can tell your story much more calmly. Love it! We tell who Christ is and that’s it.

Now that we’re working on this theme, you also know the answer to the following question (which we get so often):

How did you come to God?

And then they are waiting for a great story with miracles about how it all happened. But… that story is not there. Because the answer to that question is also very simple:

I have done nothing. God has done everything.

And that answer is of course a bit more complicated, but is an extension of the previous explanation:

God wanted me in His flock. I have no idea what I did to deserve that, so, it was His gracious choice. He drew me to Christ and because I believe what Christ did for me, I was able to come to God. All I have done is listened to God’s voice and even that was not my own choice/merit/work, but God’s choice.

Only when you realize that, it will give you a lot of humility. You can’t do anything. Not even “becoming a Christian” without God having determined that He wants you to do so. It also gives great amazement, respect, (and more) how gracious God is when He has chosen you for His flock. You didn’t deserve it… but He still wanted it, and so He did. Wow. Amazing grace.

And when that’s all being said and done… come on, do what God tells us to do:

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Mark 16:15

Preach it. That is what He wants us to do. Now.