I am going to look at this topic from two different aspects, the first being when we go out and talk to people about Jesus and what he has done in our lives we are going to come across various arguments that people will use to justify why they do not need Christ. The second is what we can do from our side to help improve our effectiveness.Stumbling blocks to Evangelism
Religion is not for me.
Genesis 4:26 – Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
Worshiping God is for all.

In the age of science and technology it is easy to loose track of where we come from. It is also easy to loose track of the nature of man. Man was created to worship and interact with God. From the very beginning of time man had a desire to call upon the name of the Lord.

This is born out of the fact that every tribe and every nation has developed some form of religion. There is not tribe or nation that does not have some form of religion which includes priests, worship ceremonies normally including sacrifice. In most places the priest has huge impact in the political landscape of the community.

You only have to list the number of different religions of the world around about 25 main ones to realize that religion is a part of every day life. If you look at the number magazines in the shop that cover the lives of celebrities it is easy to realize that is also a religion theses days. So is sport as we well know in countries like South Africa, Australia and America. My one colleague is a biker and when he talks about bike rallies and bike clubs you can see how the rallies are the “church services” and the bike clubs are “home cells” Biking is a religion. They have a set of beliefs and a brotherhood. The Christian Motor Cycle Association (CMA) is both a church and a bike club.

Even science can become a religion if you read the web sites of evolutionist they have a set of beliefs (you have believe evolution by faith as well).

Two aspects differentiate us from animals. The first is the ability to talk the ability to talk and communicate through speech is built into a human being. It is not only a physical capability, but also a mental capability. The second the desire to communicate with our creator and in someway find meaning in this life.

Denying the need for religion is denying ones humanity. Only 16% of the world’s population does not believe in any region. Which means that 84% do from that it is easy to conclude that religion is part of who we are.

The way to answer that question is to appeal to build in desire for worship with answers like
“Have you ever wondered why you where created?”
“What is your passion or your desires where do you think they came from?”

This goes for each answer that I will tackle today never discuss it on a metal level. Appeal to the built in desire to worship and draw that out of them.

I am a good / bad person.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

We all have sinned. The bible tells us that every single person has sinned. The very existence of religion proves that man acknowledges that fact. The whole point of religion is to try and combat sin. Just about every religion has good works and good behavior as part of the religion.

Whether you are good or bad really makes no difference with regard to sin. We once counseled a lady who had got her self pregnant out of marriage. Quite rightly she was feeling guilty about it. Yet when we got to her it was a couple years later and she was still feeling guilty about it.

I gave her this scripture and said so you have sinned big deal every one has sinned. You are no worse off than any other sinner, do not think you sin is unique there is nothing to be proud about or sulk about. Get over it and carry on. This caught her off guard and eventually she realised that life happens and sin is not the end of the world.

I have met a lot of good people is my life people who really go out and do a lot for other people. People who give there lives to a cause, they are really good people. Yet I often wonder about the price that they pay for this. I often wonder about there families and how balanced a life they actually live. I think about there motivation for doing certain things.

I spent 6 years with St John Ambulance and did my fair share of community work. In that I saw a lot of people giving there heart out to good causes. I also saw that a fair amount of the people personal issues and they used the volunteer work to hind or sooth the problems.

What am I saying basically just because people are “good” it does not mean that there lives are in order, it does not mean that they do not need Jesus.

Finally good works are not going to get you to heaven, and bad works are not going to prevent you from getting to heaven. Because it is not about works or how good or bad you are it is about faith.

That is the joy of Christianity, it is all about faith. In some ways it is more difficult to convince the “good” person than the bad, but either way the same truth holds.

That is why Romans 6:20-23

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

We need to counter this argument with the fact that God does not look at your performance, but He has a gift of eternal life that can change there lives.

I enjoy my freedom
Ephesians 2
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Freedom is a lie that is the most important thing to remember. Freedom outside of Christ is not freedom, but in most cases rebellion.

This is the lie of the enemy, Christians are bound and the world is free. The truth is the opposite, those in the world are the ones bound and we are the ones who are free.

You see the world see freedom as the right to do what they want, most sin, We see freedom as not to forced to sin. Freedom to the world is the freedom to drink till they are drunk and do what they please when they are drunk. Freedom for us is that we do not have the desire to get drunk and to sin. We do not need to conform to this world and the ways of thinking of this world.

Freedom comes with a price, there price is sin that leads to death. Our price is holiness that leads to life.

Most people see Christianity as a set of rules of does and don’ts, but that is far from the truth it is about God changing our desires and enabling us to live this life free from the dictates of the world. We can live a life free from those things, a free and abundant life.

Christian freedom is as Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 6:12

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Basically Paul is saying is that you are free to do what you like, but be aware that there are consequences to what you do and some things will har