Reaching the Hearts of Non-Religious People

"I have become  all things to people of all sorts, so that I  might by all possible means save some." - 1 CORINTHIANS 9:22.

FOR thousands of years, the majority of people in the world seemed to have some form of religious belief. But in recent decades a remarkable change has taken place. More and more people do not view themselves  as religious. In fact, in some countries the majority of the population described themselves as not being religious. - MATTHEW 24:12.

Why do a growing number of people consider themselves to be non-religious? Some may be distracted by pleasures or anxieties.  (Luke 8:14)  Some have become atheists.  Others believe in God but think that religion is old-fashioned, irrelevant, and incompatible with science and logical thinking.  They may hear friends, teachers, or media personalities  say that live evolved, but they rarely hear logical reasons for believing God. Others are repelled by clergy who are greedy for the money and power.  In some places, governments officially limit religious activity.

Jesus expects us to "make disciples of people of all the nations." (Matthew 28:19)  How can we help non-religious people to learn to love God and become disciples of God? We must recognize  that a person's reaction to our message may depend on where he was raised.  For example, people with a European background may not respond the same way as those who come from Asia.  Why? In Europe, may know something about the Bible and are familiar with the idea that God  created all things.  But in Asia, the majority of people know little or nothing about the Bible, and they may not believe in a Creator. The purpose of this article is to help us reach the hearts of all those we meet in the ministry, no matter what their background may be. 

Next time: Reaching the Hearts of Non-Religious People - MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

From the jw.org publications