Counsels on Church Life

Counsel #5 — People Are Different

Picture: Counsel #5 — People Are Different CCL 116.1

A common mistake when inviting non-Christians to church is using a one-size-fits-all approach. But no two people are exactly alike, and everyone has unique life experiences.^[144] Like different plants in a garden, each person has specific needs and preferences that help them grow and flourish. Jesus understood this challenge. Each person who encountered Him had a personalized experience. Jesus invited Peter, the fisherman, to walk on water and Thomas, the doubter, to touch His wounds. He answered some people’s questions publicly but spoke to Nicodemus privately. Like Jesus, we can share the gospel to people in ways that meet their specific needs and backgrounds. CCL 116.2

“Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw.’” John 1:48 CCL 116.3

“All who profess to be children of God should bear in mind that as missionaries they will be brought into contact with all classes of minds. There are the refined and the coarse, the humble and the proud, the religious and the skeptical, the educated and the ignorant, the rich and the poor. These varied minds cannot be treated alike; yet all need kindness and sympathy.” Ellen White in Gospel Workers, p. 480.2 CCL 116.4

Reflect: How can you personalize the gospel for your non-Christian friends? CCL 116.5