There are four ways or factors rather, that a Christian can utilize to avoid being a stumbling block to a non-believer:

The first way is to exhibit faith in and around their environment. Often, Christians only communicate with other Christians. They go to church and pray together but seldom fellowship with anyone outside of their circle. They must be careful as to how they portray Christian life as being exclusive and esoteric. Non-believers should not feel like outsiders; they should simply feel like welcomed newcomers. Jesus never sold membership, but he invited relationship. He was a servant for the people and offered his life to save many from the wrong path.

Secondly, Christianity should not be used as a scare tactic or a pop quiz. Simple worship songs and memory scriptures are great and much needed, but they alone are not going to get someone into a relationship with God. With careful consideration, we should make sure that we do not make liars out of ourselves by leading the unreached by happy themed spirituals and “The Bible says…” scriptures. Many times these people are going through great troubles and Christians must empathize with them and let them know that there is a God who understands and has a plan and a purpose for them. It is not just getting them to believe it, but to draw them into a relationship with the true Living God.

The third factor that I want to mention, is that simply “believing the facts” is not enough for the non-believer. I am not a big TV watcher. I spend maybe 1 to 2 hours a week watching television. One show that I would follow is The Walking Dead. Yes, that is right, The Walking Dead. I read one pastor’s rant about how he would never watch the show because it glorified the devil and sin. I will admit that the show can desensitize you from the gory details, but so does life when it comes to sin. Modern living can glorify the wrong and the most ungodly of things and make it seem ok. Soon, it becomes difficult to know what sin is and what is right in God’s eyes. I think the show stresses the importance and value of forming and having relationships in a disease stricken world and the pursuit of good living. That is not something that you can explain to someone who has not watched the show by saying, “You have to watch the show.” While it is important and fundamental to know what God’s Word says, it is just as important to lead an individual to form a one on one relationship with God. That person should understand that he or she has a tag team partnership to live out his or her purpose, upon forming his or her relationship with God. They can’t just believe what someone tells them. They have to experience it for themselves and they can’t do that without having faith in what they believe. Faith is essential to having a relationship with Christ. Faith is dependent on action so a person choosing to follow Christ must show through their lifestyle and obedience, the faith that they have in The Lord.

The last factor deals with how we treat The Lord. It is easy to say that you believe in Him, but do you treat Him like a living God? Many Christians give off a false representation of who God is. They may pray about a situation and then go and worry about the very same thing. Non-believers can view this as God not being who He says He is. They may also think that they need a backup plan of their own in the event that God’s plan doesn’t work. Christians must have a continual prayer/study life with The Lord. Christians must constantly stay obedient and dependent on The Lord as a living God and not just as words in a book or a tradition handed down to them. Establishing a personal relationship with God and exposing that to others who do not know God, is the strongest power that you have to witness for Christ. When you can live on God’s word, be obedient and consistent, and not pass judgment on others (but rather display how you can manage to live right in the same space that a non-believer may live in); it is the most attractive witnessing tool in your arsenal. Christians have to become more than just lip service to the world. They have to become a lifestyle that is attractive and a living witness to the living God. This is what Christians have to offer the world.