I first shared that message on October 7, 2005, when all I shared were words in a box. I will probably share it again because the longer I live the more I get revelations of its truth. People want to be loved, not fixed. One of the speakers at the conference I attended pointed out that too often Christians approach non Christians much like used car salesmen. The unsaved person is the 'mark' and the mark knows the Christian has an agenda; everything that happens is part of a sales pitch. The mark knows the only reason that Christian is around is because they are trying to 'close the deal.' Sometimes we use expressions like "win souls" but we must be careful not to allow this to become a competition or see people as trophies.

People are looking for a genuine encounter, not hidden agendas. Sometimes Christians assume they can only be with non Christians if they are preaching to them. Does that send a message of unconditional love? The religious leaders complained that Jesus was fellowshipping with sinners. I think they were drawn to His unconditional love. They didn't sense any agendas or airs of superiority - they just felt His love. I want to be like that. I want people to know that I truly care about them, and my desire to see them saved stems from that love.

I had an experience where someone of another religion tried to convert me. What hurt me the most was I had been sharing with him and I thought we were having a genuine discussion, only to realize that it was all part of a sales pitch. He was trained to ask specific questions to lead people to be vulnerable enough to desire that religion's expensive classes. Not only was I not converted but I felt manipulated and unvalued. It hurt our relationship because it's hard to trust someone with an agenda.

God's Beloved are we any different with our Christianity? Are our evangelism strategies causing us to lose sight of the individual? When people spend time with us do they sense our love or manipulation? I pray that people won't believe "Christians will only love me if I accept their Jesus" but "Christians will love me no matter what because of their Jesus."