Do we present Jesus and the “house” of Christianity to people as realtors, or as residents? (DISCLAIMER: I am in no way dissing realtors. I know a lot of great realtors who negotiate win-wins for both the buyers and the sellers. Most realtors are very ethical, and I am in no way disparaging them or their profession. We need them, and a good one is worth their weight in gold.) But there’s a spiritual principle here I challenge you to think about.

The realtor knows the features of the house. The realtor knows the selling points. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the realtor, even a buyer-broker, does not work for either the buyer or the seller. They work for the sale. Nothing wrong with that; that’s their job. They are trying to make the sale; that’s when they get paid.

But the resident knows what it’s like to live in the house, the pros and the cons. They know, based on the sun and the season, what’s the best time on the porch. They know if the house is drafty or not. They know which toilet handle sticks and how many times to wiggle it. They know where all the bodies are buried. They know the skeletons in the closet.

Typically, the realtor won’t say anything about the house to interfere with the sale. But the resident can tell you what it’s really like to live there.

How do we present Christianity to non-believers? Like a realtor trying to make a sale? Or like a resident who knows what’s really required to live there?

Do we present Jesus like a happy pill? Here, just pop a couple Bible verses each morning and life will be happy all the time! Have we reduced the Gospel to cold medicine?

Or do we present Jesus as a Lord we devote our life to? Following Jesus costs us everything, but it’s worth it. This isn’t to get all legalistic and performance-oriented.

But seriously, do we hide the “down-sides” to manipulate the sale? Are we afraid of their negative decision? When it’s someone we love, we’re trying to save them from the eternal consequences of a negative decision, so, yeah, it’s easy to get scared. It’s easy to slip into sales mode to manipulate the sale instead of honoring their right to choose.

“Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” – from the movie Princess Bride

How did Jesus present himself?

On the one hand, Jesus said:

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

“Denying yourself” is hardly a selling point in today’s hedonistic culture.

But, on the other hand, Jesus also said:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

I think there’s a balance here, and we need to present the truth of both sides, the complete picture. Jesus is both Savior and Lord. You can’t have one without the other.

So how do we do this? How do we present Jesus and Christianity as a resident making an invitation versus a realtor trying to make a sale? Here are 3 ways.

1) Live in the House

The big difference between a resident and a realtor is that the resident lives there. Another word for “lives there” is “abide.” John 15 is all about how to abide with Jesus. Here’s a small excerpt, but I encourage you to go and read the whole chapter.

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now abide in my love. If you keep my commands, you abide in my love, just I have kept my Father’s commands and abide in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” – John 15:9-11

Do you see both the “Savior” and “Lord” pieces? “Savior” in that our joy is complete. And “Lord” in that we keep his commands. Doing life with Jesus, abiding with him, means both (1) keeping his commands out of love for him, not fear or compulsion, and (2) experiencing his internal joy regardless of external circumstances.

You can’t have one without the other. You can’t have “Savior” without “Lord.” If we’re going to present Christianity as a resident, we need to live in the house.

2) Embrace the Suffering

In the next chapter, John 16, Jesus gives a promise we don’t talk about too much, but we should.

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33b

When you’re a home-owner, you have to embrace the good with the bad. Jesus has warned us, even promised us, that this world will be trouble-filled for us. So let’s not present the Gospel like a happy pill. Often, suffering increases when someone comes to Christ. The sick people in our life don’t like it when we get healthy.

Our own sinful behaviors are like banging our head on a brick wall. We need to be willing to stop, instead of just trying to find a football helmet with more padding.

As the church, we need to speak up about the culture’s self-destructive behaviors that destroy those who practice them; for example, sex outside marriage, abortion, transgenderism, etc.

The church has been bullied into silence for far too long.

3) Use the House Keys

Not even the realtor has keys to the house. They have to get a key out of the lockbox. But the resident owns the keys.

God knows the end from the beginning. So fortunately for us, he’s already told us, in advance, the keys that work. Here are the two keys:

They [Christians in the end-times] triumphed over him [the enemy] by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. – Revelation 12:11

This is how to present Jesus. There are two parts and we need to use both.

1. The word of our testimony, what Jesus has done for us in our lives. They can argue with our beliefs but they can’t argue with our experience.
2. The authority of Jesus’ blood to bring healing into people’s lives and circumstances, physical or emotional, both are miraculous. This can look like performing a miracle, declaring victory in impossible circumstances, or just telling someone how the Holy Spirit sees them. His power confirms our experience.

Your Turn

Does this post resonate? Tell us what you think in the comments. Did you get sold Christianity by a realtor or a resident? Were there rude awakenings? Has it been harder than you were originally told? Tell us your story in the comments. And please share this post if it would bless others.