The goal when sharing the Gospel is not to stir emotions for emotions’ sake, but to stir the emotions to awaken the mind to trigger the will.
We are not Vulcans. We have emotions. God gave us these emotions, and He often uses them to prepare our hearts for salvation. As Jesus said of the Holy Spirit in John 16:8: “And, when He comes, He will convict the world of sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”
I believe the Holy Spirit often sovereignly uses these emotions (conviction of sin, desperation for hope, grief from a loss, etc.) to prepare the lost for the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I remember the emotions I felt before June 23, 1974. I was convicted that I was a sinner in need of a Savior. I was afraid of dying. I was terrified of going to Hell. I was saddened by not having an earthly father.
When I heard the Gospel clearly for the first time, my heart was overwhelmed with joy and I believed! And those emotions carried on long after I believed—I still have them to this day!
D.L. Moody wrote this about his conversion:
I remember the morning on which I came out of my room after I had first trusted Christ. I thought the sun shone a good deal brighter than it ever had before. I thought that it was just smiling upon me, and as I walked out upon Boston Common and heard the birds singing in the trees, I thought they were all singing a song to me. Do you know? I fell in love with the birds. I had never cared for them before. It seemed to me that I was in love with all creation. I had not a bitter feeling against any man, and I was ready to take all men to my heart. If a man has not the love of God shed abroad in his heart, he has not yet been regenerated.
What matters most is not whether a person makes an emotional decision for Christ, but whether it’s an actual decision for Christ. They need to truly understand the Gospel message (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and believe in Jesus (John 3:16-18). Whether this comes with or without emotions doesn’t really matter. What matters is that they actually have put their faith in Jesus based on His finished work on the cross (Acts 13:38-39).
Just yesterday, I had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with two flight attendants at an airport in Tennessee. Amanda and Liz were both very open to the Gospel. Amanda was shedding tears as I explained the message of Jesus. Liz was not. Both indicated faith in Christ. One trusted in Jesus with great emotion. One trusted in Jesus with little emotion. What matters is that they actually trusted in Jesus!
Years ago I heard a preacher say something like this:
Jesus is the doorway to salvation. It doesn’t matter how you get through the door. You may run through the door, walk through the door, or crawl through the door. Just get through the door. You may be crying, laughing, or stoic as you go through the door. Just get through the door.
When Paul and Barnabas went into the synagogue in Acts 14:1, they “…spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” Effective speaking often stirs the emotions.
