OPELIKA, Ala. (BP) - I recently heard a young man preach a sermon on the importance of sharing the Gospel. His philosophy was that as long as Christians are obeying God by witnessing to the lost, they should not care whether the lost accept Christ.

He proposed that this attitude takes the pressure off the one sharing the Gospel. While I agree that the decision of another person to accept or reject the call of Jesus is certainly not the responsibility of the one who shares the Gospel, I disagree that the Christian's attitude be one of not caring.

Christians are charged in Colossians 3:12 to be compassionate: "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." We are to care, just as Christ cares, for the lost souls of men.

I used to view non-Christians as outsiders. I looked at them as mere projects that I needed to check off my "I shared Christ with them" to-do list. This "just do it" attitude is definitely in line with my personality. Spiritual gifts tests have confirmed that I am a prophet/teacher.

The downfall to a person with these gifts is that she is usually lacking in the compassion and mercy department. For example, when a turtle makes the dangerous decision to cross a busy road, many people think, "Poor thing." I think, "Stupid turtle."

Unfortunately, I must admit that while I had a heart for obeying God in sharing the Gospel with the lost, I did not have a heart for the lost. God convicted me that I was viewing non-Christians as a type of enemy, an enemy that I needed to conquer in the spiritual war of evangelism.

I would faithfully put on my armor, swing the sword of truth at whomever came my way, and walk off the battlefield without giving a second thought to where the wounded fell. I simply counted my efforts as medals toward spiritual heroism.

Jesus doesn't view non-Christians as the enemy but as victims of the enemy. According to Philippians 2:5, Christians are to have the same attitude as Christ. It took me a while to realize that not having a heart for the lost is just as disobedient as not sharing the Gospel.

Christ longs to gather His lost sheep. He searches for them and delights in looking after them, "For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'I myself will search for my sheep and look after them'" (Ezekiel 34:11). He cares for them (1 Peter 5:7). It is impossible to have the attitude of Christ while not caring for the lost.

Befriending a non-believer for the purpose of sharing the Gospel is very different than becoming their companion. Companions are companionable, meaning they are suited for one another socially in their likes and dislikes. Therefore, we are not to be "companions" with a non-believer, but we are to befriend them in order to share the good news of Jesus with them.

As we befriend non-believers for the sake of sharing the love of Christ, it is wise to establish some boundaries. First and foremost, we should never indulge in sinful activities in the name of witnessing. The Gospel should be shown with our actions as much as it is spoken with our words.

My friend Toma always says, "Your talk talks and your walk talks but your walk talks more than your talk talks." It is also a good idea to let the non-believer know up front that you are devoted to Jesus. After all, we are not secret agents, but ambassadors for Christ. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20a).

Although we should establish who we are in Christ, it is helpful to develop a relationship before bombarding them with Scripture. By showing interest in their lives and getting to know them, we develop trust in the friendship.

In realizing these truths, I began to pray for a heart like His. As a result, He enables me to see the lost through His eyes and care for them through His love. I am becoming more and more aware of how precious they are to Jesus. My heart hurts for those who don't know Jesus.

Oh, and I must tell you ... I recently pulled my car over to help a turtle cross the road. God is definitely working on me.

Ginger Plowman, of Opelika, Ala., is an assistant director for Proverbs 31 Ministries, for which she speaks at women's events and parenting conferences across the country. For more information visit her website at www.gingerplowman.com