FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM!

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

Mark 16:15

I've known hundreds of Christians who believe they are failures because they don't spend their lives preaching the gospel and winning scores of people to Christ each year. These are good people who love God but are defeated in their attempts to serve Him through evangelism.

God's Mission for Us

Let's dive right in to the core of what God expects of His people.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."

2 Corinthians 5:17-20"

Wow! God has given us the "ministry of reconciliation." He has given us the position of "Christ's ambassador." What does it mean?

The first thing in Bible study is to know who is writing and to whom. 2 Corinithians 1:1 gives us our answer:

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia."

The Apostle Paul is the writer. His audience is every believer. That's important to note. Paul did not change the address of his audience in his letter to the Corinthians. He is still writing to every believer when we get to chapter 5. I invite you to read the first 4 chapters to see that this is true.

Here are some of the things we learn from Paul about our mission.

1. He starts with the fact that we are "new creations." The Greek words are kaine ktisis . Kaine : is not "new" in time, but new as to form and quality. Ktisis : is the product of creation. We are God's "new creations." The idea is of a "fresh start." That's what God gave us. The old things are gone. The new has come. It's the way Christians face God every day. We come to Him knowing he has forgiven us and given us that fresh start. Our past sins and failures aren't a weight around us. They are gone, forgiven at the cross!

2. "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ." God is the "source" of our life and blessings. He "reconciled" us to Himself and He did it through His Son, Jesus Christ. "Reconciled" is katallaxantos . It means "change from one thing to another, exchange." The spiritual idea from the Greek is that God changed us from one thing to another. Paul explained that well in Romans 5:10: "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, how much more having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" We started our lives as enemies of God. He "changed" that relationship through the death of Christ. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1 that we were "dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." That's where every human being begins: enemies with God, objects of His righteous wrath. So, what changes that? "But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved." God's Love, Mercy and Grace make the difference! Dead men don't come alive on their own. Dead men are at the mercy of the living. The Living God had Mercy on us and gave us Life Everlasting to His Grace. He took what was once an enemy and an object of His wrath and loved and forgave and breathed new life into each of us! He "reconciled" us to Himself.

3. The God Who did all that for us has given us the same ministry. He gave us the ministry of reconciliation! The word "ministry" is diakonian . It means "service." Our service to God is that of "reconciliation." What is that? "...that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." Reconciliation is our ministry. God first reconciled us to Himself through Christ. Every member of the Body of Christ has experienced God's reconciliation. We know what happened to us. We know how it happened. We know the change that's taken place in our lives. We know what it was like before. We know what it's like now. The longer we walk with God, the more we understand His reconciliation. Now, that's what God wants us to do while we're on earth. Serve Him by telling others about God's reconciliation. How do we do that?

Our Part

The Apostle Paul taught that the Body of Christ was made up of many parts.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Sprit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many ... Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27

Paul also taught that members of the Body of Christ have different spiritual gifts. We're not all the same. God has built variety into His plan.

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. Thre are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

What does that have to do with evangelism (the Ministry of Reconciliation)? We need to stop comparing ourselves with other people! We need to do what God has in mind for us. You are a very special individual with unique personal talents and spiritual gifts. If you don't know what they are, look to God and other WISE counsel and find out. God has something in mind for all of us and His goal is "the common good." That "common good" has to begin with reconciliation because unsaved people are enemies of God. They are dead in their sins. They are objects of God's wrath. How can unsaved people enjoy the "common good" from that awful position? They can't! Someone has to "tell" them about God's Love for them. Someone has to "tell" them Jesus died for them. Someone has to "tell" them that salvation is by Grace through Faith.

We can compare it with a football team. If everyone threw the ball, who would catch it? If everyone caught the ball, who would throw it? If everyone ran the ball, who would block the tacklers? The best teams work well when everyone on the team knows their job, does it well and respects the work of others on the team.

Paul said it well in Ephesians 4:16:

"From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

As each part does its work. Isn't that a cool idea? Everybody playing together as a team. Everyone doing their job well and for the common good.

Paul wrote 1 Cornithians 12 to get everyone in the Body of Christ singing off the same song sheet. EVERYONE is important in God's plan. No one is better than anyone else. No one has more of God's favor and grace than another. Listen to what Paul wrote:

"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."

1 Corinthians 12:21-25

Read those beautiful words one more time: "...so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other." That excites me! God wants UNITY in the Body of Christ. He wants Christians to care for each other. It's from that place of safe harbor that believers can go out to minister to the needs of lost souls. People in the world are looking for real answers. They want to be part of something that works. Too much of what they've seen called "Christianity" hasn't worked. We've disappointed them for one reason or another. They just don't believe our message. The number ONE reason people have given me for not being interested in receiving Christ is the lives of Christians they've known.

I personally believe it's because unsaved people hear us "talk" about how God changes us but they don't see a real change in our lives. We have to "walk the talk." If there's no real change in us, if unsaved people look at us and believe they're just as good or even better than us, why would they want to change to be like us? They don't! The first step in evangelism is living a changed life; living a "reconciled" life. The second step is becoming their friend.

Friendship Evangelism

That brings me to the importance of Friendship Evangelism. It begins with our personal strength in Christ and His strength in us. It begins with our having a deep and viable relationship with the living God. I've been with many church members as they shared the Gospel with others. Unfortunately, many had little to say beyond a prepared speech and a few pat answers. They were unhappy or unfulfilled in their own walk with God and had very little to "show and tell." They had few resources upon which to draw. They shared Christ because they "had to", not because they "wanted to." If your life is full and rich, it's just natural to tell others about what's so great about your life. But if it isn't, well, there's not much you can say. So, start by enjoying your relationship with God. That places you in a position of strength.

Remember that "evangelism" is more than just leading someone to receive Christ as their Savior. The "good news" of Christianity is more than just starting with Christ. It's "finishing" with Christ. Receiving Christ is only the first step. It's an important step, but it's not everything. Winning a football game means putting your heart and soul into winning from the opening kickoff to the last play of the last minute of the last quarter.

Friendship Evangelism means "caring" for people. "The best evangelism takes place in a context of mutual trust and respect. It takes place between friends."

1. Christians need to care about the people they hope to reach.

2. Christians need to accept the people they hope to reach.

3. Christians need to love the people they hope to reach.

4. Christians need to establish meaningful relationships with the people they hope to reach.

5. Christians need to stay close to the people they reach.

6. Christians need to help the people they reach get through the tough times.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16

"...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

The best evangelism comes when you really love and care about someone. Demonstrate your love for others. Show them, don't just tell them.

How do you do that? Lots of ways:

• Think about them. Pray for them. Ask God to provide openings for you to show His love for them.

• Talk with them. Listen to them. Be their friend. Show you care. Spend quality time with them. Concentrate on what's important to them.

• Go out of your way to do good things for them. Be the best friend they have ever had. Let God's love pour through you to them.

• Share God's truths with them. Keep in mind that we are God's "ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." An ambassador speaks on behalf of the leader of his nation and makes an appeal to the one in opposition. Unsaved people are just like what we were once: enemies, objects of wrath, dead in transgressions and sins. God loves them and wants to save them. God makes His appeal to them "through us." We are "conduits of Grace." This means you need to know what the Bible teaches. A good ambassador prepares well and understands the terms of the "appeal" fully.

• Show them the way to Christ.
  1. Share with them how you received Christ as your Savior.
  2. Show them how they can do it.
  3. Once they receive Christ, stay close to them, like you would a newborn baby. A new Christian needs lots of guidance. Continue to be their friend. Remember what it was like when you were a new believer. Do for them the good things someone did for you or what you "wish" someone had done for you.
  4. Help them become grounded in God's Word.
  5. Show them the kind of life God has for His children. Demonstrate it. Explain it.
  6. Tell them about their new enemy, Satan. Help them understand what he will try to do to them and how he'll do it.
  7. Pray for them day and night. Never give up.

Being a friend is something we can all do. Friendship Evangelism is something we can all do. You and I can make the difference in a the lives of a lot of people during our lifetime. If every believer would be a friend to someone and gently lead them to a knowledge of Christ ... what a world we would see!

"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright ©, 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."

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