Sunday, March 27, 2016 pm
EVANGELISM 2016
Friendships and Relationships
WE
have addressed many things concerning reaching the lost.
Our goal in these lessons is to help us overcome our obstacles to
trying to lead other souls to Him.
We have addressed numerous aspects of this, including reasons to
reach the lost, perspectives to understand in reaching the lost, the
characteristics of a personal worker, overcoming our own excuses and
obstacles, as well as numerous examples of evangelism.
The bottom line is we have to live a godly life and do something.
But
who do we try to reach?
The simple answer is anyone we can.
As noted this morning, your
neighbor is anyone you have opportunity to help (Luke 10:29-37).
But again, that sounds easy, but
to accomplish it is a challenge.
Tonight we want to address an aspect of who we should try to
reach. What about our
friends and family? Are they
the best source for prospects?
What about others?
a.
Perhaps our best pool of
prospective hearers is those we know and those who know us.
Those who we have a relationship with have something in common
with us. They are the place
to begin. They include
family that are not Christians, those who have fallen away, our friends
and neighbors that we associate with regularly, possibly some of our
coworkers that we have also become friends with, etc.
Be reminded that Andrew brought Peter to Jesus (John 1:40-41), Nathan
was brought to Jesus by Philip (John 1:43-45), Matthew 9:10-13 – Matthew
invited his friends and some coworkers to a dinner with Jesus, etc.
b.
AND as Christians, we
ought to be friendly! If we
have the disposition we have addressed in times past, we will be
pleasant to be around and naturally attract others to us.
Those others present opportunities to reach with the gospel.
c.
Some things to consider
in trying to reach our friends and neighbors
i.
The best way to begin teaching is by your example.
Live the Bible in your life.
Be an epistle known and read by men – 2 Corinthians 3:2-3.
Don’t put that light under a basket, but on a lampstand (Matthew 5:15)
ii.
Pray for opportunities. Pray for
specific “prospects” – that God will open doors (Colossians 4:3).
Pray for courage to say what needs to be said (cf. Ephesians
6:18-19).
iii.
Be a good neighbor – when you are a Christian, you will be a good neighbor and servant to
others. Thereby you will be
gaining credibility and possibly developing friendship with others.
Be friendly! Manifest the
qualities of someone who is pleasant to be around!
iv.
Seek ways to bring Christ and your faith into conversations and manner of
life –
Like Jesus at the well – He took the subject of thirst and turned it.
Leave your Bible visible.
Leave indications that you are a Christian in your home.
Speak up as to why you will NOT participate in particular activities
that are ungodly.
NOTE: We must learn to be tactful in this – don’t force your faith on
others (cf. Salt).
v.
Create or take advantage of opportunities to introduce the gospel
- invite your friends and
neighbors to Gospel meetings or when we assemble, neighborhood studies,
ask if they want to study the Bible together, etc.
vi.
Be willing to risk your friendship if needed.
This is a tough one!
Do we care for the souls of the lost as we ought to?
Do we value our friendship greater than that of their souls?
1.
When you study the gospel you learn that it is offensive to many.
It caused Stephen to be
stoned (Acts 7:54-60).
It caused Paul and Silas to be beaten and put in prison (Acts 16:20-24).
It caused Jesus to be crucified!
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 – the gospel is a stumbling block to Jews and
foolishness to Greeks.
2.
Obeying the gospel means you might have to give up friends or you might
lose them –
Jesus warned that family might turn against you – Matt. 10:34-36.
Peter spoke of former friends in 1 Peter 4:3-4 where they now speak evil
of you.
3.
If you had to choose, would you be willing to walk away from friends and
family in this life?
Consider Luke 18:29-30.
4.
AT SOME POINT, they need to be confronted with the gospel!
It is the ONLY way they will be saved.
And at THAT POINT there is going to be a risk.
The question is WHEN will you take that risk?
5.
NOTE: IF you have more
worldly friends than godly friends, where will the greatest source of
your influences come from?
James 4:4 – does this “friendship” actually include our friends?
Some advocate that this is the best way (or the only way) to find
prospects. The premise is
that before some can be reached with the gospel, a relationship must be
developed, which in time, and through a series of steps, gradually leads
to opportunities to lead them to Christ.
i.
With this method you are
encouraged to make a list of everyone you know or are acquainted with
and then decide to focus on particular ones with the goal of winning
them to Christ. You take
steps – 1) Beginning with making contact with them
2) Seeking to get better acquainted finding out what you can about them
and letting them get to know you.
3) You serve and befriend them (while being a proper example)
4) THEN you begin to mention your faith while being sensitive to their
reactions (but don’t be confrontational)
5) THEN you begin to introduce them to other Christians
6) THEN you seek to study the Bible with them
7) THEN you finally try to teach the gospel and “invite” them to obey
the gospel.
ii.
This sounds good and
actually can be an effective way to reach some.
In fact, as we try to win our friends. AND WE SHOULD, all of
these steps can lead toward opportunities.
What I mentioned above in winning our friends applies many of
these actions – as we are being the example we ought to be.
iii.
BUT there are some
concerns and dangers we need to be aware of in making this our model:
1.
It can overemphasize
friendship as the means to reaching the lost. It is the power
of the gospel that saves (Romans 1:16, 10:14-17, 1 Corinthians 1:18,
2:1-5, etc.).
We shall see in our next lesson on this study that the Bible has many
examples of those who responded after the first conversation or a few
conversations (persuasion).
Cf. Acts 2:37-41, 18:4, 2 Cor. 5:11.
2.
It can be deceptive.
If your only reason for befriending someone is to try and teach
them are you truly being their friend?
What happens when they reject the gospel outright (as many will)?
Do you “dump” them as friends and move on?
If so, was the friendship genuine and honest?
What happens to the friendship if they do obey the gospel?
We must be honest and upfront in
our dealings with others!
2 Corinthians 1:12 Paul noted how they had conducted themselves
in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity.
That word “sincerity” means to be honest and straightforward.
1 Thess. 2:4-5, Paul noted that they did not use flattering words or
covetousness as a “cloak” (pretext) for teaching the gospel.
2 Corinthians 2:17 – Paul stated they were not “peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak
in the sight of God in Christ.”
The following will be addressed in our April lesson as well as the need for persuasion/reasoning. TT
3.
Will a developed
friendship take precedence over teaching them? Consider this
point above discussed. Will
fear of consequences keep you from trying to persuade them of the
gospel. Will it keep you
from “confronting” them?
Thought: Do you have to have to
earn the right to share the gospel with others?
The gospel needs to be preached!
Don’t reason that if someone becomes your friend they will be
more likely to respond.
Maybe they will, but not always.
And again we ask, will you risk your friendship to win them?
4.
Will you view developing
a friendship as fulfilling your evangelistic requirements? Is that
all you can do? Will you
EVER take that friendship to the next level spiritually?
Some will never move beyond the step of making friends and might
reasons that is all they need to do.
5.
What about the length of
time involved in trying to win them? I am one
who believes that we need to be patient in seeking to win others.
Groundwork needs to be laid in the teaching process, and even in
winning the confidence and trust of someone you need to teach.
BUT, the truth is that one who has not taken care of their sins is in a
lost state. Something needs
to be done or they could be lost for all of eternity.
2 Cor. 5:11 reminds us of this.
Heb. 9:27 reminds us of this.
James 4:14 reminds us of this.
Psalm 90:10-12 requests that the LORD teach us to number our
days.
6.
Will friendship be the
reason one obeys and remains faithful? Will friendship take
precedence over serving God as to one’s faithfulness?
Will their conversion be about
the fun times and your goodness?
In other words, make sure they are converted to the gospel and
not your faith (cf. 1 Cor. 1:12-13, 3:4).
7.
Let us not disregard the
need for persuasion and reasoning to reach the lost. As
we conclude this lesson we again remind ourselves that it is the gospel
message that saves. The
message of the cross needs to be the motivation.
And souls need to be
persuaded of that fact!
Until then they will not obey the gospel for the right reason.
(More on this in our next lesson).
Most of us need friends
and we have friends. My
point in this lesson is that we let friendships develop naturally and If
they present opportunities to teach the gospel that is great.
In fact, you should seek opportunities to win them to Christ.
And if for some reason you do, there is no greater joy.
But don’t let friendship stand in the way of your faith!
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