This semester at school, I am doing an independent study on the topic of sharing the Gospel with non-believers. One theme I have found in my research, whether it is reading books or talking to the dean of chapel at my school, is that one of the most successful ways to share the Gospel is to create a relationship with them.
So the question becomes, what does this relationship look like? One thing that was emphasized was this relationship is not a tool in the goal of sharing the Gospel. This is a genuine relationship where you care about the person, where you can empathize with their struggles and celebrate their success. This is a relationship where both people trust each other so you can be open and honest and share where you are struggling and connect with them. This is a relationship just like any other relationship that you may have with a Christian.
Now to do this, you may have to, as the dean of chapel says, "get in and deal with the messiness." This means getting out of your comfort zone. He started about talking about how Jesus hung out with the worst sinners possible and how his relationship with them changed them. Jesus got down in the messiness, and he interacted with people, who the Jews had already dismissed as being people who couldn't be saved.
He then gave some modern examples. The two examples he used were drinking at a bar and smoking on break. For the drinking, he suggested that you go to the bar, but don't drink. No one says that you have to drink at a bar, and by not drinking it gives you the chance to help someone who is drunk get home safely. Another thing he talked about is that people are most willing to talk when they feel comfortable, and they aren't preoccupied. He gave the example of the smokers, because they are usually on break when they smoke, and so they can just hang out and not worry about work. Lastly, he talked about how you being in the same area as they don't mean that you agree with what they are doing, or condoning what they are doing. You are simply enjoying each other's company.
Now, comes the important part, actually sharing the Gospel. One thing that was talked about was the fact that we, as Christians should act and looked so different than everyone else around us that people wonder what do we have. Just this summer I have been called someone's good influence, and as the summer went on, they hung out with me more and more, because they liked who I was and they wondered why I was liked that. That led to discussions about my faith, and it created some good conversations about our values and how they affect our life.
It is also suggested that you pray about God giving you the opportunity to share the Gospel. A prayer is a powerful tool, and it can be very helpful when sharing the Gospel with someone. And even if you have to leave, for example, go to college, prayer can be very helpful in still reaching out to a person over a distance.
Now I know this is a quick and dirty version of a semester worth of research, but it is so valuable that we should at least be thinking about this. Once I write my paper, I hope to go into more detail about each of the points I mentioned, because I am very passionate about reaching out to the people in the cities I live in who aren't perfect, and they are looking for their good influence in their life.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for placing people in my life to create a relationship with to share your love. I know that I am not the one who saves people, for that is for you alone. Please send me out to be your messenger to the people who need you most. Help me not to be afraid of the messiness that will follow for in all of this I trust you. Amen
So the question becomes, what does this relationship look like? One thing that was emphasized was this relationship is not a tool in the goal of sharing the Gospel. This is a genuine relationship where you care about the person, where you can empathize with their struggles and celebrate their success. This is a relationship where both people trust each other so you can be open and honest and share where you are struggling and connect with them. This is a relationship just like any other relationship that you may have with a Christian.
Now to do this, you may have to, as the dean of chapel says, "get in and deal with the messiness." This means getting out of your comfort zone. He started about talking about how Jesus hung out with the worst sinners possible and how his relationship with them changed them. Jesus got down in the messiness, and he interacted with people, who the Jews had already dismissed as being people who couldn't be saved.
He then gave some modern examples. The two examples he used were drinking at a bar and smoking on break. For the drinking, he suggested that you go to the bar, but don't drink. No one says that you have to drink at a bar, and by not drinking it gives you the chance to help someone who is drunk get home safely. Another thing he talked about is that people are most willing to talk when they feel comfortable, and they aren't preoccupied. He gave the example of the smokers, because they are usually on break when they smoke, and so they can just hang out and not worry about work. Lastly, he talked about how you being in the same area as they don't mean that you agree with what they are doing, or condoning what they are doing. You are simply enjoying each other's company.
Now, comes the important part, actually sharing the Gospel. One thing that was talked about was the fact that we, as Christians should act and looked so different than everyone else around us that people wonder what do we have. Just this summer I have been called someone's good influence, and as the summer went on, they hung out with me more and more, because they liked who I was and they wondered why I was liked that. That led to discussions about my faith, and it created some good conversations about our values and how they affect our life.
It is also suggested that you pray about God giving you the opportunity to share the Gospel. A prayer is a powerful tool, and it can be very helpful when sharing the Gospel with someone. And even if you have to leave, for example, go to college, prayer can be very helpful in still reaching out to a person over a distance.
Now I know this is a quick and dirty version of a semester worth of research, but it is so valuable that we should at least be thinking about this. Once I write my paper, I hope to go into more detail about each of the points I mentioned, because I am very passionate about reaching out to the people in the cities I live in who aren't perfect, and they are looking for their good influence in their life.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for placing people in my life to create a relationship with to share your love. I know that I am not the one who saves people, for that is for you alone. Please send me out to be your messenger to the people who need you most. Help me not to be afraid of the messiness that will follow for in all of this I trust you. Amen
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