Loving Evangelism - Ben

When I say "loving evangelism," you might think, "Is this post about how I can enjoy evangelism more?" And the answer is, "maybe."  If you take what I'm about to say to heart, you might find that evangelism is a blast. But, to be clear, this post is more about evangelism characterized by loving acts rather than how we ought to feel about evangelism.  Because let's be honest, many Christians don't enjoy sharing their faith.  Why?  Well, for me, it's because there are no guarantees in evangelism.  Sometimes the best presentation fails, and the worst succeeds.  Sometimes you're the planter, and other times you're the harvester.  Or, sadly, it feels like sometimes you've done nothing at all.

But one way I’ve found that can help stack the deck in your favor is to show a person that you genuinely love and care for them before trying to force-feed them Jesus.  Too many times, I've got that backward.  I would try to get them to know Jesus before ever getting to know who they really are.

Now, I'm not saying a spontaneous moment where you witness to a stranger is wrong.  Sometimes, God divinely positions you in a specific place and time where all you need do is ask, "Would you like to get saved today?" I once led a Muslim man to Christ in my office at the church.  I had no dealings with him before.  He just happened to be in the right place at the right time. So, yes, you should take the seemingly random opportunities that God gives you to present Christ whenever and wherever you can.  

However, most of our prospects aren't so randomly placed.  Often, the very people we are called to witness to are our friends, family, and neighbors.  These are people who know us better than some stranger.  And the question we should be asking ourselves is, "Do they know I love them?" If not, the odds that they'll listen to you when you want to have a gospel conversation are slim to none.  Jesus said it best in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” And interestingly, before he ever called Peter to be a disciple, he first healed his mother-in-law.  Loving evangelism is effective evangelism. 

If you have someone that you desperately want to know Jesus, take them out to lunch.  Invite them over to your house.  Have a game night.  Golf.  Do something that gets you two together for an extended period of time, doing something you both enjoy. 

Your relationship with a person might very well become the bridge by which they can cross into a relationship with Christ.