Relationships are important - in every aspect of life, but especially regarding sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we never want our friends to feel like they are a ‘project’ on which to force our religious beliefs, merely for the sake of their conversion. Yet, as Christians, there is nothing we want more than for our friends to know Jesus.
I am a final year University Student in Manchester, and over the past three years, relationships have formed between myself and my course mates. We’ll call two of these course mates ‘Thomas’ and ‘Brodie.’ I have struck up a friendship with both individuals, yet both have been slow burns.
Don’t get me wrong, I have shared ‘bits’ of my Christian faith with them throughout the course of our degree, yet I often sensed it was falling on slightly deaf ears (but we must not underestimate the power of the Lord to grow even the tiniest seed planted).
You see, it has only been in the past month that I sensed a new level of sincerity, ears that were truly listening. Over two separate cups of coffee, I found myself answering questions about the gospel that were asked eagerly and attentively; I left those coffee dates with Brodie’s promise to come to church and Thomas taking a Christian book of mine, to read during a challenging period of his life.
Three years, it’s taken. Three years of genuine relationship building. Three prayerful years, asking God to help me listen to Him as he guides me in and out of these conversations. We must be prayerful, and we must trust that He is at work even if we, with our mere human brains, can’t figure out how. We don’t need to. We must just trust. And then one day…
The gospel is the most urgent news out there, and we, as Christians, have the immense blessing of sharing God’s message. Yet, we must not neglect forming authentic relationships. Don’t underestimate the necessity of a genuine friendship in your gospel-sharing endeavours. You might be surprised at how naturally evangelistic opportunities appear.
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