As we give ourselves in friendship among some of the most vulnerable of the world's poor, we don't give our love based on their response to it, rather we offer ourselves as friends. Friends who stick around. Friends who love, even when we're not loved back. There's something in the friendship between Jesus and his disciple Judas that invites us to reconsider success metrics in evangelism. Though it's likely Christ knew Judas would betray him, Jesus was still faithful in love to his friend. All the way to the end, even when that included a betrayal.
Quote from the article "Friendship Evangelism: A Betrayal of Friendship"
written by Chris Heuertz
We are to love as Jesus loved. Period. Evidence coming in from unchurched young and middle adults reveals their deep lack of trust and faith in church folks. They are not interested in becoming another supporter of the institutional church. They don't trust it for most part because the examples of "true Christians" does not mirror the love they read about in the scriptures regarding Jesus. Many are immune to traditional forms of evangelism. They are looking for an experience of authentic community. Anything less will simply drive them away from Christ and His Church.
It's been a long time now but I still feel a bit of anger when I think about the experience. A couple who had befriended my wife and I invited us over to their house for dinner and a time to "get to know each other better." We talked for a while and then they hit us with the hard sell about how rich we would become if we were to sell these wonderful household products from a truly "Christian" company. The sense of being personally betrayed and violated was overwhelming. It produced a burning rage in my soul. We were polite of course and withdrew to the safe space of our own home as quickly as possible. Some have done the same thing in the name of the Jesus and the results are the same.
When then do you share Jesus in a direct way? When the friendship is secure, the love is demonstrated, and the witness bursts forth from a heart of genuine compassion. This, of course, is a slower process that so-called "friendship evangelism" or the methodology employed by "Evangelism Explosion" or others approaches drawn from the business community. It, however, is the only way to have our witness bear spiritual fruit.
Pastor Milt
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