Witnessing in Love – A Key Component in Evangelism

A few weeks ago, we invited friends over for an afternoon of fellowship and fun.  They were a married couple, one was a Christian, one is not.  My wife and I wanted to just get to know them better as a couple and to help encourage them.

I had met the husband while at class in the evening and he and instantly hit it off.  He shared with me his deep concern for the spiritual wellbeing of his wife.  He had been regenerated through the power of the Holy Spirit and was growing.  His wife showed no signs of spiritual life or renewal.  Throughout the school year, we talked and his burden was for his wife, and what man wouldn’t want to do he could for his wife.  However, in this case it was different.  You see with the matters of the soul, man can not change his own hear, let alone, another’s.  For the Bible says that it is the power and work of God’s Holy Spirit to quicken the hearts of all who are dead in tresspasses and sin.  So, in this case, the husband wanted the wife to become Christian and share in the love and truth of Jesus Christ and he was powerless to do so.  I told him that the most useful thing he could do for her was to pray and to love her, demonstrating the example of Christ for his church.

Well we met as a couple for the first time in late June and really got to know them as a couple.  That’s when we began to see a change.  My friend called me and told me that his wife “loved” the dinner conversation with us and that she started to engage more at church.  Throughout July the engaging became more apparent to everyone at their church.  Then recently when they were at our house, she opened up even more.   We could see she was “open” to spiritutal things but had so many questions and was so confused that proceeding further would only cause her to shut down.  But she heard the Gospel and she was more open than ever before.  We are hopeful that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in her life.  Recent reports are that they are both doing devotions together and are reading through a study of the book of Mark together.  These are very positive signs.

 I mention all of this to offer a suggestion and encouragement to those who want to share Christ with friends and neighbors and who are too shy or self-conscious.  Going up to a stranger and asking deep spiritual questions is uncomfortable for all parties.  However establishing a relationship with someone allows many of those barriers to come down.  When people feel comfortable with you, their natural defenses fall and they talk.  Such was the case here, always remembering that it is God’s sovereign plan to call those whom he chose, and gather them to Himself.  We are the messengers.  Defenses ultimately fall because of the grace of God, not our likeable personalities.  Our relationships are a factor and they are used by God in our interactions with people but it is ultimtely His will and grace which irresistably draws people to Himself and who respond to the Good News.

So establishing relationships for effective witnessing is a means used by God in his great and sovereign plan.  Thus we as his chosen messengers are called to establish, nurture and use our relationships for his Glory.  For through these relationships God causes people to hear the Gospel and as a result, the church of God grows all for His glory and honor.

Titus 3:5-7 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  (ESV)

We are praying for our freind’s salvation and we are expectant that God will answer our prayers.  We have seen the His power manifested through our relationship with her.  We encourage you to honor the Lord through your witness.