We are working towards launching a few overt ministry/evangelism efforts soon, but in the mean time we have focused mostly on settling into life here, trying to get an understanding of life in Abergele/Wales/Great Britain (not that those last two are synonymous, by the way), and seeking for ways to develop relationships with people.
This task of building relationships has provoked a lot of reflection on my part, because, honestly, I've often been guilty of only seeking relationships with non-Christians for the sake of a ministry goal. Now obviously, we should have the goal of ministry in all of our relationships – with Christians and non-Christians alike. But at times (speaking only for myself here), seeking relationships with the unsaved has turned into merely acting friendly so I can gain a person's trust long enough to either hand them a tract, invite them to church, or try to squeeze in an explanation of the gospel.
A while back the chintzy-ness of this was illustrated to me by a woman we met at a high-end outdoor shopping mall. We were visiting family in Myrtle Beach and just walking around the shops, enjoying the weather, when a woman about our age pushing a baby in a stroller happened by. She paused as she passed Marcia and, in a very friendly way, complimented us on our diaper bag – or was it the stroller? I don't remember exactly. Anyway, she was really nice, and she and Marcia chatted for maybe a minute about baby accoutrements, etc. Isn't it refreshing when you unexpectedly make a connection with a total stranger – like a couple of moms who have never met sharing thoughts about baby paraphernalia? Then, the woman casually concluded the conversation by handing Marcia a full-color brochure advertising monogrammable baby products that she was selling and walked away. What do you think happened to the warmth we felt over that woman's unexpected friendliness when we realized that, apparently, her whole motive was to make a business contact? In a small way we felt sort of used, and though I'm sure she was a nice person, her friendly demeanor smacked only of insincerity. And I can't help but think that we Christians can sometimes look like that saleslady if we aren't careful.
Anyway, all that to say that we are learning about the importance of really loving non-Christians and waiting for good opportunities to talk about the gospel. If you try to live a gospel-centered life and rub elbows with non-Christians, it's going to come up. And if you show that you are interested in them and willing to listen to them, then you might actually get a listening ear and a question or two about what your life is all about. We had an experience kind of like that today, and it was a blessed experience – a gift from God.
So, we aren't ditching full-fledged evangelistic efforts, but we are seeing how vital it is to be patient and work to develop friendships with people.
06 March 2009
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