BUILD A BRIDGE TO A NONBELIEVER

If your aim is to introduce an unbelieving friend to Christ, you need to build a trusting relationship with him/her before you talk with him/her about Jesus. Building bridges to others is a process not a project, that requires God-given patience and wisdom.

Ways to build bridges:

Take advantage of social events. Don't exclude yourself from social gatherings because you don't like certain types of people. If they don't know Christ, they are the ones who need reaching out to. You will probably find that you have many things in common: a passion for tennis, worry about your kids, love for your spouses. The only thing you don't share is your journey to heaven.

Be a good listener. Use your eyes and ears. Listen to what is really being talked about, what the others' needs are, and what you can do to help them. This may not be the time to share the Gospel with them, but by your behavior of acceptance and listening, the next time you want to share the Gospel with them it will be easy for them to return the favor and listen to your message.

Look for opportunities to serve. Through small acts of kindness toward others, you will have numerous opportunities to explain that what you did was because you are a Christian. Moving beyond words to deeds really develops a relationship.

Serve them with your time. Volunteer at a hospital or with youth organizations. Be a coach for a kids sports team.

Serve through your talent. Help a neighbor or single mom with home repairs, help with car repairs, do minor alterations for another person, or make a meal to share with someone in need.

Serve with your treasures. This can mean your money, but also your possessions. Loan your cottage to a church group, offer your second car to someone whose car is in the shop, buy tickets for someone to a Christian concert, take a co-worker to dinner and then to a special service at your church, or give extra furniture to newlyweds.

Watch how you walk. Your example of a Christian life will do more to tell the Gospel than all the words in any book. You can't live as if you don't know the Lord and then expect people to listen when you tell them how much He means to you.

Look for opportunities to plant spiritual seeds. You may feel comfortable giving a non-believer a book about the faith, or a simple translation of the New Testament. Christian literature that you give to others can go where you can't go, speak when you can't speak, and share the Gospel faithfully and clearly time after time when the reader is ready to pick it up and listen.

Be sensitive to times of heightened spiritual receptivity. The milestones in a person's life (birth of a baby, death of a loved one) make them more open to the Gospel than at any other time.

Be patient. Remember you are building bridges to real people, not just accumulating decisions for Christ. Don't give up on your friends. You have a lifetime to introduce them to Jesus.

Dan Owens has been with the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association for 10 years, originally as a crusade director and now as the team's first full-time associate evangelist. He also serves as LPEA's Director of Training for Evangelism and Discipleship.

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