Thursday, October 10, 2013

October 11, 2013

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

DEVELOP REDEMPTIVE FRIENDSHIPS

First and foremost, develop your personal faith friendship with Jesus. It all flows from that!

Would you say your life has been profoundly and positively impacted by a friend or friends?

If you are sold on the power of friendship, are you developing redemptive friendships?

What’s a redemptive friendship?

It is a friendship that you intentionally develop with the goal of leading this friend to Christ.

The challenge is the longer you have been a Christian the fewer non-Christian friends you will tend to have. It will take an intentional effort to develop new redemptive relationships.

FOUR STEPS TO DEVELOPING REDEMPTIVE FRIENDSHIPS:

STEP ONE: Become Aware

-       Who are the non-believers God has placed under my influence?
-       Which one am I most connected to?
-       Which one of them is most spiritually receptive right now?

STEP TWO:  Commit to Prayer

Pray daily for their salvation.

STEP THREE:  Show You Care

Caring equals:

-          Time/availability
-          Compassion/empathy
-          Giving assistance/meeting needs
-          Resources
-          Be their “go to” person

STEP FOUR:  Be Ready to Care

Understand how God wired you:

  John the Baptist = Aggressive Evangelist
  Peter = Confrontational
  Andrew = Invitational
  Jesus = Relational
  Martha = Serving (Mother Teresa)

Know a plan:

-          Roman Road
-          Bridge to Life
-          Four Laws
-          ABCD Plan

Challenge:  Do I understand and embrace how God has wired me so I can plan my evangelism strategy accordingly?