That was the theme of the National Missionary Convention in Cincinnati this past week (November 15-18). I think it should have been called "RELATIONSHIP". Every workshop, every conversation about reaching the lost no matter where in the world they are always came back to relationships.
How do you reach the Muslim man in the restaurant down the street? Do you confront him and tell him he is going to go to hell? No. Do you tell him everything he has believed is a lie? No. You show him the love of Christ through your life first. You get to know him first. You become a friend first. In a word, relationship. How can you reach your Mormon boss? Do you walk up and tell him he is going to go to hell if he doesn't accept Christ as his personal Lord and Savior? No, that would just turn him away from any more conversations. You have to show him what being a Christian is like, show him Christ's love through your life, show him Christ, be Christ. Relationship.
How can I reach the kids on the San Carlos Apache Reservation? They are members of gangs, they live in poverty, they live through abuse every day. Answer: I have to show them I love them first. I have to show them I am going to be there for them. I have to show them Christ before I can introduce them to Christ.
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." 1Corinthians 13:1
Relationship relationship relationship.
In Him
Robert
AZ Rez 11-07
Well, here are the first pics we chose to show you from our trip. Thursday was bus day, we picked up kids, had worship singing, bible lesson, snacks, and play time. If you look closely at the playground on the left, it is covered in graffiti and gang markings. There had been 2 fires set there, melting away the plastic slides and other toys. Friday we went back in the morning with buckets of green paint, brushes and rollers and spent the day renewing the kids playground. By the afternoon we were about half way through when the kids started showing up. They couldn't wait to use their "new" equipment. We ended up having several kids join us in painting! A few older kids showed up and began carving and painting over the work we had done. The younger group, not happy with that, followed after them and repainted it to the fresh green. What could have been a heartbreaking moment, turned into a joyous one! Praise God! Here is a pic of our helpers. God showed us so many things this weekend, kids singing praise songs to Him in the midst of gangs, and violence and difficult conditions. I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1Timothy 2:1
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