JustThinking | sinner friend

Who do you spend your time with?

Evangelism is hard. I’m not sure the exact science of why it’s hard but I have some ideas.  I think it’s because we feel like car salesmen or vacuum cleaner folks – who force our way into people’s homes and try to pitch a deal and get them to sign up before the hour is over.

I remember my friend telling me of her revelation of God as a ‘friend of sinners’.  She asked God for sinners and he said he didn’t trust her with his friends. Interesting. Think about the salesmen who asked you for a list of your friends… I bet you made up the names and numbers?!

So, I think evangelism is hard because we don’t love sinners – we love ‘winning’, and ‘scoring’ and we love notches and statistics and success… but we don’t love sinners. If we did, evangelism would be easy. And do you know how I know that we don’t love sinners? We don’t hang out with them, we find it uncomfortable to be around them, we can’t relate to them, we don’t feel or cry for them – we don’t know them. Does that sound like anyone you love?

So, how do we love sinners?

For a start, we know them. How many do you know? My friend suggests a test for this – check your speed dial/address list on your mobile.  Are there people on it who don’t already know Jesus?

Or consider your time as a measure: how much of your time in a week is spent with sinners?

Recently, our cell group embarked on a community survey project in our neighbourhood. It’s basically an excuse to get to know some people. Here’s the thing that surprises me about it: they love it when we visit. They answer our questions and they invite us back. They like us. Many of them are wide open to receive prayer. Sinners are not the problem. We are.

You see we’ve convinced ourselves that this postmodern generation hates us – that we aren’t welcome in homes – that it’s out of fashion to knock on doors.  Or we tell ourselves that drinking in a bar is the new way to love someone… as if feeding addiction is a sign of our affection. Incarnation without transformation is not the kingdom of God, it’s simple assimilation.

Sinners aren’t the problem, we are.

So I’m determined to change. I’m going to be a friend of sinners. Watch this space.

Writer: Capt. Danielle Strickland is currently the Social Justice Director of the Southern Australia Territory. She digs traveling, reading, running, speaking, basketball and movies. Her passion is grace, mercy and justice… and all the stuff in between. Her favourite question is ‘how hard can it be?’ and most of her days are spent answering it.

5 Comments to JustThinking | sinner friend

1. Danielle:

   Good piece.

   I guess what you have here is an officer’s perspective (not the perspective, pls note), because as a soldier who’s fairly active within my corps, I have no problem meeting sinners…and I don’t even have to knock on their doors!

   As for meeting people in bars. Why that has to be confounded with drinking alcohol alongside them, I don’t know. And aren’t we supposed to meet people where they are? True, that doesn’t mean enabling them or making them think that ruinous behaviour is “OK” but didn’t Christ come to save them as much as any other type of sinner?

   I’ve door knocked many times and gone into people’s homes, prayed with them, but to me it seems to be somewhat ineffectual…at least by itself. If we don’t take people to a better place (in every sense of the term), I don’t see the point.

   The better way I would suggest is to know people well and show them by living full-on for Christ that it is possible to go to that better place.

   Andrea
Andrea614Regent on November 7th, 2008

2. Thanks for the challenge Danielle.

   I have also found evangelism hard, perhaps for different reasons at different times, and I’m sure I’ve been a very weak instrument for the Lord to use.

   However, the more I consider the words of songs such as, ‘I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend’ (see below) the more my desire grows to share this wonderful friendship with others, however weakly I may do it.

   I’ve found a Friend, O such a friend! He loved me ere I knew Him;
   He drew me with the cords of love, and thus He bound me to Him;
   And round my heart still closely twine those ties which naught can sever,
   For I am His, and He is mine, forever and forever.

   I’ve found a Friend, O such a friend! He bled, He died to save me;
   And not alone the gift of life, but His own Self He gave me!
   Naught that I have mine own I call, I’ll hold it for the Giver,
   My heart, my strength, my life, my all are His, and His forever.

   I’ve found a Friend, O such a friend! All pow’r to Him is given,
   To guard me on my onward course, and bring me safe to heaven.
   The eternal glories gleam afar, to nerve my faint endeavor;
   So now to watch, to work, to war, and then to rest forever.

   I’ve found a Friend, O such a friend! So kind and true and tender,
   So wise a Counselor and Guide, so mighty a Defender!
   From Him who loves me now so well what power my soul can sever?
   Shall life or death, shall earth or hell? No! I am His forever.

   May all of us who claim to be friends of Jesus, by His grace continue to be stirred to share the wonder of His Person with those we meet.
Bernard on November 10th, 2008

3. [ All People Are Sinners ] Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.
   - I humbly suggest that if we would “cut it out” with the self appointed saviour complex and be the genuine friends He asks us to be outside of our holy huddles, then He may forgive us from the hunter gatherer non-sense i am so ashamed of.
   When we are not with sinners to the degree we place upon ourselves, perhaps a good look in the mirror would refresh our minds. Works well for me, a sinner saved by grace.
Greg on November 11th, 2008

4. [ All People Are Sinners ] Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.
   - I humbly suggest that if we would “cut it out” with the self appointed saviour complex and be the genuine friends He asks us to be outside of our holy huddles, then He may forgive us from the hunter gatherer non-sense i am so ashamed of.
   When we are not with sinners to the degree we place upon ourselves, perhaps a good look in the mirror would refresh our minds. Works well for me, a sinner saved by grace.
Greg on November 11th, 2008

5. Thanks for the perceptive comments. We need to capivated by the love of Christ, and see the unsaved with the compassion of His heart, or our ministry will be weak at best. God bless.
Robert on February 12th, 2010

Leave a comment