What is "Relationship First Evangelism"?

Hi there, welcome to Reformed Ex -Mormon. I'm Pastor Brayden. I hope you are having an absolutely blessed day today.

I was just wanting to make this live video to discuss something that I find very important and something that I find somewhat worrying after being a

Christian for a relatively short time and being a pastor for even a shorter time than that. There's been something that has often come up to my attention when discussing evangelism, even amongst other pastors that I know, and that is a relationship -first evangelism, a relationship methodology in order to share the gospel.

What do I mean by that? It would be these kind of people that would be under this influence of the sharing of the gospel, that they would say that you need to establish a relationship prior to sharing the gospel, and that the gospel message will only take root and seeds will only be planted if you have a friendship or a relationship built with an individual.

People that would be for this would usually stay away, not perform, and not even sometimes condone evangelism in the public square, like handing out gospel tracts at a larger event or doing open -air witnessing or so on and so forth.

They would really say that it needs to be done in such a way that you can be a friend first with your neighbor and then share the gospel.

That's what I was wanting to make this live video for today, is to explore that question, that idea.

What is this relationship -first evangelism? Not only that, but is it biblical? Because if it's biblical, then we ought to do it.

One of the many great evangelism Bible verses that we can go to to speak about our methodology and the way that we ought to share the gospel, one of my favorite places to go is in John 17.

It's known as this high priestly prayer of Christ. In John 17, and I'll just read verses 18 through 20.

Let's just read that. In verse 18, it says this, As thou didst send me into the world,

I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes

I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

I do not ask in behalf of those alone, but for those also who believe in me through their word.

And I love that because it is this prayer that Christ is offering that in the direct context, he's speaking about the 11 disciples that are around him at this time.

But it's also including every believer in the future sense when this was spoken. And so that includes myself and anybody else that might be also professing

Christ crucified. So this is a prayer that's for us as Christ is our great mediator between God and man.

So it's an important message that Jesus says in here. But the part that has to deal with evangelism is this.

In verse 18, it says, As thou didst send me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

Another well -known Bible verse that is used for evangelism is Matthew 28, verses 17 through 21.

It says, And when they saw him, they worshiped him. But some were doubtful, and Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

And so we see that Jesus is always speaking about doing evangelism, always sharing his message, taking that forward.

And so those are just two quick Bible verses that do that. But specifically in John chapter 17, we see that just as he was sent into the world, so he has sent us as well.

So when we say that we have to build a relationship first, and we're going to not condone the type of evangelism that is going up to a stranger and being bold and professing your faith because you think that that is not something that is correct, we need to compare our perspectives, our methods and modes of those evangelism means to what the

Bible says. And so I would say that our evangelism has to be, needs to be, like what

Christ was doing. Because just as he was sent, he has also sent us. So let's, now, let's see, let's see what

Jesus, how he was sent into this world. And let's see what, what he does. So in John chapter 1, verses 10, and we'll read to verse 13 in here, but John chapter 1, verse 10 says this.

He was made a child, and the world was made through him, and the world became unto his own, and his own did not receive him.

But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even so, even to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Now, what I love about this is that this is speaking about Jesus Christ and his incarnation. In fact, the very next verse talks about how the word becomes flesh and tabernacles and dwells with us, that he's, he came unto his own, right?

And so in verses 10 through 13, it really expounds on that, that Christ has made everything.

And when he, being God, has humbled himself to be like man and has come into the flesh, come unto his own, they rejected him.

Now, I think this gives us a great perspective on evangelism. I really do, because this is the sending that Christ, the

Son, the second person of the Trinity, was sent. He was sent into a world that did not receive him.

He didn't have a relationship with people in order to share the gospel.

In fact, in John chapter, I'm just going to go back to John chapter, we'll go to 19, to look and see about the

Jews of Jesus' day that he was sent to, that he went unto. I think this is important to remember here in John chapter 19.

It says in verse, we'll just read verse six. It says, This is speaking about the

Jews, those that Jesus was sent to. It says, They saw him, they cried out saying, crucify, crucify.

And Pilate said to them, take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.

And the Jews answered him, we have a law, and by that law, he ought to die, because he himself, he made himself out to be the

Son of God. So Jesus has come unto his own, and we don't see

Jesus doing this. We don't see Jesus joining a knitting club in order to share the gospel first.

We don't see Jesus going and joining a golf club to share the gospel. We don't see

Jesus becoming one of the members of this high council of the Jews, and building a relationship with them first, to then share the gospel.

We don't see those things. Jesus comes into the world and is immediately rejected by the world.

But let's go to now Mark chapter one, verses 14 through 15.

This is how I would encourage anybody to do evangelism. Mark chapter one, verses 14 to 15.

And it says, And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee.

So Jesus is entering a city, and it says this, Preaching the gospel of God, and saying,

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.

We don't see Jesus, like I said, he does not join a knitting club prior to then sharing the gospel.

We see Jesus continually doing this. Everywhere he went, regardless of who he was around, he was telling them to repent and believe the gospel in one way or another.

And so likewise, my worry for the person that says, You have to have a relationship first, prior to sharing the gospel.

Just as we don't want to make this an excuse, and that's what often happens to the

Christian. We end up building a relationship with somebody, and it's first built upon a non -sharing gospel thing.

So let's say I'm joining a knitting club, and I say, Okay, this person that's next to me,

I want to share the gospel with them, but I haven't built a good enough relationship yet. I'll wait until next week's club meeting to share the gospel.

Next week comes around, and I'm next to my friend now again. And again,

I say to myself, I haven't built a strong enough relationship now. And it ends up becoming a relationship, ends up becoming an excuse to not preach

Christ crucified. Now what I'm not saying is that we should not join those kind of clubs.

No, I think that we should absolutely partake in those kind of things, but never ever let anything become an excuse to you to not preach your king, your sovereign ruler and authority of all things.

Do not ever let anything get in front of and stop you from doing that.

And so to the person that says I have to build a relationship first with somebody, I would ask you today, are you still putting off sharing the gospel with that family member, that friend of yours, that neighbor of yours, or even your fellow knitting club member?

Because if you are, you have fallen to this issue of a relationship first evangelism, this type of methodology that we do.

I would encourage you to never ever do that, to always be preaching Christ crucified everywhere you go.

You come to a cashier, you tell them about Jesus Christ. You are in the public square and you have the opportunity to share

Jesus Christ to a group. You do that. You don't say first I have to become friends with them. Don't do that.

Be friendly with them. Become friends with them. That's all right, but never stop at sharing the gospel.

So like I said, I just was wanting to make this live video to talk about that issue, that relationship first mentality to sharing the gospel.

And I hope that this video has got you starting to think about how you have been doing evangelism and how you have been maybe approaching the methods and the means of doing these things.

And I hope this encourages you to go and share that death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that blood that has covered you and I, the blood that we plead unto for salvation, the blood that has purchased us.

I hope that this encourages you to not forsake our King by excusing, making an excuse to share that good news of who

Jesus Christ really is. God became flesh, dwelt amongst us, came into a people that did not receive him.

And it says like I'll finish out on John chapter one, 13. It says verse 12, actually 12 to 13.

It says, but as many as received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God.

So the relationship starts after you have become children of God. And it says, even to those who believe in his name, it's the same name that I believe in today.

And it says in verse 13, who were born not of the blood, nor of the will, nor of the flesh, nor of the will of man, nor man, but of God.

I take great confidence. I hope you take great confidence to that. When you preach the gospel, the gospel is doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing.

It's either condemning the person that does not accept it, or it is conforming the person that hears it unto the image of Christ.

And so on that note, I hope that this video blesses you. I hope you have a great day.

I hope you go in peace, and I hope that you never stop preaching that gospel, that good message of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.