Evangelism Made Easy... (AKA Relational Evangelism) ;)

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16

Ok, so I know that we all have probably heard this passage once or twice before; about Christ telling us how we are to act around everybody else in a way that is loving, caring, compassionate, and faithful; in a way that points others towards God.

Another verse that we also all probably know is Matthew 28:16-20 (AKA the "Great Commission"). In this passage, Jesus is now resurrected and telling His disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations." However, we are not really told "how" to do this. Now, the Church has taken many different steps and has had many different approaches on how to do this; whether it be by relating to others with common interests, speaking the Gospel to large audiences, sharing a Bible, etc. All of these achieve the same goal, to point others towards God.

But how often do we connect these two passages together? Perhaps Jesus, in Matthew 5, was giving us a very powerful, efficient, and even fun way to spread the Gospel... by and through relationships in our lives.

You don't have to go to a Bible college and get a degree to do this, you don't have to be trained, taught, or educated on the technicalities of it, and you don't have to travel half-way around the world to spread the Gospel and make another disciple.. You can do this right in your own community. All you have to do is love others! It's that simple! :).

So my personal challenge for you this week is to reach out to a friend/family member/co-worker who you haven't talked to in a while, or somebody you know that is down on their luck, and just love on them. Develop a relationship with them that is intentional, and that will show them that they are loved, not only by you, but by Christ as well. Point them to God by the way you act.

Shine bright, stay classy!!