Someone recently talked to me about the tension they feel in wanting their friends to know Jesus. On the one hand, friends are friends and nobody wants to feel like a project. On the other hand, as someone who has had their life transformed by the good news about Jesus, it's not something you want to hold in.
Another way of saying it is that in life as a Christian we want knowing Jesus to shape all that we are and do. So we want to approach all our relationships with a mindset that is shaped by the gospel. We could say we want to have 'gospel intentionality'. Without this kind of gospel intentionality, our friendships will become purely secular (ie solely of 'this world', and interested only in the things of this world).
So how does 'gospel intentionality' lead to real friendships and not just projects?
Going back to basics it might be easiest to say that as a Christian we know how much God has loved us. And it should be only natural to want others to know and experience that same love. While this way of thinking doesn't do away with the tension all together, it is a good starting place for our relationships.
There are also some practical things that can help reduce the tensions. But enough from me. Any suggestions?
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
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1 comments:
In my head, I dislike the idea of 'gospel projects' - it seems a bit mercenary ("I'll hang out with you until you become a Christian or make it obvious that you're not interested, then the friendship is over").
But, I must say, in practice I have several friendships that I would possibly have left to fizzle away were it not for my desire to share Jesus with these people. And it doesn't really bother me because I know they are real friends, not projects.
I raised this issue with a friend of mine not so long ago and he had some good insights; in theory gospel intentionality is an issue but in practice its not as the motivation to share Jesus is love.
Its not as though there's a great deal in it for us when we share the gospel. True, there is the joy of seeing people become part of the family, but our status before God is unchanged - the intrepid evangelist is no more right with God than the Christian with the 'gospel cringe'.
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