Friendship Evangelism: Lie from Satan

The key to sharing the Gospel is friendship. Delay sharing the gospel until a solid friendship has been developed.-Satan

How long does it take to develop a friendship and earn a hearing? Friendship Evangelism assumes, "They must like me, before they will like my Jesus." We think that by befriending people first, they will know that we genuinely care about them and are not just trying to impose our religion on them. Friendship evangelism raises more questions that it answers. "Will my witness put a strain on the relationship I have worked so hard to build? Will my friend wonder why I waited so long to share with him? Will my friend be open to the gospel once I share with him?"

Being a friend is great, but a lost person shouldn't have to become my personal friend to hear about Jesus from me. I might be introverted or socially awkward. We may have differing personalities or interests. They may not have time to befriend me. They may feel more comfortable relating deeply with someone of their own culture. I may intimidate them. Even so, everyone deserves to hear the gospel. After all, I may never see them again.

Friendship evangelism also fails on a practical level. Building friendships takes lots of time and energy. How long would it take to reach the world through friendship evangelism, if it takes so long to get to the gospel?

The truth is, we can only maintain a limited number of close friendships. If we share the gospel immediately, we can be certain that those who become our friends will know the gospel and know our commitment to it. Otherwise, we might spend years developing a friendship before sharing the gospel, only to discover that our friend is not interested.

I have found that when I share the gospel immediately with lost people, they are more often coming to faith than when I delay or only share with them step by step over a period of time. This may seem illogical, but it reveals the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting and regenerating the lost. 

In conclusion, friendship evangelism is a lie from Satan. We are to be friendly, and share the gospel early in every relationship. The best friends are those who have heard the gospel and still want to be around us. If someone distances himself or herself from us because of the gospel, they would not likely have made a very good friend anyway. On the other hand, if someone hears the gospel from us and still wants to be our friend, it is a good sign that he or she might be open to the gospel and become a good friend as well.