Offering Hope: Building Transformative Relationships This Christmas

And so when we invite folks and they don't cross the line, they don't cross the line of faith, we become discouraged. It's quiet up in here, right? You've invited that neighbor time after time, and at first they were very obstinate. They were not coming. I don't want anything to do with church. I'm busy that day. They make whatever excuses they got to make, and then all of a sudden, you sent your daughter or your granddaughter over and said, hey, we're going to be doing a kid's thing. Would you come and watch me? And all of a sudden, that somehow softened the heart of the neighbor, and now the neighbor goes, well, yeah, I'll show up to see the kid. [00:53:21] (43 seconds)


And what it is to be a transactional friend is to go, I'm going to invite you. If you cross the line of faith, great, you can become a part of our church. But if you don't, then maybe I'll invite you next year. Jesus said, make a friend, build a relationship. Walk into the city, say peace to this house. If they receive you, if they look at you and go, hey neighbor, stay in that house and build the relationship. Let them know that you're a friend whether they cross the line of faith or not. [00:54:18] (45 seconds)


But if I love you, if you're my friend, if you're my neighbor, if you're my co-worker, if you're my family, I love you enough to constantly and consistently pray that you're my friend. That you would get closer and closer and closer to knowing Jesus because he's made such an impact in my life. I just want you to experience the same thing. Make a friend, build a relationship. Don't be the transactional kind of friend. Be the transformative type of friend. Be the person who goes, I just want to be friends with you. I want to walk with you through life. I want to be there. [00:55:05] (45 seconds)


In the movie, y'all remember that, you know, the point of the movie is they're trying to save the generals in. Do you know why the generals' problem mattered so much to the two men? Because the general mattered to the two men. When we turn evangelism into a transactional thing, we can actually do that without, honestly, if we be real honest about this, and we can do that without really caring about the person. But I can't invest my life into yours and yours into mine without me caring for you. [00:55:53] (57 seconds)


And what I've found is in our culture, we're awfully transactional. But in the biblical culture, it was transformative. Ask Peter. Jesus goes, come follow me. Peter's got a temper problem. He's got a cussing problem. He's... He's... Come on. He ain't all the way there yet. Jesus could have looked at him and said, you know what? I invited you to follow me three weeks ago. I would have really thought your life would have been changed by now. You know, we've been walking together three years and you're still cussing at the fire pit. [00:56:47] (45 seconds)


Jesus shows back up after he's done... After he's done chopped off a guy's ear. He's cussed at a fire pit and now he's back fishing. He's feel like he's a failure. Jesus shows up and he goes, do you love me? Hey, come on. Follow me. Come on back to me. He restores him back. Right? Come on. It's transformative. Make a friend. Build a relationship. The second point that I want you to... See from Luke chapter 10. He says, I want you to make a friend. Build a relationship. You know, say peace to this house and remain in the same house. [00:57:46] (38 seconds)


Now, coming from a Pentecostal background, charismatic background, we immediately want to go power evangelism. Let's start praying for healing and let's see the miracles roll. And I'm all for the miracles and that sort of thing. But I want it to be a little more practical for our personal everyday life. Okay, so please don't misinterpret what I'm about to say. As me saying, I don't believe in miracles and we don't pray for miracles because that's not the truth. I hope you know that by now. I was healed. [00:58:52] (25 seconds)


How many years ago was it now? Four, two, three, something like that. I was healed. So we believe in the gifts. We believe in that stuff. I believe in power evangelism. But I want you to look at it from a very practical standpoint. And I want you to understand, if he wants you to make a friend and build a relationship, let's be real practical. He wants you to, second of all, meet a need. Let me say it like this. Start where people are. We know that the biggest need that everyone in our city faces is a relationship with Jesus. [00:59:38] (42 seconds)


Because that's what Wallace and Davis did. And here's the thing, is they used, their gifts and talents to meet a need for the general. Right? Come on, let's be honest. If we were in their situation and let's imagine just a minute, let's use our God imagination, right? A lot of us in this room, most of us probably in American Christianity would have looked and said, oh no, I really, I really, I really hate to hear that. I'm going to be praying for you. And he would have graciously said thank you and moved on, but they went beyond that and they said, you know what? [01:01:45] (49 seconds)


Because of our talent, we have connection. I can get on TV, I can do, you see what I'm saying? They use their natural gifts and talents. So here's what that means for you. You go, pastor, I don't have connections with TV. You also don't have a former general who's losing his end. Right? So let's bring it on down. Start with what you're familiar. Come on. If you've got a need for your car to be fixed, you probably don't want to call me. I can't do anything for you. I can go, when you turn the key, does it start? No? Oh, man. [01:02:37] (49 seconds)