Have you ever just felt embarrassed by another “Christian’s” actions? When it comes to sharing your faith and the joy and hope found in Christ alone, there are many incredible ways to connect with people that shouldn’t leave others embarrassed to be associated with you.
The other day it dawned on me that people still think leaving a tract for a food-server (waiter, waitress) when finished with your meal is a great way to spread the gospel. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when leaving a pamphlet or other printed material like a tract is actually effective, but most of the time it just aggravates the person who finds it. The great thing about the Relational AND Relentless Philosophy is that it is an applicable framework for helping someone make a decision on if an action or conversation they are planning on having is God-honoring or not.
Relational means…I have actually met this person, probably have a good relationship with them, and they would actually listen to (not just hear) what I would like to share. This means honestly, humbly, and in a posture of love.
Relentless means…I am praying through reaching this person, sensitive to the the Holy Spirits guidance on sharing the love of Christ with this person, and actually sharing verbally (or through the best means of contact, which may mean skype, e-mail, or even text) on a regular basis with this individual. This means consistent, unashamed, and boldly.
For example, if you wanted to apply this framework when thinking of leaving a tract for a server, you should ask yourself some questions:
About the relational component, ask these questions:
- Have you had a conversation that demonstrates Christs love to the server? Did you speak respectfully and positively to the server? Did you speak positively about everyone else in your conversation (with the server AND others)?
- Have you shared some component of your faith already and it would be a follow up to that conversation?
- Are you leaving a great impression on the server without the tract involved in the equation (established a good relationship and tipped them BIG)?
About the relentless component, ask these questions:
- After praying about it, do you think God is leading you in conversation with this individual?
- By leaving a tract (or something else), is this an unashamed and bold way to share your hope found in Christ? Or are you avoiding speaking to them?
- Would you be able to actually follow-up with this server again after leaving the material and not feel embarrassed?
In the end, the hope would be that a Christ follower truly thinks through how to Relationally AND Relentlessly share their faith and hope found in Christ. Since the message of the cross and Christ’s resurrection is GOOD NEWS, then the person who receives it shouldn’t think it is BAD NEWS when all is said and done. And leaving a small tip with a pamphlet sharing the gospel most likely will be received as BAD NEWS (no matter how amazing you think the pamphlet may be).
Sure, there are times when God’s prompting to do crazy things that seem irrational actually trump logic (like thinking through the above questions). And God has used some crazy things in history to bring people to a saving knowledge of Himself (like tracts on tables). The challenge for the Christ follower is not to hope that a potentially disrespectful and embarrassing act is one of those things. Lets together Relationally and Relentlessly be and speak the GOOD NEWS of Jesus. I know the food servers of the world would thanks us.
Do you agree with the above approach to the Relational and Relentless philosophy? What other ways would you apply the Relational and Relentless “Framework”?
