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Relationship Matters

Strong relationships can buy the right to speak into people’s lives and present opportunities to be a witness of the gospel. The Bible says that Heaven rejoices when one soul gets saved. We see in scripture that Jesus would allow His entire schedule to be interrupted by encounters with individuals because he was more passionate about the "ministry of the one" than the attention of the crowd.

It’s evident because these individual encounters make a beautiful collection of highly personal yet different testimonies: the woman with the issue of the blood, the madman of Gadarene, the samaritan woman, Jairus' daughter, the centurion's servant, the paralytic man and many more. Jesus often looked for the opportunity to connect with sinners on a personal level and took time to build relationships with them. It was how they felt in His presence that helped them to open up about the truth into their lives. He spent so much time with sinners that the religious leaders accused him of "eating" with sinners (Matthew 9:11; Luke 19:7).

Now the strength of relationships are not dependent on time. Relationship is defined as two or more people being connected (irrespective of time). Jesus found grounds on which he could be connected with the people he met. That connection, or relationship meant that he had the opportunity to minister to them. In the same way, we ought to build relationships or in other words, connections with people who don't know Christ. This gives the world an opportunity to not only hear the word but witness firsthand what a surrendered life looks like and this can be a powerful witness (either the seed or part of the watering process) to bring spiritual regeneration to a sinner.

How can you build authentic relationships with people?

1) Ask God-inspired questions. These can cut through a stony heart and trigger a person to open up in a way that they didn't even expect.

2) Share your struggles and victories. This provides an opportunity for others to see how Christ makes the difference

3) Be present when spending time with others. This shows people that they are valued

Jesus was so good at building connections and relationships that people were willing to reveal their true selves in His presence. He often was invited to people’s homes to dine with them. People don’t invite just anyone into their home. You invite people you trust because, in your home people see more than just the outward exterior (the put together version of yourself). As you build relationships, people will allow you to come into their "homes" (i.e. their hearts and lives and see what they are really going through). As you go throughout the day, consider who you can connect with and how you can share with them the reason for your hope and joy.