Does Friendship Evangelism Meet the Urgent Demands of the Great Commission?
One last question to ask is this: Is friendship evangelism consistent with the urgent nature of the gospel message? The message of Christ is one of urgency. The need to be saved is an urgent one, and as such it is not to be toyed with. Time is something we are never sure of, as James points out:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. (James 4:13-14)

Building a relationship is a process that demands considerable time. Personal sacrifices must be made, trust must be earned and a commitment must be made. The process requires multiple meetings and repeated conversations. Do lost souls really have that much time? As the Lord clearly teaches us through James, we simply don’t know. In light of this fact, is it right to withhold the message of Christ from someone who may not have much time left in this world?

Consider also the Great Commission. Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations and to preach the gospel to all creation (see Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15). Does friendship evangelism work toward achieving that goal? Perhaps it does, but in a much more limited way than direct communication of the gospel because it limits the number of people that can be reached. If there is doubt about this, count the number of new relationships you developed last year. Whatever the number was, it could not possibly exceed the number of individuals with whom you could have shared the gospel via direct teaching.

Is it right to tell the gospel only to those with whom we have relationships—a mere subset of the population? Did Jesus command his disciples, “Go only to your friends, family and coworkers”? Absolutely not! Who will witness to the unbelievers who do not have Christian friends, family or coworkers? If every Christian shared the gospel only with those in his immediate sphere of influence, would that not amount to keeping the message of salvation from strangers?

If we are to obey Jesus’ command to make disciples of all the nations and to preach the gospel to all creation, then we would do well to consider how extensive our outreach is.

Continued in Part Five: The Pitfalls of Friendship Evangelism

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE^®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.