BAIT AND SWITCH EVANGELISM BY TONY MIANO The term Bait and Switch is defined as follows: A sales tactic in which a bargain-priced item is used to attract customers who are then encouraged to purchase a more expensive similar item. My Christian friend, in the friendship evangelism bait and switch you are the bait. You are the bargain-priced item used to attract customers. You have been told over the years that you have to earn the right to share the gospel. You have been told over the years that you must establish a relationship with a person to show that person you care before you can share the gospel with them. You have been told over the years that people wont care what you have to say until they see that you care. You have been told over the years that people must first see Jesus in you (after all, you might be the only Jesus some people will ever see) before you can tell them about Jesus. But heres the problem. None of these traditional American Evangelical mantras can be supported with Scripture. Modern evangelical tradition holds that the Christian has to do a great deal to make the gospel more palatable, to cushion the blow of the truth, before the truth can and should be shared with lost people. The Bible says otherwise. But, American evangelicals are convinced that the gospel needs their help. The gospel cant be simply, honestly, and lovingly shared up front. The gospel has to be eased into a conversation, after the Christian has eased into the unbelievers life. So, how does this make the Christian friendship evangelist bait? The customer, the lost person, is offered the bargain-priced, no strings attached, no contract or commitment required relationship with the well-intentioned Christian friendship evangelist. So alluring is the bait and so scant is the information given by the salesman, the customer has no idea that while the Christian friendship evangelist offers his friendship, what he really wants is for the lost person to receive Christ. It might be years before the customer discovers the salesmans real intent. Then comes the switch. While this doesnt always happen (because most Christians will admit, if theyre honest, that they dont share the gospel with their friends), eventually the Christian friendship evangelist gets around to either trying to share the gospel with his lost friend or inviting him to church, with the hope that the pastor, on that particular Sunday morning, will do the Christians work for him and preach the gospel. If the lost person (the customer) is smart, he will realize that this is what the Christian friendship evangelist was hoping for all along. While the Christian friendship evangelist advertised friendship, what he really wanted the lost person to buy was Christianity. And when/if the ulterior motive is discovered, the lost person is left wondering if the friendship was little more to the Christian than a deceptive means to a religious end. Ultimately, the all-too-often and unwanted result of friendship evangelism is that it causes the unbeliever to be even more wary of Christianity due to the deceptive devices used in the process. In other words, this type of evangelism seems to actually produce an effect which is opposite of the goal--winning the person to Christ! And why would the unbeliever think such a thing? Why? Well, for one, he might draw such unflattering conclusions about the Christian because the unbeliever is not looking for Jesus in the first place (Romans 3:11). He wants friendship with the world, not with God (James 4:4). He couldnt see Jesus in the Christian friendship evangelist if he tried (1 Corinthians 2:14). The unbeliever is spiritually dead in his sin (Ephesians 2:1-3) and, consistent with his nature and preferences, he suppresses the truth by his unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). Has the Christian friendship evangelist ever stopped to think how dishonest he might appear to his unbelieving friend? That is, of course, if the Christian friendship evangelist ever actually gets around to.....evangelism. Friendship Built on an Honest and Biblical Foundation There is one very biblical, very honest way to avoid the unintended bait and switch of friendship evangelism. There is a biblical way to engage in friendship evangelism. There is a way for the Christian to build every friendship with lost people in a manner that shows true love and concern for lost people. But its not popular. It might not be easy. And it might end the friendship before it starts. Begin the friendship with the gospel. Yes, you read that correctly. I will give you a moment to go grab a brown paper bag so you can control the sudden onset of hyperventilation...... Better, now? Are you okay? Do you really believe the gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16)? Do you really believe God is sovereign (John 6:44; Romans 9:14-18; 1 Peter 1:3)? Are you really willing to deny yourself and follow Christ (Matthew 16:24-26)? Or is your friendship with the unbeliever more important to you than the soul of your friend (John 15:13; James 4:4)? Or, tragically, do you believe the gospel is somehow less effective, less powerful, less relevant, less palatable, less meaningful, or less loving without the assistance of your personality, kindness, generosity, and charity? Once youve honestly dealt with the above paragraph, allow me to encourage you to begin your friendships with unsaved people with the gospel. Doing so should remove any thought in the unbelievers spiritually-twisted, unconverted, unregenerate mind of a bait and switch. Be honest. Dont try to lure the unbeliever to church or to the faith (they are not one and the same) with your friendly demeanor and a track record of years of Christ-less, gospel-less conversations. Love lost people more than that! The gift of your friendship is not the most loving thing you can give to an unbeliever. You will never do anything more loving than share the gospel of Jesus Christ. You cannot give your friend/coworker/acquaintance a better gift than telling them of the life, death, burial and resurrection of your Lord. Spoken in love, even your words that hurt as you confront your friend with his or her sin are the most caring words theyll ever hear. While, like a two-year-old child, the unbeliever might more enjoy the cardboard box that is your friendship, you, like a loving parent, should point the spiritual toddler to the real gift, that which the box contains, the love of Jesus Christ as articulated in the gospel. Okay, Tony. I hear what youre saying. But what if I take a plate of cookies over to my new neighbors home, I try to share the gospel with them, and they tell me theyre not interested and look at me as if Im some kind of freak? Sadly, much of American Evangelicalism will tell you that you failed and that you likely drove the person farther away from Jesus. So deep have unbiblical traditions taken root in American Evangelicalism that many Christians believe such sentiments and conclusions can be supported by Scripture. Dont believe the lies! Dear Christian friend: the only time we fail in evangelism, if our evangelism is both biblical and loving, is when we fail to evangelize. And as to this ridiculous notion that there is something a Christian can do to drive an already hell-bound lost person farther away from Jesus: how can you drive someone who is not seeking Jesus away from Jesus? How can you cause a hater of God (whether the hate is passive or aggressive) to hate God more? Do you truly believe God is sovereign? Or is that little more than a Christian cliche in your heart and mind that you utter from time to time to let your Christian friends know how spiritually mature you are? So, worst case scenario, your unsaved, prospective friend closes the door in your face, or hangs up the phone, or (the coup de grace) drops you from his Facebook friends list, His Google+ circle of life, and his Twitter follow list. Now what? Continue to cultivate the friendship as the Lord gives opportunity to do so. Invite your neighbor over for that no-strings-attached barbecue and pool party. Invite the guy who now sits uncomfortably in the cubicle next to you at work to a Dodgers game (or an Angels game, if thats the best you can do). Invite him to your churchs Christmas dinner. Offer to mow his lawn. Invite him to the annual mens retreat. Be there for your unsaved neighbor, co-worker, fellow student, or family member. Be his friend. And share the gospel again, as the Lord gives opportunity. And the Lord will present the opportunities. Conversations will turn to issues of morality and/or spirituality. Its inevitable. Why? Because your lost friend knows where you stand; knows who you are; knows Who you worship. He knows these things because your friendship with him began with the gospel. Conclusion I am a vocal opponent of friendship evangelism, as it is most commonly practiced. But I am vocal proponent of biblical friendship evangelism. I am a proponent of being upfront and honest with people. I am a proponent of loving people with the gospel, regardless of the personal cost. Please, initiate relationships with lost people. Please, befriend those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. But do so in a way that brings glory to Jesus Christ and not to yourself. Begin your friendships with the gospel. Love people, regardless of their response. Be a true friend--one of whom the Lord can one-day say, Well done, good and faithful servant.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 11:36:36 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015