5 ways to like your unsaved friends

The reason I say it’s because many believers currently have unsaved friends of their relationships, they usually may feel guilty (and even ashamed) that they do. After all, some believers imagine that Christians should keep the unsaved at bay by quoting 1 Corinthians 15:33 as justification. But we of all people should, like Jesus, hunt down the unsaved, desiring their friendship (though not their influence), with the intention of being ambassadors of the Almighty, out of obedience to the Great Commission to “make disciples” and with the hope of bringing these unsaved friends into the Light to receive the free gift of grace through faith.

I actually have unsaved friends and acquaintances. And I think, based on the instance of Jesus together with his disciples, that it is sweet. From my very own experience, listed here are some ways (which aren’t exhaustive) to indicate our love for our unsaved friends. They may also apply to unsaved members of the family, co-workers, neighbors—anyone in your relationship who doesn’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord.

1. Appreciate them

This ought to be obvious, but in reality, in our culture today, which is so polarized around issues, sometimes we believers are likely to – perhaps unintentionally and unintentionally – “devalue” those that hold opposing principles. We can think less of them, belittle them, and even judge them based on self-righteousness and false piety.

But one and all, whether we agree with them politically, morally, religiously or ethically, has value for the easy indisputable fact that they were created by God and bear His image. Even of their sinful state, they still bear its mark. They bear its features of common grace by expressing emotion, intellect and creativity.

So, first, appreciate each unsaved friend as an individual created by God and marked with His mark. Look beyond their opinions, beliefs and inclinations. Look at them through the lens of Creation, based on Genesis 1:27“That’s how God created it humanity in his own image, within the image of God he created them; he created them female and male” (emphasis added).

2. Accept them

Accept them where they’re. The unsaved will act like, well, the unsaved. Their souls, minds and hearts aren’t regenerated. They will think, imagine and act in accordance with their sinful nature. They will speak blasphemously, they’ll drink (often to excess), they might be promiscuous, they’ll slander and hate. They will act unwisely, irrationally, and sinfully.

Given this, we aren’t to sentence them. Frankly, we must always expect them to act unseemly of their corruption. This shouldn’t shock or surprise us. After all, we did it too before we surrendered our lives to Jesus as Savior and the Holy Spirit as Sanctifier (Titus 3:3).

That’s why God says we have now little interest in judging our worldly, worldly, unsaved friends based on 1 Corinthians 5:12“What business do I actually have to guage those that are outside the church? Are you not to guage those that are inside?”

However, we’re also to not tolerate their behavior. We graciously accept them as person without justifying their sinners elections. However, after we are asked to achieve this, we gently and respectfully tell them that we don’t agree or approve of their behavior (1 Peter 3:16) and we take this chance to share how due to what Jesus has done for us, we at the moment are forced to live under the direction of God’s ways.

3. Listen to them

We often think that the very best technique to show love is to speak – even when it’s about God – when in reality it’s listening. The old adage “God gave us one mouth and two ears” holds true on this case. When people feel heard—Really listened to – they feel respected, valued and brought care of.

Not to say that God values ​​a really attentive listener. “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: you need to all be efficient to listen, slow to talk, and slow to anger” (James 1:19).

As humans, in addition they have hopes and dreams, desires and aspirations, and pain and long-buried wounds, a few of which can have been attributable to the Church or other Christians. Listening to them helps us construct fellowship with them and compassion for them, especially of their suffering.

Listening also breeds understanding. We may not agree with our friends’ views, but listening allows us to know how and why they think and imagine the best way they think. Moreover, there’s nothing people want greater than to be understood and appreciated for his or her opinions, values ​​and beliefs, even in the event that they are on the mistaken side of the Bible.

Another good thing about listening—which was latest to me—is that it inspires patience in us listeners. It says Mental Health Training in his podcast“It’s hard to sit down and take heed to someone you do not agree with. You’ll must be patient. And in the event you have not yet developed the vital tolerance for this task, simply practicing listening to others more often will enable you create it. If you end up struggling to finish a task, keep in mind that you might be listening to learn something latest. You may also listen with the intention of asking questions, and this may enable you focus more rigorously on what the opposite person is saying.”

So take heed to learn and understand. Listen to indicate respect and value. Listen to methods to cultivate patience and compassion.

Conversely, listening may also earn You the appropriate to be heard. Tit for tat, so to talk. And then you could have a beautiful opportunity to evangelise the truths of God, and your unsaved friend will probably be more willing to listen.

4. Pray for Them

“Prayer is figure,” someone once told me. How true it’s. Prayer is the behind-the-scenes work that every one believers ought to be involved in. Prayer is the work of trying to find open doors to bear witness to the Gospel, to construct the Kingdom of God. James even tells us that “the prayer of the just is powerful and effective” (cf.James 5:16).

As on your unsaved friends (or whoever the Lord has burdened your heart with):

• Pray that their hardened hearts might be softened (Romans 2:5)
• Pray that God will instill in them a latest, humble, pure, pure and believing heart (Ezekiel 36:26, Matthew 18:4, Psalm 51:10, Matthew 5:8, Romans 10:10).
• Pray that their darkened minds might be enlightened and understand God’s truths, renewed, transformed and focused on things above and never things below (Ephesians 4:18, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23, Colossians 3:12).
• Pray that blind eyes will suddenly “see” the Light of this world that saves, and the glory of God and His goodness (2 Corinthians 4:4, Luke 4:18, John 3:3, Psalm 34:8, John 8:12).
• Pray that clogged ears will suddenly “hear” the Good News (Romans 1:1610:14, 17).

5. Show them favor

Jesus was the personification of God’s grace. He didn’t come to sentence, but to indicate grace to those that least deserve it: sinners. He prolonged a helping hand to those that were suffering, a sort word to those that were desperate, and when vital, he spoke the reality when confronted with sin, but with love. Grace after grace.

We also needs to be the embodiment of God’s grace to our unsaved friends. We could be the only individuals who show them mercy after they fall or sin badly. Our grace toward them, when everyone else is judging and rejecting, could also be what they should finally see that they need a Savior, repent, and receive salvation.

Application

Yes, as believers in Christ, we’re called to stay holy (“separate”) in our ways and never conform to this world. But that is not any excuse for withdrawing from the world or its inhabitants. On the contrary. Distancing yourself from the unsaved shouldn’t be an option, neither is it biblical. Rather, Jesus told his disciples and us to “go” into the world (“to all nations”) and make disciples. And persistently this happens after we deliberately and prayerfully construct true friendships with the unsaved.