Cultivating Relationships for Evangelism
- Posted by Editorial Staff
By Jongsu Heo
You are eager to lead people to Christ. However, you may not have any non-Christian friend around you. If that is the case, you have to cultivate new relationships. You meet a new person, become a friend, and share good things with him/her. You can prepare delicious food, spend time together or give presents. And of course, the most important gift is sharing the gospel message.
Let me give you a good example. This is a story related to the late Jang-yop Hwang, the highest-ranking North Korean to defect to South Korea. I read several news articles on his life in South Korea. One article that drew my attention was the friendship with professor Seon-ae Joo. This is what Seon-ae Joo, professor emeritus at Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul, remembered about him. Prof. Joo whose original hometown was Pyongyang (capital city of North Korea) visited Hwang with her two friends. “We instantly became close friends since meeting for the first time in 2002 because we shared an emotional background given that we grew up in the same place,” she said. She felt sorry for him after she learned that he left his family in North Korea. She began to bring some foods that he might like and later threw birthday parties for him at her house. She said, “When I met him, he looked like a soldier but turned out to be a witty person after I got to know him.”
Hwang began to open up and shared his story. His older sister who was ten years older than him was a Christian. Prof. Joo remembered that he even said that he believed in miracles. According to prof. Joo, Hwang said, "I believe in God if He is the One prof. Joo believes in." And once he prayed in the name of Jesus, "God, we need justice. Please save those who do good and punish wicked people."
It is hard for us to say from these stories whether he was saved or not. However, it was the result of a beautiful friendship for a man who had lived most of his life as a communist to acknowledge God. Let's begin to build purpose driven relationships for evangelism.
Jongsu Heo serves as Senior Pastor of Hanmaum International Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX.