Evangelism and Relationships

I got this letter in the mail awhile ago and am now taking the time to read it. It helps to answer my question and I am glad I read it.

It comes from “Gospel for Asia,” a ministry that seeks sponsorship for missionaries in India and other Asian countries so that the native peoples can go out and minister and evangelize because they already know the culture, language, lifestyle, and are willing and ready to die for their people.

Anyways, here is the monthly letter I just received,

“How do you tell people who worship nature – and have no idea about life after death—about living forever with Jesus? How do you teach families about God’s purity when they live in a primitive farm village and have no understanding of cleanliness or hygiene?

How do you communicate biblical truths with those who can’t read or write? And how do you share the riches of the Gospel with people who are so poor that they can’t even afford clothes for their children or rice for their meager meals?

…Before [Susil, a new national missionary] ever talked about Jesus, Susil took the *TIME* to visit every home in the village. He didn’t start by “pushing” his faith; rather, he simply got to know the people. He listened to them and learned from them about their culture, their way of life and their religious practices.

…Then he slowly began to teach the villagers about the importance of cleanliness. He even took the children to the river for baths and washed and cut their unkempt hair. When he heard of those who had nothing to eat, he lovingly brought packages of rice to their homes.

And when it was time for the villagers to work in their fields, Susil went out and worked alongside them. Then, when they stopped to rest, he began to tell them the Good News about Jesus.

Very soon, the villagers told Susil, ‘We want to believe in this Jesus that you believe in.’

That’s when the young missionary started a daily prayer time in the shade of a tree. Day after day, more people came and began to hear and believe the Word of God. It was not long before seven people received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and another thirty soon after that!

What made the Gospel so real to these villagers? More than anything else, it was Susil’s genuine love and his servant lifestyle that caused people to believe in what he said.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

We know a lot at our church.

Are we dedicated (fully living) to the amazing amount of Biblical truth we know?
Are we willing to sacrifice our time?
Are we willing to serve in order to meet the needs of people who do/will hate us? (Who may never repay us in time and service?)
Are we willing to go to work with non-believers or must we only be surrounded by believers? (I have heard SO MANY people complain about working with non-believers. Why?)

Relationships and experience.

This only answers HALF my question: relationships.
What about the “experience”?