Follow the Relationships!

Isn’t it your experience, after all, that most people are interested in a relationship with Jesus or knowing more about your church because of a friendship with someone, instead of a slick mailing, an unsolicited phone call or a cool advertisement?

My friend Ben Hanna is starting truly relational churches in a neighborhood near the Alamo in San Antonio.

He wrote a paragraph or two that demonstrates the truth that the good news of Jesus is–at its heart–all about relationship.  And that the Gospel naturally flows best through relationships.

At River Fellowship, our goal is not to get people to "come to church."  Jesus called the church to go to the people. One powerful example of this is how Jesus reached the woman at the well.  Jesus sought out the person God was working in, a "person of peace.”

When the woman came to faith, she naturally and quickly introduced those she knew—and those who knew about her!—to Jesus.

Ben continues…

Debbie is also a "person of peace" who had a reputation.  Last Easter, God led us to Debbie and she became a follower of Jesus.  She went from taking thirty pills a day for anxiety and other ailments, to just three.  Anxiety became peace.

Her son, Fabian, noticed the change. He was struggling in his marriage to Susan. This Easter, Fabian (pictured above) and Susan were baptized together along with five others and are growing in their new faith.

Debbie's sister, Rosa, also wanted the amazing changes she saw and gave her life to Jesus.

God wasn't finished! Debbie's nephew, Mario, has a serious addiction. He gave control of his life to Jesus last week at one of our men's accountability groups.

Just as Jesus stayed with the Samaritans until many believed He was the Son of God, we meet with about fifteen in the Kennedy Arms apartment complex as the Body of Christ.  God led us to Debbie, a "person of peace" and The Prince of Peace is changing her whole family for eternity. As we go where Jesus leads, He will take us to places where we are not always comfortable. But we have the promise that where He leads, He is.

So a graphic of the flow of the Gospel here might look like this:

Ben>Debbie>son Fabian>wife Susan>five others                \

           Debbie>sister Rosa                                                                 > a new church of 15 total

           Debbie>nephew Mario                                                       /

It would have been much harder and less likely that this would have happened:

Ben>Debbie

Ben>Fabian

Ben>Rosa

Ben>Mario

Ben>11 more people

So, a new body of Christ is started and a whole community of friends and family are forever changed…all from focusing on a genuine relationship with one person, Debbie, and helping her in her relationship with Jesus.

Follow the relationships!