Rough and Tumble
Theme for the Week: Redemptive Relationships
Len Woods
Saturday, October 6, 2001
 1 of 1
Q. How can Christians befriend unbelievers without embracing their lifestyle?
A. There are no easy answers. Picture this: When guys at the office asked William to play on their city league soccer team, he jumped at the offer. But at the first game, a teammate got ejected for shoving a referee.
Practicing at the park, they ended up scrimmaging the team from William's church. You should have seen the raised eyebrows at the end when William's team brought out three coolers of beer.
At the second game, William's wife and daughter showed up and endured a steady stream of profanities.
Later, Kara said to William: "I don't like you playing soccer with those vulgar guys."
""Aw, honey, they don't know any better. They're lost. They need Christ."
"Well, of course they do, but I don't see why you have to play soccer with them."
"How else am I going to get to know them? Look, I invited Terrell and his wife over for burgers next Friday."
"You did what?"
"I invited Terrell and his wife. He's a lot of fun, if you can keep him sober."
"He was the guy chain-smoking on the sidelines?"
"That's him."
Kara shook her head. "I don't believe you."
"But you've said you want to have more couples over."
"Not couples like that!"
Why is the effort William is making strategic?
Think what might happen in your church if every believer made an overt and diligent effort to cultivate relationships with three non-Christians.
Len Woods is a Louisiana pastor and author of Tough Choices.
Adapted from: Tough Choices (Multnomah, 1998)
For your convenience, Tough Choices is available in the ChristianityToday.com bookstore.
Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today, Inc./Men of Integrity magazine.
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Jesus, enlarge my heart so that it reaches out to touch men for whom You died.
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