The Pitfalls of Friendship Evangelism
Although God can certainly work to save a soul through friendship evangelism—or, more than likely, in spite of it—we must not ignore the possible dangers inherent in this method.

One risk is that we could be committing sin by pursuing this type of outreach. A genuine friendship is not driven by ulterior motives; it is motivated by genuine camaraderie rather than by an agenda. If you begin a friendship with someone merely as a means to an end, then your pursuit of that relationship is driven by an agenda. If you don’t believe this, ask yourself the following question: What is the primary reason for this friendship that I have tried to establish? Is it because of genuine concern, or is it merely because I am seeking opportunities to present the gospel to him or her? If it is the latter, then you are deceiving that individual, and this is a violation of the commandment to love your neighbor.

No matter how we present the gospel, one thing we must always be sure of is not to do anything that would give a person a reason to blaspheme God and an excuse to continue rejecting Christ. Unfortunately, insincerity could do just that. If you are pursuing an agenda-driven relationship with a non-Christian, he or she might quickly detect your ulterior motive, regard you as dishonest and proceed to blaspheme God because of it. Is it any wonder that Paul said,

[W]e have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2)

Some might object, “But I can pursue this kind of friendship and do it sincerely.” It is not for me to judge what goes on in your heart. That is between you and God. I would challenge you, though, to examine the genuineness of your love for that person in the light of the meaning of true love. Doesn’t agape love, the kind of love that God wants us to have for all others, always seek to meet a person’s greatest need whether that person wants it or not? Nobody asked God—much less wanted him—to send Christ to die for sinners. Nevertheless, he did so because that is agape love. Man’s greatest need is to be reconciled to a holy God who will judge him for sin one day in the future. If we were to hold back the principal means by which that reconciliation can take place—the gospel—could we honestly say that we are truly loving?

Another serious pitfall of friendship evangelism is that we run the risk of coming under ungodly influence. In any relationship with the lost, we must take extreme care that we do not become the influenced rather than the influencer. Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’ ” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Continued in Part Six: Evangelistic Friendship: The Biblical Approach

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE^®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.