Not only do we find Jesus getting onto the turf of those far from God, and living out the kingdom in front of them, we also find Jesus actually befriending them. Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors in Matt. 8-9. And in this context of cuisine he extends friendship and fellowship to them.
Such friendships compel us to reconsider our own ways of being salt and light. Ministry models developed for what was once a Modern and Christian American culture tend to utilize “programs”—training designed to provide Christians specific techniques and formulas for leading non-Christians to faith in Christ. We believed if we could get the right answers to the right questions and present them in the right way, then these evangelistic programs would win people over.
But today’s Postmodern and non Christian people are asking questions we’ve not even thought of, are suspicious of canned answers, and simply don’t trust people whom they don’t know. This calls for a shift from programs to “nets”—the creating and nurturing of social networks between Christians and non-Christians in which the Christian message can be shared relationally.
