FINDING COMMON GROUND

I Cor . 9:22 When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.

This is a very powerful truth to live by. It takes some time and effort to find common ground with people in order to lead them to Christ. Finding common ground with non-believers is not all that hard. We all know people who don't know the Lord who share our interests. People respond well generally to people who have an interest in the things they have an interest in. It doesn't take too much imagination to find others who share our passions. The harder part is to connect with them in such a way that we can lead them to Christ.

We have to build a real trust with others before we earn the right to talk to them about the Lord. Most non-believers will turn a deaf ear to the Gospel when it comes from someone they don't know well enough to trust. Trust is built over time and it takes effort on our part. We have to not only show our interest in their interests, we have to show an interest in them as people. We need to be non-judgmental of them, even when we don't agree with their lifestyles. We just need to become friends with them and let our living speak volumes to them before we talk about the Lord.

Some people will open up to the Gospel they see us live rather quickly and others will take a long time, depending on their life experiences. We need to ask the Lord for wisdom as to when it would be the right time to talk with them. We need to ask the Lord for discernment on our conversations and the power to live godly lives before them. We need to ask the Lord for help to love them with godly love and to faithfully carry them on our hearts.

We can have a powerful impact and influence on people when we find common ground with them and purposely befriend them so that we might help lead them to Christ. Let us always strive to be someone's friend who needs the Lord.