August 2025

Dear Friends,

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry

of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting

people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

(2 Corinthians 5: 18-19.)

In the coming months I’d like to return to the idea of sharing our faith with our friends and those close to us.

Jesus was sent to earth as an ordinary human being, who formed friendships, and passed on the Good News to his friends. Then they shared their faith with those who they lived amongst, so those folk could, in turn, become God’s friends.

The long-established Bible Society report, Finding Faith Today, revealed that hearers were far more likely to be receptive to the Good News, when told to them by people with whom they enjoyed a depth of relationship. Not casual acquaintances, but where there is real concern, commitment and trust built up over time. Good friends, who had earned the right to share their faith.

Finding Faith Today also showed that people come to faith gradually, and sudden conversions are unusual. So we need to be patient and dedicated to our friends for the long haul as their discipleship develops over time. Apparently, the average timescale for people to come to faith is 4 1⁄2 years.

If good relationships are at that heart of good evangelism, good relationships are also at the heart of loving and growing churches. A church grows when its members have good friendships with those outside the church walls.

The reconciliation of the cross, promised in 2 Corinthians 5, is a double reconciliation. The vertical beam of the cross points upwards to heaven, reminding us of the reconciliation between us and God. The horizontal points us to reconciliation with those around us. Through the cross we are united through Jesus’s death and love.

So, as we go about our lives, let’s be committed to being good friends, sharing our faith, and being friendly churches, remembering: In Friendship, In Fellowship, In Christ.

Every Blessing, Larissa