Common Ground
by Jon Walker

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick …. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:12–13 (NIV)

Jesus’ actions teach us that our witness to non-believers starts with friendship: We earn the right to share the gospel through relationship, where we show that we care about the person.

The apostle Paul encourages us to find common ground with non-believers. Finding common ground is an act of friendship; it guides us to look for the positive instead of the negative in those outside the faith.

When Jesus met the woman at the well, he pointed to what they had in common rather than the things he could rightfully condemn (John 4). As a result, she not only became friends with God, she brought her friends and family into the presence of Jesus.

Daily Hope