Befriend An Enemy

How often do we try to "win" over people with debates about Jesus Christ and the truthfulness of the Bible? What if I told you that debates don't win Christians.

When asked about recently coming under fire for the type of people he associates with, Rick Warren, a well known evangelist, said this:

You cannot win your enemies to Christ; only your friends, so we must build bridges of friendship and love to those who believe differently so Jesus can walk across that bridge into their hearts.

First of all, let's stop saying the word "win". People are people, not prizes.

Rick is saying that we have to become friends with someone, first and foremost. Not just be friendly, but have a true friendship with this person. One where you can be honest with each other and most of all, you care about the other person. It may take weeks, months or even years, but I think if you really build a relationship with someone and they see that you care for them and that you live a Christian life, God will take care of the rest.  So, in summary:

Step 1- Build Friendship using honesty, compassion and love.
Step 2- Let God handle the rest.

How simple??