Rick Warren tells Christians to make friends in order to make disciples

Make friends to make disciples, urges Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church.(Photo: Saddleback Church)

God wants His people to forge true friendships in this world in order to share the Gospel with them, because if friends will not share the word of God, then who will?

"Everybody's looking for a true friend — not just acquaintances but people who are there with you when you need them most," he shared in his devotional.

"God has put these people — your co-workers and classmates, neighbours and teammates — in your life specifically so you can share with them about the most important decision they will ever make."

This is exactly what God says in the Bible, and Warren quoted Romans 12:16 which says: "Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people."

Warren added that Christians tend to fall into either of the two extremes - isolation or imitation. For Christians who are guilty of isolation, they believe that they need to isolate themselves from the rest of the world in order to avoid being "polluted."

As for imitation, Christians who fall into this trap think that they should be just like the world, and follow their values and goals. But both of these things are wrong, argued Warren. If people isolate themselves, then how are they going to build friendships? If Christians imitate the world, then they are giving into "the lowest common denominators of society."

Warren simply said that God wants His people to be holy and secure in their faith, so that they are able to walk out the door into the world and get to know the people that He has placed in their lives.

"As you build relationships with people around you and share Truth with them, you are to be in the world but not of the world," he stressed.