[NBC] YoungAdultFellowship

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All people saw this and began to mutter, " He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner'". Luke 19:5-7.

Jesus modeled four things when He lived on Earth that allowed Him to impact other people's lives. I call these the four Bs of tranformation.

First, Jesus built a relationship with people. In the marketplace, you will rarely be able to have impact on a person without first building a relationship with him or her. The old saying "people don't care what you know until they know how much you care" is especially true in the workplace. Jesus modeled this in His life every day of His public ministry.

Seconds, Jesus blessed people. He tried to meet the physical needs that people had. Many times He healed people and then told them to go and sin no more. He listened to their concerns.

Third, Jesus began praying for others. He prayed for deliverance for people who were demon possessed. He prayed that unbelievers would know the father. He even prayed for Lazarus to come back from the dead.

Fourth, Jesus brought the kingdom of God into peoples's lives. He invited people to believe in Him as the Saviour of the world and to partake of eternal life.
I once decided to test this model with an acquaintance. I intentionally refused to talk to this person about Jesus until I had accomplised the first three steps in our retionship. after I had fulfilled the first three steps, I presented Christ to my friend. Because the soil was prepared, he receid Christ immediately.

As you consider your ministry at work, consider these four stages of relatinoship building before you present Christ to others. You will find that first fruit of this process will be great.

-from TGIF, Os Hillman.