THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

 

Chapter 22​

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Giving as a Friendship Evangelism Strategy

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Text

1 Sam. 30:7-20 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

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So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor. Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”

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And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?”

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So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.”

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And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

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​​​​Memory Verse

1 Cor. 9:22 To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

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Introduction

The story in 1 Sam. 30 shows why David did not kill the Egyptian whom he found abandoned in the field. He was hungry, sick, and left behind by the Amalekites. David fed him instead of taking revenge.

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That one act of kindness opened the door for David to recover everything the raiders had stolen - his family, his people’s families, and all their goods.

 

I call this “friendship evangelism”: using kindness and generosity to build a bridge so God can work.

 

Objective
To see that vengeance belongs to the Lord. If we let Him fight for us, His victory for us will always be complete and full of blessing.
 

Presentation

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1. Vengeance Belongs to The Lord
When we let God handle our enemies, we get total victory, as did David. Instead of paying back evil, we pray for our enemies’ peace and wellbeing. When opportunity comes, we act on that prayer. That is how we empower God to deal with them (Rom. 12:17-21; 1 Pet. 3:9-12).

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If we do not listen to the Holy Spirit and act like David, we risk destroying what God wanted to preserve. We become judges with evil thoughts instead of agents of His mercy.

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2. God is Always Exalted and His People Rejoice in the End
Because David responded with the love of Christ, God used it to glorify Himself even among enemies.

 

The result was not just victory, it was joy and reunion in David’s camp. David recovered everything, nothing was missing (1 Sam. 30:19-20).

 

It is right to say God recovered all for David. Patience and obedience finished their work.

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3. The Blessing is Wrapped in Emptying Yourself
Start greeting that person you have called an enemy. Start doing good to them. That is how you make room for God to start gathering your blessings (Matt. 5:43-48).

 

Whatever happens, count it all joy (Jam. 1:2). God uses it to shape you and set you up for what He wants to do.

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Conclusion
Friendship evangelism is not manipulation. It is love that refuses to repay evil with evil. When you empty yourself and act in kindness, you give God room to fight, to restore, and to be glorified.

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​​Evaluation Questions & Answers

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1. According to the lesson, what do you understand as ‘friendship evangelism’?

   • It is using acts of kindness, generosity, and friendship to build trust and create an opening for God to work. Like David feeding the Egyptian, you meet a person’s need first so that God can bring restoration and salvation.

2. In relation to the Egyptian in our lesson, why did David not miss his blessing?

   • Because he obeyed the Spirit and showed mercy instead of revenge. If he had killed the Egyptian, he would have lost the guide who led him to the Amalekites’ camp. His kindness became the key to total recovery.

3. Between the visible human being and invisible Satan, who is the real enemy?

   • Satan is the real enemy (Eph. 6:12). People are often instruments he uses. That is why Jesus told us to love and pray for our enemies - we are fighting a spiritual battle, not just a human one.

4. In banishing Satan or his visible agent, which one will solve our lingering problem(s)?

   • Banishing Satan. Dealing with the human agent without addressing the spiritual source just brings the problem back in another form. When we overcome evil with good and let God fight, He deals with both the root and the fruit (Rom. 12:21).

 

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Prayer

Father, thank You for showing us a better way than revenge. Give us patience and a heart like Christ’s. Help us to overcome evil with good so You can fight for us, restore what is lost, and be glorified in our lives. Amen.

 

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