Reaching Out

Throughout the bible, there are two major "themes" that stand out - loving God, and loving people. In fact, Jesus said these were the two greatest commandments.

Matt 22:36-40

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I believe the best way we can love God and love people at the same time is to reach others for Christ. Jesus gave us the "Great Commission" in Mark 16:15 - to go into all the world, and preach the Gospel (Good News) to every creature. Why? Because the hart of God is to save a lost and dying people; to change their destiny from on of eternal torture to eternal life. God’s deepest desire is for all men to spend eternity with Him.

John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

In reaching others for Him, we fulfill the desire of His heart, as well as offering people the greatest gift available - the gift of eternal life. God has entrusted all His people with a special ministry - the ministry of reconciliation (2nd Corinthians 5:19). We all have the distinct privilege of announcing to the world the message of what God did for us through Jesus to provide atonement (forgiveness) for sin.

We are all messengers of the love of Christ. While the world is out "looking for love in all the wrong places", we have answers. So we must be the ones to show the unconditional love God has for them. However, the message of His love can’t just stay in the church, it must be taken outside its walls.

We can’t expect the lost to seek us out, we must seek them out. Jesus himself came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Most Christians I know weren’t saved inside the walls of the church, but rather accepted Christ as Lord through someone reaching out to them.

In Matthew 4:19, told Simon Peter and Andrew that He would make them fishers of men if they would follow Him. If we are to reach others for the sake of the Gospel, we must reach out. A fishermen doesn’t stand idly on the shore and wait for the fish to come to him. Instead, he casts out a line hooked with bait out into the waters. Our bait is the Gospel, the Good News that Christ came to set us free. When we tell the story and lift Him up, God will draw them in by His Spirit.

I want to encourage you to step out beyond your comfort zone and extend to others the free gift of salvation. Nothing more would please the Father more then to see His perfect plan for the world accomplished through you - reaching out.