Who Did You Bring With You?
Any Christians in the building? Any blood-bought believers? Just doing a roll call to see who is tuning in. Each time that I attend church, I am looking to come away with tidbits that will not only challenge me but also change me. The funny thing about change is that it requires work. Which is an action word. Which means each week I need to be doing something to continue to grow and change. Sunday’s sermon provided a challenge that every Christian should be deeply invested in. Want to know what it was? I’ll take that as a yes since you’re still reading.
Acts 3:1-10 captures a deeply moving encounter. A lame man is outside the gates of the temple. He’s sitting outside of the church ya’ll. Which is a pretty ingenious move. Surely the good church folks will take pity and give him some spare change. Peter and John are on their way to church. Minding their business. Maybe talking about who is leading the praise team that day. They might even be talking about what to eat after temple. The point is that they are going about business as usual. The man spots them and asks them for help. Now, this is the part where Peter and John were supposed to drop their change in his cup and carry on to church. This is the part where they were supposed to go about business as usual. Instead, it becomes the part that is life-changing.
Although Peter and John are going about business as usual, their business is focused. Their aim is sure. They are committed to spreading the gospel and, for them, anytime is a great time to offer the gift of salvation. Peter looks into the lame man’s eyes and makes a declaration. Peter lets him know that he can’t give him money, but he can offer him the gift of Jesus. Now, Peter doesn’t just preach Jesus. He holds out his hand and lifts the man up. Years of being lame are no more. The man received strength in his feet and ankles. He leaps up and goes with Peter and John into the temple. He goes in praising God.
Peter and John brought someone into the family of Christ while going about their business. Who did you bring with you? Evangelism….the spreading of the gospel…is one of the cornerstones of our faith. As a teenager, I was on fire for Jesus. I regularly invited my friends that did not attend church to come to church with me. Call me a junior missionary. Baby, I wanted the world to know about my Savior. No one left behind. (Especially because I was reading the “Left Behind” series and I didn’t want to have folks screaming that I didn’t tell them….child that’s another story for another day.) When we have good news, we should want to share it with everyone.
As Christians, we are broken and imperfect people in need of a perfect Savior. Are you a Christian? A blood-bought believer? Is Jesus not only your Savior but your Lord? If you answered yes, tell me…who did you bring with you? Not just with lip service and speaking in tongues. It’s about being invested in others’ lives. Our business as usual should have an aim and a focus. We have to continually lift Jesus up. Not ourselves. We cannot fix broken people (because let’s face it…we’re hot messes ourselves), but we can direct them to the Savior that is healing us.
Sunday’s sermon challenged me, and it should challenge you as well. We can’t continue to step over wounded people on our way to church. We cannot continue to ignore the lame people we encounter daily. Mission work is not just about going to foreign countries. It starts right where you are. In your community. In your neighborhood. On your street. In your house. Look around this week. Look around today. Be determined to bring someone with you. #wepreach
