Take Jesus Out

Yesterday I started a new series that I am so excited about for The Landing called Seeds of Change. Our mission is to be more mindful of telling others about Christ and winning souls. Let me share an excerpt of that message today...

MATT 13:1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.

There is an interesting thing happening here. First off, notice that Jesus got out of the house. There is a great deal of impact we have in our churches but the real change happens when we take Jesus out of this house. The next thing he did was to get himself in front of the people.

There were so many people surrounding him in the story that he was unable to speak TO the people. Sight lines were hindered. It seems to be important to Jesus that He be able to SEE the people: to make a real connection. When you and I want to make a serious connection, to make certain we are being heard and understood, we say "look at me". Look me in the eyes, so I can see if you understand. I don’t want you to miss what I am telling you. Jesus knew that what he was about to dispense was important. So He got a boat close by and drifted out a bit so that now the people could really see Him but more importantly He could really see the people. He got in front of the people.

THAT should be the message of this month and our future. THAT should be the mission of our church, our outreach opportunities, our children's ministries, our student ministries, our CONNECT groups, our worship team: get Jesus out of the house and get Christ in front of the people. Why? Because when we get Christ in front of the people, people will be moved by His spirit to respond to Him. People will respond to whatever, or whomever they are exposed to. Our focus must be to take this Jesus whom we know as Lord and Savior, and plant Him right into the hearts and lives of the people that we are connected to. You might say, "I am not good with planting my story- my faith story into the ground. I challenge you to quit saying that right now. You plant all the time. Your words are seeds. Your actions are seeds. Your thoughts are seeds. YOU are a seed. Everywhere you go and everything you are doing is planting YOUR story. For us as a faith family, the reason we are the church is to put Him in front of everyone that we come in contact with. Jesus was about to dispense some very important life lessons and He wanted to be certain that the people were in the proper position to witness/experience this teaching. So He put himself in a better position to insure that this would happen.

What are YOU doing with this Jesus you call your Lord today? Is He safely tucked away in your home and your heart? How about taking Him out to the restaurant or workplace today? Get Jesus in front of the people you know and see what begins to happen! Not only will He change hearts, it will change your life too! And please share your stories about witnessing with me:)