Found People Find People

Yes, the title of this post was borrowed from NewSpring Church in North Carolina, but it holds an incredibly profound message in just four words!

God has impressed on me some questions to pass along for some thought provoking examination of our lives in Christ:

What do you pray for?

What are you pursuing?

What are you obsessed over or preoccupied with?

The first question on prayer – that one is between you and God.  Actually they are all between you and God, but the last two questions are a bit easier for those around you to see.  Kind of convicting isn’t it?  Just review your Facebook posts, emails, checkbook, conversations…are the majority of your “conversations” on subjects such as gun-control, healthcare, economics, sports, shoes, video games, social networks, television shows, etc.?  Many of these conversations may have spiritual implications, but is that where the root of your motives lie?  Is the time spent on these (and other) subjects taking away time that God may want to use to draw people to Himself?  Are the answers to any of these questions self-serving or others-focused?

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus reveals to us what we refer to as The Great Commandment in response to a question asked of Him:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And then, in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives us our marching orders in what is referred to as The Great Commission:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We may care in our hearts, but do we show it in our schedule, time and resources?  Loving someone in our hearts means nothing until you show it with your actions!  James 2:14-17 puts it this way:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

The Great Commandment guides and molds our thinking, shaping our minds to align with God’s will.  The Great Commission guides our actions when we have chosen to follow Christ, making Him Savior and Lord of our entire lives.

Simply put, if we love God and others we will go make disciples who will in turn love God and others and begin making disciples.  This is how we change the world…Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples!  Or as a church in North Carolina puts it:  Found People Find People!