POINTING OTHERS TO JESUS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
(Jeremiah 31:3)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about the best way to point others to the Lord?
Probably the best way to answer that question is to remember how the
Lord drew us to Him. Did He demand that we come to Him? Did He
give us commands to obey before we could come to Him? Did He give
us a list of tasks to be completed before we could ask for salvation?

The answer to each of these questions is “No”. God draws people
to Him through His love and kindness. That should be the model
for us. We need to ensure that others can see His love and kindness
flowing in and through us.

People evaluate our faith by what they see and not by what we say.
We can quote scriptures, talk “religiously”, and tell others that we
belong to the Lord, but if they can’t witness it in our attitude and
the way we live, then they are going to be skeptical of the things we
try to tell them.

The Bible tells us how those with faith met every day to praise
and worship God.
    Every day they continued to meet together in the
    temple courts. They broke bread in their homes
    and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
    praising God and enjoying the favor of all the
    people. And the Lord added to their number
    daily those who were being saved.
    (Acts 2:46-47)

Look at the results of these faithful people who
met together to worship the Lord. The Lord…
    “added to their number daily those who were being saved”

They could have stayed at home and developed their own form
of worship, but they enjoyed connecting with other believers to
praise the Lord and learn more about Him.

They could have waited for the designated annual feasts to
worship Him, but they loved the Lord and looked forward
to their connection with other believers.

They could have claimed that they needed to tend to their
crops and didn’t have time to meet with others, but they
were dedicated to the Lord and He was their top priority.

God was important enough to the early Christians that they set
aside any selfish desires and chose to go to His house to worship,
sing praises, and learn more about the Him, and His Son.

More than likely, after they saw others being saved as a result of
their own faithfulness, they realized the impact they could have
on those who needed to receive God’s free gift of salvation.

Why should we want to worship and praise the Lord? Why should
we have a desire to participate with other believers in learning more
about the Lord?
    My sheep listen to my voice;
    I know them, and they follow me.
    (John 10:27)
Note:
    Even though some cannot physically meet together with other
    believers (due to illnesses, weakened immune systems, risk of
    contracting pandemic viruses, or physical limitations), they can
    still ‘connect’ and be a part of group worship through other
    means (such as social media, which is provided by a lot of
    churches today as a result of the pandemic).

They can also stay in contact with others through texting,
phone calls, etc. (some Sunday School classes are using
group texting as a venue for weekly lessons, and sharing
prayer requests as a means of ‘staying in touch’ with their
brothers and sisters in Christ).

Of course, group worship is best whenever believers can meet
together in God’s house, but it is extremely important to stay
connected when we cannot be with others physically. If we fail
to make special efforts to stay connected, we will gradually fall
away from any kind of worship. We need to schedule time for
worshipping, the same as we would if we could attend church.
And, we need to continue giving our tithes and offerings as God
has commanded.

We just read about the depth of thankfulness a group of people
had for God and His blessings, but what does the Bible tell us
about individuals worshiping God in His house?
    There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel,
    of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with
    her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was
    a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple
    but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
    (Luke 2:36-37)

Anna never left God’s house as she worshiped Him night and
day; she also fasted and prayed to show her appreciation for
God’s goodness. It may not be practical for us to ‘never leave
the temple’, but it is important for us to establish and maintain
a consistent time of worshipping of God and connecting with
other believers.

If we don’t stay connected, we run the risk of rationalizing our own
ideas about how to worship. We need to hear the things that might
cause us to leave our comfort zones in order for God to continue to
sanctify us (transforming us to become more like Jesus so He can use
us in whatever way He chooses). The scriptures tell us:
    For the time will come when people will not put up with
    sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will
    gather around them a great number of teachers to say what
    their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears
    away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
    (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

In our world today, it is difficult to find the same level of
dedication that we see of the believers we read about in
the scriptures. In general, most churches give us three
opportunities a week for gathering together to worship
with other believers. Sadly, there are many who do not
consistently use at least one opportunity a week.

If we have a sincere desire to see others led to the Lord, then
we should learn from the scriptures how important it is to be
connected with other believers. People of faith should be excited
about worshipping the Lord.

We can tell others that we love God as much as we want to,
but if they don’t see anything in our life that supports our
faith, then how could they possibly believe what we are telling
them?

If others don’t see our faith in action, they may develop an
opinion that our faith is not heartfelt, but merely words, and
that perception will not contribute to leading others to Jesus;
it could even push them further away from Him if they cannot
see any sincerity in our faith.

It doesn’t make any difference how many times we tell others
about our faith, or how many scriptures we can quote, if they
don’t see any evidence of faith in action, they are not going to
believe we have a faith in God, or a relationship with the Lord.

God used love and kindness to draw us to Him and we should
mimic His love and kindness when we interact with others.
When people are treated rudely and offensively by others, it
should create in them a natural attraction to the kindness they
see in Christians. When people who are hurting need love and
support, they should know they can go to believers for receiving
love and encouragement.

We don’t have to move mountains or perform heroic acts as a way
of pointing others to Jesus, we just need to be kind and loving. If we
to that, we show others that our faith is real. When others see the
sincerity of our faith and the characteristics of God in our attitudes
and actions, that may be the seed that begins the process of pointing
them to Jesus.

God may choose someone else to water those seeds in some specific
way, but the bottom line is, we all have a responsibility to serve God
in some capacity. He had plans for us even before He created us.
    “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
      before you were born I set you apart; I appointed
      you as a prophet to the nations.”
      (Jeremiah 1:5)

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
    “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
      you hope and a future.
      (Jeremiah 29:11)

ACTION:
Is your faith supported by your actions? When people see your
expression of faith, are they drawn to the Lord? Do you have
any areas in your life that contradict your profession of faith in
Jesus Christ? What things in your life prevent you from pointing
others to Jesus?

If you were a lost person, would you want to know God based on
the sincerity and dedication you see in your own life? If you were
on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to
convict you? Are there any habits or attitudes that you need to
change so you can become more like Jesus, the One you are
following?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I am thankful for the salvation You
have given me and I want others to receive Your gift as
well. Forgive me if others cannot detect the sincerity of
my faith due to my actions, or lack of actions. Help me
to consistently show love and kindness to others. Impress
on me the importance of supporting my ‘words of faith’
through my ‘actions of faith’. God, I don’t want others
to perceive me as a hypocrite who talks about faith, but
doesn’t show it. I want to serve You and be a contributor
of pointing others to You. I realize that I cannot be selfish
and serve You at the same time. Change my faulty attitudes
and priorities, and cultivate Your characteristics in me. Lord,
I need You to help me to be a living witness for You. Thank
You for Your many blessings and forgive me for any failures
to show my appreciation through prayer and worship of You.
The knowledge of Your love and forgiveness never ceases to
amaze me. Help me to live a life that will assure others that
Your love is available for them too, if they will reach out to
You for it.”

BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com