Outreach Efforts
Christmas celebration time has just passed and as we begin a new year, may we reflect on what it was really suppose to be all about. We could see that commercializing Christmas gets more attention as each year goes by. It seems decorating gets done earlier every year. Catalogs seem to arrive in the mail earlier and gift buying is probably on the increase as well. With all of these distractions, we as believers should focus on the true meaning of Christmas—the greatest gift the world has ever received.
Luke, Chapter two tells us a Savior is born which is Christ Jesus the Lord, our hope of peace and salvation. Thank God that He saw mankind needed a Savior and was willing, through His love, to provide us with His very best gift. With all this in mind, it should provoke all believers to recognize the urgency of making that gift known to the billions who have never heard of this incredible gift that we have just celebrated. The least we can do is present this good news to the lost in our surroundings, who don’t understand the true meaning of “God with us in Jesus Christ”, and let them know they can receive this wonderful gift also. During the past Christmas season, how many of us remembered to open the gift of the Gospel which is the ultimate gift and the greatest hope we can offer to a lost person. In this new year I pray our eyes will be open to all the opportunities that God places within our reach to proclaim His redemptive work in Christ. May that same power that compelled Christ to leave heaven compel us to leave our comfort zone to present His saving grace to the lost.
Even though we are now living in a time when it is getting more and more offensive to the world, we must take the stand that we are to do the work that our Savior did regardless of the price. Jesus came as a little baby to show us what God is really like with His ways. Being close to Christ produces a desire and willingness to separate from the world no matter if we are called narrow minded. But Hey! God uses narrow-minded people.
Jesus’ mission was to give salvation from a life of sin to a life eternal. We can help these lost souls have a wonderful turning point in their lives if we are willing to follow Jesus’ footsteps. God will prepare their hearts in advance.