Almost every pastor/church leader I’ve ever met has a desire to reach people in their ministry. There are certainly disagreements over how you reach people but one thing everyone would agree on is this: it’s hard. It’s hard because:
- We lack passion to reach people
- We are not captivated by the gospel
- We don’t know non-believers
- Evangelism is uncomfortable
- We don’t feel worthy enough to lead someone to Christ
The list goes on. I’ve recently become aware of another reason that I’ll add to the list (as if we needed another!) and that is…we are too busy. I’ve been reading the book The Art of Neighboring and here are a few quotes from the book:
Author John Ortberg has coined the phrase “hurry sickness.” As he says, “Love and hurry are fundamentally incompatible. Love always takes time, and time is the one thing hurried people don’t have.”
The healthiest person who ever lived was Jesus. He got a lot done, but when we read about his life, the word hurried never comes to mind.
The journey begins when we choose a lifestyle of conversation and community over a lifestyle of busyness and accumulation.
It’s vital to take a step back and ask ourselves if we live at a pace that allows us to be available to those who live around us.
So, if you have a desire to reach people then you need to make yourself available and invest in the lives of non-believers. This means sacrificing “good” things in your life in order so you can do the “great” things (think Great Commission) that God has called you to. Likewise, you need to teach and equip your congregation/volunteers to do the same.
“God may we be a people who are willing to sacrifice our comfort and ambition for the sake of the gospel.”
I hope this idea has humbled and motivated you as much as it has humbled and motivated me.
