Reaching Out with the Good News – 16 March 2009

What on earth am I here for?  What’s my life all about?  At some stage in our lives we find ourselves asking this kind of question – for many of us it is the focus of our mid-life crisis as it dawns on us that we have less time left of our lives than we have lived already.  It is a sobering moment.

The bible is clear that we do have a purpose and most pages give us some indication of what that purpose is.  Jeremiah the prophet wrote these famous words of encouragement:

“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 [NIV]

There is nothing more important in our lives than to live out God’s plans for us, and his plan for us as individuals is inseparable from his plans for his family, the body of Christ, or the church.

As a church we say that God’s plan for us is to reach out and turn unchurched people into a community of mature disciples who worship Jesus and serve others – that’s what he put each one of us here on earth to do.  During this week we’ll be looking at the five aspects of that plan, beginning today with: reaching out.

It’s a pretty bold endeavour as we spell it out in this statement: “to reach out and turn unchurched people into” … a community of Christians.  But that is nothing more that the commission Jesus gave to each one of us:

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them … and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”.  Matthew 28:19,20 [NIV]

It seems an impossible task and beyond us, how can it happen?

It happens one life at a time, as Christians faithfully demonstrate the love of Christ in their lives and explain what that love has meant for them.  As we do this, people we encounter in our daily lives, who both experience and come to hear of the love of Jesus, ask that same question, “what on earth am I here for?”, and we are able to give them the answer as we point them to Jesus and his perfect plan for them.

Father help me to reach out with the Good News today, demonstrating and sharing your love to those around me and help me respond to their heartfelt need as they seek purpose and meaning in their life.   Amen