Thank you for reading my posts. If you are one of the two people that read my posts then thank you! I greatly appreciate it. I pray that what I write not only interests you but moves you. If what I write does not lead one closer to Jesus and/or His Word then I haven’t done my job. If you have benefitted from any of my posts, please drop me a line and let me know. You can send an email to Larry@LarryPittman.com or comment below.
Please take a few moments and read Jesus’ famous last words…
Matthew 28: 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
It’s never about the Church. When I say Church I am referring to the Body of Christ. The people that have faith; whose hearts are sincerely seeking Him and “believe that He rewards those” because of it (Hebrews 11:6). Of course, if you are a part of the Body, then you know that it has flaws, just as you have flaws.
Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Do you lead people to church or the Head of the Church?
With that being said, who are you pointing people to? Do you direct them to your church, as in the local body of believers that regularly meet down the street? Or are you leading them to the Holy One, the One who will never disappoint or deceive? Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great churches around, but who would you rather place your neighbor or friend in the hands of? A flawed body of people who can come across as weirdos sometimes or the person of Jesus Christ whose very words are perfectly placed in that big, dusty book on your shelf?
The Holy Word of God never disappoints.
John 1: 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
People accept Him or reject Him. For those people in your life that you identify as seekers, you can direct them to the Word of God today!
2 Corinthians 6:2 2 For God says,
“At just the right time, I heard you.
On the day of salvation, I helped you.” (Isa 49:8)
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.
First of all, I think that many people are much more receptive to the Living Word than a strange and sometimes creepy place, with sometimes creepy people. Let’s face it, visiting a church for the first time is intimidating even for believers, let alone the uninitiated.
You don’t have to wait for Sunday services or Wednesday youth night when you can get them reading the Word of God today!
John 1: 45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
After your friend meets God, He will lead them to His Church, that’s one thing we can be sure of.
Are you becoming more like Christ?
What is your testimony anyway? Is it “This is what the Church has done for me!” or is it “This is what God, the Creator of all things has done for me!”? A person with an open heart will meet God every time they read the Good Book, but will they meet Christ in church? Maybe.
Very Important:
If Christ is in you, then your friend or relative will meet Him through you. If their hearts are receptive then they will be open to reading (or listening to) the Word. If their hearts are hardened then you will probably hear every excuse under the sun as to why they will not go to church with you.
If you are not regularly consuming the Word, then I think it’s time to ask yourself these questions:
- Do I want to grow in the Lord?
- Am I meek enough to expose myself to the convicting Word of God daily?
- Should I consider learning a little more about God every day?
- Is my faith in God important to me? Why?
- What am I currently valuing more than God?
For the person that is not actively seeking God through the regular reading of the Bible: If you’d only realize what you’re missing out on. God wants you to get to know Him better and pursue Him. He will transform your life if you make yourself available to Him daily.
Don’t get me wrong
Just one more thing: If God lays it on your heart to invite someone to church, do it. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t. What I am saying is that we should take our relationship with God seriously and when that happens, we become like Jesus and those seekers will be drawn to us and we will not have to wait for Sunday morning to introduce them to Him.
Acts 2: 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Will you pursue Him?
“Dear Father, help me to know you more so that I can lead people to you. Give me the right words to say and a boldness to speak to others about you. Thank you for teaching me new things and helping me grow. In Jesus’ name, Amen”
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash