More to Life: Introducing Jesus

More to Life:  Introducing Jesus

Here at Christ Church, we are part of the larger mission of the United Methodist Church to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  We believe that we will discover a deeper life living as followers of Jesus; we become the people that God made us to be, we better understand that we are loved by God and called to love other people with the same love.  We come to know that in God’s eyes we are not defined by a broken past, but by a grace filled future!   At Christ Church, we “make disciples” and show that there is more to life by Introducing Jesus, Growing Faith, Relieving Suffering, and Shaping Children.  For the next four weeks, my articles will focus on one of these elements of our vision, beginning today with Introducing Jesus.

How did you meet Jesus?  Think about it for a moment:  Was it from your parents?  Growing up in church?  Did it come later in life?  Was it through a friend or a complete stranger?  Did it come in an instant or slowly?  Was it a relationship that grew and deepened over time?  If someone were to ask you, how would you answer?

In truth, I think Jesus introduces himself to us first.  As humans we live and breathe surrounded by the presence of God, whether we are aware of it or not (so even using the word “introduces” sounds awkward).  God made us and we belong to God.  God is constantly reaching out to us, constantly extending grace and seeking relationship.   It is God who made (and is still making) the first move.

But it is often other people that wake us up to God’s presence.   I think this is where the concept of “introducing Jesus” is so important.  We awaken to the truth that we are made and loved by God.  As a church, that is our priority, helping people to see that heart of God, as revealed in Jesus Christ.  As the writer of Colossians says, Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).   We are helping people to come to see the deepest things about themselves and God’s world.

For many, introducing people to Jesus means that the person becomes aware of how fallen and broken they are, they acknowledge Jesus as “Lord and Savior”, and then they will live eternally in heaven after death.  I don’t minimize or dismiss any of these things, but introducing people to Jesus is so much more.  If Jesus is the image of the invisible God then this means that we can see God’s own heart.  It means that people come to see that Jesus’ ways of mercy over sacrifice, peace over violence, serving over selfishness, grace above self-righteousness, love over hate (even those we may really want to hate) are God’s priorities-and thence our realities, as well.  Introducing people to Jesus is introducing him to his worldview and it is counter-cultural!  Introducing people to Jesus is introducing them to a new way of life, a new identity, and a new way of seeing the rest of creation.

It is important to say, too, that the ways that we introduce people to Jesus are also important.  There have been too many stories of people being frightened into faith or appeals made to people’s guilt.  We have seen too many people introduce Jesus with angry faces, or bitter hearts.  Jesus did not seem to appeal to such tactics in fact he usually gave dinner parties for those everyone else judged.  I think he believed that if people knew how loved they really were by God, if they experienced God’s radical hospitality, their hearts would be transformed and a new life could begin. 

In today’s church, we are often uncomfortable introducing people to Jesus; we don’t want to fit the mold of one of the above bad examples.  Yet as true as that may be, it doesn’t mean we should stop introducing people to the best news that there is:  that each person is loved by God, known beyond their worst mistakes, and through grace given new life.  This truth has the power to change lives and the world.  We can’t stop introducing people to Jesus we just have to do it in ways that are life giving rather than demeaning or demoralizing. 

Helping people to meet Jesus is easier and more natural than we think.  First and foremost it takes a commitment to relationship.  We have to deeply care about the people we are forming spiritual relationships with.  We have to love them whether they become Christian or not; our love should not be dependent on their decision.  We love from a much deeper source than the immediate decision of another person.  Besides, who knows what seeds God is planting that will bloom later. 

Further, Jesus will be met in a special way through the community of his followers, the Church.  Together, the apostle Paul says, we are the “Body of Christ”.  The best invitation that I have found for inviting to meet Jesus through the Church comes from the New Testament.  In John 1, when Philip invites the skeptical Nathanael to come and meet Jesus, he simply says, “come and see”.   Just come and experience.  We don’t have to be salespeople for the gospel or Jesus.   The Spirit can take care of that.  I think we simply have to be authentic and intentional about inviting people to “come and see” what God is up to in their life and in the world. 

As our relationships deepen with people, it will be helpful for us to know our own story of meeting Jesus, not to share in a “preachy” or “self-righteous way”, but to help people better see how Jesus might be trying to meet them.  As the old saying goes, evangelism or faith sharing is nothing more than one beggar showing another where he found bread. 

So I invite/challenge you to do something this week:  write down how you were introduced to Jesus and the difference that it has made in your life.  Then when the time is right and the relationships are deep enough, share your story:  not in a preachy or manipulative way, but simply describing how you discovered there was more to life…and then trust that God will plant seeds through you.   

You are the hands and feet of Christ,

Brett