"BRING THE HURTING TO JESUS"

St. John 1: 40-42

 

A doctor found a little dog with a broken limb. He took him home, set the limb, and took such good care of him that he was soon well.  The dog left his caretaker, who thought the dog showed ingratitude upon leaving him.  Sometime after, the doctor heard a whining noise outside his office door,  and opening it saw his former patient and another dog with a broken limb,  which he had brought for treatment and care.

 

In much the same way, Peter was brought to Jesus by his brother Andrew.  Christ met their spiritual need of healing.

 

Are you one who seeks out those in need of Jesus? Are the people you influence moving toward Jesus because of you, or are they as far from Him as ever? Is it possible that their bridge to Jesus has collapsed? Sometimes that happens because of busyness,  Our Comfort Zone,  which leads to spiritual neglect,  which becomes weeks and months and years - and then an eternity.  Or maybe it's fear that keeps the bridge from functioning.  But shouldn't the greatest fear be not what a person you love may think of you,  but that they may be lost forever?
 

 

I trust this issue of "Our Comfort Zone,"    the eighty ninth,  will be the one that will challenge you to leave your "Comfort Zone" and move out to some hurting person/  persons,  and bring them to Jesus.  The greatest churches ever built are built by enthusiastic Christians who believe  they are on the winning team.  They follow the example of Andrew who became so excited he could not wait to tell his brother Peter and bring him to Jesus as well.  Church growth comes so many times because they are reached by friends or a relative who invited them.

 

There are three proper motivation factors for Christian outreach.  First of all; "We Care About People."  Question:  Are you willing to invest your life in other people?  A Christian woman read about a car crashing into a house and killing a baby.  Grieving over the mothers loss,  the woman wondered about the lady driver.  Finally, she contacted the woman, and out of that encounter the guilty one found Christ and her family.

 

The chain of events went on adding links because a Christian woman spoke simply and acted lovingly toward a needy individual.  Andrew rushed to tell Peter because he cared about his brother.  He had found something and he wanted to share it.  You can make a difference.  We should be difference makers because God expect it.  Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told his disciples to go into the world and make disciples.  We also are to go out into the homes and neighborhoods, and make a difference in the lives of people.  WHY?  Because if we bring others to Jesus, He will make a difference in their lives.