Friday | Bless the Outsider
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2 Cor 5:18-21
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...
1 Pet 3:15
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Pet 3:9
Friday | Bless the Outsider: Our part in this is simpler than we might think. Jesus asked us to be His witnesses. We can only share what we have seen, what we have experienced, what we know. It’s ok if we don’t have all the answers. No one wants to talk to those people anyway! Simply be willing, be ready, be available, be obedient. We don’t always know how God will use us, and it’s not something we can measure. Trust that the Holy Spirit dwelling in you will give you both wisdom and words as you seek to love your neighbor in practical ways. We do not initiate spiritual conversations with unbelievers out of compulsion or fear, but rather freely and with joy, as the Holy Spirit leads and guides. Because we ourselves have been raised from death to life, we desire that others learn to follow Jesus and walk in the way of life. If this is not yet your experience, be honest. We are all in process as we walk this journey, and God will honor our simple efforts to love and bless others as we serve and share our story.
The Bible is a story about the Perfect Lover who set his heart on his Beloved. Even as she is repeatedly unfaithful, He relentlessly pursues her until her heart belongs wholly to Him. While our culture accuses the Church of being exclusive, the truth is that God’s love is radically inclusive. From the beginning, God set his love on a particular people for the explicit purpose of extending his blessing, through them, into the entire world. Through relationship with Jesus, we have become a part of God’s chosen people, His Beloved. We are blessed to be a blessing, to join God in His quest to fully reconcile all things to Himself.
Rick Richardson recently shared two acronyms that are helpful in this conversation, which are in the table below. FRANC helps us identify the people whom God has already providentially placed in your circles, and BLESS includes five practical steps as we seek to become a blessing to those around us.
On the first Friday we do this together we will together put together a FRANC list. Who are some friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, and co-workers who don’t know the Lord? Spend some time creating a list. You’ll notice some gaps and as we listen to the Lord in the coming weeks hopefully we will add to our FRANC list.
Once we have an idea of who the Lord is calling us to reach out to, we work our way through the BLESS list. We’ll encourage one another and spur each other on as we begin with prayer and move our way through this list. Bless stands for Begin with Prayer, Listen with care, Eat together, Serve in love, and Share your story.