Reaching People for Christ

Yesterday at church I had the opportunity to pray with several people as they accepted Jesus' profound gift of salvation. Of all the adjustments to being a pastor that I am experiencing this year, this was the best role to step into because it's the main calling that all of us have as followers of Jesus Christ. We are all called to build relationships with people so that they might come to know God more deeply. All Christians should learn to become familiar with evangelism, even though evangelism takes on many different forms depending on life situations. God is on mission to redeem the world, and he has a part for every single one of us to play in that grand adventure. That narrative is what defines our life purpose. Most of life will not make sense to us as human beings unless we view it through the lens of God's mission to reach the lost in this world. That narrative clashes with the American Dream narrative, though, because the American Dream narrative that we live in communicates that life is all about us, and our happiness, and gaining more power, money, and influence. We live in a hyperindividualized culture where we are encouraged to make our selves the center of the universe. God's Grand Narrative, which was in place long before our lifetimes and will continue long after we are gone regardless of how culture shifts in the world, should provide the meaning in our lives if we are followers of Jesus. However, instead of breaking that narrative down into small principles to apply to our lives, we should orient ourselves in God's Story by searching for where God is on mission in this world and deeply engaging in that mission in those places. Christians find our meaning in advancing the Kingdom of God, not advancing our selves so that we might somehow be happier by worldly standards. Our purpose in life is to reach others for the sake of Christ.