What it Means to ‘ENGAGE the World for Christ.’
// Tim Sexton, ENGAGE Pastor
When we speak of engaging the world for Christ we mean living on-purpose & on-mission to interact with others, serve them, and share the gospel in a way
that they can understand and respond to. To really live this way will require a
change in priorities, time management, budgeting, and even more. This could get pretty radical…
So where do we begin? The answer is both simple and profound: look to Jesus. He is our ultimate example of what a life on mission looks like. Ultimately you engage the world for Christ by engaging the world like Christ. In this article we’ll take a look at Jesus’ lifestyle and determine four actions that we must do in order to begin engaging the world for Christ now.
LOVE WHO JESUS LOVED
Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and the second commandment is “love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Matthew 22:37-40). Jesus lived out these two commandments perfectly.
Several times in the New Testament we read of Jesus slipping away into the wilderness to spend time with His Father (Matthew 14:13, 14:23; Luke 4:42, 5:16, 6:12, 9:28). If Jesus, as God in the flesh, depended on His relationship with the Father to fuel his mission, how much more should we? Missional living does not begin by doing; it begins by being. Being alone with God, being a lover of God,
and being dependent on Him.
Jesus’ love for God spilled over into his love for others. His “personal mission statement” was, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). This mission of love compelled every aspect of Jesus’ life, up to and including the Cross. His schedule reflected this priority. He was constantly spending time
with those who needed Him. And like Jesus, His followers should be motivated by love for their neighbors.
GO WHERE JESUS WOULD GO
Jesus’ life was completely de-compartmentalized. He took His ministry and message everywhere He went. THIS is living on mission! He did not merely wait for people to come to Him; He went to them. Jesus hung out with rich people. Jesus also hung out with the poor in the ‘bad’ part of town: lepers, prostitutes, the demon-possessed, the sick, and the ‘unclean.’ Jesus crossed the cultural barriers of gender, race, class, and religion. Jesus welcomed children. Jesus went into religious places, into homes, and into workplaces. He went to parties – with ‘sinners’! He was on mission in the wilderness, on the mountainside, on the lake, in the town, along the road, and in a garden.
Engaging the world for Christ means going where Jesus would go. It means everyday is an “on- mission” day. It means the workplace and the neighborhood are just as holy as the church building. It means crossing boundaries of race, culture, color, and class to go wherever Jesus would go. It means you are already a missionary. And Jesus may take you places you never dreamed you’d go.
SERVE LIKE JESUS SERVED
It has been said that if you just look at the ‘red’ words in the gospels Jesus can
look like an angry prophet with a harsh message. But if you look at the ‘black’ words in the gospels, you see a life of selfless service. Put them together and you see words and works in perfect harmony. He healed the sick, touched the outcast, taught the ignorant, served the poor, fed the hungry, elevated the meek, and freed the demon-possessed. He washed the disciples’ feet. Ultimately, He gave His life away for others.
What does this mean for Christ-followers? It means that we should serve like Jesus. Help the widow next door. Mentor a troubled student. Volunteer at a pregnancy center. Send a care package. Fix something broken. Sponsor a child in a faraway land. Go on a mission trip. There is no end to the possibilities!
“The Son of Man has come not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). The world desperately needs to see followers of Christ giving their lives away in service to others.
SPEAK LIKE JESUS SPOKE
Jesus did not stop at doing good things. He had a definite message for humanity. The message was the gospel; the message was HIM. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is available through Jesus! His death on the cross paid for our sins, and his resurrection proves He is the powerful Son of God (Romans 1:4). Deliverance comes through repenting of whatever we were trusting in - whatever we were worshiping and depending on - and believing in Jesus as our God, Savior, and Hope. He is the Solution in life’s difficulties and the Provider of eternal life. His teachings bring blessing; His way of life yields eternal rewards.
Jesus delivered this message with compassion toward the broken and repentant,
but with bold firmness toward the obstinate and self-righteous. He spoke with cultural relevance – with words and illustrations people understood. He knew His audience and used stories they could relate to. He spoke biblical truth. He shared the gospel.
So we cannot retreat from our culture and be like Jesus. We must understand our culture well enough to speak in terms they can comprehend. We speak gently to some, boldly to others. It means we speak truth, which demands we continue to study the Bible! It means we speak with love, which demands that we care deeply about others.
So, what does an engaging lifestyle look like? It looks like YOU - loving God and loving people. It looks like YOU - going where people are, serving them like Jesus, and speaking the message of Jesus in understandable ways.
Now go engage the world for Christ!
Need more help? Contact Tim Sexton, ENGAGE Pastor,
at tim@faithnc.org, to take the ENGAGE Class.