Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…. (1 Timothy 1:15)

For the last several midweek devotionals we’ve been exploring how Jesus maintained balance in three key areas of his life.  He fostered a deep, intimate UPWARD relationship with his Father and a fully engaged INWARD connection to other believers. Today let’s consider his OUTWARD relationship to the world.  While his upward relationship was his source of life and his inward relationship was a source of support, his outward relationship was his mission.  As we connect with Jesus’ mission, we will feel an urgency to reflect the love of Christ towards those who have yet to experience his grace.

If you read the gospels you can’t miss Jesus’ heart for the world.  He was passionate about people and connected them to the Father. He was out in the world ministering, serving, loving, and teaching. It seems like he sought out opportunities to intentionally engage the world around him. He was driven by compassion for a lost and hurting world.

Matthew 9:35-36 gives us a snapshot into Jesus’ life.  “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.…” 

It seems like Jesus was on to something.  The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. He knew that it’s easy to wobble, to slip out of balance and to over schedule or to self-protect or isolate or to get caught up in our own plans and agendas or think that life is only about our comfort or pleasure so that we don’t engage in Jesus’ rescue mission to the world.  And that is so ironic, because the world is all around us and so desperately needs to be reconnected to LIFE… and we have it.

As individuals and as a church, if we are engaged in deep intimacy with the Father and vibrant healthy Christian community only, we are out of balance. Jesus sends us out into the world to minister to people in his name.  “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you (John 20:21).”

I think as a church family we may be a little out of balance.  Not in our foreign mission outreach… we invest $80,000 a year and support 19 missionaries, five organizations and host several annual mission trips.  But locally and as individuals, I wonder if we have lost our passion for the world. Are we actively engaged in Jesus’ mission here in Bristow?  God has given us a huge harvest field… thousands of homes and the fields are still ripe, your neighbors are ripe to experience the love of Christ. Let’s not wait for them to come to a church service.  Let’s bring it to them!  Love God, love others… in the neighborhood!