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Modeling Jesus to Reach People

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LOVING ONE AT A TIME: PROXIMITY    

Kyle believes we need to follow the example of Jesus in focusing on the one person He would have us serve at any given time.

Obviously, that requires being around other people.  “One of the words that best captures the love of Jesus is proximity,” he says, as he suggests looking within our everyday lives.  

“The chariot you chase (referring to Philip chasing the Ethiopian eunuch’s chariot in ) might be the gym where you work out. The grocery store you shop at. The café or restaurant where you’re a regular. I think for sure it’s your workplace and the neighborhood you live in. God’s going to put you in close proximity to people who are far from him and give you divine appointments to share Jesus with them.”  

Kyle also points out that God often leads us to love people who are difficult, draining, and different. Loving people the way Jesus did, he says, "means being consistently pointed to people and situations that may not feel natural or comfortable."

And what of those people in our proximity? Kyle challenges us not to assume they are there by random accident. “The person next to you on the plane, the server at your table in the restaurant, the stylist or barber cutting your hair, the parent or grandparent who sits next to you at your kid’s game, the family who lives next door – what if you started considering them divine appointments God has known about since the beginning of time and has carefully orchestrated so your paths would cross at just the right moment?”  

Proximity involves risk, Kyle concedes. The risk of rejection, of being misunderstood, of not having the answers to others’ questions, etc.  Instead of focusing on risk, he says we need to avoid regret for not taking the risk.  

To illustrate this, he tells the story of a friend, Alfred Lomas. A gang member for 29-years, Alfred had known only drugs and violence since he was twelve years old. One day, in a rough section of south-central L.A., a sweet, elderly woman approached him, asking him if he were hungry. She had somehow become separated from her mission group, and promised that if he would show her how to get back to the L.A. Dream Center, they’d give him a good meal.

Alfred agreed, and found far more than food that day. He ended up staying at the center for a year, in a program for guys like him, and found the unconditional love of Christ. Today, he oversees the food distribution at the Dream Center, and even brokered a truce between the three main gangs in the area, dramatically reducing violence in that dangerous part of town. All this because an elderly woman with a heart for the lost risked reaching out to a scary-looking gang member in love.  

LIVING ONE AT A TIME

Kyle says we can use all personal interactions - every gathering, all our words, and each conversation, meal or need - to point others to God.

Regarding conversation, he points to a few ways we can direct them as Jesus did: First, by leading with questions. “When we ask a question, it shows we value the other person and believe they’re worth knowing,” he exhorts. “Jesus was known for asking questions!  In fact, in the Gospels we see Jesus ask 307 questions!”  

He says if we don’t know what to ask, we can follow Jesus’ lead. When initiating conversation with the woman at the well, He asked about the obvious -- water. When we’re getting our haircut, we can ask about the best or worst customer they’ve had, or our coworker about the pictures on his desk. “Ask questions and be ready, because it will open a door to a spiritual conversation.”  

Next, Kyle says we can take the conversation from superficial to spiritual. How? He offers several suggestions: 
•    “You’re eating with your non-Christian extended family at Thanksgiving and want to ask, ‘Could I pray before we eat?’ 
•     You’re talking to a neighbor who asks what you did this weekend, and you realize you can share what you learned at church.”   
•    “You’re sitting in the stands at your kid’s game when another parent compliment you on your child’s behavior, and it hits you this is the perfect chance to be vulnerable about the challenges of parenting but also how God has helped you along the way.”

Next, we can lead the conversation from spiritual to personal, as Jesus did so skillfully with that woman at the well.  “I’ve found the best opportunities to make it personal are often with people who are hurting.  Pain can lead someone to seek help or answers they are lacking. Whether the person has lost a loved one, has been diagnosed with an illness, is facing financial pressures, or has a marriage that’s falling apart, you have the chance to compassionately share a message of hope they desperately need to hear. That’s the best favor you will ever do for them.”  


     
 

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About The Author

Julie Blim
Julie
Blim

Julie produced and assigned a variety of features for The 700 Club since 1996, meeting a host of interesting people across America. Now she produces guest materials, reading a whole lot of inspiring books. A native of Joliet, IL, Julie is grateful for her church, friends, nieces, nephews, dogs, and enjoys tennis, ballroom dancing, and travel.