Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means "Christ"). John 1:41
About six months ago, we were sitting in a staff meeting when Todd shared his vision for The Difference One Life Can Make series. We had seen that our people at Sagebrush had naturally turned somewhat inward over the years. This wasn't just limited to the people who attend every weekend. Even some of our staff had gradually become a little more isolated from non-believers. Todd challenged us to start caring for people who were far from God. This began to change things in our culture on staff. Each of us began to think through where we could go, what club we could join, and what intentional relationship we could build with the lost.
It has been six months now, and many of our staff have answered this call. We have staff members that do Cross Fit, tearing it up and representing Jesus. We have a couple of people on our small groups' team that do Meals on Wheels, delivering food to those who are vulnerable and praying for them. We saw a guy who joined a senior softball team who is single-handedly inviting the other guys from his team to church. We have a guy that even goes down to the American Legion for lunch each week to build relationships with veterans. The best part about all this is that people are coming to Jesus Christ. During the Altar Call a few weeks ago, we had a gentleman who one of our staff has been building an intentional relationship with come forward. This has taken time, but God is moving as we build intentional relationships.
This was the model that we see in Jesus. He had a "come and see" mentality that invited others to believe. Andrew, one of the original disciples, saw this in Jesus and offered the same invitation to others. He brought his brother, Simon, to meet Jesus. He is the first example of someone following Jesus' example to give people an opportunity to have their life changed. We know that we also have to adopt this same mindset as a church. God has put us in this world to make a difference. We have to be brave enough to push past our fears to share!
What are some ways that you can put yourself in places to build an intentional relationship? It may be that you need to follow the example of our staff and think through:
What club do I need to join?
What fitness class do I need to be a part of?
What cause can I become a part of where I can interact with the needy?
What school do I need to volunteer at?
Where can I make a difference?
Come up with a plan and write it down below.
The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.
Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.
They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).
Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).
