The question we’ve been asking as a church during our currents series as we prepare for Easter is this:
“Who’s my one?”
Who’s the one person in my life that is close to me, but far from God? We believe all of us have someone like that in our lives, and that God has called us to invite them into the family of Jesus.
But what if I don’t know who my “one” is? What if I don’t seem to have one? How can I have invite my “one” if I don’t have one?
Acts 3 offers a great example of how to find your one. Peter and John are on the way into the temple when they come across a man who is paralyzed. The man asks them for money. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter heals the man’s paralysis, and then out of that encounter Peter shares the Gospel with the people who witnessed the miracle.
There are two big ideas from that passage that I believe can help us find our ones.
#1- Who has God placed in our path?
In some way, shape, or form, we all interact with someone at some point. In fact, it’s often the same people at the same point. Think about, for instance, going to the grocery store. Typically we go to the same place at roughly the same time each week and see the same people. Often, the same person helps us check out.
That could be your “one”!
Or perhaps you have a hobby that you engage in regularly. The people that you hunt, fish, golf, shop, game, or just chill with- one of them could be your “one.”
Your “one” could be a classmate. It could be someone in the carpool line. It could be a coworker.
The point is this: Typically, it’s not so much that we don’t have people around us. It’s that we simply aren’t intentional about interacting and engaging with them for the point of inviting them into Jesus family.
Peter and John simply engaged with the person God placed in their path- and we all have someone in our path. Make that person your one!
#2- What are their needs?
Many times, the people we interact with have something going on in life. Sometimes, it’s obvious- like the case of the paralyzed man. Other times, it’s not so noticeable and we don’t discover what’s going on until we interact with them.
One of the most powerful ways we can share the Gospel is by showing the Gospel to people. In other words, we find out what a person’s needs are- and we meet them in a very real and tangible way.
This is what Peter did for the paralyzed man. Of course, it was through the Spirit’s power, not his own- but the point is the same. He saw a need, and the Lord enabled him to meet a need.
What often gives us a platform and the leverage to share the Gospel is when we meet someone’s needs in a real way. What are the needs of the person or people in front of you? Ask the Lord how you can meet their needs- and then invite them to Easter!
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The bottom line is this: it’s not (typically) the case that we don’t have people around us. It’s simply a matter of being intentional with the people that are around us. We begin to ask “Who has God placed in my path?” and “What are their needs?”- and that is what opens the door to discover our “one”- and invite them to follow Jesus.
Given the current situation with the Corona virus, we have an incredible opportunity to see who God has placed in our path and what their needs are. The church may not be gathering- but the church is STILL the church!