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Christ
constantly moved about a small area, especially around
Capernaum in the north and Bethany down south. He never
kept hours or had an office. He always “ate out.” He
never seemed to have organizational meetings. He spent a
lot of time with His followers, dined with “sinners,”
answered lots of questions, taught groups of listeners,
took special times to get away and pray, made use of the
synagogues to raise issues, healed and did miracles. It
seems that much of His time was spent just being among
people.
Perhaps
we’ve lost sight of how important it is to be among
people in a way that lends itself to relaxed, friendly,
or even intense, philosophical talk. Like sparks on dry
tinder, God works through us powerfully when we make
ourselves available to those we most want to see
affected by His message. If God has planted His love and
the fruit of His Spirit in you, that amazing work of God
is largely wasted if we stay away from people. “Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16,
NKJV).
Here is the idea:
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Find a “hanging out” place, or several, in your
area. For some people, time spent there will take
place early in the morning before work. Others may
be able to invest a weeknight at a coffee shop.
Whatever the time and place, this should be a spot
that attracts “regulars” with whom you will best be
able to connect.
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Learn the names of the people you meet and jot
them down so you won’t forget them. These names will
make a good prayer list.
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Read your Bible or a Christian book while you’re
out.
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Keep a friendly, approachable demeanor. Speak to
people. Introduce yourself and find out about them.
Focus much of your talk on them. They’ll also be
curious about you.
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Ask your new friends what they believe about
important issues of life and death. These types of
topics make for more significant conversations and
relationships.
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Talk about what you believe and how you approach
life.
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Seek to make friends who will be important to
you no matter what their spiritual preferences. Love
them for who they are.
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If
you have read something interesting that you can
pass on, by all means do so, especially if it has
something to do with the true love of your life,
Jesus Christ.
These
suggestions could be misunderstood in a world that
majors on production, but they make sense to those who
long to be as much like Christ as possible.
Expect
God to do something. You might help a fellow believer or
a person who has not previously understood Christ’s
message. You never know what God may be doing—the world
reacts and responds to “lighted” Christians.
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