Looking at Outreach through the Lens of Love
By Lori Letts
(This blog post on reach is the last in a series about LCC’s five core purposes: worship, connect, grow, serve and reach.)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:19-20
In the verses above known as the Great Commission, Jesus is asking his disciples to teach the gospel of Christ to everyone—everywhere. In Christian ministry, we often call this outreach: providing services to others and spreading the good news of Jesus.
Some people can be confused or afraid of doing outreach. Are you one of them? I know that outreach can look like a lot of work, and you may feel it’s something you just don’t have time for. You may have heard great stories from your friends about how fulfilling it can be, but you may think to yourself, “How can I do this? I’m barely keeping my head above water as it is!” Does this sound familiar? What if I told you that you’re looking at it through the wrong lens?
Let’s take a look at outreach through a different lens. Isn’t our one ultimate goal to look like Jesus? The fruit of the Spirit gives us a very clear lens to see what it means to look like Jesus in all areas of our lives—in our actions, relationships, words and even our thoughts. Are you living your life with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and gentleness?
Spiritual maturity is not about biblical knowledge or giftedness. It’s about living a life that exhibits the character of Jesus—compassion, forgiveness, patience, gentleness, kindness and so much more. But Jesus wouldn’t be any of those things if He wasn’t love. Likewise, we can’t be any of those things if we aren’t love. It’s who Jesus is, and it’s who we are created to be.
One of my favorite authors, Bob Goff, says that love isn’t something we fall into, it’s someone we become. That made a significant impact on how I began looking at outreach. I began to see outreach less as something I should do and more of something I should be, because who we are is ultimately what will draw others to Christ.
Did Jesus do outreach when He walked the earth? Certainly! How did he do it? Absolutely everything Jesus did on this earth was about love and people. He wanted to transform people because of His love for them. No - other - reason. No ulterior motive. Just love.
Now, since our ultimate goal is to look like Jesus, how about we look at outreach through the lens of love. What does that mean? That can mean a lot of different things, but when I’m trying to transform something about myself or my actions to look a little more like Jesus, I start with a lot of prayer and then slowly start building a foundation that won’t crumble so easily—one that I can continue to build on. Change the way you interact with the people around you by looking at them through the love lens—one person at a time. Loving on people and helping them in a tangible way is what outreach is all about.
Lori Letts is the director of missions and outreach at LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, S.C.