Unengaged. Unreached. Unevangelized. Untouched.
Those are missions buzzwords. Want to stir up the crowd at the next conference? Make certain you use one of these words. Christians are stirred when they think of people who are un-something. I mean, let’s touch the untouched! Let’s evangelize the unevangelized! Let’s work harder to reach the unreached! It’s our job to engage the unengaged!
No matter where you live in the world, there is someone near you to be “engaged.” Informing the uninformed, telling the untold; however you put it, we should be busy telling the Gospel story.
How often we go out into our communities with our pack of tracts, our Bibles, our invitations, our flyers…our things about “us.” Problematically, our brand of touching/reaching/evangelizing/engaging works best on those who have a mindset like our own. And let’s be honest: There aren’t many like “us” out there.
Looks like there’s another group who really needs to be engaged; that’s “us.” We’re not being engaged by our society, by our culture, by our own people. And we make excuses about it. You know, “People can’t take preaching any more. They don’t listen like they used to. You can’t get into their homes.” If we aren’t careful, we go all the way out to, “It’s the last days, nobody’s gonna listen. Signs of the times! Better button up the bunker, Bertha!”
I know plenty of men and women who serve the Lord and find ways to win people to Christ. But to them, people are not targets. People are not simply converts, the scalps you count from your evangelistic efforts on Thursday evening or Saturday morning. They are people. Hey guys, Jesus came for people. He came to engage them, evangelize them, reach them, and touch them! Yes, I know, it takes time. It takes investment. It will cost you, whether from your wallet or your calendar or your soul.
We need to be engaged by our communities. We need to be involved. Get out into your community and show compassion. Find ways to show the light of the Gospel, and you’ll find ways to share the love of Christ. Good deeds are okay! You won’t lose your salvation just because you do something good. It won’t weaken your belief that you are saved by grace through faith. It will put you out there with people. Make yourself approachable. Have your neighbors over to the house, and just be good to them. Listen to them. Soon enough, you’ll bear their pains with them, and pray for them, and pray with them. And Jesus will become real to them through you.
Let’s engage the unengaged, starting with ourselves.