Reaching the Lost

5: Reaching Those Who Are Nearby

Do you begin your day with a To-Do list?  Many people like to write down everything they plan to do throughout the course of the day in order to focus on priorities.  Disciples of Christ, whether they write it down on a To-Do list or not, should always have reaching the lost as a priority.  Each day we venture out into the world, we should have a mind prepared to share the doctrine of Christ at every opportunity (I Pet. 3:15).  But this does not always seem practical in our day-to-day lives.In Matthew chapter 15, a Canaanite woman seeks the help of the Son of God.  “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil,” (v.22) she pleaded.  Here is an individual one who believed in Christ, desiring to bring the healing power and love of the Lord into the life of a loved one.  Too often we get so frustrated trying to find ways to engage strangers about the gospel that we forget about those close friends and family members who may just as desperately need the knowledge of Christ.  We can almost hear the anguish in Martha’s voice when she tells Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21, ESV)Consider, for a moment, those closest to you.  Consider your own immediate and extended family members.  Consider your closest friends, your neighbors, the coworkers with whom you have good, friendly relationships.  Consider the cousin, aunt, uncle, son, ordaughter in your life who is lost in sin, or perhaps who was once faithful and has fallen away.  For all these and such people you may be the only representative of Christ, the only vessel of his doctrine, the only light in their lives.  We should be concerned about the souls of all men (Mark 16:15), but on a practical level it is often much easier to talk to your friend or family member on the phone or through email, than it is to talk to that angry cashier at Wal-Mart.Recall from Mark chapter 5 the man who Christ liberated from an evil spirit, how he returned to Christ and prayed that he could go with him (v.18).  “Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.  And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.” (v.19,20).  In a similar fashion, as disciples of Christ experience daily the love and power of Christ, so should we be happy to “go home to our friends,” those closest to us and share the great things Jesus has done for us.In Luke we read about how the neighbors and cousins of Elizabeth rejoiced in the mercy the Lord showed her (Luke 1:57,58) in bearing John the Baptist.  Because of her, albeit miraculous, exposure to divine things, those closest to her came and rejoiced with her, all of them recognizing the power and mercy of God.  How wonderful for the disciples of Christ, as vessels of the Christian doctrine, faith and practice, to have our friends and family rejoicing with us in the Lord!In the life of every disciple of Christ, Jesus through the inspired Word has performed many acts of spiritual power and authority (I Cor. 1:23,24).  We know he has the power to heal (Mal. 4:2).  We know he has the power to teach, demonstrate, and guide us in divine knowledge (Matt. 19:16).  And, most importantly, we know he has the power to save (Acts 4:10-12).  How tragic it would be for us to tell Christ, “my brother’s spirit would have lived if only you would have visited him”, only to hear the Lord respond, “But you did not take me to him.” – Jeremy Koontz