Today I was at what I call my "other job," working part-time as a server at a well known chain Italian restaurant. At one of my tables was a man, probably in his late 20's or early 30's, who came in to eat by himself. We have a lot of people that come in and eat alone, and as a 26-year-old bachelor who occasionally eats out alone myself, I typically don't find anything odd about people eating solo. For some reason today though, I felt my heart breaking for this single man eating alone.
"Who was he?" I wondered.
"What is his story?"
"Does he know Jesus and have a relationship with him?"
Questions like these began to run through my mind as my heart felt heavy for another human being whose eternal destiny might be in jeopardy. I began to quietly pray in the side station, not knowing where he stood with our Creator.
As I took his food out to him and brought him drink refills I began to chat with him a bit. We were slow today, so I had some extra time to stop and talk. My primary intention was simply to connect with him and let him know that he wasn't alone. At the end of his meal I brought him his check, and we are supposed to give every guest what are called "Guest Connection Cards." We are supposed to write a little message on one side, then ask the guest to leave us a comment on the back. No matter what I write on the card, I always end it with "God bless." Today was no exception.
After he had left I went and retrieved the card from the table. He had left a note on the back thanking me for my service and for the great food, then he signed it "God bless. 1 John 3:16." I was relieved to know that this man wasn't alone and that his eternal destiny in heaven was assured.
I knew that 1 John 3:16 was a familiar verse, but I couldn't recall what it was off hand, so I pulled out my phone, opened my Bible app, and quickly did a search. Everyone is familiar with John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." In my opinion, 1 John 3:16 is an equally important verse for Christians to know, and one that may be nearly as recognizable, even if the reference isn't always known.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
As Christians we are supposed to follow the example of Christ, and 1 John 3:16 tells us that we ought to lay down out lives for our brothers, just as Christ laid down his life for us. Most of us will never have the opportunity to actually lay down our life and die in order to save the life of another person. However, we do have the opportunity to lay down our lives for our brothers. Every day we have the opportunity to lay down our desires, ambitions, pride, and fear; and instead pick up the cross of Christ and share our faith with others. When we deny our own desires for the sake of others we are laying down our life.
As Christians we have been given an unimaginable gift. Not only have we been saved from death by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but we have been given a message that can save others as well, and God has chosen us to be His messengers. We have one primary responsibility as Christians, and that is to share the good new of Jesus Christ with those who do not know him.
We have two accounts from scripture of what Jesus' last words were before ascending into heaven. One comes to us from the book of Acts, when Jesus tells his disciples that they will be his "witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8b). The second and more well known account of Christ's final words is commonly know as the Great Commission and it is found in the book of Matthew.
I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
Matthew 28:18-20
This is THE Cause of Christ, and this is the cause that all Christians are called to. This is what we ought to be doing. Sharing this message with everyone we can is how we lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. The message of Jesus Christ is so overwhelmingly beautiful and powerful that we cannot sit around and keep it to ourselves. It is so true and transformational that we should be doing everything we can to take that message to a world that needs to hear it.
I'm sick and tired of seeing Christians gather in church buildings waiting for the lost to come to them. Jesus didn't say to sit around, build buildings, and run programs. He told us to "GO!" Church isn't a building, it's what Christians do outside of that building. It's what they do the other 575 hours each week when we aren't at church that really matters. I want my church to be filled with broken people looking for healing. I want my church to be filled with lonely people in need of companionship. I want my church to be filled with sinners in need of a savior. And I want people to leave my church building every week excited about sharing the good news of the gospel with everyone they meet. I want their hearts to break, like mine did today, for strangers and friends alike. I want them to be so convicted by THE Cause and so overwhelmed by God's love that they can't help but lay down their lives for their brothers and share the message.
