Pastor Bob

“Be the reason someone smiles today”

Have you heard that saying before? As a high school teacher, I see sayings like this daily. Sometimes, the sayings are corny; other times, they are deeply profound. However, I am unsure whether teenagers share my opinion regarding the profoundness of these positive mottos plastered in both classrooms and hallways. But I digress.

Reading that statement today, “Be the reason someone smiles today,” got me thinking. But first, l fully believe there is nothing inherently wrong with showing kindness to those we come in contact with. As Christians, we should readily and consistently exhibit the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 (CSB)

¹⁶ I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.

            Galatians 5:22–23 (CSB)

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

It’s perfectly fine to be why someone smiles today, but if that is our primary goal for the day (as Believers), we have lowered the bar. What should be our primary goal each day? It’s simple: we must move at least one person one step closer to Jesus. And what I like about this goal is the applicability of it. What do I mean? Well, this applies to Christians and those who are not believers!

Hebrews 10:24–25 (CSB)

²⁴And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works,

²⁵not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

The author of Hebrews reminds us to provoke our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to love and do good works. Jesus calls each believer to bring out the best in each other; this directly opposes how the secular world operates. This idea, unfortunately, is not taught and practiced in the church today. We should be calling, texting, emailing, and any other viable means of communicating with members of our local fellowship of believers throughout the week leading to Sunday. Christians should be in fellowship with other believers, not only on Sundays but also throughout the week. As we encourage one another, our goal is to see them be the best they can be, and in doing so, they will be one step closer to Christ and more like Him. But how can we help move the lost closer to Jesus?

The Christian community is rife with evangelism methods, programs, gimmicks, and philosophies. And while it is unfair to discredit those with whom I am unfamiliar, often, these evangelism tools get in the way of actual evangelism. Of course, there is no silver bullet evangelism tool, but as with many things in life, the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) method is remarkably successful. How does this flesh out in real life? Easier, er, simpler than you’d think! And remember, your goal for the day is to help people move one step closer to Jesus.

A simple, genuine, and friendly conversation can be the easiest and most effective means of introducing the lost to Jesus. And during these conversations, heed the Holy Spirit’s leading, wholly relying on Him to guide you as you talk.

John 14:26 (CSB)

²⁶But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

John 16:13 (CSB)

¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.

The hardest part might not be the conversations; for many Christians, it is not being the person who leads the lost person to Christ. In other words, not being present when they trust Christ as their Savior can be tough. Here in the West, culture is self-focused. We have been conditioned to crave the reward; we yearn for the credit and accolade. But this notion is antithetical to Scripture. This is strikingly clear in the third chapter of First Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 3:5–11 (CSB)

⁵What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.

⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

⁷So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

⁸Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

⁹For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it.

¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul quickly points out that multiple people can be a part of someone’s salvation story. Paul planted, and Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. It is not any different today. Think about how you trusted the Lord as your savior. Did you decide after hearing the Gospel for the very first time? Statistically speaking, it’s not likely. I heard the Gospel many times and in different situations before I finally trusted Christ.

Believers must do as much as possible to converse with the lost; we should remember that the lost is not the enemy! Most importantly, the goal of these conversations is not salvation; rather, the goal should be that whoever we talk to leaves that conversation one step closer to Jesus. Before you excoriate me, yes, I believe that someone may come to saving faith during these conversations. It is possible but not probable. However, there is a much higher percentage that the person we’re talking to moves one step closer to Jesus, and that’s the goal.

Friends, there are many in our churches that, even though they are believers, they can still be moved one step closer to Jesus. We can help them! Furthermore, we come in contact with more lost people than we can count (and a few will be in your church) who need to be led one step closer to trusting Jesus; we can help them, too!

One last thing regarding these conversations with Lost. Be sure to have a consistent prayer life. We must go to the Lord about the lost before we go to the lost about the Lord!