Let the Shepherd Lead

If people are the mission, what I am I doing to connect with people?

As a part of my daily devotion I have been reading People are the Mission by Danny Franks. One of the thoughts that he shares early in the book that resonated with me comes from a continuing debate in church. There are some churches that are “come and see,” focused on getting people to come to church. There are other churches that are “go and tell,” focused on going outside the walls share Jesus. If we are truly Great Commission Christians, will we not connect with people using both approaches, as Franks challenges?

Matthew 28:18-20 says “Go and make disciples” so yes we should go outside of the walls. But it also tells us that once we make a disciple we should be “teaching them to observe everything I have commanded”. Don’t those phrases imply that we want people to come and see how to live for Jesus? So maybe we should answer these two questions to amplify our mission: 1) Who could I connect with by going to them? 2) Who could come alongside me and see how to live for Jesus?