We just launched a new series—Beyond the Walls—and I’m excited for where God is going to take this! Have you ever thought about all the meaning behind walls? Who are you trying to keep out? Who are you trying to keep in? There are physical, emotional, and spiritual fences (boundaries) that people put up. I want to focus on spiritual walls and getting beyond them!
How do you get beyond the walls—the boundaries you’ve set—and reach people? You have to take the walls down to know people. Christians are called to go out into all the world so that all people groups will be reached. You can’t be obedient to the call if you see some people as insiders and others as outsiders not worthy of being addressed.
There are two types of problems Christians sometimes think they have, some real and some of their own making. These are heathen problems and harvest problems. Read through John 4:34-35, and see if you can pick up on the tension in this passage. If you don’t recognize what God is saying, how can you be obedient? Harvest means celebration! Be willing to listen for God’s voice, and to go where He leads. Jesus did this when He went through Samaria. He had the right mindset. We’re not the ones who fit while everyone else is a misfit! Have love and acceptance for others.
Understand that, in a sense, we’re all misfits. Choose to be an optimistic misfit (an optimisfit) and reach others for Christ. Remember the story of the woman at the well (John 4), and don’t be afraid to share the love of Christ with people who others avoid. Easter is rapidly approaching, which is harvest time! Be thinking about who you can invite to join you at The Summit. Harvest time is something that requires a lot of work, but remember that it’s a time of celebration. The thing about a harvest is that if you don’t reap it, it rots.