How Many Christians Have You Encountered?

God hit me with one of those questions last week that can leave you very discouraged yet very challenged at the same time. Last Sunday, we shared the upcoming focus and plans for The Overflow, which you can read by clicking on this link. Over the next several days, I began to think about the real possibilities of what could happen as a result of this vision. It's really hard to imagine the potential of what God could do if people were truly willing to be the church and no longer be content with merely going to church.

Then, the big question came. "How many times I have ever encountered a follower of Christ outside of "church" activities and routines?" Behind this question I was thinking along these lines...

-In my almost 30 years of being alive (of course I can't remember all of it), how many times has someone randomly tried to show me the love of Christ in a practical way?
-How many times has someone shared with me the excitement they have for Christ and what He's doing through their church?
-When was the last time I saw people actively sharing the love of Christ without standing on the street corner yelling at people with phrases like "Turn or burn"?

As I started thinking through all of this, I was deeply saddened by the lack of "Jesus" encounters I've had in my life. I honestly struggled to recall more than one specific incident in which someone shared the love of Jesus with me outside the walls of the church building. Then, God flipped the question around on me...

How many people have encountered the love of Christ in real and tangible ways because of me? In this moment, my feelings and emotions went from being very frustrated with Christians because of our lack of passion for Christ to really convicted because I was a part of the problem! Yes, I've overflowed His love on occasion, but there's so much more that I need to be doing. Yes, I've been nice to random people, friends, and family members. Yes, I try to let my live reflect the principles found in the Bible, but do people really know I do these things because of Jesus? After all, many atheists are nice people and do kind things for others. Mormons love their family. People who are agnostic can be just as friendly as anyone. So what makes me any different?

So, this rollercoaster of emotion took another turn, yet this time the ride went up because God used this dialogue of conversation that seemed to last for a few days to encourage me to consider the possibilities. He reminded me that the results are ultimately in His hands, but I have very clearly been commanded to go. Go make disciples. Go lead people toward Christ with overflowing love as I'm living my life.

What does this mean? It means my perspective on life and church needs to continue to adjust so that it better aligns what God's perspective. It also means that I need to look at what it means to be a Christian more than I think about what it means to be a pastor/church planter.

Here's my question for you (and me)... How many people this week will know about the love of Christ because it has overflowed from your life? I truly believe the church is a sleeping giant that through Christ could literally devour the strongholds of sin and evil that reign over so many people's lives, but will we? Will you join this movement called THE CHURCH or will you continue to stand on the sidelines (seats on Sunday) and be content with only being a fan of Jesus instead of a follower?