As followers of Christ, we have been saved. Saved from the punishment of our sins and saved to the family of Christ. And the amazing thing is that we didn’t have to earn this by our own actions. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us “you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works so that no one can boast.” We cannot earn this right to be children of God. It is God’s gift given to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. However, this gift should change us and the way we see others around us. It changes the way we live our lives. Not as a way to earn our salvation, or pay God back for what He has given us, but as a way to show our love for the One who loved us first and to show those made in His image how much He loves them too. We are called to reach out.

Jesus’ final words to His believers was just that, a call to reach out. Matthew 28:18-20 tells us Jesus’ last words to His follower. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of time.” With His final words, Jesus gives every believer in every time period and every location, their mission. They are to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples in His name. We are called to do what we watched Jesus do: show others love and point them to what can take care of their deepest need. And out of our love for who He is and what He has given us, we count it as an honor to share His message with others.

We recognize that this reaching out is a process. We are intentional with how we plant these seeds of the Gospel. “The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect” (James 5:16b). Before we talk to people about God, we talk to God about people. We ask God to give us eyes to see others the way He sees them. We ask God to show us who He wants us to share with that day, petition God to open their hearts for the Word He has for them, and recognize that they are hurting people, not just projects for us to work on. We take the time to get to know them and build relationships with them. We see them and their needs and work to take care of a need in their life as we get to know them and serve them. When the opportunity is right, we share our story of what God has done for us and the clear Gospel message with them.

The clear Gospel message is key to each one reaching out. Genesis shows that we were made for a personal relationship with God. He created us for that purpose: to know Him as He knows us. However, we have messed that up with our sin and separated ourselves from God. God made it clear that one sin is all it takes for us to earn eternal separation from Him and each one of us is guilty. These sins cannot be removed by our own good deeds. God’s established punishment for sin is death and nothing else will work to satisfy the wrath we are due. The good news is that in His great love for us, Jesus paid the price for sin when He died on the cross and rose again. The only one capable of paying that price was someone who was perfect and without sin of their own. That someone is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. He took our sins and our punishment and died for us. When He rose from the grave, the payment was cleared. We then had access once again to a relationship with God. Everyone who trusts in Him alone can now gain eternal life. Its Jesus and nothing else for our salvation. Jesus said “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent – Jesus Christ” (John 17:3). Our eternal life is not waiting for heaven (and that will be great), but enjoying the relationship we can have with our God and Savior in this life. That is the clear Gospel message we are called to proclaim as we reach out.

At Calvary Baptist Church, we are not ashamed of the Gospel because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). We are a church that calls for each one to reach out to those who need this message of salvation.