Whatever Happened to Helping Those In Need?

"On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice'. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Gospel of Matthew 9:12-13).

Church for the most part has become filled with individuals who are already saved and spirit filled. As I have so often shared the church has become incestuously religious, meaning that we only have relationships with our spiritual brothers and sisters and there is no outreach beyond the family. Church has become nothing more than a big family reunion and those that need the ministries the most are not present.

Most of our church growth comes through the sharing of the church with those who are already saved. People who just want to change churches. This is not church growth! True church growth is when we reach out to the unchurched and the unsaved and lead them to the fullness of Christ.

Jesus hung out with those who were considered the sinners. He shared intimately the gospel in settings that would cause most of us to cringe. The religious elite of the day got upset with him because he seemed to prefer to be around the "sinner" instead of the religious." Jesus response to them was that "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." How would our church look if we really reached out to the sinner?

Bill Hybles coined the phrase, "seeker friendly", but what if we created a church that was "Sinner Friendly". Where a sinner would feel comfortable and relaxed and open to hear the gospel and change their lives.

I suggest that we can do this by the following steps:

1) Creating an Environment of Unconditional Love.
Where the sinner will not feel judged but feel the love of the Father through all those that are present.

2) Make Worship Less Confusing,
Church folk know Church, but the sinner doesn't. We have all of these special codes, when to sit, when to stand, when to raise our hands, when to pray. We must make worship less confusing--like letting people know the words to the songs!

3) Preach Jesus!
Sinners want to hear the Gospel, not some cute antidotes on how to get a blessing. They want to hear of the life changing power of the Gospel and How to live for the Lord.

4) Create Learning Experiences.
Develop classes that will help them understand the bible and Christianity in a non-judgmental and arrogant way. Teach them what it means to be a follower of Christ.

5) Mentor Them.
We must be willing to walk with them on their spiritual journey and be a big bother or sister.

I believe this is the starting point! Destiny Church and Destiny World Prayer Center will be going back to the basic foundations of our church to seek and to save those who are lost and to truly make disciples.

We will be going back on the suburban train stops and malls, the area nightclubs and bars sharing the Good News of Christ and inviting men and women to receive the Salvation of the Lord! GET READY! GET READY!

Living with Faith and Power and Creating a Phenomenal Life!

Bishop Keith Russell Lee
Hoffman Estates, IL and Los Angeles, CA

Spiritual Prayer Treatment

Father, give us the heart and the
anointing to reach the lost and
to identify with the sinner to reach them
for the Gospel sake.
In the Name of Jesus and Through His Power!
Amen! And So It Is!

Don't Forget to Plant a Seed in our Church! We need your support! Please go to www.powerfaithandliving.com as a result of your seed, we will send you out a free copy of my new book coming in October.