If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else. -Galatians 6:3, 4
The Bible teaches that if we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we should then we are deceived. As Christians, we can best determine our self-worth and our place in the world through our relationship with Christ. The Scripture teaches that when the Lord is at the center of our lives then all other aspects of our lives will line up in their proper place. When we begin to look at life from that perspective we will be better equipped for keeping an attitude of humility which is vital for our Christian growth and ministry. Verse four in the above passage carries this concept a step further: We are to demonstrate our place in the world, and God's kingdom, based upon our own gifts, talents, abilities, and our own unique personalities. This is far more productive and positive than comparing ourselves with everyone else. Those of us in ministry can truly get caught up in this. What preacher among us is Billy Graham? I’m not him and he isn’t me. We are both called to our own unique ministries based upon our own unique personalities. No two of us are alike, are we? So why do we tend to compare ourselves with others? This same truth holds with individual congregations. We are defined based upon our relationship with Christ Jesus. All individual congregations can have a unique ministry in the community, and while we can learn from other congregations, we are called to be a vital part of the Body of Christ in the world. Rather than wish we were someone else or wish we were like this or that congregation, we can rejoice in who we are in Christ, not in who we wish we were.
When we take on such godly, humble, and Christ-like attitudes we are better equipped to be about the ministry of reaching the lost. Are there lost sinners out there in the community around our churches? Oh my, they are like a prime fishing spot that has been stocked. I have a friend who is a police officer, and occasionally I will run into him out in public. I asked him recently how things were in the police business. "Booming," he replied. The same can be said of the ministry of reaching the lost. The sinners, backsliders, unbelievers, and those who need restored to the fold are everywhere. We are called to reach out to them, not in judgment, but in love that they might be restored to the fellowship of the church or come to faith in Christ.
Reach out in the name of Jesus as we are called to do. We are all to be doing just that – reaching out to the sinner.
