Meeting People Where They Are - The Missional Path

Jesus provides a subtle yet powerful example of how we should engage with our cities. When reading about the beginning of Jesus' ministry, you will discover that He is always going and seeking people. This is how He found His disciples. Matthew 4 notes that He found Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John simply by walking by the Sea of Galilee. He did not expect them to come to Him while He sat in His house or the city square, but He was proactively searching for His disciples.

Likewise, Matthew notes that Jesus went throughout all of Galilee (think going throughout Central Arizona) teaching in the syngogues (he went to where people gathered). As His famed grew He continued going to different regions and cities. He went to Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond the Jordan river.

It seems that this can be very instructional to us. Jesus was on a mission to save His people from His sins and in order to accomplish His mission, He had to go and seek out His people. He had to let people know who He was and why He was there. Some would argue that this is what present day evangelists do (they go region to region and city to city proclaiming the Gospel) which certainly is true, but do they reach your neighbors, friends, co-workers, or family? Possibly some of them, but not all of them.

This is where we come into the picture. God wants to use Morningside as His instrument to reach those we know and there are two ways of accomplishing this: either going and seeking them individually or going where they gather as a group. Notice that either option involves going and seeking, it does not involve them coming to us.

Moringside is each of us...it is you. It is not a building...it is you. God want to use you as His instrument to transform the city of Phoenix for Christ...one neighbor, one family member, one friend, or one co-worker at a time by following Jesus' example and going and seeking them. Let us do that very thing.