Don't Ignore Andrew

Sixteen-year old Andrew was instantly likeable. He offered to volunteer for some heavy moving after my friend Brandon made a quick call.

His work ethic and attitude also impressed me. And then afterwards, as we sat at McDonald’s, told me something else which peaked my interest.

One Sunday, with no invitation or prompting from anyone, Andrew visited the church a block from his home. How many teenagers would do that?

I asked him, “So why did you decide to go to church?”

Andrew answered, “I just wanted to see what it was like.”

“What did you think of church?” I said.

Andrew responded, “It was kind of like the first time I heard Spanish.” He said it made little sense to him. I asked if he knew anybody or if anyone spoke to him. “No,” Andrew said, “I was just sort of there.”

He never returned.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “You seem to me to be well-motivated and well-instructed, quite capable of guiding and advising one another. So, my dear friends, don't take my rather bold and blunt language as criticism. It's not criticism. I'm simply underlining how very much I need your help in carrying out this highly focused assignment God gave me, this priestly and Gospel work of serving the spiritual needs of the non-Jewish outsiders so they can be presented as an acceptable offering to God, made whole and holy by God's Holy Spirit.”

What’s he saying?

People inside the church are excellent at communicating and teaching each other. But there’s a higher calling! Our job, assigned from God, is to get the outsiders to be insiders— followers of Jesus.

Bottom line: we’ve all ignored strangers and missed opportunities to serve their spiritual needs. Outsiders are looking for Jesus. Are we looking for outsiders?