“It is my responsibility to reach out to my Six to Eight. David can’t reach them for me. No one else can reach out to them and connect with them the way I can. I cannot wait for someone else to do it for me. I have to start investing in them now. I have to start preparing the soil so that when they are ready I can share my story and plant the seed of the gospel. It is my responsibility to walk with my six to eight as they become disciples. Making disciples is what I do. Making disciples is a part of who I am. It’s not someone else’s responsibility. It’s on me. No one else can do it for me.”
God has intentionally surrounded each and everyone one of us people who don’t know Him. In all likelihood, right now, in this instance there is someone close by that needs God. And God has put you, right there where you are, so that He can use you to draw them to Himself.
This is the purpose of the church. The church, ultimately, does not exist for the it’s own people. It exists for those who are not yet a part of it. This is what everything leads to and what everything leads out of. The reason it is so important for you to have a relationship with God is not only for your own connection with Him, but that others might see Him in you. The reason it is so important for you to be invested in the community is that others will be drawn into this life-giving community. The reason it is so important for you to serve is so that you can serve those who don’t yet know Christ. The reason it is so important for you to know your story is so that you can share it with your 6-8.
Yes, God loves you deeply. Absolutely. Yes, God wants all these things for you. But, He also wants them for those around you who are still lost. In fact, Jesus would leave behind the 99 who are safe to go after the one who is in danger, outside.
There are people around you that only you can reach. David cannot reach them. The Church can’t do it for you. They don’t need David or the church or someone else to share their story, they need you. They need you to share your story with them. They know you, they don’t know David. They know you, they don’t know other members of the church.
There are people around you who need to see, feel and experience God’s love for them through you. They need you to show them the unconditional love you have been shown. They need you to reach out to them and care for them because they are valuable, because they have worth and dignity. Because they too, are made in God’s image. Because Jesus died for them. Because God loves them.
Show them God’s love is how we prepare the soil. Loving our neighbors, coworkers, family members and whomever else is in our 6-8 is how we prepare the soil. This is the work that needs to be done before we plant the seed. We invest in their lives. We meed their needs. We do tangible things for them. Yes we pray for them and ask for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of their mind and heart to be receptive to the Gospel. That’s urgent and important. But that’s not the only thing we do. We must show them physical and tangible expressions of God’s love.
That’s not all. We don’t just prepare the soil and plant the seed of the gospel. Then we walk with them as they grow up in Christ. We protect them while they’re young and starting to progress on their own. They follow us as we follow Christ. We are in a covenantal relationship with them. We’re not just there to get ’em in. We’re there for the long haul. Through the thick and thin. When it’s easy and when it’s hard. When we want do and when it hurts. We walk with them when things need to be pruned out of their lives. We do so gently and humbly. And then they take on the process themselves. They start producing fruit. Fruit that will last. Fruit that is attached to the vine.
This is my 6-8. No one else can do it for me.
This is my SixEight. It’s on me. It’s my responsibility, and I take it personally.