The Jesus Model | Northstar Church

“… Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:14-15

When we look at Jesus’s life and ministry we see the greatest evangelist that ever was or ever will be. He was the light of the world. He was the one who in every moment of His life for thirty-three years filled every word He spoke with grace and truth. We would do well to imitate Him in everything we do, including going out amongst the lost.

His passion is for us to be in the world as He was in the world; to imitate Him and to love and to serve non-Christians. His desire is that we be like Him and that we commit ourselves to develop intimate relationships with non-Christians. Jesus intended for His disciples to make disciples. Or in other words to multiply His life in the life of others. That’s what happened in the early church. (Acts 6.7 ESV) says, “…the Word of God continued to increase and number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem….”

But how do we go about going out amongst the lost? We can learn from what Jesus did. We can learn first from how Jesus related to people. Jesus connected with people on a personal basis. He was loving, caring, and treated people with dignity. He built strong relationships with people, yet, He never watered down the truth. Jesus was passionate; He made a conscious effort to enter into and participate in people’s lives. He regularly dined in people’s homes and attended wedding feasts; He met people from all walks of society. When He was criticized for eating in the company of tax collectors and sinners, Jesus pointed out, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Mark 2:17). Clearly, Jesus associated with the spiritually lost in order to save them. He cared for the lost. He never tired of bringing the Gospel to people.

Jesus directed the conversation toward spiritual things. It is good for us to interact with those we meet, but simply being friendly and talking to people will not save them. The gospel is God’s power to save: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16). If we are to have success in reaching the lost, we must eventually turn our conversations with them toward spiritual things.

We can learn a whole lot about going out amongst the lost from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You and I, of course, are not the only people in the world that Jesus loves and cares for. He came to save all people. The Bible says that “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” (1 John 2:2) Jesus had so much to give and He gave it all for us. It is our job to go out amongst the lost and give it to them.

Discussion questions:

What does going out amongst the lost mean to you?
What can we do this week to imitate Jesus model for evangelism?