Bring them to Jesus

Day 1: The Abundance of the Heart

Rundown In Matthew 4:24, we read a profound statement about the ministry of Jesus: "His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick." It is incredibly easy to skip right over that single word: they. But who exactly is this referring to? It points to the disciples, yes, but it also encompasses a larger group: anyone who had already encountered Jesus and been changed by Him. Think of the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus confronted her with her sin, and her immediate reaction wasn’t to hide; she ran back to town and said, "Come see a man who told me everything I ever did!" Or consider the demon-possessed man in the tombs. Jesus healed him, and instructed him to go back and tell everyone what had been done for him. When Acts 4 records Peter and John standing before the Pharisees, facing beatings and imprisonment, their response is simple: "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." When you truly see Jesus for who He is, He becomes the prevailing subject of your life.

The Challenge Jesus teaches that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. It is easy to fill our days talking about our problems, our hobbies, or our stress. We can easily spend hours detailing how to fix a fiberglass console on a boat, tuning an engine, or complaining about the news. But do we talk about Jesus with that same natural energy? If Jesus isn't coming out of your mouth, He might not be truly abundant in your heart. Your challenge today is to evaluate what is overflowing from your life. Are you part of the "they"? Do you see Jesus clearly enough that you simply cannot help but bring others to Him?

Action Step Take three minutes to mentally record your conversations over the last 24 hours. Write down the top three things you talked about most. If Jesus, His goodness, or His Church didn't make the list, spend the next two minutes asking God to re-center your heart. Pray: Lord, give me a genuine excitement for who You are. Make my heart so full of Your grace that I cannot help but speak of it.

Day 2: The Push Past the Excuses

Rundown We live in an era of endless digital resources. You can pull up a podcast, stream a sermon, or read an article in seconds. While these are fantastic tools for the discipleship of believers, they rarely reach the lost on their own. Less than 15% of people walk into a church building because of a digital ad or an online video. However, 88% of people who come to church do so because they were personally invited by someone they know. People aren't looking to stumble randomly into a kingdom or a building; they are waiting for a trusted friend to say, "Come with me." Discipleship doesn't just happen because someone listens to a 40-minute message on Sunday morning—we forget 96% of what we hear anyway. Discipleship starts with a relationship, and a relationship starts with an invitation.

The Challenge Why is it so hard to open our mouths? Often, we let the excuse of "church hurt" stop us. We hear a friend say they had a bad experience years ago, and we back down. But consider how illogical this is in any other area of life. We have a terrible meal at a restaurant, but we don't stop eating out. We get bad service at a gas station, but we still fill up our tanks. Yet, when it comes to the bride of Christ, we let past offenses keep us and our friends paralyzed. Pushing back the darkness requires us to push past our own awkwardness, and gently challenge the excuses of those around us.

Action Step Think of someone you know who has written off church or faith. Write their name down right now. Today, send them a text or call them. Keep it incredibly simple and low-pressure: invite them to join you this Sunday, and sweeten the deal by offering to grab a meal or coffee together afterward. Do not preach at them; just invite them.

Day 3: Reclaiming the Supernatural

Rundown Matthew 4:24 lists three specific afflictions that the crowds brought to Jesus: demons, seizures, and paralytics. This wasn't an accidental grouping; Matthew is showing us that Jesus heals the spiritual, the mental, and the physical. He heals it all. Today, we are blessed with common grace—we have doctors, antibiotics, and an understanding of the human body. But in our modern sophistication, we have often swung too far, abandoning the supernatural entirely. We can discuss quantum physics and parallel universes, and the culture will happily debate interdimensional beings or UFOs on podcasts. Yet, when someone is hurting, the Christian's first response is often just, "Suck it up, go to the doctor." Sometimes, dealing with people in deep distress—whether sitting in the back of a patrol car or walking with a friend through a dark season—you see things in their eyes that a medical diagnosis cannot fully explain. We wrestle against cosmic powers.

The Challenge We boldly declare on Sunday that Jesus heals, but our Monday-through-Saturday actions show a total reliance on earthly solutions. We must reclaim our belief in the supernatural power of God to intervene. Have you moved past the supernatural? When a coworker or family member tells you they are sick, depressed, or carrying a heavy burden, do you immediately look for a worldly fix, or do you look to the Healer?

Action Step Identify someone in your life who is currently facing a physical, mental, or spiritual battle. Sometime today, stop and ask them, "Can I pray for you right now?" It doesn't need to be a theological masterpiece. Lay a hand on their shoulder, and boldly ask Jesus Christ to bring complete, supernatural healing to their body and mind.

Day 4: Flashlights in the Dark

Rundown Jesus intentionally went to the outcasts. In His day, if you were lame or sick, society had no safety net for you. You were carried to the city gates to beg for scraps. Those are exactly the people Jesus sought out. In Acts 3, Peter and John encounter a paralyzed beggar asking for money. Peter doesn't offer a social program; he says, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." The modern church, however, often seeks safety. We gather in comfortable buildings, surrounded by people who believe exactly what we believe, and we preach to people who are already free. Ephesians 6 reminds us that we are in a war against spiritual darkness. But what good is a light if it is only ever turned on inside a brightly lit room?

The Challenge It is incredibly messy to step into the lives of people who are bound in chains by sin, trauma, or addiction. It takes courage to leave the safety of our routines. Whether you are leading a classroom, managing staff, or just talking with neighbors, there are people around you living in captivity. Are you avoiding the messy people because it’s easier to stay in the light? True church growth, and true kingdom impact, happens when the bound and downtrodden are introduced to the freedom of Christ.

Action Step Take a hard look at your daily environment—your workplace, your neighborhood, your family. Where is the deepest darkness? Write down one specific environment or situation that makes you uncomfortable because of its brokenness. Spend three minutes praying specifically for the people in that situation, asking the Holy Spirit to give you the courage to step into that mess and be a flashlight in the dark.

Day 5: Orchestrating the Meeting

Rundown The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once noted that God has ordained the means as well as the end; if He ordained that a soul should be saved, He also ordained that they must hear the gospel. God uses us to accomplish His divine will. There is a profound truth hidden in a line from the movie Man on Fire: "Forgiveness is between them and God. It's my job to orchestrate the meeting." That is the essence of evangelism. Jesus is the only one who can wake the dead. He is the only one who can truly heal a broken marriage, cure an addiction, or wipe away the stain of a sinful past. Sanctification is often a slow burn—healing wound by wound, degree by degree. We don't have the power to fix people. But we absolutely have the power to introduce them to the One who can.

The Challenge Stop putting the pressure on yourself to have all the perfect theological answers or to somehow fix the lives of the people around you. You are not the Savior. The enemy wants you to stay quiet because you feel unqualified or because your own life isn't perfect yet. But your only job is to be the deliverer of the invitation. If you have experienced the grace of God, you are fully equipped to say, "Come and see."

Action Step Who are the people in your life bound in chains? Review your schedule for this upcoming weekend. Make a concrete plan to bring one person to Jesus. Do not let Sunday arrive without extending an invitation to someone hurting in your community to join you for service. Orchestrate the meeting, and trust Jesus to do the healing.