THE “CONNECT
CHALLENGE”
Will
you accept the challenge to make intentional connections with people in your
community for the direct purpose of connecting them to Jesus Christ?
The
purpose of the “Connect Challenge” is to encourage Christians to take advantage
of natural opportunities to share the love and message of Jesus with
others. Relationships with neighbors,
coworkers, family members, and friends provide natural opportunities for
Christians to be intentional and deliberate about sharing their faith.
Step #1 –
Identify and Pray
Think
purposefully about specific people in your life who don’t know Christ but might
be receptive to him right now. Maybe it
is one of your neighbors, your kid’s coach, a coworker, a family member, a
workout partner, an acquaintance new to town, a business partner, or fellow
classmate. Make a list of names and
include contact information if available and anything else about them that
might be helpful to remember. Pray for
them and pray for specific opportunities to connect with them.
Step #2 –
Contact and Connect
Make
personal contact with someone on your list that you feel God is leading you
toward. Reach out to them and be a
blessing to them in each of the following ways:
A. Show
kindness – Give them a small token of your friendship, such as flowers,
cookies, a note with a gift card, candy, a book, etc. Demonstrate kindness by doing an act of
service for them, such as mowing, raking leaves, repairing something, helping
with a home project, trimming bushes, going to the store for them, etc. Jesus often addressed people’s spiritual
needs by first addressing their physical needs.
Acts of kindness are a great way to show your true care and concern for
others.
B. Spend time – Spiritual
transformation often takes place in the context of a trusting
relationship. Do your best to nurture a
relationship with them by spending time together. Invite them over for dessert (less commitment
for them than a meal) or set up a cookout together. Grab a quick lunch or coffee together. Find out their interests and plan an outing
to a game, concert, or other event.
Invite them to come to church with you or to a Bible discussion group in
your home. Look for, and create,
opportunities to spend meaningful time together.
C. Speak truth
in love – When you spend time together, be sure to take advantage of
opportunities to connect what you are doing with why you are doing it. In other words, talk about your faith in
Jesus. Don’t be afraid to talk about
God, Jesus, faith, and the Church. Many
people will talk about these important issues but may be too uncomfortable to
bring them up. Be a good listener. Ask questions and avoid the temptation to
talk too much about yourself. Listen
without self-redirecting; hear without judging, and as Stephen Covey says,
“Seek first to understand before being understood.” When the time is right, share your own faith
story. Talk about the difference Christ
has made in your life.
Remember their children’s names and activities as well as recent
news about their lives and/or families so you can ask meaningful
questions. For example, if your friend’s
parent recently got sick or passed away, you could ask about it and offer to
pray for them.
Step #3 –
Invite and Encourage
Invite
them to our FRIENDS
DAY on Sunday, TBD). Make plans
to accompany them to Bible class/worship services, and be very hospitable. Ask them to join you for our congregational
luncheon after the worship assembly.
Notes:
Journal – Use an
electronic device or notepad to journal about your connections with other
people. Add to it regularly. This information will be useful in following
up with people, and it will allow you to see how God is working through your
efforts. Record your prayers, thoughts,
victories, obstacles, and future opportunities.
Journaling is just one more way to be intentional about connecting with
God and other people.
Online
Community – Join the online community at church (similar to Facebook) that
will be set up to post your “Connect” stories.
Share your successes, failures, lessons learned, prayer requests, etc.
(keeping other people’s names confidential, of course). Be encouraged by reading other people’s
stories and realize you are not alone as an ambassador of Christ. Encourage others who are trying to connect
with others and celebrate what God is doing in our lives and in this
congregation.
Pray –
Constantly and continually pray for other people and your efforts to reach them
with the love and message of the Cross.
Ask God to provide opportunities to connect with them, and to give you
the vision and faith to see what He is doing in your world so you can partner
with Him to reach others. Thank God for
the little victories along the way and for the ways He is shaping you and your
faith throughout the process.
