What is Outreach?

So what exactly is outreach? This is a very elusive question. We feel best when we can quantify it and say "We do the Hallelujah Party" and "Our church supports this ministry and that ministry." When we can point to different events or actions we feel like we are doing "outreach."

Don't get me wrong, these can be really good things. But my question is--What's behind it? It is a passion that is growing in our hearts that says "I want to give my life, my finances, my relationships, my passions, my children, my comfort, my career, my retirement account, my home, my resources to honoring God, to show my love for Him. I want this to be all about Him, isn't He something." If these good things do not come from the motivation of love, my guess is that they are only a hollow gesture and will be burned up with the rest of the dross.

We aren't perfect in this motivation but the important part is--do we really want it? Do we honestly want to stand up and say "I want to give it all!"? If not, I think we should just hang it up. We are in effect living a lie anyway. We are playing church and making ourselves feel better about ourselves when the truth is that we are already dead (we're just not pushing up daisies yet). Why keep it up?

Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Community Church after one of his messages, "challenged members of the congregation to raise their hands if they were willing to surrender their possessions and lifestyles fully to God and actually decide to use their resources to serve the poor and honor God. There was a time for public declaration of intent.
"Then Bill said he wanted to have a word with all the folks who did not raise their hands. And this is what he said: 'I hope you have a terrible afternoon. And then I hope you have a terrible evening. I hope the Holy Spirit keeps after you, and you have to keep thinking this one through, until you're able to raise your hand as well.'"

I want to say the same thing to us as well. Outreach starts here!

Learning to Live Loved,
Deon