What kind of people come to Jesus?

Pastor Pete Beck III • January 23, 2018

Whom did Jesus seek to add to his emerging band of disciples? Another way to ask this question is who were the most likely to respond to his message? What demographic did Jesus target?

As we might expect, the Bible tells us. Jesus, the least likely Messiah, came for the least likely people. In fact, he often called them “the least of these my brethren.” The apostle Paul gave us an overview of this group when he wrote:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (ESV)

So, our target group are the foolish, the weak, the common person, the despised, and those who are nothing in the world’s eyes. This doesn’t sound like a group that most churches would go after. Are we missing something?

Jesus came at it a little more obliquely in his teaching. The first example was a set of blessings we call the beatitudes. These describe people who will receive God’s blessings. In other words, these are people who will be open to Christ’s message and follow him.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4   “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5   “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6   “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7   “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8   “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9   “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10   “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3-10 (ESV)

The poor in spirit are spiritual beggars, who realize they have nothing to offer God in exchange for his blessings. They understand how desperately they need God’s help and are not too proud to receive “charity” from God. Those who mourn include people who are humble enough to be sorry for their sins. The meek are people whose humility propels them to recognize God’s sovereign authority over their lives. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are the opposite of smug self-satisfied people who feel no need for God. The merciful know they need mercy from God and extend it to others, unlike the proud. The pure of heart are willing to get rid of sin and other distractions in order to seek God. Peacemakers have learned to lay aside self-centered agendas to seek peace with God and other people through the gospel. The persecuted are those who are willing to endure snubs and pressure from people in order to follow God. They value what God thinks more than their reputation. That is a brief, though admittedly inadequate, explanation of the kind of people Jesus seeks. These are the kinds of people who will want to follow Jesus for the right reasons.

Today many times we share a “gospel” that attracts people for the wrong reasons. In poorer unevangelized countries, these have come to be known as “rice Christians,” who come only because of the free food. In the affluent West, we draw people by targeting other desires, often in the hope that, once we get them, they will respond to the true gospel. However, it is a timeworn truism that what we use to draw people is what we will need to keep doing in order to keep them.

Ask yourself: “What could be stripped from my church before I would stop going?” The honest answer to this question will reveal why you attend. Is it the preaching? The music? The children’s program? The building? If we attend church for the wrong reasons, perhaps we were drawn by the wrong thing. When we are drawn to Christ, nothing can deter us from following him. The Chinese church is perhaps the world’s fastest growing church, but they have little to offer their disciples, except the one thing that matters – Jesus. Chinese disciples are willing to suffer imprisonment and death to follow Jesus. They meet in homes secretly and often quietly in order not to attract unwanted attention and persecution. They are taught that every follower of Christ should plant another house church; so, they are willing to be fishers of men and take responsibility for growing the church. There are little or no consumerist enticements that we use in the West. How refreshing!

Jesus taught his followers to target a certain audience.

But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17   And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18   But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19   And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20   And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21   So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22   And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23   And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24   For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’” Luke 14:16-24 (ESV)

Here Jesus corroborates Paul’s statement, which I quoted earlier. The self-satisfied and those who have “made it” in the world likely will make excuses for not following Christ, because there is nothing in them that hungers for God. Therefore God goes after those who are desperate – the poor, crippled, the blind, and lame. In his day, these were the outcasts, the hopeless, the “least of these.” Today we still have this group of people, but I believe it would be okay to expand the meaning a bit. The crippled are not merely those who cannot walk physically, but also those who are crippled mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. You know, the group of people that is most easy to avoid or ignore, the least likely to be any church’s target group. Can we be that far off track? Yes. Any time we fail to go after the people who are probably the most open, we are missing God’s heart.

The parable of the prodigal son is another clear teaching about this issue. Jesus showed us that those who understand their spiritual poverty will find mercy; whereas, those who imagine they are in no need of repentance end up pushing God away. Out of love, Jesus treated the proud Pharisees roughly, while being so gentle and kind to repentant sinners. He gave each what they needed. Mercy to the humble and a rebuke to the proud. Most of the time it was the humble who responded. The proud put him to death.

Jesus called his followers to become fishers of men. Fishermen are always on the lookout for good fishing holes, and should we be. A good place to fish for people is where the “least of these” congregate. The bait is the gospel of hope in Christ. Hopeless people will respond to this great news. Good fishing!

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How Can I Transition from Spectating at Church to Being a Player?

By Pete Beck III • December 3, 2024
Christianity is not a spectator sport. The Reformation renewed some very important truths of the faith that had been lost over time, one of which is the priesthood of the believer . This doctrine means that in the New Covenant there is no clergy-laity distinction. Everyone is called to ministry. All followers of Christ are called, equipped, and expected to partner with the Holy Spirit in the adventure of using their spiritual gifts, time, energy, finances – everything – to fish for people and encourage them to become followers of Christ and fishers of men in their own right. Every football and basketball season an interesting phenomenon takes place. People personally identify with their favorite teams. When their team is doing well, they feel good about themselves and become enthusiastic, vocal, and visible fans. What is so intriguing is that many of us think that we somehow acquire greater worth and prestige, if our team excels and does better than the other teams. It is almost as if we were the ones who are competing. All big sporting events are filled with such fans who get satisfaction out of watching others play the game. So it is with many people who attend churches. We all know that playing and spectating are vastly different. When we spectate, we can imagine ourselves making better decisions and better plays than the players on the court or the field, but the reality is that we are not playing. Jesus has invited his followers actually to participate in the greatest adventure of being his Spirit-filled and empowered representatives. Unfortunately most of us who call ourselves Christians are merely spectating fans. We may agree with the concept of being involved in the Great Commission, but we have fallen into the trap of being passive, sitting on the sidelines, hoping that someone else will lead our family member, neighbor, or friend to Christ and teach them how to follow him fully. Many Christians think that evangelism is inviting someone to church, where they will hear the preacher talk about Christ. We do not see ourselves as the one who can best share the gospel with them. However, the truth of the matter is that we cannot transfer our responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission to someone else. God does not give us the option of merely being fans or spectators. God asks us to be players – disciples and disciple makers. Not everyone is equally gifted in this area, but we are all asked to participate. Some may win thousands to Christ, while others may help only a few become followers of the Master over a lifetime. Sadly, a great number of those who call themselves Christians have never led even one person to faith in Christ. In some cases they have given up trying. This ought not be. Could this be because we do not even talk about Jesus in a serious way with anyone outside of church meetings? Suggestions Ask God to forgive us for succumbing to laziness, fear, and the spirit of the age that tells us to keep our faith to ourselves. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir in us the fire of enthusiasm for Jesus and the Gospel. Ask him to give us a love for those who live around you who do not yet know Christ. Familiarize ourselves with the Gospel. (I recommend The King Jesus Gospel by McKnight. You can read my summary by clicking here or you may wish to read my articles on the subject .) Pray for opportunities to speak meaningfully to people. Make it a priority to get to know the people in your neighborhood, at work, at the gym, at school, and wherever you have the opportunity to connect. As we spend time in conversation, we will begin to see how Jesus and the Gospel can help them. Our care for them may give us a platform from which to speak about Jesus to them. Visit people and have them over to our homes. The more time we spend with people, the greater the opportunity we provide for the Holy Spirit to work in the relationships. Offer to pray for people on the spot when a genuine need for God’s help surfaces. Join a group (or start one) whose focus is fishing for people and making disciples. In many cases this will be what some call a “missional” church, as opposed to an event-oriented spectator church. We need to be encouraged in the work of the Great Commission because, although it is rewarding, it can be difficult and discouraging at times. Never, never, never, never give up. Our heavenly reward will be great!
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