Tom and I returned to Crosspoint United Methodist Church for a second Sunday.  It was easier to go to a place we already knew a little than to find a new place to worship.  After all, we are only in Harrisburg for three weeks.  This time we got to hear the Vision Pastor, Dave Biser, preach.  His sermon asked the question:  Is Jesus irrelevant in modern life?

Pastor Biser didn’t phrase it quite like that.  He made the case that the world we grew up in is not the same as the world where our children are growing up.  Fewer and fewer people attend church and less than 50% of people in the United States self-identify as Christians.  As part of the “Irresistible” series at Crosspoint, Pastor Biser said we need new boldness in our faith in order to make it irresistible to a new generation.

Of course, all these things he said were not new.  They are things that anyone who takes their faith seriously struggles with.  If I love Jesus and he is important to my life, how do I share that with others?  Young adults today, many of them good people doing important work, see Jesus as irrelevant.  They are busy and engaged with their world and Jesus has no part or place in it.  Part of this is our fault – we have not shown them how Jesus makes a difference.  Part of it is our fault because sometimes “Christians” are the most un-Christ-like people I know.

The problem, for me, is what to do about it.  Pastor Biser said we have to be willing to “do whatever it takes” to see one person come to faith.  But what does that mean?  How does that translate into real life?  He didn’t even try to address those questions, and I found this frustrating.  I love Jesus and want to share my faith.  I want Jesus to be irresistible to others.  Unfortunately, the people who get my best “witnessing” seem to be able to resist Jesus without any problem.

So, how can we witness so that Jesus is integral instead of irrelevant?  Through friendship.  By being more deliberate in talking about how Jesus makes a difference in my life.  Making sure that I am modeling the unconditional love of Jesus in all that I say and do.  Moving outside my introverted comfort zone and seeking out the hurting, the lost, and the ones who are too busy.  I also have to admit that there are lots of times I don’t have a clue.

How about you?  How are you showing others that Jesus is not irrelevant in your life?  What ways have you found to share the love of Jesus with another generation?  I appreciate all of your thoughts on this because I am always looking for ways to share Jesus’ love with more people.  It’s a matter of life or death!