Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Outreach begins at home because witness isn’t just words, it is the way we live our lives. If our lives cannot witness to the
power of Christ, how can our words impact the world? First we must practice what we preach and then we move to our neighborhood, our country and our world.
So outreach is more than just a dude on a street corner handing out tracts or getting people to come to our church. It is essentially narrating Jesus by striking up a conversation, a warm smile in a supermarket line, or sharing a bottle of cold water in Jesus’ name. These are our neighbors. Each one of us has a daily opportunity to reach out through kindness, service and thinking outside the box. Think about the people whose paths cross yours every day. Most of us have a familiar route and we frequently engage the same service workers at the supermarket, gym, restaurants, stores and coffee shops.
Outreach isn’t difficult, but it is intentional. We engage our world with kindness and understanding wherever we go. We are Christ-followers on a 24 hour basis. We want to be aware of those around us and the impact we have on them. In addition to our 24/7 life outreach, there is a time for specifically targeted outreach: feeding the homeless, clothing the poor, taking care of the widows and orphans, cleaning the parks, supporting world missions and going the second mile. As with ministry, outreach opportunities spring from passion and calling. They are new and ever-changing.