Engagement is all about care. Jesus cared about his disciples. And He challenged them (and us) to love one another. He taught and modeled a love beyond culture in life and in death: agape love, self-sacrificing love.
Without care in the disciple-making relationship, it becomes simply a delivery of content. Duty without care is shallow. Care focuses on the who in order to deliver the what. Care determines the how and why.
Engagement means I care about the people around me. I see their need for Jesus, and I want to help. It overcomes my apathy because of connection–to Him and to them.
Why do some Christians lack interest in discipling others? Sometimes it is simply because they did not know they were supposed to do so. Other times it is because they have never been taught how. But too often it is because of the lack of connection to people. They don’t do care because they don’t know the people.
If we are going to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20), we need to seek out connections in the church and in the world. We are to love God, our neighbors, and ourselves. Engagement means our love is to look like His: turn the other cheek, walk the second mile, forgive 70×7, etc.
How are you engaging people? No engagement means no disciple-making. Engage. Connect. Care. Make disciples!
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
