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We seem to have a hard time engaging with people outside the church. Yet, God wants us to engage the lost just as Jesus did. He was so engaging that in just three years, he turned the world upside down. The good news is that if we have accepted Jesus as Lord, He lives in us. The more we yield to Him, the more we become like Him, and the more engaging we are. Our influence is all tied to Jesus and how much we let him take over.

Jesus said we are the salt of the earth, the God-flavor of the earth. But there is good salt and there is bad salt. The more pure salt is, the better flavor it has. On the other hand, salt that has been tainted by earthly elements is undesirable, even toxic – not good for anything except being trampled underfoot. Likewise, our lives flavor the way the world “tastes” the gospel. As we interact with the lost, we leave a “taste” in their mouths, an impression about Jesus and the gospel. The question is: are we going to be pure salt that leaves people with a good taste their mouths and wanting more? Or, are we going to be impure salt, leaving them with a bad taste in their mouths, and wanting to trample the gospel underfoot? I want you, as people of this church, to be good salt – not hypocritical, not religious, not the kind of person that scares people.

Aside from salt, Jesus also said that we are the light of the world - the same thing that He was while on earth. You see, when Jesus comes to live inside us, He wants to shine out through us. We’re not supposed to hide the light, as we often do, behind the darkness of fear or sin; we’re supposed to bring out the God-colors in the world. The question we have to ask ourselves is this: “When I’m at work, when I come home, when I’m driving around my neighborhood, am I projecting light or bringing darkness?” We’re going to project something; if it’s not light, it’s darkness.

So, what is it that makes us engaging and influential? First, we need competence. We, as Christians, ought to be doing a better job than anybody else in the world, without complaint, having a spirit of excellence. People are drawn to those who excel. Second, we need to be people of godly character, living with integrity. This is a rare commodity in the world, and therefore, highly attractive. Third, we must be considerate of others. Be helpful. Look for ways to serve others. Consider them better than yourself. Fourth, we have to communicate. Yes, we need to live the gospel, but that isn’t enough by itself. We also have to speak it – not in a preachy, religious or condescending way, but with gentleness and respect. Finally, we need courage. For some reason, people are drawn to people of courage. Keep in mind that God is with us and wants us to share the gospel with others. Ask Him to give you the courage you need. He will do so as you commit to engaging the lost around you.

We are all called to be salt and light. None of us are exempt. Are we going to be good salt or bad? Are we going to let our light shine or hide it under a basket?” As we go about our daily lives, let’s all seek to live in a way that is truly engaging, leaving a good taste in people’s mouths, and allowing the light of Christ shine so brightly though us that the lost all around us are irresistibly drawn to Him!

When was the last time you had any real, meaningful interaction with someone who is un-churched or not a believer? Has it been a day? A week? A month? Longer? Far too many of us in the church today have little or no meaningful contact with those outside the church on a regular basis. We’ve gotten so caught up in our church life that we’ve become largely un-relatable to the lost. Studies show that the longer we’ve been in church, the less likely we are to interact with unbelievers regularly in any meaningful fashion.

This is not the kind of life Jesus lived, nor is it the kind of life we, as believers, are called to. Jesus’ whole lifestyle involved interacting with lost people on a daily basis - not every once in a while, but regularly. He often sat and ate with tax collectors and prostitutes. They seemed to be irresistibly drawn to Him - so much so that the religious leaders despised Him for it. What was it that drew these non-religious outcasts to Jesus while at the same time repulsed the religious “insiders” of his day?

The answer is LOVE. In Matthew 22, Jesus talked about the two greatest commandments: to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. This is the key. The reason why we don’t draw people to Christ is that we love ourselves more than we love our neighbor. Think about it. Where is our focus on the weekend? At work? When we drive through our neighborhoods? The truth is: we’ve built our whole lives around ourselves. And, we’ve surrounded ourselves with the comfort and familiarity of other church goers. Honestly, how many of us will find ourselves tomorrow sitting with “tax collectors and prostitutes” as Jesus so often did?

Love your neighbor as yourself. Once you discover this key, it totally unlocks the evangelist in you. Now, you may fear getting into a conversation with a lost person and not knowing what to say. Don’t worry, people don’t get saved based on what we say; they get saved based on the fact that God begins to draw their hearts to Him. Lost people don’t need a bunch of Scripture thrown at them. Yes, it’s great to know Scripture, but that’s not what opens the door for most people. Actually, God often begins to draw their hearts because we are simply loving them.

How do you love them? The same way you love your family: spend time with them; do things with them that show interest in them; build a relationship that says, “You know what? I like you. I care about you, and I want to be around you.” Be able to stand around people that are drinking, for instance, without getting all religious and uptight. You don’t have to be like the world, just be in the world enough to let the world know that you care about them…and that you’re not too good for them! The point is: be around lost people and just love them. This is how you will win people to Jesus. You don’t have to preach. Show love. Over time, they’ll begin to open up and ask questions. When you start being real and talking with people like a real person, you start being relatable.

This week, ask God to fill you with His supernatural love for the lost - the kind of love that loves people all the more when they’re harder to love. And, ask Him to bring you into contact with people who will come to know Him through your love for them. Then, love them! Don’t give up. Be REAL! Start living a relevant, engaging, authentic life!

In 2006, in partnership with Pastor Mark Jayakumar, we began work on an orphanage in India. The Victory family supported this vision and gave generously in the 2006 Christmas Gift to the World offering. By early 2007 we were blessed to see concrete being poured and the structure taking shape. Less than one year from the initial offering, the Rays of Peace, Victory Children’s Home opened and began serving orphaned children of all ages.

Below are pictures of Victory Children’s Home in its various stages of completion.

The initial architectural renderings:

The building process:

Victory Children’s Home is Opened!!!

Thank you, Victory Family, for caring!

It was such a delight to have John Bevere with us this weekend. He always brings a word that is fresh, timely and prophetic, and this weekend was no different. If you were here, you know what I’m talking about. The message John brought is so crucial for the church to get a hold of in this day and age that I’d like to recap it here. 

The Apostle John encourages us to live in such a way that we will receive the full reward. From this, we can conclude that if there is a full reward, there is also the potential for a partial reward, or no reward at all. We see this throughout the Gospels as different people interact with Jesus. Mark 6:5 says that Jesus “could do no mighty works” in His hometown of Nazareth. It doesn’t say He wouldn’t do them, but rather, he couldn’t – he was restrained. What could possibly have restrained Him? The same thing that restrains us: a lack of honor. Because they dishonored Him, Jesus’ friends and family members received a very small, partial reward – only a few minor healings.  

On and on, throughout the New Testament, those who honored Jesus – like the Roman centurion of Matthew 8 – received a full reward. Those who honored Him in part – like the people of Nazareth – only received a partial reward. And, those who dishonored him – even if only in thought, like the teachers and preachers of the law – received no reward. Honoring Jesus was the key.

So what is honor? In Greek, honor means ‘a valuing.” Other meanings include, “appreciation, esteem, favorable regard and respect.” It’s opposite, dishonor, means “to treat as common.” Honor is communicated on three levels: in words, in actions and in the attitude of our hearts. Of these three levels of communication, the lowest form is words, then actions and finally, the highest is the heart-level, the level of love. True honor originates from the heart and is an outflow of the fear of the Lord. 

Today, one of the main ways we show honor to Jesus is by honoring those around us. In fact, we are urged to honor people in three categories: 1) Those in authority over us – not because their behavior warrants it, but because we recognize that their authority is from God; 2) Our peers – even if they are dishonoring to us; and 3) Those entrusted to our authority – such as wives, children and employees. Remember, we do NOT honor others to get a reward, but because we value them just as God does. However, we can keep the reward in mind.

This week, I urge you to cry out to God, asking Him to fill your heart with honor for others. He will answer your prayer, and your life will be changed as you return to the virtue of honor and experience Honor’s Reward!

Wouldn’t you like a church that was all about you? Imagine it: you could come whenever you wanted; church wouldn’t start without you. You would never have to volunteer if you didn’t want to—other people would always do that. No one would ever ask you to take your screaming baby out of the sanctuary. If anyone didn’t like it, they could leave. Service would be catered to you, your needs, your wants, your schedule. Sound good? Obviously not! How could any church function as a body if it ran in this way?

Unfortunately, we often get so caught up in our own world that we forget the fact that we are a part of a larger body. We get so focused on our own needs, wants and opinions. When this happens, we tend to get offended at others easily, and we start looking down at them because of their age, their culture, their education or some other way in which we see them as less valuable or honorable.

But this is not the path to which God has called us as followers of Jesus. Once we accept Christ as our savior, life isn’t just about “me” anymore. We have to start thinking about getting the selfishness out of us. The Apostle Paul addressed this very issue in his letter to the Philippian church. He wrote, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

If we truly seek to follow Christ, we have to remember that we are all members of His body, and every member of Christ’s body is worthy of honor. In fact, Paul also challenges us to honor more highly those who we usually perceive as being less honorable, just as we give more honor to the “lower” parts of our own bodies. As we interact with other members of the church body, we have to keep these words of Paul in mind. We cannot afford to let selfishness and pride entrap us and hinder the work that God is doing in and through our church.

This week, I strongly encourage you to look for ways to honor and value others in the body of Christ, particularly those who are different from you. Go ahead, move out of your comfort zones, and reach out in an honoring way to those of other generations, races, cultures, educational levels or economic levels. Imagine a church where everyone did that. What a profound impact it would have on our community! That’s who we’re called to be. So, let’s do it!

To listen to this week’s message, click here.

In February, we launched our first iCare project for 2008, our Grafton Village Medical Facility and School. In partnership with Joshua International Ministries we launched the campaign to build a Medical Facility and School in the heart of Grafton Village, Sierra Leone.

Grafton Village is a community with a population of 12,000. A place that the Sierra Leonean government used as a settlement site following the devastating civil war that tore apart the country, dividing the people into four distinct camps: The War-Wounded Camp, The Amputee Camp, The Polio Camp and the Internally Displaced People Camp. Of its 12,000 residents, 7,000 (58%) are school-aged children. Only 2,600 children (37%) of this number attend school due to the high cost associated with education. 90% of the children not attending school are involved in some form of child labor to assist in bringing income to their households. 85% of the children in Grafton Village were either child soldiers during the war or are born to young girls abducted during the war and forcibly raped and recruited as sex-slaves to rebel forces.

Sierra Leone is ranked as the second least livable country in the world with the highest maternal morbidity and infant mortality rates. 25% of all children born die before their fifth birthday from preventable diseases. 1 in 8 mothers die in childbirth due to lack of medical care. Grafton Village has a single health center that provides basic health care with no equipment, medication or trained doctor.

Pictures of Grafton’s only available health care center:

Together with Joshua International, we’ve purchased land and developed the initial architectural drawings for the next phase of HOPE for Grafton Village. Our Grafton Village Medical Facility and School will serve approximately 600 children in 14 classrooms, with 18 teachers and staff; and provide quality medical, dental and opthalmology services with Christian love, compassion and prayer.

Some of our architectural drawings:

With your help, we’re making it happen. We’re pleased to report that our current giving-to-date in our 1st iCare project of 2008 is now at nearly $239,000 - and Pastor Dennis has given the go-ahead to breaking ground! We still need to meet our overall goal of $500,000 to see this project through to completion.

 If you’d like to help us meet our goal and make a donation to our iCare, Sierra Leone project, click here.

Thank you for your generous support as we work toward helping the men, women and children of Grafton Village, Sierra Leone have a better life through Christian compassion and hope.

Use the link below to view the iCare Sierra Leone video:

iCare 2008: Sierra Leone Project

Last week, we had the privilege of meeting a wonderful Victory couple, Bill & Patsy Reily. As Pastor Dennis was preparing his recent message, Honor Each Other, he wanted to interview Bill who, at 86, is our oldest member and still quite active in the life of the church.

We arranged the interview, calling Bill to see if he was available. He answered the phone and not only was he very happy and honored to hear from us, he was a joy to talk to and had a great sense of humor. After sidetracking us for a moment with his question, “How much are you going to pay?”, Bill laughed at the success of his own joke and collected the details of the interview in a joyous manner.

After meeting and getting to know Bill & Patsy on the day of the interview we were all struck by the couple’s ability to make every person they met feel as if they were the most important person in the room. The genuine love that they have for all of God’s people was evident and inspiring.

I guess there are always times in life when you meet people who make an significant impression on your life, Bill & Patsy are those people. It was a joy to spend some time with them and we are all honored to have them as part of our church.

As I close, I’ll leave you with an inspiring quote from Bill Reily, “It’s not a matter of age, if you’re not growing intellectually and spiritually and in concern for the world, you are in a sense already dead yourself whatever age - at 30 or 40 or whatever.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m inspired to do more and to keep doing until Jesus calls me home.

Below is the link to the video interview with Pastor Dennis & Bill Reily:

Pastor Dennis\’ Interview with Bill Reily