By Pastor Ryan Stockstrom

Harvest Church

Over the past few weeks in our sermon series ,we’ve been reflecting on a simple truth: the closer we are in our relationship with God, the better our relationships with people become. Most followers of Jesus have experienced this firsthand. When we’re connected to the Lord, we’re kinder. We’re more patient and compassion flows more naturally. But when we drift away from Him, our hearts tend to get harder and our relationships often suffer.  Our connection with Jesus shapes everything.  That truth becomes especially important when we think about our relationships with people who don’t yet know Him.

When we talk about people being “lost,” it can sound harsh or judgmental. But the reality is the Bible teaches something humbling: every single one of us starts ‘lost’ before God.  

The Bible explains that sin entered the world through the first human rebellion. As Romans 5:12 says, “sin entered the world through one man, and death spread to all people because all sinned.”You don’t have to teach a child how to lie or be selfish—they figure that out on their own. Why? Because sin is part of our human condition since the Fall ( Genesis 3).  In that sense, we all begin life on the same ‘island’.

Picture it like this: imagine a person born in Australia because their ancestor was deported there long ago because of a crime. That individual didn’t personally commit the crime that sent their ancestor away, yet they still grew up on that island.

Humanity is similar. Because of the first rebellion against God, we are all born into sin personally and into a broken world shaped by sin.  But thankfully, that’s not the end of the story, because God’s heart is to save!

Many people know the words of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,”  But the next verse matters just as much: “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:17 NIV

God’s heart is to rescue. The message of Christianity is not that God is eager to punish people. Instead, it is that He loves people so deeply that He made a way for us to be saved.

Jesus came into the world, lived a perfect life, and willingly died on the cross for our sins. He took the punishment we deserved so we could receive forgiveness that we could never earn.  That’s what makes the gospel such astonishing news—gospel literally means ‘good news’!  Salvation is a free gift to us—but it cost God everything.

Even though salvation is a gift, many people still try to earn it.

Some try through religious performance. They assume that if they attend church enough, give money, serve others, or behave well, they will eventually earn God’s approval.

Others reject religion entirely and trust in their own goodness. They believe that if they are a decent person—better than the people around them—that will be enough.  But both approaches share the same problem: They rely on human performance.

And human performance will never measure up to the perfection of God.

Trying to earn heaven through good deeds or personal goodness is like showing up at a store with Monopoly money. You might sincerely believe it has value, but it simply isn’t the right currency.  The only currency that opens the door to eternal life is belief and trust in Jesus Christ and what He did in purchasing us.    Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6) We need to stop trusting our own performance for salvation, and trust His.

Sometimes people ask why God hasn’t brought history to an end yet, especially when the world feels so broken. The answer the Bible gives is surprising—It says God is patient.  He is delaying judgment because He wants people to be saved. As Scripture says, God is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

In other words, every extra day of history is another opportunity for someone to turn to Jesus.  God is choosing to delay pouring out the fullness of His judgment on the earth in the end times, because He is waiting for lost people to be found.

If God cares this deeply about people who don’t yet know Him, how should we respond?

First off, we shouldn’t wait to put our faith in Him!  Religion alone won’t save us.  Being a good person alone won’t save us.  Placing our full trust and belief in Jesus and His merits will! There’s never a better time than today to surrender your life to Him.

Second, we need to share Jesus with the people around us.  One of the most practical frameworks I’ve encountered is built around a simple word: BLESS.  It describes five relational steps for sharing faith naturally with the people around us.

The first step is to ‘Begin with prayer’: Ask God to show you who in your life needs Him. Pray for them regularly and specifically. The second step is to ‘Listen’.  Before sharing our story, we need to hear theirs. Listening builds trust and opens hearts.  The ‘E’ in the acronym stands for ‘Eat Together.’ Meals have always been powerful in building relationships. Jesus himself was often criticized for eating with people considered “sinners.” ’S’ is for ‘service’.  Look for practical ways to help people in their daily lives. Service demonstrates the love of Christ in action.  The last ’S’ is ‘Share the gospel’. 

When the time is right, explain the good news: that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again so that we can be forgiven and restored to God.  When people turn from sin and believe in Jesus, they experience forgiveness and restoration. We can’t force anyone to believe. Faith is a personal decision.  But we can pray for our neighbors.  We can hear their stories and we can serve them.  And, when God opens the door, we can share the good news of Jesus with them. And when we do, we offer people the greatest gift anyone can ever receive: a restored relationship with God.  As Easter approaches, that’s a question we can keep asking: Who in my life needs to hear that message?  And who might God be inviting me to pray for today?