When we lead people to Christ, we lead them to eternal life, forgiveness, restoration, healing and wholeness.  Nothing that we can give others in this life is more important than sharing who Jesus Christ is.

 

Understanding this about Christ compels us to address two specific groups of people: (1) Those who are already Christians, and (2) Those who are not yet Christians.  We must share the Gospel with those who do not yet have a personal relationship with Christ.

 

But we must also provide discipleship for existing Christians so that they can mature and grow in their faith. That process of discipleship includes sharing the Gospel with others...a responsibility of all Christ-followers.

 

John 3:16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Christ calls us to move beyond just having salvation in Him, and even beyond just sharing the Gospel. Christ calls us to ACTION in our community. Jesus once used the illustration of being in prison and someone visiting Him. Being hungry and someone feeding Him. Being thirsty and someone giving Him a drink.

 

The people didn't understand, because they didn't remember ever seeing Jesus in these situations.His response was astonishing: When you do it unto the one of the least of these, it is as if you have done it unto Me!

 

Unity Point believes that it is our responsibility to identify and help meet the needs of our community as if we were meeting the needs of Christ Himself.

 

Understanding that we are part of the local community is critical to our faith community. We aren't here to treat others as someone to be looked down upon, but rather as an equal who has need of the same help and knowledge that we received from Jesus Christ.

 

Unity Point strives to be involved in our schools, community events, celebrations and other forms of outreach that challenge us to engage our community with the goal of letting the light of Christ shine through us as "love in action"....by what we DO, and not just what we SAY. This fits how we see Matthew 28 where Jesus commands us to GO...not just ask people to COME to where we are.

This journey that we are on as Christ-followers is to be done in a spirit of unity and camaraderie. It is only through one-on-one connections that we can have mutual encouragement, accountability, support and assistance along the way.

 

We know that it is critical for Christ-followers to be unified in spirit and in action. In fact, James 5:16 shows us that this leads not only to accountability, but also to supportive prayer and even healing in our lives.Connection is a natural result of having a relationship with Jesus.

 

Here in this part of the country, it's not uncommon for fans of a given sports team to see someone else wearing their team gear and call out a team cheer / slogan as they pass each other. (Hey...everybody needs a "Roll Tide", "War Eagle", or "Go Gamecocks" every now and then)In an even greater way, Jesus brought all believers together with something in common.

 

No matter where we are from, our age, our musical preference, our social status, our economic history or our favorite type of food...we are all part of the same family. So we come together and connect to learn, worship and serve.