My church friend Liza* and her husband moved into a retirement community over the summer. One of the biggest challenges, of course, has been downsizing. But it has also been difficult to leave their longtime neighbors. One neighbor now lives alone and uses a walker. She does everything she can to remain independent and stay in her home as she ages. Sometimes, though, she needs help, and that’s when she calls Liza.
As they got ready to move, Liza worried about her neighbor. She invited her to keep calling as needed; they would be just a few miles away. But something wonderful happened during the months of packing. One by one, other neighbors called Liza. After she moved, could they help the neighbor? And before the summer was over, three different people independently offered their help and took time to get to know their neighbor better. Liza told me this with thankfulness, as she saw God working to surround her friend with the help and companionship that Liza had previously provided.
The words of Hebrews 10:24 come to mind: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” I think of Liza faithfully and quietly serving her neighbor in need over the years, not realizing that her other neighbors were watching and would continue her “love and good works.”
The Ripple Effect
Wherever God’s people gather, stories like this abound. God created all humans to thrive in community, and followers of Jesus are equipped by the Holy Spirit to love and serve each other and our neighbors. Often Christians don’t think to share their personal stories of God’s grace because they don’t seem important or dramatic enough. But telling the story of God’s work in our lives is not only beneficial in drawing non-Christians to Jesus but also in building up the body of Christ.
This Hebrews 10 passage reminds us that we cannot live the Christian life alone:
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)
Like a pebble thrown into a pond, even our small stories of loving our neighbors, learning something new through Bible reading or prayer, or being strengthened by the Holy Spirit in difficult times cause ripples that spread outwards. When I hear how God is working in the life of a brother or sister in Christ, I am encouraged to think creatively about my own faith life. When Liza told me about her neighborhood, I thought about the people who live on my street. How could I be a “Liza” kind of neighbor to them?
Every church, no matter its size, sends out ripples into the surrounding community. We gather on Sundays and in smaller groups throughout the week to worship, study, pray, and serve together. God equips us through Word and Sacrament, through the telling of His works in the lives of His followers, and through the refreshment of spending time with God and His people. Then we leave the church building and continue our daily lives. God’s love and forgiveness, given and strengthened through His church, ripple through us and spread outwards to our family, friends, coworkers, the cashier at the grocery store, the homeless person we greet kindly—all the people that God places in our path to love and serve.
Influencers
The term influencer is used today for people who are popular on social media. Those of us in the body of Christ need not look to social media or celebrity culture for our influencers but to our fellow Christians, the ones who worship with us every week and then live out their faith in our community. I look at Liza and others in my church who have walked with God longer than I have, and I am strengthened by their faithfulness. My contemporaries serving in their various vocations inside and outside the church inspire me to think about new ways I could share Jesus in words and deeds. The teenagers and young adults at church enliven my faith with their joy and energy and give me the privilege of encouraging them in their spiritual growth whenever I can.
In our effort to walk humbly with God, we sometimes don’t realize that we are influencers for others. Of course, parents intentionally invest in their children, and pastors and church workers in their congregations. But we may not see how our friendly words bless someone having a hard week. We won’t know when a friend picks up a Bible because they want to know more about the sense of peace or joy they feel around us. We often don’t see the results of our donations to missions or relief organizations, but people we will never meet in this life are helped and influenced by our generosity.
As we gather as Christ’s body, let us consider how we influence those around us. Let’s tell each other how Christ is working in our lives and share the joy of watching God work in those around us. May we stir up one another for love and good works, for the sake of Christ our Savior and the glory of God.
*Name edited for privacy
Scripture: ESV®
See the gifts that Christ gives to His believers through the church in Christa Petzold’s book Gathered by Christ.
