Love enters the world of unsaved people, engages them, begins to build a bridge and a connection across to them. Love identifies, and begins to recognise the needs people have, because once you've found a need, and you begin to meet that need, their heart opens up to you. Love ministers the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Love reaches out with the gifts of God, the flow of what you got in worship, what you've got from God begins to flow out, and touch that person's life. Love reprioritises the life, so you can fulfil what God called you to do. If you are in a business or in a workplace that place you're called to be the missionary, the pastor of that place, so you're the one responsible then, and God will open the opportunities.
See, what else did he do? He brought him to an inn. We're called to connect people to the church, the local church, the body of Christ. We're called to connect people. Do you connect people? We're called to follow them up with some personal care, one on one care. No one thrives without personal care. You're here because someone cared for you. I'm here because someone cared for me. I'm here because someone showed interest in me. And finally love, true love, releases resources, that the work of God can be much bigger than we are. That's what love looks like. No wonder Jesus taught this parable, it's one of the most brilliant parables I've recognised and seen and gone through in the New Testament. In it contains wonderful gems about what love really looks like. That's the kinds of people God wants us to be.
Let's just close our eyes right now. Father, we just thank You that You loved us. You do love us, You continue to love us, but Lord, with our receiving that love comes a great responsibility, a responsibility for the house of God, that it be built and made strong, a responsibility for the community, that Christ is made known through our personal lives. Father, we thank You for such a great call. We thank You Lord, that increasingly your church will arise and engage the community in different ways and different levels, and broken people will be restored, and that we want to be such a people that will do that.
Just while our eyes are closed and heads are bowed, is there anyone sitting here today that's never actually made that first personal connection with Jesus Christ? This would be a great day to make that decision. Trying to be a good person isn't enough. Just coming to church isn't enough. It needs a personal connection to Jesus Christ. Is there anyone here today, right at that stage, where you want to give your life to Christ, receive forgiveness of your sins, a connection with God, a beginning of a new life? Why don't you just raise your hand if that's you today. Is there anyone here this morning right at that place to receive Jesus Christ, right at that place of decision? Don't put it off. Make that decision today, I will open my heart to the Lord, I'll open my heart to Jesus Christ. Is there anyone here today at that place, that position, just raise your hand and let me know.
While our eyes are closed and heads are bowed, I wonder how many people you felt God challenging you today, challenging you not to be like the priest and the Levite, who saw the need and closed your heart, but to be like the Samaritan, and wherever you go there's a channel of life flows through you. If you felt God speaking to your heart about that this day, just raise your hand just right now, say God's speaking to me. God bless, God bless, God bless. Father, we just thank You, pray for a flow of Your spirit around our lives, around ministry. Father, we pray that from this body of people many will rise up with great boldness to make Christ known, great boldness to reach the lives of people around them, great boldness to interact in a creative way with the community, great boldness to interact with people who are desperately empty and need you.