“Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people” (The Ministry of Healing p.143). So what is Christ’s method? It’s simple, really. It’s all about loving people; demonstrating love as a verb rather than just a noun. Despite the popular notion that love is primarily a feeling, Jesus proved that love is action. It’s kindness without an agenda.

Jesus cared for even those whom He knew would never care for Him in return. He gained the trust of strangers through disinterested benevolence. It’s natural to be drawn to those who genuinely care for us, expecting nothing in return. Conversely, we tend to be wary of those whom we suspect are motivated by self-interest.

Jesus’ love was authentic. He didn’t just talk about loving neighbors or even enemies, He lived it. How well have we Christians lived out that sort of wondrous love toward those we aren’t naturally fond of? How much further would we be in spreading the Gospel throughout the world if we had?

“There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit”(The Ministry of Healing p.143, 144).

We have endeavored to imitate Christ’s method and to encourage new Albanian church members to do the same. They’ve been enthusiastic about the idea, and they’ve been fairly successful in reaching out to their neighbors with acts of kindness. By God’s grace, their efforts to bless their neighbors have, in a natural way, led to several Bible studies and requests for baptism. The church members are thrilled, and they would like to start doing this in a more organized and intentional way.

After much prayer, we have decided that a Center of Influence would be an excellent place to facilitate Christ’s method. Albanian church members will be trained to help meet the felt needs of people in their community. We want our planned church building to double as such a center. The members are excited about the possibilities. They want the community to know that Adventists care about them, whether they are Christian, Muslim or atheist.

The Center will be a place where folks can receive help for various needs. We plan to have small, simple rotating programs about parenting, small business start-ups, smoking cessation, nutrition and other health matters, computer skills, family life and more. We want to include spiritual/emotional health support in areas such as forgiveness, bereavement and more. In short, we want to practice Christ’s method of reaching people. If you would like to be a part of creating this Center of Influence, please consider making a donation today.

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