How Jesus Catered to People

Thank you guys for remembering to pray for us during this past month. The ministry project to Ghana was, by far, the most difficult to date and presented itself with many physical, emotional, and spirituals challenges, but through it all God blessed us in incredible ways. We spoke in 173 venues to a total audience of 54,000 where we saw 38,426 indicated decisions for Christ!

Thank you to everyone who joined us through prayers and financial support. You made a huge difference with this team. One of the great lessons that I learned during this particular project was the value of pouring more deeply into the lives of the people that we work with in Africa. This was the first project we have conducted with our new organizational pieces in place. The project was not without problems, but I quickly learned that the more I catered to the team, the better results we experienced.

Now most of us understand the importance of going into deeper and more meaningful relationship. God created humans for relationships. From the creation story onward we see that God intends for us to be in relationship with those around us. (Gen 2.)

When being questioned about the greatest commandment,

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” — Matthew‬

There are many good and creative ways for us to more intimately engage with those who are important to us. The basic purpose of everything you do in relationship building is showing the person that you care for and about them. I want you to remember one thing. Relationship are always more visual than they are audible. Let me say that again

Relationships are more visual than they are audible.

I can tell you a 1,000 times how important you are to me, but me showing you the value you have in my life makes us both more keenly aware of the truth.

Think about all the times that Jesus gathered around a table in both public and private to interact with people though a meal. Whether it was a small group of three in a family home, to the regular meals with his disciples, the gatherings at weddings, and feast or the feeding of the multitudes, Jesus was well aware that when he touched people at the most common human need, they listened to him more intimately. When I watch Jesus I learn at least three things about this catering to his people.

HE WAS AN ACTIVE LISTENER

People need to be heard and understood. The sad truth is that few people are really good listeners. Most of us are often too busy thinking of our response to the people that we fail to listen to what the person is really saying. We naturally bond with people who really listen, hear us, and that we’d want to spend time with.

JESUS PAID ATTENTION

We tend to remember and appreciate the people who ask us if everything is okay, even if we haven’t told them that anything is wrong. This tells us they are paying attention to us, and we all want that.

When someone is speaking, focus not only on the tone of their words, but also their facial expression and body language. Notice when someone’s words don’t match their facial expression or body language. This will open doors to having deeper, more meaningful conversations that will lead to developing trust and stronger connections.

JESUS MAID IT ALL ABOUT THEM

There is no more beautiful sound to our ears than the sound of our own name. Remembering people’s names is the first step to relationship building, and remembering other important aspects about them continues the building process. They will tell us what is important in their lives, all we need to do is listen and pay attention.

When they are speaking about a family member, an event, or a hobby and their faces light up, remember this fact, as it is important to them. We don’t have to remember everything about them, just focus on their names and one important piece of information.

I encourage you today to renew the habits you have been taught and pour your life and concern into those around you and you will see increased and improved opportunities of impact and influence.