The people who do not yet know Jesus are not our enemies. They are the very people God has called us to reach with His love and truth.
In a recent message, Kelly K challenged Christians to reconsider how we respond to those living without Christ.
“The lost aren’t the enemy. They are the harvest,” Kelly said.
Jesus did not remain distant from sinners. He entered their world without compromising the truth. As Kelly explained, Jesus was called “the friend of sinners” not because He became like them, “but because He got close enough to them so they could actually see what God looks like.”
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That is still our calling. We cannot demand that people transform themselves before we introduce them to the One who transforms lives.
“If they could clean themselves up, why would they even need a Savior?” Kelly asked.
We cannot save, change or convict anyone through our own strength. Transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our responsibility is to remain obedient and available.
“Our job is to love people, tell them the truth and show them Jesus,” Kelly said.
This does not require us to ignore sin or compromise Scripture. “Sin is real. Truth matters. Repentance matters,” Kelly said. “But the sinner is not our enemy.”
The real enemy wants us afraid, angry or disgusted with the people we were commissioned to reach. If he convinces the church to view the harvest as the opposition, we will keep our distance and leave people in darkness.
Jesus called us the light of the world. Light must enter dark places to fulfill its purpose.
As we follow the Holy Spirit, may we see people as Jesus sees them—not as problems to avoid, but as souls He loves and longs to save.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].