The Christ we see in Scripture fully engaged Himself in the lives of people. Wherever He went He embraced people with the life of God. Wherever He went He brought health and vitality, dignity and respect, love and forgiveness. Wherever He went He preached the Word of God.

What does it mean to be a church built upon the life of Jesus? What would a people look like who were under the influence of God in Jesus? What would distinguish them from others? How would the people in their world know that they had been with Jesus and that Jesus was guiding and directing and orchestrating their lives?

I’m not sure we should look for easy answers to our questions but I am confident that they are questions worth asking. I’m also quite sure that whatever the answers might be for us they will not be discovered from a distance. I am quite sure that Jesus has called us to Himself, to be where He is. And, I am quite sure that wherever Jesus is He will be doing what He has always done – embrace people with the life of God, bring health and vitality, dignity and respect, love and forgiveness, and preach the Word of God.

I have thought about something Jesus did all through His ministry as He lived in the midst of people. Mark 1:35 summarizes it well when it says, “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”

I am wondering if it is not in the place of prayer where our questions will most likely be answered. To build our lives, our church, on the life of Jesus is to do more than just be “out there” with people. We certainly do need to be “out there” with people but perhaps first, before we dare engage anybody with the life of Jesus, we need to be in the place of prayer and worship where we can commune with God. It seems to me that we’re not going to be of much help to anybody if we are not intimately connected with the One person we believe is the Holy One of God (see Mark 1:24).