In a shocking story from the civil rights era, volunteers discovered sharecroppers in Mississippi living in conditions that amounted to modern slavery. These people were paid not in real currency, but with metal stars that could only be spent at their owner's store. What's even more disturbing is that people knew about this situation and did nothing.
Today, we face a similar reality in our spiritual landscape. Twenty percent of Americans don't know a single Christian. The question we must ask ourselves is: Will we be like those who knew about injustice and remained silent, or will we be like the civil rights workers who risked everything to set people free?

Ephesians 1:3 tells us we've been "blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." God isn't holding out on us - He's given us everything we need. Among these blessings, we find that we were chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).

God exists outside of time and sees the beginning from the end. He chose us because He knew the choice we would make. Before we were born, He already knew us and wrote a book about us (Psalm 139). Since He chose us, He has also chosen others - and it's our job to find them.

One of our greatest spiritual blessings is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19. When we become new creations in Christ, God gives us the ministry of reconciliation. This isn't reserved for pastors or missionaries - it's for every believer.

The Greek word for reconciliation means "to exchange" - exchanging our old sinful life for His new creation life. It also means to be received into favor. Now that we live in God's favor, we're called to help others experience that same exchange.

As we approach Easter season, we have a prime opportunity to invite people to church. Statistics show that 86% of people will say yes when invited to church - we just need to ask.

Prayer must be our foundation. Ask God to put someone on your heart - a coworker, neighbor, or family member. This is a dangerous prayer because God will answer it, and then we must be willing to act.

Jesus saw crowds that were "harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. We must pray for laborers and then step into the harvest ourselves.

No one wants to be your project. People need to know they matter even if they never come to church with you. Love people like Jesus would - authentically and unconditionally.

Christians can be weird sometimes. While we should never hide our faith, we also need to have real conversations about life. When difficulties come, people watch how we respond - that's when our witness is strongest.

The best way to show you care is by listening without judging or being offended by their sinfulness. Remember, if they're not born again, they're living in sin - that's their current reality.

Jesus demonstrated this with the woman at the well. He had a real conversation, listened to her, and earned her trust before addressing the deeper issues. When he finally spoke truth, it carried weight because relationship had been established.

Most people who come to Jesus as adults do so because of trauma. God calls us to reach out to those whoare hurting. People aren't looking for church when they're in pain - they're looking for a friend.

People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. They don't care where you go to church until you demonstrate church to them. You are the church - be the church to people in need.

Overcoming hurt doesn't happen overnight. It takes days, weeks, months, even years. In light of eternity, the investment is worth it. Be okay with small steps forward and even steps backward, as long as the overall direction is toward Christ.

This week, pray the dangerous prayer: "God, put someone on my heart who needs You." When He answers, be willing to step out in faith and build a genuine friendship with that person. Remember, you are a minister of reconciliation, called to find the "whosoevers" that God has chosen.

• Who in my life appears "harassed and helpless" and needs to know about God's love?

• Am I willing to invest time in building authentic relationships with non-believers?

• How can I demonstrate the love of Christ through my actions this week, not just my words?

• What's holding me back from sharing my faith - fear of rejection or concern about what others might think?