Emmanuel means “God with us.”

One preacher said, “I would be a great pastor if it weren’t for the people.” Well, that’s a pastor’s job… to be “with” the people, to make “disciples”, to be “Jesus with skin on.”

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 NLT

Our witness is sometimes judged by our ‘with-ness’…to be with people. How? We can pray with them, we can weep or rejoice with them, we can serve with them, or we can encourage them. Being with people was what Jesus’ birth was all about.

People don’t want to be preached at, or feel condemned, or be shamed into obeying God. People want someone to come alongside them, put their arm around their shoulder, and help them.

We can’t be with people if we stay inside the church, or if we keep our Christianity to ourselves. Jesus was a friend of sinners. He went outside the synagogue into their world to love them. And as the Father sent Him, so He sends us!

People need to feel our love, our understanding, and our compassion. 

That’s how they know we are different. That’s how they realize we have something they want. That’s how they come to know we are disciples of Jesus.