The Catchin' Kind

By: Randal Myers

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A story is told about an old time circuit riding preacher in the old west who once delivered a sermon entitled, ìWhat Kind of Religion Do You Have?î Though the presentation was a bit rough, the point was well made. His three points were: 1) Do you have religion? 2) Do you have the catchin' kind? 3) How many have caught it from you?

That's not a bad sermon. We certainly are supposed to have the ìcatchin' kindî of religion. When you stop to think about it, you'll agree that we are supposed to have a type of ìreligionî (or better stated "spirituality") that is infectious among the people with whom we come into contact. As Jesus described it, we are to be salt and light to the world. We should possess traits and characteristics that improve and influence the society in which we live. We should bring something attractive and appealing to those around us. The world around us should be able to notice a difference in our demeanor, our language and attitudes. We should project calmness in the face of adversity, strength in the face of challenge, and hope in the face of despair.

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

In 2nd Corinthians 5:18-20, Paul refers to the ministry with which we have all been charged.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Jesus was certainly one who projected something people wanted to be close to. There were those who were drawn to him simply because they thought they could get something from him...a free handout or to witness a miracle. But that's not why most people flocked around him. He humanized people. He demonstrated compassion, understanding and acceptance. He never minced words when it came to presenting truth, but his ability to express his love for people disarmed all their natural defensiveness. We must learn those traits. It has been said, ìPeople don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.î That certainly is true. The most effective way to influence someone for the cause of Christ is to become like Christ to them first.

I'm convinced that if we will make ìpeopleî our first priority, we'll see our congregation explode with growth. Our religion must not appear to be simply a system of doctrinal positions...it must be all about people. That's the religion of Jesus...and that's the ìcatchin' kind.î

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