Add a Personal Touch

He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

- Matthew 8:15 (NIV)

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”

- Matthew 9:29 (NIV)

But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

- Luke 22:51 (NIV)

Read the Gospels carefully.  Go beyond the surface.  Don't just skim it for its finer points and holy highlights.  Read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John thoroughly.  Read them intentionally.  Read with probing eyes.  Search the Scriptures to discover how Jesus truly reached out and touched people as God in the flesh.

Not long ago, every Christian knew about WWJD.  The letters represented What Would Jesus Do? The question seems a bit rhetorical.  Yet, it caused many of us to rethink our approach to certain situations in daily life's many interactions and encounters.  We asked WWJD and wore it on t-shirts, Bible covers and bumper sticks.  Did we really want to do things the way Jesus would have done them?

Jesus did not leave Bartimaeus blind by the wayside.

Jesus did not let the woman with the issue of blood go one more step in that condition.

Jesus forbid to leave the invalid laying on a mat beside the pool.

Jesus added a personal touch throughout His ministry that left no one the same.

Do we really want to do things the way Jesus would have done them?

Start by getting personal.  Don't leave it as drive-thru worship services on Sunday.  You know what I mean.  You moved out of the neighborhood to get away from the drugs, the gangs and all of that other stuff, but you still drive through on Sunday mornings for some old time religion and maybe a taste of some after-church soul food.  That's "drive-thru" Sunday worship.  You only drive through the 'hood, never doing any of your good works where you hear from the Good Book. 

God bless your heart.  You mean well.  Your intentions are good.  You just need to know where to get started.  Start by getting to know some folks on a personal level.  Take that church bulletin out of your Bible.  Yes, the one from Sunday where you did not use it to take notes on the sermon.  Use that and see what fellowship opportunities exist at the church.  Are there small groups that meet during the week on site or in the community? Can you join the men's monthly fellowship? Do you believe that there is room for you in the women's ministry circle? See what there is available and make some personal connections with other congregants.

Start small.  Volunteer to serve on an outreach team or a service team.  Get trained in sharing the Good News with others, so that you are equipped to say more than what's on your mind and our heart.  Get equipped, but be sure to get your heart in it more than your hands or your head.  Share with your heart and touch someone's life.  Add a personal touch to your ministry repertoire.  Be sure to get personal in such a way that people truly get a sense that you truly care.  Care for others the same way that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, looked after His own sheep.  Just start by getting a little more personal when you do it.

 
"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." — Henri J.M. Nouwen