I once asked a class I was teaching what, in their opinion, was the number one weakness in today’s church. One humorist answered, “Apathy, but who cares?”

If I were asked this question, I’d say that in many instances we have become program centered rather than people centered. Some are even too Bible or too doctrinally centered. Now, before you write me off as a heretic, let me explain what I mean.

True, in our relationship to God we need to be Christ-centered. In our doctrinal teaching and manner of living we need to be Bible centered, but when ministering to people we need to be people-centered—whether it’s from the pulpit or among we lay people in our one-on-one relationships to others.

The majority of religious leaders in Jesus’ day were doctrine centered. That is, they loved their doctrinal teachings more than they loved people—and used their teachings to control and condemn people. Some religious leaders still do this today. Other leaders love their programs and use people to support and work their programs. Not good. Instead of loving people and using programs, they love programs and use people.

In ministry Jesus was never program-centered, but rather, was always people centered. That is, he started with people’s needs and applied his message and what he did to meet those needs.

To Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector, the little fellow who climbed a tree to get a good look at Jesus when he came to town. Jesus, sensing his need for acceptance, didn’t preach at him or quote Bible verses to him. He simply said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Upon entering his home, Zacchaeus began confessing his sins. Amazing. When Jesus met his presenting need for acceptance which was a social and emotional need, Zacchaeus then became aware of his deeper spiritual need. To the blind man, and other needy people, Jesus’ basic question was, “What do you want me to do for you?”

If our churches and you and I are to be as Christ to others, whether we are leaders, teachers, or lay persons, we, too, need to be aware of people’s presenting needs and seek, in Christ’s name, to minister to those needs. Little point in preaching the gospel to homeless, hungry people without trying to first feed them and find them shelter. Thank God for the missions who are seeking to do this. Furthermore, there’s little point of telling hurting, lonely, disappointed people, that God loves them if we do little or nothing to help meet their present need. True, there is a need to tell the gospel, but before we tell it, we need to live it and demonstrate it in what we do much more than in what we say.

At that point, though not discernable, when we change from being people centered to becoming program centered, we begin to lose our effectiveness and begin to die.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be understanding and Christ-like in reaching out to others and seek to minister to their presenting need. Help me to love people and use programs to meet their needs, and never use people to promote my personal programs to meet my needs. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 19:4-6 (NIV).

Chuck Swindoll in his book Killing Giants, Pulling Thorns, tells about “a little girl who lost a playmate in death and one day reported to her family that she had gone to comfort the sorrowing mother.

“‘What did you say?” asked her father.

“‘Nothing,’ she replied. ‘I just climbed up on her lap and cried with her.’”

What did Jesus do when his friend Lazarus died? He wept.

Rare is the friend who knows how to weep with those who weep.

Also, know when to be silent. In the same book, Chuck tells about Joe Bayly, who lost three of his children. He quotes from Joe’s book, The view from a Hearse. Joe writes: “I was sitting, torn by grief. Someone came and talked to me of God’s dealings, of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave. He talked constantly. He said things I knew were true. I was unmoved, except to wish he’d go away. He finally did.

“Another came and sat beside me. He didn’t talk. He didn’t ask me leading questions. He just sat beside me for an hour or more, listened when I said something, answered briefly, prayed simply, left.

“I was moved. I was comforted. I hated to see him go.”*

This visitor and the little girl were being as Jesus to hurting people. May God help us all to be and do likewise.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a tender and sensitive heart and help me to be as Jesus to hurting and sorrowing people. Help me to be silent when I need to be silent, speak kindly when a tender word is needed, and to weep with those who weep. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 11:33-36 (NIV).

*NOTE: Today’s Daily Encounter is taken from I Hate Witnessing—A Handbook for Effective Christian Communications, by Dick Innes, pp. 82-83 (2010 edition). Available at: www.actscom.com/store.

Politics: Without character and ethics, capitalism and democracy cannot survive for the long haul. Lying, cheating, cooking the books, irresponsibility, self-centeredness are self-destructive. We always reap what we sow—even if it is eventually.

Same is true with politics. Perhaps as never before we urgently need capable politicians; and I am thankful for those who are genuine, responsible, honest, and have at heart the best interest of the people they serve—not necessarily giving them what they want, but always seeking to provide, wherever possible, what they genuinely need. Today, unfortunately, the word “politics” has become a dirty word because of those politicians who are more interested in serving themselves and doing all they can to stay in power by catering to the wants and special interests of the majority of their constituents—or to please those who give them the most financial support. Then there are those who shamelessly blame others for the very problems that they themselves helped to create; those who lie, get caught, and call it a misspeak; those who look to dig up dirt to destroy their opponent; and others who spin their reports to make them say what they want them to say.

Unfortunately, some people are like this too. We’re like “two birds that fly over our nation’s deserts: One is the hummingbird and the other is the vulture. The vultures find the rotting meat of the desert, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.”²

If we look for the good in others, that’s what we’ll find. If we look for dirt, that’s what we will find. The same principle applies to people’s view of God. If we want to see him we can—everywhere we look. If we don’t want to see him, we won’t. The fact remains, people see exactly what they want to see, hear what they want to hear, find what they want to find, and do what they want and choose to do.

As Frederick Langbridge said, “Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars.” What you look for is what you will see and what you will get.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be honest with myself and with you so that I will see more clearly the truth as it is and not as I want it to be. And, while not being blind to deception, help me to look for stars and not for mud. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV).

2. Author unknown.

A Daily Encounter reader writes, “As a Christian I try to flee from sin because I don’t want to displease God and I don’t want to suffer the consequences. However, I am repeatedly reminded that I am not perfect and that I cannot live up to God’s standards. So I am constantly frustrated because on one hand, I’m told that I should resist sin, and on the other hand, I’m told that I will always sin . . . Ahhhhh! Then it is inevitable that I will suffer consequences for my sins no matter how I try to resist them, right?

“I am afraid to live, because the more I read the Bible, the more I realize how flawed I am. Out of fear of ‘falling short’ I avoid situations. For example, I would love to be married one day, but I am afraid to meet a young lady because of the temptations that come along with falling in love. That isn’t living.”

“Dear Don,” (not his real name), “Thank you for your honesty which is very honorable. However, if I may say so, it sounds to me like you might be a perfectionist or have very strong perfectionistic tendencies. And that’s why you’re ‘beating yourself up.’ If this is true, it probably goes back to your childhood where you felt you were never quite good enough to please either one or both of your parents, and now you have projected these same feelings onto God your heavenly parent (Father).

“Yes, God wants us to grow and overcome sin, but he doesn’t beat us up in the process. We beat ourselves up. God understands our sinful nature and we don’t change that by being a legalist . . . that is by trying to live by the law and not by God’s grace. Legalistic living leads to utter frustration and a deep sense of failure. Because of this, sad to say, many abandon their Christian faith because they can’t live up to the unrealistic expectations they have of themselves while all the while thinking it is God’s expectations.

“Basically, we need to grow and become more whole. For only to the degree that we are made whole will our lifestyle, attitudes and actions become wholesome. If you are a perfectionist, you need to keep reminding yourself that it is you and not God who has unrealistic expectations of you, and get into a good counseling and recovery program, otherwise you will be beating yourself up for the rest of your life—and that will keep you in awful bondage.

“Also, ask God to confront you with the truth about yourself so you can see and understand why you have all these unrealistic expectations, and to lead you to the help you need to overcome.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to have a realistic view of myself and not think either too highly or too poorly of myself. Help me to see myself as you see me and accept myself the way you accept me. And where I have weaknesses, please help me to accept these and find the help I need to overcome them. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 8:1-2 (ASV).