Who’s on your patio? …

Christians can boast of having some of the most extraordinary — and extravagant — patios to populate any suburb (or urban homes).

These patios are decked out with massive barbeques … some on wheels, and some permanently built structures …

… outdoor fire pits …

… outdoor furniture nicer than many have in their living rooms …

… outdoor sound/music systems …

… outdoor lighting systems …

… outdoor misting systems …

… and much more! …

… all designed to be enjoyed by their own families and other Christian friends. Unfortunately, not many neighbors or unsaved people ever find their way onto these patios.

For Christians, here’s a thought: show me who spends the most time on your patio, and I’ll show you who does or doesn’t have a heart for evangelism.

One of the greatest ways of reaching the lost for Jesus Christ is by building genuine relationships, and one of the most effective ways of doing that is having people in our homes. For many Christians, that means having people on our patios … and most of the people we share our patios with are usually other like-minded Christians.

There’s nothing wrong with that, BUT …

When was the last time you had non-Christian neighbors sharing some bbq on your patio? When was the last time (if ever) you invited some of the homeless from your community for a meal on your patio? When was the last time you invited your non-Christian co-workers for a cookout on the patio?

What are you using your patio for? What are you using your home for? What are you using your “spare” bedrooms for? Can you honestly claim the single most expensive item you own — your home — is fully committed to ministry? Does the use of your home display a heart for evangelism? Or is your patio home base for a Christian clique that likes to talk about evangelism but never does it?

It’s easy to imagine Jesus on a patio, standing by a bbq. You know exactly who would be His guests. Yes, some Christians would be sprinkled among the group, but the makeup of His guest list would likely be very different from what you find on the patios of most Christians.

How would your spiritual life change, and how much more could you accomplish for the kingdom of God, if you fully committed the use of your patio, your home, your spare rooms, your vehicles, yourself, and all that you have, to reaching the lost for Jesus Christ? What if you stepped out of your Christian cliques and started spending more time with people who are clueless about Jesus? What could possibly happen if you got to know some homeless people on a first-name basis?

What if you started making the kind of friends that Jesus had as friends when He walked the earth?

What if you even started simple and replaced just one Christian clique member on your patio with a lost person?

If you really got serious, you might have to take your shoes off on your patio, because you might actually meet God there, for some really holy work!

Spring is here. What are you going to do with your patio?

Scotty