Relevant: Meeting People Where They Are
True relevance is not about chasing fashion, but about meeting people at the point of their deepest need.
What Relevance Means
Relevance is about connecting with people's real needs, questions, and circumstances, not simply about being trendy or fashionable. It means being gentle, sensitive, wise and caring as we meet people at their point of concern and hurt. That is what makes us relevant.
We show our faith by ministering to their very real ‘felt’ needs. Through our good works we live out our Christianity and are building bridges whereby we earn the right to present Christ, who can make a tremendous difference to their lives if they choose life.
Am I meeting people where they are?
The Relevant of Jesus
At the heart of Jesus' relevance was His response to humanity's deepest need: salvation. Every person, regardless of background or circumstance, faces a problem we cannot solve by ourselves. Our own efforts, good works, and understanding fall short of bridging the distance created by sin between us and a holy God.
Yet Jesus did not simply meet people where they were and leave them there. He engaged them at their point of need in order to lift them out of sin, bondage, and brokenness into the life God intended. His compassion was never mere affirmation of their present state; it was always aimed at rescuing, transforming, healing, and bringing them into truth.
Do I follow Jesus' example of compassion?
Jesus alone was able to accomplish what humanity could not. Through His life, death, and resurrection He fulfilled what was needed to make salvation possible, and He made it available to everyone who would come to Him in faith. His relevance was purposeful: to bring people into truth, set them free, and lead them into everlasting life.
Jesus met with people in their need and offered them a better way forward if they choose to walk in His ways. They saw He was genuine, had what they wanted and could meet their physical needs, and many were also impacted spiritually.
Being Relevant Today
The core of the gospel message is still the same as it always has been, yet the way it is delivered needs to be adapted and relevant to suit the current times – understandable both in words and actions. Are we aware of the contemporary mindset of non-Christians, so that we can connect and interact with them and hopefully journey on with them to know Christ? Paul said, “I become all things to all people that by any means I might win some” (1 Cor 9:22).
At the centre of Jesus' own preaching was a clear and unchanging call: “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:15). That call to turn from sin and trust in Christ remains the same today. What may change is the way we express it—using language, examples, and relationships that help people in today's society understand and respond.
Am I willing to adapt without compromising truth?
Adapting our approach is not the same as compromising the message. We must never soften the truth of repentance, forgiveness, and new life in Christ. Rather, we seek to remove unnecessary barriers so that the unchanged gospel can be heard with patience, love, and cultural understanding.
Showing love by giving basic necessities to a destitute person in need will speak more to them about Christ than a pious “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed” (Jas 2:15-16). This is why friendship evangelism is so effective, to bring a person to salvation and disciple them through walking with them through the situations of life. This calls for long-term commitment of being involved in the lives of the unsaved, yet within ethical and moral boundaries that you will not cross or compromise. While the Lord has called us to be ‘different’ to the unsaved, it is to be in positive ways that reflect the Spirit of Christ, bringing His message into everyday situations, not ‘weird’ mystical recluses isolated from mainstream society.
Christianity is practical and effective
While the Bible was completed approximately 1900 years ago, its accuracy and relevance for today remain unchanged, with it being the sole objective source of all the revelation God has given us about Himself and His plan for humanity. Not all of Scripture necessarily applies explicitly to us today, but all Scriptures contain truth that we can, and should, apply to our lives today with the message of redemption universally and perpetually applicable to humanity (2 Tim 3:16; Jas 1:22).
Reflection and Application:
- Who in my life needs me to meet them at their point of need this week?
- How can I show Christ's love through practical good works?
- What cultural barriers might I need to cross to share the gospel meaningfully?
- How does the Bible speak to the situations people around me are facing today?
See also: appropriate, evangelism (friendship), mindset.