"For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things."

So here's where Paul takes us. After talking about what we surrender and why we pursue and how we keep moving... he reveals what breaks his heart.

People. Lost people. People who live as enemies of the cross.
And Paul wept over them.

See how Paul doesn't describe these people with anger? How he doesn't write them off or dismiss them or look down on them with religious superiority? He describes them with tears. He grieves for them. And I think that's the heart God wants to develop in us through our pursuit of Him.

You say, Pastor Scott, why does this matter?

Because here's what I see. If we are pursuing Christ because He has pursued us... doesn't it stand to reason that our response is to show someone else how to respond? Our pursuit isn't meant to terminate on ourselves. It's meant to overflow. It's meant to spill out into the lives of people around us who don't know what we know and haven't experienced what we've experienced.

See...your transformation has a target and that target is not JUST you.

Paul says there are people whose conduct shows they are enemies of the cross. They appear to know God but their lives reveal something different.
Their god is their stomach, meaning they live for appetite and comfort and whatever feels good in the moment. They glory in their shame, meaning they celebrate what should grieve them.
Their minds are set on earthly things, meaning heaven is not even in their vision.
And these people are not strangers.

They are neighbors, coworkers, family members, and friends. They are the people who sit across the table from you at Thanksgiving, the ones you pass in the hallway at work, the ones who live three doors down, and wave when they check the mail. They are everywhere, and most of the time we walk right past them.

But Paul wept, and this is the heart of John 3:16. God so loved the world that He gave.
He pursued. He sacrificed. He sent, and now He sends us.

So the call is simple; know Christ, pursue the lost, and present them mature.

That's it. That's the mission. That's why we do any of this.

And maybe you're reading this and thinking... but I don't know how to reach people. I don't have the words. I'm not a pastor or a teacher or someone who knows how to share their faith.

Hear me please...you don't need a script, you need a name.

Who is the one you are pursuing this year? Not a group of people or a vague category. No, one person, one name, one face.

Name them. Pray for them. Reach them. Because the incredible thing is that this gives purpose to everything we've talked about this week.

Why surrender your gains?
So you're not weighed down when you run toward someone.

Why rest in grace?
So you have something to offer beyond your own effort.

Why keep moving forward?
Because people are waiting who need what you carry.

And here's what I know. When you start praying for someone by name and looking for opportunities to love them and asking God to open doors... something shifts. Your faith becomes active and your pursuit becomes purposeful; your transformation becomes transferable.

So who is your one?

Is it a son or a daughter that you want to win for Christ? A spouse? A friend? A coworker? A neighbor? Someone you haven't talked to in years but you can't shake the feeling that God wants you to reach out?

Name them. Write it down. Put it somewhere you'll see it every day.

And then pursue.

Not with pressure or with religious performance. But with love and tears and the same relentless grace that pursued you when you were far from God.

Start small. Stay steady. Watch God work.

Because this is not just about your transformation. This is about their salvation. This is about taking everything God has done in you and letting it become the bridge that someone else walks across to find Him.

The fast is done. The journey is not.

Surrender your gains.
Rest in His grace.
Set your face forward.
And weep for the lost.

The goal is ahead, the prize is the upward call, and the mission is clear.

Who is your one?

Write down the name of one person you want to pursue for Christ this year. Commit to praying for them daily and look for one opportunity this week to take a step toward them.