June 9th, 2026
by Pastor Warfield
by Pastor Warfield
Who Do You See? | The Dispatch Series
The One Project | Step 1: Identify
Picture yourself standing in a crowded city square, shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people, all moving in the same direction. The momentum of the crowd carries you forward whether you want to go or not. Everyone has somewhere to be, something urgent demanding their attention. In that moment, would you notice the person watching from the tree?
This is the scene in Jericho when Jesus walked through town. But while everyone else was caught up in the movement, the noise, and their own agendas, Jesus did something remarkable—he stopped.
The Man Nobody Saw
Zacchaeus had three defining characteristics: he was a tax collector, he was wealthy, and he was short. Each of these created a barrier between him and the community around him. He had money but no belonging. He had position but no acceptance. Most tragically, he was surrounded by people yet completely alone.
How many people in your life fit that description right now? They're visible, maybe even successful by worldly standards, but they're watching from a distance, convinced the crowd has no room for them.
Surface Versus Depth
A thousand years before Jesus met Zacchaeus, God taught the prophet Samuel a fundamental lesson about sight. When Samuel went to anoint Israel's next king, he looked at Jesse's impressive sons and thought he'd found the one. But God redirected him with words that echo through the ages:
"The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
This Hebrew word for "appearance"—ra'ah—refers to external perception, what the eye takes in at surface level. It's all container, no content. Human sight is limited to what's visible, but divine sight penetrates to what is real. The contrast isn't between sight and blindness—it's between surface and depth.
God passed over all seven of Jesse's impressive sons and chose the one nobody thought to call into the room: David, the youngest, out tending sheep while everyone else was being evaluated.
The Discipline of Stopping
In our world of packed calendars, divided attention, and constant motion, stopping is a spiritual discipline. We convince ourselves we simply didn't notice, but the truth is we're often too busy to see.
Jesus was passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, where the cross awaited him. Yet in the midst of a crowd, with the weight of humanity's redemption on his shoulders, he stopped for one person. The Greek text indicates this wasn't a casual glance—Jesus reached his intended destination. As if the entire journey had been orchestrated for this one moment at this particular tree.
If Jesus could stop on his way to the cross, surely we can stop on our way to the grocery store.
Three Details That Change Everything
When Jesus stopped at that sycamore tree, three significant details unfolded:
First, he looked up deliberately. The Greek word used here—anablepo—means intentional, directed sight. It's the same word used when blind people receive their sight and look with intensity for the first time. Jesus wasn't casually scanning the crowd. He was searching for Zacchaeus specifically.
Second, he called him by name. Not "hey, tax collector" or "you up there." Jesus said, "Zacchaeus." To be called by name is to be known. To be called by name in public is to be claimed publicly. Jesus identified Zacchaeus before Zacchaeus had done anything to earn it, before he'd cleaned up his life, before he was presentable. This is grace embedded in identification.
Third, he invited himself over. "I must stay at your house today." The urgency in that statement is striking. Not "I'd like to" or "maybe we could," but "I must." Jesus claimed Zacchaeus without apology, in front of everyone, despite the crowd's immediate disapproval.
The crowd muttered about Jesus going to be the guest of a sinner. But Jesus didn't make excuses or offer theological arguments. He simply moved toward the one everyone else had overlooked.
Your One
Here's the paradigm shift: before you identified anyone, God identified you. There was a moment when you were in a tree somewhere, watching from a distance, convinced the crowd didn't have room for you. And the Son of Man who came to seek and to save the lost stopped, looked up, and called you by name.
He didn't wait for you to come down. He called you while you were still in the tree.
Now God is asking you to do for someone else what he already did for you: stop, look up, and call them by name.
The Framework: Four Simple Steps
This isn't about high-pressure evangelism or treating people like projects. It's about organic multiplication through genuine relationship:
Identify one person in your existing circle who is close to you but far from God. Not a stranger, not a list—one name. Someone you already have regular access to: a coworker, neighbor, family member, old friend.
Intercede by speaking to God about them before you speak to them about God. Set a daily reminder to pray for wisdom regarding their situation and readiness to act.
Invest by showing up authentically in their life. Schedule coffee, be present, listen without agenda. Build a foundation of consistent, genuine trust. People can sense when they're being recruited versus when they're being genuinely cared for.
Invite them to "come and see" when the foundation of prayer and trust is established. A simple, low-stakes invitation to join you for worship, leaving the decision entirely in their hands.
The Question That Changes Your Day
What if every morning before your feet touched the ground, you prayed: "Lord, who do you want me to see today?"
Not "Lord, keep me" or "Lord, bless me"—though those prayers have their place—but "Who do you want me to see?"
That prayer shifts your entire posture from passing through to being present, from surface to depth, from crowd to individual.
The Multiplication Effect
When one person is reached through authentic relationship, they eventually identify their own one, starting the process over. This creates decentralized growth through thousands of individual bridges rather than a single event or campaign.
The Son of God stopped for one person on his way to save the world. That one person—Zacchaeus—responded immediately, not just with words but with transformed action, giving half his possessions to the poor and repaying those he'd cheated four times over.
Jesus declared, "Today salvation has come to this house."
One tree. One name. One life transformed.
Who's in your tree today?
This is the scene in Jericho when Jesus walked through town. But while everyone else was caught up in the movement, the noise, and their own agendas, Jesus did something remarkable—he stopped.
The Man Nobody Saw
Zacchaeus had three defining characteristics: he was a tax collector, he was wealthy, and he was short. Each of these created a barrier between him and the community around him. He had money but no belonging. He had position but no acceptance. Most tragically, he was surrounded by people yet completely alone.
How many people in your life fit that description right now? They're visible, maybe even successful by worldly standards, but they're watching from a distance, convinced the crowd has no room for them.
Surface Versus Depth
A thousand years before Jesus met Zacchaeus, God taught the prophet Samuel a fundamental lesson about sight. When Samuel went to anoint Israel's next king, he looked at Jesse's impressive sons and thought he'd found the one. But God redirected him with words that echo through the ages:
"The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
This Hebrew word for "appearance"—ra'ah—refers to external perception, what the eye takes in at surface level. It's all container, no content. Human sight is limited to what's visible, but divine sight penetrates to what is real. The contrast isn't between sight and blindness—it's between surface and depth.
God passed over all seven of Jesse's impressive sons and chose the one nobody thought to call into the room: David, the youngest, out tending sheep while everyone else was being evaluated.
The Discipline of Stopping
In our world of packed calendars, divided attention, and constant motion, stopping is a spiritual discipline. We convince ourselves we simply didn't notice, but the truth is we're often too busy to see.
Jesus was passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, where the cross awaited him. Yet in the midst of a crowd, with the weight of humanity's redemption on his shoulders, he stopped for one person. The Greek text indicates this wasn't a casual glance—Jesus reached his intended destination. As if the entire journey had been orchestrated for this one moment at this particular tree.
If Jesus could stop on his way to the cross, surely we can stop on our way to the grocery store.
Three Details That Change Everything
When Jesus stopped at that sycamore tree, three significant details unfolded:
First, he looked up deliberately. The Greek word used here—anablepo—means intentional, directed sight. It's the same word used when blind people receive their sight and look with intensity for the first time. Jesus wasn't casually scanning the crowd. He was searching for Zacchaeus specifically.
Second, he called him by name. Not "hey, tax collector" or "you up there." Jesus said, "Zacchaeus." To be called by name is to be known. To be called by name in public is to be claimed publicly. Jesus identified Zacchaeus before Zacchaeus had done anything to earn it, before he'd cleaned up his life, before he was presentable. This is grace embedded in identification.
Third, he invited himself over. "I must stay at your house today." The urgency in that statement is striking. Not "I'd like to" or "maybe we could," but "I must." Jesus claimed Zacchaeus without apology, in front of everyone, despite the crowd's immediate disapproval.
The crowd muttered about Jesus going to be the guest of a sinner. But Jesus didn't make excuses or offer theological arguments. He simply moved toward the one everyone else had overlooked.
Your One
Here's the paradigm shift: before you identified anyone, God identified you. There was a moment when you were in a tree somewhere, watching from a distance, convinced the crowd didn't have room for you. And the Son of Man who came to seek and to save the lost stopped, looked up, and called you by name.
He didn't wait for you to come down. He called you while you were still in the tree.
Now God is asking you to do for someone else what he already did for you: stop, look up, and call them by name.
The Framework: Four Simple Steps
This isn't about high-pressure evangelism or treating people like projects. It's about organic multiplication through genuine relationship:
Identify one person in your existing circle who is close to you but far from God. Not a stranger, not a list—one name. Someone you already have regular access to: a coworker, neighbor, family member, old friend.
Intercede by speaking to God about them before you speak to them about God. Set a daily reminder to pray for wisdom regarding their situation and readiness to act.
Invest by showing up authentically in their life. Schedule coffee, be present, listen without agenda. Build a foundation of consistent, genuine trust. People can sense when they're being recruited versus when they're being genuinely cared for.
Invite them to "come and see" when the foundation of prayer and trust is established. A simple, low-stakes invitation to join you for worship, leaving the decision entirely in their hands.
The Question That Changes Your Day
What if every morning before your feet touched the ground, you prayed: "Lord, who do you want me to see today?"
Not "Lord, keep me" or "Lord, bless me"—though those prayers have their place—but "Who do you want me to see?"
That prayer shifts your entire posture from passing through to being present, from surface to depth, from crowd to individual.
The Multiplication Effect
When one person is reached through authentic relationship, they eventually identify their own one, starting the process over. This creates decentralized growth through thousands of individual bridges rather than a single event or campaign.
The Son of God stopped for one person on his way to save the world. That one person—Zacchaeus—responded immediately, not just with words but with transformed action, giving half his possessions to the poor and repaying those he'd cheated four times over.
Jesus declared, "Today salvation has come to this house."
One tree. One name. One life transformed.
Who's in your tree today?
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