Faith Seeping Through Our Pores

“I wish we were so in tune with Jesus that He would exude through our pores.” My wife, Lisa, sat with her legs curled up on our black cushy couch as she spoke. It was evening worship in the Anobile household, and our five kids sat listening as Lisa described what it would be like to live lives so filled with Jesus that everything we said and everything we did would point to Him.

I’ve often thought about Lisa’s comment and found myself evaluating my words and actions to see if I was exuding Christ through my pores. If I’m being honest, I have failed many times. But my resolve is still the same, to know Christ and Him crucified.

In my opinion, the enemy has succeeded in causing many Christians to neglect their relationship with Christ by keeping us so busy that we fail to make time for the Creator. How many of us have truly resolved to know nothing except Christ and Him crucified? How different would this world be if our main goal was to share Jesus with everyone we meet so that He could come back and we could go home?

The disciples may have had an advantage in that they were able to live in Jesus’ physical presence for more than three years. Yet once Jesus returned to heaven, their single focus was to share the good news of the Gospel with everyone they encountered so that Jesus could return and they could be reunited with Him. Not only as their friend, but as their Savior and true King.

Do you want Jesus to come back? Do you want to go home—your real home? A place where there will be no more pain, no more sorrow. A place where phone calls will never again bring bad news and miles will no longer separate us from the people we love. A place where death will no longer exist. All of this is possible because Jesus died and rose again. It’s no wonder Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:2 that the only thing that truly mattered was knowing Jesus and Him crucified.

So what should we do? That is a great question. Let’s begin by considering Jesus’ own words in Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

For the remainder of 2026, this column will explore the four areas Jesus mentioned. The central point, however, is this: we are called to be His witnesses. Are you being a witness for Jesus? Is He your friend, Savior and King? Are you a sponge or a honeycomb?

A sponge soaks everything in. It absorbs and holds. A honeycomb, on the other hand, can’t help but exude what’s inside it. It overflows. It pours out. The difference is telling. One merely collects; the other gives. One retains what it receives; the other releases it naturally.

I agree with my wife. I want to be so saturated with Jesus that He pours out of my pores. When we have that kind of relationship with Him, not only will we hasten His return, but as we wait for His coming, life will truly be worth living.

By Tony Anobile, Southwestern Union Vice President for Church Ministries

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