I don’t know about you, but this extreme heat we have been experiencing makes me very grateful for heaven.
Yesterday driving in my car, I began thinking about heaven and why wouldn’t everyone want to go. This thought led me to think about evangelizing, and then this sadness came upon me.
Why are people so hostile toward “good news”? I know, Christians have been persecuted since, well, Jesus. But I heard a social media influencer cry out, “I don’t care about your GD (she did not abbreviate the word) religion (referring to Christianity).”
It broke my heart. Not because I was offended by her words but because I thought, we, as Christians, have done an awful job of presenting Christianity.
Jesus said this: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.””
John 13:34-35 NKJV
The church should be known by their love! Christians should be known for their love.
Not by the size of our churches,
Not by how we prophesy,
Not even by miracles, signs and wonders,
Not by the size of our homes, cars, or jets,
Not by our politics,
Not by our patriotism or flags,
Not by crosses on our necks, fish on our cars, or purity rings on our fingers.
But by our love for one another.
By our love for the homeless, the fatherless, and the clueless,
By our love for the hurting, the disenfranchised, and the foreigners,
By our love for the poor in spirit and the poor in resources,
By our love for those who choose a different denomination, a different faith, or no faith at all,
By our love for those who agree with us politically and those who don’t,
By our love for one another.
Jesus is our example. Jesus is known for His love.
He is known for defending an adulterer, hanging out with sinners, touching people society consider unclean (prostitutes, lepers, bleeding women), feeding people, healing people, having a conversation with a woman who was shacked up, commending the disenfranchised of that day (Gentiles and Samaritans), forgiving a murder and a thief, raising the dead, encouraging women to walk in their gifts and callings.
We are the church! I want to be known for loving like Jesus even if it makes my church friends uncomfortable. Who will join me?
Let’s fulfill the only commandment giving by Jesus:
Love one another so radically, so extravagantly, so generously everyone will look at you and say, “She is truly a disciple of Jesus. I want to know her Jesus.”