Anytime I hear someone say their church is the friendliest around, I smile. When they say their church is full of love, I smile even more. In fact, I have not met a Christian yet who has said their church is not full of friendly people and love.
But ... who are they friendly towards? One another? Who do they love? One another?
This may be hard to digest, but ... do they love the abortion doctor two streets down that is killing dozens of unborn babies each year? Do they love the prostitutes who walk down Sullivant Avenue selling their bodies for sex? Do they love that awkward teenager who walked into their church wearing Satanic clothing? How about this ... do they love that IRS agent who just sent them a message telling them their records for the past 12 years are being audited? Do they really love that gas station owner who just raised the price of gas by 40 cents a gallon? Do they love that college football player who just shared with the world that he's living a homosexual lifestyle?
In John 13:34, Jesus teaches us to love one another as He has loved us. Arguments can be made that He was referring to loving other Christians in this passage. But Matthew 5:44 tells us to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Romans 13:10 states that love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.Galatians 5:14 reminds us that for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
The majority of Christian churches in America are declining in membership and attendance. We are not seeing as many people "won to Jesus Christ" as we used to. But ... what would happen if we truly started to love one another. I am not talking about loving the sweet lady who made that awesome cake at the last potluck dinner! I am talking about, what would happen if we started loving those OUTSIDE the church walls? What would happen if, instead of standing outside an abortion doctor's home picketing, you sent the doctor a dozen cookies (and if you're not the best cook, McDonald's chocolate chip cookies are truly awesome!) What if, instead of stopping a prostitute in the street and preaching at her, you actually told her she is loved by God and you want to invite her to a bible study? How about sending that IRS agent a thank you note for performing a thankless job! How about sharing with that homosexual that even though the Bible teaches that homosexual behavior is a sin, you still love the person no matter what, and they are still welcome in your church! And that gas station owner ... keep in mind, they own the local station, not the price of oil worldwide, so how about inviting him/her out to lunch and let them know you feel their pain!
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN if Christians started treating those outside the walls of the church with love? I'll tell you what would happen! Your church will need to start a new building fund campaign because their current house of worship will no longer be able to hold the influx of people! Your church, depending on property size, may want to consider larger parking lot, a parking deck, or do whatever it takes to be able to handle the floods of people wanting to walk through the doors. Because Church, if we go out and truly love the world, they are going to take notice .... they are going to start jumping up and down screaming ... they are gonna start yelling, "Hey You! Jesus Freaks! I want what you have! I want Jesus!"
Don't believe me? Then prove me wrong. Give it a try! Make a commitment to go out once a day outside of your comfort zone, and show one person some genuine Christian love! Get your fellow church members to do the same! Watch what happens!
