For Haywood: Whom God Loves


The Bible presents at least four foundational truths that are critical to the church's mission.  Truth one is that God loves you as your are.  John 3:16 says that God loves the world so much, he gave his unique Son so that those who put their faith in him will have everlasting life.  1 John 4:7 says that God proved his love for you by sending his Son to die for you.  He loves you as you are.  He's for you!

Truth two is: God has given you a group of people who are for you.  It's the church!  A church isn't a building.  It's group of people gathered to continue Jesus' work in the world.  John 13:34 says Jesus commanded his followers to love each other as he loved them.  God gave you the church to love and nurture you.  He also wants you to love and nurture others in the church.  You should be for your brothers and sisters in Christ!

Truth three is God loves everybody.  He's for everybody. John 3:16 emphasizes this truth!  He loves you, but he doesn't love only you!  He loves everyone in the world.  Even those who rebel against him!  

Truth four is: God loves everybody and wants you to love them too!  He wants you to love them the way he loves them and you!  He wants you to be for them!   Luke 6:27, 32-36 records that Jesus commanded to love everybody.  Even their enemies! 

Of all these truths, today's evangelical churches are struggling with the fourth.  About 10 years ago, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons wrote the book Unchristian.  This book studied the religious attitudes of young Americans today.  They found that identification with Christianity is plummeting in that group.  The primary reason is that they know churches primarily by what they're against.

How can we change this?  We can do it by embracing the four truths about God's love, especially truth four.  We need a change of heart.  We need to love people who don't go to church as they are.  We need to be for them.  We need to talk about God's love. But more than that, we need to show God's love by caring for the people around us.  Even those with whom we disagree!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God's Dynamite: The Battle Within

Image
"It was on fire when I lay down on it."  Robert Fulghum wrote about reading this statement in a small town newspaper.   Smoke was billowing from a second story window.  The Fire Department arrived, broke down the front door, ran up a set of stairs, and pulled a man off a burning bed.  Later, when they asked him how he got in that predicament, he said, "It was on fire when I lay down on it." Why on earth did he do that?  We don't know, but his story reveals a human truth.  We often do self-destructive things.  We testify, "People told me not to do it, but I did it anyway."  "I knew it was wrong, but I did it." The apostle Paul wrote about our human propensity to sin and self-destructive behavior in Romans 7:14-25.  Verse 15 sums up his point, "I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do and what I hate I do."   He describes an intense inner battle.  On one side is the "flesh," his
Read more

God's Dynamite: More than Conquerors

Image
One person goes through a terrible experience and emerges from it stronger, more mature, and more loving.  Another goes through a similar experience and emerges from it weaker, less mature, and bitter.   What's the difference? I think it has to do with what's in the person's heart.  It has to do with his or her faith and perspective of life.   In Romans 8:35-39, the apostle Paul asked, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?''  Is there any person or place or experience that can remove us from Christ's loving presence?  Trouble? Hardship? Danger?  Sword? Paul could answer this question because he experienced all the above and more.  He said, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."  We conquer all these things through Christ's love for us. To be sure, we can have times when Christ's love seems far away from us. In the depths of suffering in times like these, we can won
Read more

God's Dynamite: Resurrection Transformation

Image
Easter is about more than you going to heaven.  That's part of it, but not near all!  It's about your death and resurrection. In Romans 6, Paul was answering opponents.  Those opponents said that if salvation is by God's grace through faith, then you have no motivation for righteous living and good works.  Why not sin more to get more grace? Paul answered by using the image of baptism.  He said when the pastor plunged you under water, he symbolized your death in Christ.  Through faith you died on the cross with Jesus.  Your old self was a slave to sin and rebellion against God.   Paul said when the pastor raised you up from the water, he symbolized your resurrection in Christ.  Not just in the future but in the present.  In faith, you identify with Jesus' death and his resurrection.  You're raised to a new life, free from slavery to sin. So Easter is about more than personal salvation.  It's about transformation: dying to an old life and ris
Read more