The so-called culture-war strides forward--taking America by storm. But nothing has changed. Nothing.
As believers we have been "gifted" to add value to the lives of people, with an eye toward making disciples. We've been called to love people--the best and the worst--with a love that looks past what they are and sees WHOSE they are.
Whether or not they come to effective-faith in Christ is not my responsibility, this is the work of God. He uses me (it's not a head thing, it's a heart thing) when I selflessly serve people in a way that adds value to their lives, I reflect Christ--no, I flesh-out Christ--and they wonder, "Why, what's in this for you?" This testimony is powerful becasue the reality of Christ in me, has manifested itself in an "incarnational" way; they have seen Christ through me. That reflected image is intense and compelling. God uses this kind of "vision" to transform hearts, minds and lives.
This needs to inform our outreach effort, the way we see people, the way we see their sin. When our efforts at outreach do not wholistically address the felt-needs of people and work toward their spiritual need (it's not either/or, it's both/and) we diminish the Gospel at best, and erect substantial barriers to effective-faith for people without hope.
This is especially relevant given the the world we live in today. God does not need us to defend Godly values. They stand on their own. What He desires from us is to love "the lost sheep, the lost coin" the Way He does. He isn't finished yet, Matthew 25.34-40 makes this point very clear...
"34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’"
Believing friends, the Word is still becoming flesh--through us.
Life is fast. Flesh it out.
Do. Love. Walk
Live it well...M6.8 bN
Life is hard. Age diminishes us. Disease ravages us. Then, we die.
Or...
Life is hard and softens our hearts. Age diminishes us and equips us with wisdom. Disease ravages us and empowers us to embrace hope. Then we die and pass into eternity.
What happens to us, all of us, in the course of a lifetime is simply a variation on the same theme. What sets apart those not beaten, from those that are? It is what that "lifetime process" produces in us.
I've been reminded recently, we are fragile and our bodies will eventually fail--some sooner than others, but for all of us life ends in one final breath. The ability to see our sojourn as a prelude to "something more" is the key to empowering us to embrace all we experience in time, with wonder; while anticipating what we glimpse of eternity with hope.
Yes, I'm talking about faith. A specific "effective-faith" we are given instruction about in the Scriptures; the Second letter to the church in Corinth, written by the Apostle Paul (5.1-5):
"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit."
Over the past several years I've invested time in some weary people...all filled with hope. They are fragile over-comers. Their lives are a tapestry illustrating God's grace, love, presence and power. Paul acknowleges this later in chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians 5.17-19, 21...
"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them...21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
Thanks be to God for our blessed hope in Jesus Messiah. Life is fast. I'm ready. Are you?
Maranatha.
Do. Love. Walk.
