When I meet new people, I sometimes get very concerned about them if they don't identify them as Christians. I hope that people I come in contact with want to live a life that compells them to pray, open the Bible, and ask what God wants them to do with their life (not necessarily in that order). I believe that the reality of Hell and Jesus' call to make disciples of all nations makes this a necessity for all people who claim to be followers of Christ.
Today I recieved a link to a Sojourner's article that suggests a slightly different gut reaction for Christians when meeting people.
Here's an excerpt:
I explained that as a follower of God in the way of Jesus, I am taught to see every person as my neighbor. The first thing I think upon meeting someone is not, "I wonder if she's a Christian?" but "This is my neighbor. This is a beautiful person, a bearer of the image of God, someone I have the opportunity to know and appreciate and perhaps even serve in some way." Seeing others this way isn't a compromise of my Christian commitment; it's an expression of it, I explained.
The truth is, the standard set here is actually harder than obeying God's call to evangelize. When you think in black and white terms toward people that you meet, everyone fits into three categories: people who believe the gospel, people who don't believe the gospel, and people who haven't heard the gospel. Depending on which way you classify the person, your agenda and expectations for your relationship with that person are already set.
Yet, loving, serving and speaking to another person, any person, unconditionally, with the expectation that God's love exhibited through servant hood and loving words may change that person, is a much, much harder challenge to meet.
Link to the Full Article
0 comments:
Post a Comment