Several months ago I had emergency oral surgery were I had an abscessed tooth removed. When the dentist spoke to me he didn’t lecture me about good tooth hygiene. He told me, “I have to remove this tooth immediately because it is a threat to your health”. A few moments later the dentist extracted my abscessed tooth and immediately I felt better. I am so thankful for that dentist! Likewise, Jesus didn’t come to lecture us about sin. He came to deliver us from the sin that threatens our good health.
One of the problems with modern Christianity is too many followers of Christ don't think like Christ, nor act like Christ toward a hurting world. Modern Christianity is mostly known by the world for what it is against, and wants to lecture the world about sin. However, Jesus is mostly know for loving the world, and who is for us, not against us (John 3:16).
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus came to us as God not to condemn us, criticize us, guilt us, or remind us of our sinfulness. He came to save us! Jesus came to show us God isn’t repelled by us, but is passionately in love with us and seeks to heal us, deliver us, free us, and to restore us to the top. He came to remove the abscessed tooth.
I don't want to mislead, God does convicts us. I wrote, God convicts us, I didn't write he condemns us. God convicts us thought the Holy Spirit who has come to lovingly convict us of sins that abscess our lives. God's conviction is to bring awareness to us that we need to change, and through that awareness we might give the Holy Spirit the willing heart to create that change in us. It is the Holy Spirit's responsibility to convict and NOT ours.
The Kingdom of God, or our modern term “the Church” should be a UNCOMMON MOVEMENT of love, servanthood, generosity, kindness, and goodness. It’s a movement commissioned by Christ to show the love of God to our neighbors in our neighborhood and to people around the world. This love we are to have isn’t to be biased by lifestyle or the beliefs of others. We are simply told and transformed by Christ to love a hurting world, and not to lecture the world about their abscessed tooth.
Everywhere you go be the good news. Everywhere you go spread the Love. Everywhere you go look for needs, and then, find a way to meet those need.
You are that movement of good news!
Love test:
Inventory your attitude toward others. Is there anyone, or group of people you struggle to show love and/or want the best?
2. What transforming work is God seeking to do in your life right now?
3. Where are you being good news?
4. A movement’s mission is to make a difference. In the kingdom of God we
are commissioned to make a positive, godly difference in the world. How
are you making and a difference? Where are you making a difference?
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