“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
People know we are believers by how well we love. Jesus is clear when He discusses our intentions to love. He is seen when we love. He is hidden when we walk away from this truth. A couple of week's ago, our church had a guest speaker. His ministry is to help those with sex addictions, addictions to pornography, and the like. He started a website called XXXchurch and the ministry exploded. Obviously, there is a need for this in our over-sexed society. He said he never set out to be a "porn pastor" but that is the road that was chosen for him. He sets up a booth at porn shows in order to speak and show the love of Jesus. Scott and I talked a lot about this sermon: we talked about our marriage and the state of our intimacy, what we need to discuss with our boys (scary but so very necessary), how important this message was, and how humbled and proud we are to go to a church that doesn't shy away from these taboo topics . The one thing we both walked away with was that this man did not go into these conventions to condemn those in attendance or to judge those who work in the industry. His focus was to love; to walk alongside. One example he gave was of a woman who needed a ride to one of the conventions. She called his staff asking for help and they gave her that ride. Many people opposed this advising him to not give her a ride to such a "sinful" place. His perspective: she's going to get a ride whether in a taxi, Uber, or by his staff. He knew it was far greater for his people to be in the car with her for forty-five minutes developing a trusted relationship showing the love of Christ than pushing her away in judgment.
A couple days after his message, I read a quote by Jen Hatmaker. She said, "People may hate us because of Jesus, but let's never give them a reason to hate Jesus because of us." I think we have given people far too many reasons to hate Jesus because of us. The biggest turn-off when it comes to Christianity today is that Christians tell everyone else how to live. We judge and point fingers and tell them how wrong they are living. While I do feel there is a time to guide people away from sin, I think loving them first and foremost is the most important. People know our Savior by how well we love. Jesus hung out with "the least of these" for a reason. We needed to see that this matters. Love matters. He loved them and stuck up for them and because of that, they turned from their old ways to follow Him. What an example to all of mankind! Whether you believe in Jesus or not, He got this right. We, as Christians, have lost sight of this way of living. Our world isn't much different from the days Jesus walked the earth, yet we throw our stones so quickly because we feel justified in our faith. He wants us to love first. The rest will follow.
Lisa Bevere says, "The Word is not for us to use to block others or to judge." The Word is for us to follow; to learn how to live righteously in love and become more like Jesus. Last night, Jackson read the story of Zacchaeus to the family. He read from the Jesus Storybook Bible and I loved it's interpretation. The talked about why he was hated so much and how no one wanted to be around him. But, BUT Jesus. Jesus took a stand and had dinner with Zacchaeus; a known liar and thief. But Jesus...don't you wish people could say that about you? Everyone walked away BUT that one person who stood by the sinner; not condoning and accepting the sin, but showing the love of Christ by loving them even with all their flaws. What if we all created a "but Jesus" moment in our lives? What would we start? A love revolution maybe: a shift in the flow from the norm of hatred and condemnation to a rise in love. We don't need to talk about, judge, or give our permission to the sin. We all know it's there. Each of us sin every single day whether it be a curse word under our breath, a judgmental thought that never sees the light of day, yelling at our kids when we should have remained calm, or an addiction to pornography. Each of us sin. Each of us make mistakes. Everyday. None worse than the other. Jesus sees it all the same. What if we were more like Jesus and the pastor who spoke to our church and we walked alongside each other in love being examples of Christ? Scott made a good point when we were talking about the sermon. He said that walking alongside someone who is in the porn industry or has some sort of sex addiction is frowned upon than say, a prison ministry. We praise those who walk into our prisons and speak the love of Christ to men and women who have done atrocious acts. Yet, when we walk alongside someone whose in the porn industry we begin to judge, gossip, and shy away from those that may need Him most. Let's not be scared to love. Let's not walk away when it gets tough or uncomfortable. No one wants to hear how wrong they are living. Trust me, they already know. They want to know they matter; that they are loved and accepted. Not their sin. Just them. Let's start a love revolution. Let's have more "but Jesus" moments in our lives. Let's walk alongside one another showing the love of Christ so powerfully that our words are unnecessary. Let's love so well that lives are changed solely by our actions and not our words. Let's stop telling people how wrong they are and instead, tell them how deeply they are loved. It all starts with us. God loved us so much He gave-He gave us a way. Let's love so hard that we give others a way out; a way to Jesus.
Love & Blessings, Meg
I am not one to sell anyone anything. That is NOT my spiritual gift! However, I believe in this so very much and want to give women an opportunity not only to hear amazing speakers (Lisa Bevere and Bianca Olthoff), but to learn how to love-love ourselves, love others, and love the world. We are hosting a women's conference at my church entitiled, Love Revolution. I would LOVE to see the place packed to overflowing! It's time we change the flow of our culture back to love! You can sign-up at www.hopefellowship.net
People know we are believers by how well we love. Jesus is clear when He discusses our intentions to love. He is seen when we love. He is hidden when we walk away from this truth. A couple of week's ago, our church had a guest speaker. His ministry is to help those with sex addictions, addictions to pornography, and the like. He started a website called XXXchurch and the ministry exploded. Obviously, there is a need for this in our over-sexed society. He said he never set out to be a "porn pastor" but that is the road that was chosen for him. He sets up a booth at porn shows in order to speak and show the love of Jesus. Scott and I talked a lot about this sermon: we talked about our marriage and the state of our intimacy, what we need to discuss with our boys (scary but so very necessary), how important this message was, and how humbled and proud we are to go to a church that doesn't shy away from these taboo topics . The one thing we both walked away with was that this man did not go into these conventions to condemn those in attendance or to judge those who work in the industry. His focus was to love; to walk alongside. One example he gave was of a woman who needed a ride to one of the conventions. She called his staff asking for help and they gave her that ride. Many people opposed this advising him to not give her a ride to such a "sinful" place. His perspective: she's going to get a ride whether in a taxi, Uber, or by his staff. He knew it was far greater for his people to be in the car with her for forty-five minutes developing a trusted relationship showing the love of Christ than pushing her away in judgment.
A couple days after his message, I read a quote by Jen Hatmaker. She said, "People may hate us because of Jesus, but let's never give them a reason to hate Jesus because of us." I think we have given people far too many reasons to hate Jesus because of us. The biggest turn-off when it comes to Christianity today is that Christians tell everyone else how to live. We judge and point fingers and tell them how wrong they are living. While I do feel there is a time to guide people away from sin, I think loving them first and foremost is the most important. People know our Savior by how well we love. Jesus hung out with "the least of these" for a reason. We needed to see that this matters. Love matters. He loved them and stuck up for them and because of that, they turned from their old ways to follow Him. What an example to all of mankind! Whether you believe in Jesus or not, He got this right. We, as Christians, have lost sight of this way of living. Our world isn't much different from the days Jesus walked the earth, yet we throw our stones so quickly because we feel justified in our faith. He wants us to love first. The rest will follow.
Lisa Bevere says, "The Word is not for us to use to block others or to judge." The Word is for us to follow; to learn how to live righteously in love and become more like Jesus. Last night, Jackson read the story of Zacchaeus to the family. He read from the Jesus Storybook Bible and I loved it's interpretation. The talked about why he was hated so much and how no one wanted to be around him. But, BUT Jesus. Jesus took a stand and had dinner with Zacchaeus; a known liar and thief. But Jesus...don't you wish people could say that about you? Everyone walked away BUT that one person who stood by the sinner; not condoning and accepting the sin, but showing the love of Christ by loving them even with all their flaws. What if we all created a "but Jesus" moment in our lives? What would we start? A love revolution maybe: a shift in the flow from the norm of hatred and condemnation to a rise in love. We don't need to talk about, judge, or give our permission to the sin. We all know it's there. Each of us sin every single day whether it be a curse word under our breath, a judgmental thought that never sees the light of day, yelling at our kids when we should have remained calm, or an addiction to pornography. Each of us sin. Each of us make mistakes. Everyday. None worse than the other. Jesus sees it all the same. What if we were more like Jesus and the pastor who spoke to our church and we walked alongside each other in love being examples of Christ? Scott made a good point when we were talking about the sermon. He said that walking alongside someone who is in the porn industry or has some sort of sex addiction is frowned upon than say, a prison ministry. We praise those who walk into our prisons and speak the love of Christ to men and women who have done atrocious acts. Yet, when we walk alongside someone whose in the porn industry we begin to judge, gossip, and shy away from those that may need Him most. Let's not be scared to love. Let's not walk away when it gets tough or uncomfortable. No one wants to hear how wrong they are living. Trust me, they already know. They want to know they matter; that they are loved and accepted. Not their sin. Just them. Let's start a love revolution. Let's have more "but Jesus" moments in our lives. Let's walk alongside one another showing the love of Christ so powerfully that our words are unnecessary. Let's love so well that lives are changed solely by our actions and not our words. Let's stop telling people how wrong they are and instead, tell them how deeply they are loved. It all starts with us. God loved us so much He gave-He gave us a way. Let's love so hard that we give others a way out; a way to Jesus.
Love & Blessings, Meg
I am not one to sell anyone anything. That is NOT my spiritual gift! However, I believe in this so very much and want to give women an opportunity not only to hear amazing speakers (Lisa Bevere and Bianca Olthoff), but to learn how to love-love ourselves, love others, and love the world. We are hosting a women's conference at my church entitiled, Love Revolution. I would LOVE to see the place packed to overflowing! It's time we change the flow of our culture back to love! You can sign-up at www.hopefellowship.net
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