Before He ascended into heaven Jesus gave a mission statement to His followers: Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:19)

This is known as the Great Commission.

 

But, the truth is, we Christians will never be able to carry out the Great Commission if we are not living out the Great Commandment.

 

When Jesus was once asked which of all the commandments was the greatest He did not hesitate with His response: You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And, love your neighbor as yourself. (Lk. 10:27)

When it comes to living out our mission, it doesn’t matter how much we love God, the Bible, or the church, if we don’t love others we are missing it.

 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is the story of a man who reached out in love to someone in need. When Jesus told the story, He simply said “when (the Samaritan) saw the man, he felt compassion for him.” (Matt.22:33)

 

He didn’t see nationality. He didn’t look at skin color. He didn’t assess how the man was dressed. He had no idea if this man was Calvinist or Catholic, Democrat or Republican, straight or gay. He saw him and he loved him. That is Christ-like love. That is how we are to love. With love that is accepting. Love that is authentic. Love that is affirming.

 

There are many different strategies out there as to how to grow a church. Some believe the key is relevant preaching and teaching. Others say it’s all about a vibrant youth ministry and children’s ministry. Still others believe churches must have upbeat worship with lots of visual effects.

But the truth is Jesus offers a pretty good plan for church growth: love God and love others. That’s it. If we Christians truly got that we’d need to build more churches! We need to understand that we have what the world is desperate for.

 

QUESTIONS to meditate on ~ 

Do others see Christ-like love in your church? Do others see Christ-like love in you? Is what was most important to Jesus most important to you?

It doesn’t matter how much we love God, the Bible, or the church, if we don’t love others we are missing it.

 

*Click on the images below to enlarge and read. (Powerpoint from Dan’s Sunday’s message) ©Dan Kuiper

~ Dan Kuiper is an author, speaker, and founder of Father Love Inc., a not-for-profit ministry that offers hope and healing to those who have been wounded by difficult life circumstances. One reader calls Dan’s book, When Father is a Bad Word, “A wonderful book about broken relationships, forgiveness and how to put your heart into a condition which is capable of accepting God’s love.” Dan offers Finding Father’s Love seminars and retreats across the country, helping participants to experience the love and grace of a Father who thinks the world of His kids. Dan can be contacted through his website, dankuiper.com