I meet with a small Bible Study group on Wednesday mornings and we’re currently listening the Tony Evans ‘ series Horizontal Jesus. As is anything by Evans, this is good stuff. Today we talked about love, and how our love of G – and G’s love for us – is exhibited in the communal love among Christians. Yes. It’s a little laughable… He asked a question about knowing if you are sick – how do you know if you have a cold? Or if your boss has COVID?
We know by their symptoms. Coughing, a runny nose, a scratchy throat, or a tinge of fever.
How do we know if we are Christians? How do we know if we are going to a fellowship that G visits?
In the same way: by our symptoms. By the love that we share. With everyone.
I tie this to something I’m studying. Lord? the sheep asked. When did we see you naked? Or hungry? Or thirsty?
When you helped people who were hungry or thirsty or naked…you helped me, He said.
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This is really what you’re friends and neighbors wonder about when they look at your church. It’s a translation of, “Yeah, they’re so uptight they think they’re the only ones going to heaven, and you can go too as long as you think just like thy do.” Let me translate for you: they really don’t have the symptoms of Christianity. I’m sure people think this about my church and I wish and pray we could turn that into having so much love and caring that we would be known as a people who truly suffer from the symptoms of Christianity.”
Do you have the symptoms of Christianity? Do you suffer from having so much love and giving and forgiveness and mercy that you must be mad?
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Selah
