Bible Verse: John 3:16 (NKJV)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Reflection and Challenge

For years I have wondered why millennials have been flocking away from the church. There could be several reasons but I want to cover one possibility. Purposefully or not many Christians are known for what we are opposed to. In so many words, we don’t love as Jesus loved.

A perfect contrast would be comparing the account of Jesus and the woman in adultery and how many Christians act today. Many Christians act like they would have allowed her to be stoned because she was an adulterer. Jesus did not do that though. He had compassion and loved her, in spite of her sin. Jesus saw her as a soul that needed saving, rather than a soul that needed punishing. 

*Read here: What did Jesus really mean when He said, “Do not judge?”

It is true that God will punish all sinners that refuse to repent but that is God’s department. You were as guilty as they were. Where is your humility?

Jesus did not scare people into getting saved; He just loved them in spite of their sin. I realize that I am preaching to myself. Sometimes I have been known for being judgmental. In personal relationships that is not a good thing. Many Christians have a tendency to focus on other’s sin and forget to mention God’s love and forgiveness. Jesus did not forget. 

In John 8:11, Jesus offered forgiveness while reminding the woman to turn away from sin; a perfect mixture of the need of repentance and loving her unconditionally. Are you known for harping on sin and personal standards, or showing God’s unconditional love? By the way, every Christian is hypocritical because we are not able to do this perfectly.

This mindset of loving unconditionally is also true for your relationships with other believers. Christians segregate from each other based on personal standards and assume the other is not saved. Romans 14 allows all Christians to have different practices. This is why unspoken church rules are so wrong because God has blessed us with liberty to serve God in every area of our life as God leads. 

The personal standards of a larger group are beside the point. You are responsible for yourself. They can get over themselves. That attitude assumes either carnality or being unsaved if the list of rules is not followed. I have run into this problem all of my life.

I know of people that reject fundamentalism and Baptist churches over this very problem. It is a shame. These churches are filled with born again Christians that have never learned how to love other believers unconditionally.

Nobody can be glorified if they are still alive, including you. All Christians are to become more sanctified until we all get to heaven. This implies that you need to grow as well. Stop being offended by other’s choices. Why not worry about your own poor choices? Can you accept other Christian’s right where they are at in their spiritual walk? That is God’s love for us.

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