Christ is for everyone in the world
Just 20 years after the resurrection of Christ some Christians were wondering if they had missed the second coming of Christ. The Christians in the city of Thessalonica asked the apostle Paul all about it. They wondered if the Christians who had died had missed the second coming and they were not sure how to be prepared for the return of Christ. Paul taught them a basic philosophy of life that I have summarized as the four ³L¹s² The first L I talked about last week is live. Jesus and Paul say live life to the fullest. Live life free and live life holy. This is not just trying harder, but allowing the Holy Spirit to control us and free us from the sin and addictive behaviors that rob us of the abundant life Christ has for us. The 2nd L that Paul teaches is love. For those who are familiar with the Bible this will come as no surprise. ³May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows (1 Thessalonians 3:12).² Note that he mentions two groups. First, we must grow in our love for one another. This would include our own families and the church you attend. It is astonishing to me the way so many people talk about their church family. They are negative, critical, and demeaning towards their pastor and others in the church. They complain that the music is too loud or too contemporary. They gripe that the pastor did not do something they thought he should and that no one wants to serve like they used to in the old days. With friends like that, who needs enemies? Can people tell how much you love your church family by the way you talk about them and serve them? Jesus said the way the world will know we are Christians is by seeing how we love one another, and it appears to me that some of the people who go to church are just mean. I don¹t want anything to do with them and I¹m a church person. Love fully. Love with passion. Love deeply. Love the unlovable. God tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that a life without love is not worth living. The second group Paul says we must love are all the ³other people² in the world. True Christians have a heart and passion for those who don¹t go to church, the lost, the hurting, and the needy. The prophet said of Jesus, ³I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people (Luke 2:30-31).² Jesus did not come for just one group or nationality, but for everyone in the world. Real love does not hide the truth; it shares it with all. What about people who are born and raised in a different religion? Christ came for them as well, and it is our job as Christians to lovingly reach out to them. It does not matter if they were born Buddhist, Muslim, or Hindu; Christ came and died for them. As the old children¹s song says, ³red, yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.² If you have never heard someone speak who came from another religion to faith in Christ I invite you to come hear Dr. Ergun Caner this Sunday at Brookwood. You will be amazed to hear how God reached down and transformed his life. Christ truly is for everyone in the world. As we wait for Christ to return, let¹s love people like crazy!
