I was recently challenged to read Rob Bells book, Love Wins. A thought provoking and challenging read with its focus on asking the questions we all have pondered at one point or another, who gets “into heaven.” While his thoughts and theories challenged me to dig deeper and ask loads of questions, there was one quote from his book in particular that rocked me. Pretty early into his book he made he made a pretty convicting statement about the “gospel” that we decide to share with others as Christians. I think I will let the quote speak for itself.
If this understanding of the good news of Jesus prevailed among Christians, the belief that Jesus’s message is about how to get somewhere else, you could possibly end up with a world in which millions of people were starving, thirsty, and poor; the earth was being exploited and polluted; disease and despair were everywhere; and Christians weren’t known for doing much about it. If it got bad enough, you might even have people rejecting Jesus because of how his followers lived. That would be tragic.(Rob Bell, Love Wins)
Ugh. A gut punch for myself and for what I see as the church at large. For all of the horrible things that happen daily in the world, in the here and now, why as Christian’s do we put the focus on the future in someplace else. There are people suffering in the here and now and what we preach and share bypasses peoples suffering in the current. This is tough for me to chew on as a Christian and current missionary out in the field!
The message of Jesus isn’t just one to make us feel better about where we will spend eternity at the end of our lives. It’s one that gives us immeasurable joy in the here and now. It’s a love that moves us to care for and protect all of Gods creation. When the focus simply becomes someone’s salvation and not to love them like Jesus would, we’ve failed them.
It’s when we love the least of these that the true gospel and hope of Jesus is shared. It’s when we partner with Jesus in bringing the kingdom of heaven to the here and now. The kingdom that’s held in a warm meal or a hug for a tired friend. Not simply in the story of what Jesus did for us, but acting and living how HE LIVED.
Live boldly and dangerously! That is the gospel and that’s what we are called to do. Don’t concern yourselves only with the “salvation” of your neighbor but focus on how you can love them and allow your salvation to shine through.
This is just a quick thought I had this morning and thought I would share it. I know I have been missing from the blog site and will be sure to fill everyone in on the here and now in Thailand and also sharing how the Lord was moving in the Middle East last month.
Let me know how I can live out and share the gospel love with you this month!
Much Love and God Bless.
