Re-Stating the Obvious

Over the years, Christians have often been portrayed as unloving, uncaring, and unkind towards people who don't share their faith. Just this week, I have read two articles that portray that exact sentiment toward followers of Jesus. And you know what? Many of these critiques contain a degree of truth; sometimes a lot of truth. However, it is equally true that our failures in this area are in spite of, and not because of the explicit teaching of Scripture.

The way we often speak and behave, you would think that non-Christians are somehow in the way of living the Christian life: If only "they" weren't so darn bothersome, we could really be the Right Kind of Christians. When you read it in those terms, it sounds downright crazy, doesn't it? To combat this subtle mindset, we need to re-state the obvious, something Jesus says in a thousand different ways throughout his ministry. Author Byron Forrest Yawn put it like this: "Non-Christians aren't the enemy; they are the point."

In Luke 19, Jesus made it clear: "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." That was his mission, and he has given his Church the mission of spreading that same message as far as the Curse is found. When we remember this simple truth, it changes everything in the life of the Church and individual believers alike. That's what we'll be discussing this week at St. Patrick.  See you Sunday!

Grace & Peace,

Brian