Insights from a Passionate Christ Follower

Luke 10 – Love your neighbor…

Growing up I developed opinions, likes and dislikes, prejudice and even a few hates. For most of them, I am not sure how they came about (influences from family and friends I suspect), but some arose from my own personal experiences. Growing up in a broken world causes some brokenness.

The prejudice issues I did not realize until I found myself feeling uncomfortable around certain people or acting ugly for no good reason. Consequently, God led me into some environments and situations so that I could discover these dark places in my own heart. Early on I assumed that prejudice issues could only be found pertaining to differences in race, but I was soon to learn that my “per-judgments” included everything and everyone that I was ignorant about.

Prejudice is simply per-judging something or someone before you actually get a chance to really know about it or know them. Forming an opinion from ignorance (usually taught to you by another ignorant person) and then building feelings and emotions based on that judgement to become the foundation of prejudice. No doubt, the “Accuser” (Satan) has a part in helping to bring about this negative and destructive foundation in each of us!

As a new believer, I was flooded with love and peace and good feelings… so much so that I assumed my heart was made full of light in every corner.  I remember feeling some compassion for the hungry and homeless and that growing into a revelation on how to feed the masses around me. I took my idea to a pastor at our church knowing full well that I had the answer to this age-old problem. Thank God that pastor had mercy on me and pointed me with wisdom in a helpful direction. She suggested that I go serve in the Food Ministry program that the church already had ongoing, and in time, when appropriate, add my idea to their efforts.

The director of the Food Ministry welcomed me (since I did not start by telling him how I thought they should be doing it) and he threw me right into action as a Prayer Counselor. My role was to sit with a family that had come for food (while their groceries were being prepared), and ask to pray with them concerning any current need. I started this journey with compassion for others that led me into an administrative solution (my “Revelation”), but here I was at a table with real people that had real problems and were in need of real love.

Those that came to get food did not want my idea (revelation). They were hungry. Most did not have a job, many had not bathed and some were trapped in generational poverty.  And that is when it hit me!… I didn’t like poor people! I felt out of place… like you do in a china shop or fancy restaurant. But this feeling coming out of the inside of me was not because of where I was, but who I was with.

It took several months of serving at the Food Ministry before I was able to get past my own uncomfortableness, the smell, and the per-judgements I had about these people God was giving me compassion for. In time (over the next two years) I would grow a love that was more godly, and a heart less prejudice. All those stereotype, black and white judgments of why they did not have a job and ‘how could they get themselves in such a mess’ were replaced with a caring attitude that can only be found in Christ. I was no Mother Teresa, but I had taken a first step in following compassion, and it revealed something in me that I did not know was there.

Facing my prejudice of those in poverty was only the first of many people groups that God was going to walk me through in developing a caring heart. To truly be a follower of Christ, one must care for those in need like Christ did. He spent time with them, loved them as they were and offered hope through a love that was from above – a love that only a heavenly Father has. Loving from a distance is easy… loving up close is real!

Galatians 3:26-29 – In Christ we all become the children of God through faith… There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female.

There were many other prejudice issues in my heart that God would expose and then heal over the next 20 years – rich people (I thought they were all fake and pompous), foreigners, illegal aliens (I now hate that term created by political leaders pushing an agenda), Russians (we were told by our leaders that they were the enemy, then I went to Russia and fell in love with them), traditional denominations and other religious groups (I was always told we are right and they are wrong), etc… the list goes on and on! Each one began with my obedience in following Christ into a situation that would then reveal what was hidden in my heart. Little by little He was shining His light into my darkness. Eph. 5:8-11

The most challenging part of my heart (soul) that God would expose and deal with – was those I loved to hate. I believed that I was justified in my judgments and righteous hate, even proud of them sometimes. We all believe that violence and killing others is wrong, but when Hollywood creates a story where you get to know the good guy and his family, only to have the bad guys come and kill the family… we begin cheering as the good guy goes Rambo (Bourne) on the bad guys chasing them all through town until the last one is dead. We leave the theater felling good about all the violence we just swallowed because it felt “justified”.

I was that way (justified in my hate) with three groups of men. I hated men that abused little children, I hated men that violently abused women and I hated homosexual men. It never dawned on me that hating them could be wrong because it felt so right. Don’t hear what I am not saying… I am all for stopping abuse! All for ending pain and trauma suffered by women and children… but judging and hating the abusers is not even close to what it means to be a follower of Christ!

Hating from a distance is easy, but what happens when someone you know and love turns out to be part of a group that you have always hated? God walked me into some relationships with men that I bonded with, grew close to, and then learned they were abusive to family members in their private lives at home. I was sick at first, then confrontational, then challenged (“Let him who is without any sin throw the first stone of judgement”), then forgiving, and finally loving in a form of support that allows God the opportunity to heal and even change an abuser into a lover.

God was teaching me how to love the sinner and still hate the sin. How to separate the person from their actions… the way God sees us through the blood of Christ. I want God’s mercy and grace for my life, and I receive His love thinking of myself as someone special to Him… someone that Jesus came and died for – but what of others? Forgive me Lord, but judge them? Every time we draw a line between us and them – we will find Jesus on the other side of that line… with them!

Matthew 5:43-47 – The Law taught “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy”, but Jesus came teaching to also love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you (bless those who curse you). “If you are kind only to your friends, how is that different from anyone else? Even the unbelievers do that” (NLT)

Ephesians 2 & 3 – The O.T. Law instructed the Jews that the Gentiles were outsiders, excluded, strangers (uncircumcised)… but through faith in Christ we have been brought together into one family, the body of Christ.

In Old Testament days the Jews believed that they were God’s only love and judged all others as unworthy.   In the time of Jesus, the religious leaders separated themselves from those that were not “clean”. Yet Jesus came to show the true heart of the Father – through His actions and words. Then He died for ALL… ending once and for all the doctrine of segregation to be holy. (modern ex: Mother Teresa)

In our modern to post-modern church world, we were taught to avoid, separate, judge, even hate some particular “sins”, e.g., modern translations of the Bible that are not KJV, women wearing pants or makeup, divorced people, smoking, drinking, dancing, … and especially homosexuals.

Comparatively, if Jesus were here in today’s world on His mission of love, don’t you think you might find Him at church on Sunday, encouraging immigrant day-labors on Monday, visiting at a prison on Tuesday, at a tattoo parlor on Wednesday, at a strip club on Thursday, a gay bar on Friday, sitting with homeless LGBT youth on Saturday?

I have “Good News” for you… Jesus is here in today’s world on His mission of love! We are His hands and feet. We are the light of Christ shining into a dark world. We are His ambassadors sent into the world on His mission. I am called and chosen to Go unto All the world with His love and mercy!

Joshua 5:13-14  As Joshua approaches Jericho to do battle he sees a man with drawn sword in hand and ask him, “Are you on our side or their side?” The Angel replies, “Neither side, I am a commander with the Lord’s army.” Often we get caught up in thinking there is only my side and their side.

Luke 10:27-37 Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. Who is my neighbor? That one on the other side of the line we have drawn… with Jesus standing there motioning to us to come over, and to bring with us the same love and mercy that we were given when we were not deserving.