Beyond "How Are You?"
Writer Author Rodney Smith
Christian Article
:
Church
- Fiction No
Jesus tells us to love our neighbour as ourselves. He says it is the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:39). First, though, we need to know people; really know them. We have to get beyond the banal “How are you?” which (in Australia at least) is just another way of saying hello.
If we must say “how are you” then let’s be prepared to spend half an hour listening to the answer!
Too often the Sunday morning fellowship is shallow. The topics are safely non-personal. The conversation over the coffee and cake is the weather, the upcoming federal election, wasn’t it a nice sermon, etc.
We must attempt to meet people’s needs. We have to go beneath the icing to know what the cake is like. To genuinely love our fellow church member we must take the time and trouble to know who they are, what they believe, what are their hopes, dreams, ambitions. Do they have a family or are they alone? How are they coping with life? Then we must ask ourselves “What can I do to help this person?”
Surely God doesn’t want us to be ice-skaters, but deep-sea divers when it comes to human relationships. Isn’t that the kind of love Jesus spoke of?
We as Christians and church members must not only sing the hymns, read the Bible passages and speak Christian jargon, but we must live the faith. As James 2:17 says, we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
“Church” should not be about merely shaking hands - but knitting a community. To help someone grow in faith we first have to become their friend – a genuine friend.
We are to be people who care about one another, who pray for one another, who do practical things to help someone when there is a need.
So much so that others will see the words of Jesus in action: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” John 13:35.
It has to go beyond the church family also. Having loved our neighbour in the fellowship, then we are to extend that to the folks in the big world outside the church.
God loves them too. It's in John 3:16.
Jesus never intended Christianity to be a self-centred, “what’s in it for me”
faith. He told believers to go into all the world with the message. In this writer’s experience, few today are willing to do that.
Loving our neighbour will bring the Christian from the realm of "being religious" into a living, supernatural personification of the Lord Jesus. The world will marvel when Christians move up a step higher from being churchgoers to doing the ministry of Christ.
Editor's Comment:
About the Writer Author
State:
New South Wales
Country:
Australia
Email:
jesuslives@beagle.com.au
Website:
users.beagle.com.au/jesuslives
Profile:
Click here!
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