For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into this world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17, NIV)
Let’s just face the fact that there are some people with whom it’s hard to play golf. They might be slow, too chatty, or disregard what is going on around them. It is hard to be patient with people that annoy us. That fact doesn’t hold true just for golf but in every area of our life.
As believers in Jesus, how should we be in a world that is so different than we are? How are we called to deal with non-believers? We know we are called to love one another as the body of Christ. But what should be the guiding principle in our relationships with those who do not view life as we do? We might be the ones that are difficult to be around. How can we impact the unsaved in a way that might lead them to the truth?
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How do we approach individuals in our world who don’t know Jesus and are still in the clutches of sin?
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The best answer to that question is to study the life of Jesus because he is our greatest example. He walked on the earth as the only truly righteous person to ever live. He was not afraid of the sinful people in the world. He walked, talked, and lived His life in the midst of those who others called “sinners.” We are called to do the same. We are commissioned by Jesus to go into the world and to make disciples. It would be a lot easier to just grab what we have in Jesus and hide out for the rest of our life. However, we are commanded by Him to do something much greater. Our missions involves venturing into a world full of sinful and dangerous people.
Jesus came on a mission to rescue the world from certain death and destruction. He was sent by God, not to condemn the world but to open a door for us to be saved from what we had become. And his example that should guide our approach to the world around us. Jesus never compromised his righteousness but demonstrated love to everyone He met. He knew who would believe and who wouldn’t, but he ministered with profound compassion to most. Unlike Jesus, we have no idea who might be receptive to the gospel. In one sense, that ignorance makes our task easier. We must assume that no one who is still alive has become completely resistant to Jesus’ call on their life.
How do we approach individuals in our world who don’t know Jesus and are still in the clutches of sin? The simplest answer is that we live our lives as examples of a better way. We love people and treat them with the respect that they don’t always deserve while personally maintaining the kind of life we are now called to live. Jesus did that for us “while we were yet sinners.” We love the lost because we were one of them until Jesus found and rescued us.
Only God knows who will come to trust in Jesus, so our responsibility is to never quit trying to share the love of God with anyone who might still need rescuing. He was and is on a rescue mission, and we should be too.
Prayer: Father, help us to see those in the world around us as you see them and to learn to love them like you love us.