Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– John 13:35
Loving One Another
One of the worst things Christians can do is to fight over nonessentials of the faith. We should unite on the essentials and not divide over the nonessentials. Otherwise, others may not even recognize us as Jesus’ disciples and non-Christians would want no part of that in-fighting. And who could blame them? Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). So it is “by this” “love for one another” they will know we are His disciples.
Willing to Offend to Save
What I mean by saying we should be willing to offend in order to save is we should understand that the Word of God will afflict the lost, but it wounds in order to heal. It cuts so that they might be healed. We must accept the fact that “to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life,” so don’t take it personally. However, we must not back down from the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) because it would be like not warning a sleeping family that their house is on fire. You get them up in the middle of the night–less than convenient–to save their lives! How much more precious are these souls in eternity? Think of it that way!
Showing Compassion
When we are born again, Jesus places us in the exact spot where He wills and which best fits the body of Christ, the church. The body–and all members are included–has specific talents and skills to be utilized for Christ’s glory. That may mean feeding the poor for some. It might be clothing the poor. It could be visiting the sick and those in prison and even showing mercy to a stranger (Matthew 25:35-36). But this is the way Jesus sees it: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).
Serving One Another
We are called to go out into the world, but we are called at the same time to serve one another. That’s found throughout Scripture, especially in the New Testament church. The Apostle Paul told the Galatians, “You were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13) and even to be “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).
Conclusion
If we show the world the same love that Jesus showed His disciples and us by saving us at His own expense, then others might be drawn to Christ. We are like the moon. We have no light of our own. We can only reflect the Son of God so that others can see Him by looking at us. At least that’s the way it should be.
