Who's capable of love?

So I went to two weddings this weekend. One of which I am confident that the couple has a solid relationship with the Lord and the other...not so much. It may have just been my perception, but what I observed was sad and it's something I've been noticing the past few years as I've gone to many, many weddings. I so look forward to Christian weddings! You can see love and 'pure' joy on the faces of everyone there, from the bride and groom to the random friends that are there. But at the weddings where you're pretty sure they are not Christians it just seems like a formality. Of course everyone is happy, but it's not the same kind of anticipation, joy, or excitement.

What I'm getting at is this, and this is a rather bold and possibly painful statement; those who do not know God don't really have the ability to love...I know, you think I'm out of my mind. You're saying, "Of course they love! People fall in love and get married." There are many outward acts that we would say are carried out because of love (in marriage and otherwise). For instance, commitment and compassion. I would argue that those things can be misconstrued as love. 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." This would seem to back up what I'm proposing. I've always known this verse, but I don't know that I've ever taken it seriously because, come on, all people love...don't they?

Love & Evangelism

The greatest commandment and the great commission seem to sum up what the Christian life should be all about. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27), and go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19).

Love God. Love people. And make disciples; ie: evangelize.

The case for love for the sake of love: God calls us to love...period. Not to love with a motive.

The case for evangelism: God calls us to make disciples. I believe that loving people is an excellent means to do so.

There's a bit of a conflict of the heart here. I argue that we should love for the sake of love with no ulterior motive. But, then, what about evangelism? If we are using love as a means to evangelize is it actually love or just a method? Maybe evangelism is what motivates us to action, and love is the means in which we carry it out. Is that love real? Are we being fake? Are we reaching out in love just to bring someone to Christ? Is it wrong if we are? What if that person we're reaching out to shuts us down and evangelism is going nowwhere? What do we do? Far too often, I believe, we love only to evangelize and then when we're done evangelizing, we stop loving and then we're shown to be hypocrites. The world is just waiting for us to perpetuate that stereotype.

The argument was recently made that if we love someone we should want them to be saved. That is true and we will go on loving that person no matter what, but we want them to know God. That's not what I'm talking about, though. I'm talking about evangelism to the random person (neighbor) that walks by or is at some point or for some reason in your life. You don't know the person, so would you honestly say that you feel love for them? Probably not. However we are called to act in love towards them. Now the question; do you act in love so that they will come to know Christ, or do you act in love for the sake of love? Does it matter?

This may sound like symantecs, but I believe that Jesus gave ample examples of how He cares more about your motive (what's in your heart) than your outward action. Your outward action may be love, but is that what's really in your heart?

That whole discussion was a preface for the following statement. You must be willing to continue to love even when evangelism seems to be going nowhere. Just like everything else in the Christian life (and life in general) there must be balance.

Love people so that...?

Jesus said to love our neighbors...period. Not to love people so that they will 'get saved'. He also said that "They will know that you are My disciples by the way you love one another." The motive is to love for the sake of love, not to love for the sake of "bringing someone to Christ."

It's such a fine line. Some college kids and I bring homemade cookies and other treats to a spot on campus Thursday nights to give to anyone walking by. People ask us what group we are with or why we are doing it. We tell them that "Jesus told us to love our neighbors so that's what we're trying to do." The question on my mind is do we do this in the name of love so that maybe, just maybe, someone will 'get saved', or do we do this solely out of love with no ulterior motive?

As always with Jesus, it's about the motive, not the outward action...

I'm reading this book called "UnChristian" and they talk about how this generation is "quick to sniff out what they believe to be the underlying motivations and superficialities." And it's often thought that Christians (genuine motives or not), "rather than being genuinely interested in people for their friendships, often seem like spiritual headhunters."

Worship!!!???

I've been "researching" about worship in the bible. It's really helped me see worship in a whole new way and at a much deeper level. In the first half of the Old Testament it talks a lot about bowing in worship and offering sacrifices or burnt offerings as worship, but doesn't really include "praise". Then in 2 Chronicles it starts talking about how the Levites would be designated to praise God with music while others were worshiping by bowing or offering sacrifices. Anyways, as I was sitting here listening to a song thinking and reflecting on what I've been reading I started thinking about how praise goes along with worship and then (you know how your mind goes from one thought to the next and then ties things together in a nanosecond...) I started thinking of how there are so many ways to worship and all are equally valuable. The five ways that I thought of off the top of my head were; bowing/reverence, praise/music, reflect/listen, talk, sacrifice. And then I (randomly) thought of that book The Five Love Languages and how there are different ways that people express love and expect to receive love and how that's the same as worship; there are different ways that people like to express worship at different times. So I looked up the five love languages and they are quality time, touch, gifts, acts of service, and affirming words. Then I wrote them on a page across from each other and realized that the five that I (God) came up with for worship seem to match the five love languages!!! Check this out...

Giving Praise (via Music) --------> Gifts
Reflection time with God/Listening to Him --------> Quality Time
Talking to Him --------> Affirming Words
Sacrifice (time, your life, etc) --------> Acts of Service
Bow/Reverence/Touching the face of God --------> Touch

Ahhhh!!!! God is Good!!!