3.30.2009

Cutting to the Core

An interesting statement was made by a visiting pastor at Park Street Baptist and I'll never forget what he said. His words were,


"How much are you doing as a Christian that an unsaved person can do?"

This got me thinking, unsaved people can attend church, give to the poor, teach a Sunday school class, quote entire books of the Bible and sing in the church choir. The lost can act religious just like Christians can. They can play every part of the act, yet the question still stands, what truly makes someone a Christian? Jesus Himself answers this question. Without a doubt one of the most powerful moments of intimacy in Jesus' ministry can be found in John 13, where the God of Creation and Eternity stooped down in the garments of a slave to wash His own disciple's feet. This selfless act is a demonstration of Jesus' character. Following the washing He gives a new commandment to His followers, saying


"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. (ESV)"

Lost people around the world can serve others, this is true, but the defining mark of a Christian is love that is acted upon because of the salvation and love the Christ has so graciously given to us. No lost person can truly claim this, because they have not experienced salvation through Jesus. Without the residing presence of the Holy Spirit, true & selfless love is impossible. 1 Timothy 1:5 demonstrates the ultimate goal of apostolic teaching when it says,


"The aim of our charge [The Great Commission] is love that issues from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and a sincere faith".


Love cannot come from an impure heart, a defiled conscience, or a disingenuous faith, and which according to Scripture; a lost person fits all three of these descriptions.When the rich young ruler came to Jesus, asking what he must do to be saved, Jesus responded by saying "Sell all you have and give it to the poor, and only then can you be my disciple" Jesus was not commanding us to sell all our possessions, but rather He was teaching us that we must lay aside every distraction and follow Him. We must treat our possessions for what they really are, gifts from God that are to be used as tools for God. Otherwise the love we show as Christians will be riddled with our own selfish greed for possessions, or we won't show love because we're so caught up in what we possess. All our knowledge of Scripture can be duplicated by the lost. All our church programs to help the community can be cloned. Our music can stir the same emotional experience. But a true Christian is one who, in every situation, acts out of love that has been placed in their heart by Christ in salvation. Jesus said by the love we show, others will know that we serve Him. Miraculous, selfless love brought on by salvation in Christ is the defining essence of what it means to be a Christian.


Think about this prayer Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus... (Ephesians 3)


"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."