Imagine
Imagine if Christians were known for visiting low-budget nursing homes and befriending and singing to the patients. Imagine if Christians were known for befriending, tutoring, mentoring and playing softball with troubled youth. Imagine if Christians were known for teaching English to immigrants and helping them find low-cost dental care when they have a toothache. Imagine if Christians were known for initiating public beautification projects by cleaning up trash in inner city neighborhoods and public parks. Imagine if Christians were known for loving their neighbor.
In many countries, that's exactly what Christians are known for. In China Christians have been helping the poor and helping victims of the 2008 earthquake in the Wenchuan region. In Cambodia Christians are known for caring for orphans. There are dozens of church homes caring for orphans throughout the entire country. In Burma Christians are known for providing assistance to ethnic minorities who were attacked by the military.
Throughout the world, Christians are known for loving the unlovable. In the Philippines Christians are known for setting up medical clinics and schools for the Aeta ethnic group, the poorest and most primitive people group in the country. In India Christians are known for loving the Dalits, the untouchables, the lowest caste whose employment is often cleaning the toilets of the upper caste people. In many places Christians are known for loving and caring for the disabled and the mentally retarded, even for caring for and adopting infants who have been abandoned by their families.
Sadly, in the United States, it's not so. So-called Christians are known for little more than protesting abortion clinics and trying to prevent gay people from getting married. I remember one time I had a friend who was a single mother. She had just given birth. She was alone. She had become a Christian and was attending a local church. One time the church went downtown to an anti-abortion rally. They must have taken the road to go right by her apartment building. They never stopped in to see her baby. Not once did anyone offer love to the single mom. Many people attend anti-abortion rallies. Once a kid is born, they stop caring about it.
It's been said that most gay people will never step inside a church because they think that Christians despise them. The reason they think that Christians despise them is because most Christians despise them.
What better praise can we offer God than to do things that invite others to praise Him?
I was in Honduras one time, and I talking to a Christian couple. I told them how it seems like there is a church on almost every corner in the United States. They marveled saying how wonderful it must be that so many people are Christians. I told them that most of the buildings were empty of both people and faith. They didn't understand. How could this be? But if Christians were known in this country for loving their neighbor, then we'd have to build more churches because people would want to come in a worship our God.
In many countries, that's exactly what Christians are known for. In China Christians have been helping the poor and helping victims of the 2008 earthquake in the Wenchuan region. In Cambodia Christians are known for caring for orphans. There are dozens of church homes caring for orphans throughout the entire country. In Burma Christians are known for providing assistance to ethnic minorities who were attacked by the military.
Throughout the world, Christians are known for loving the unlovable. In the Philippines Christians are known for setting up medical clinics and schools for the Aeta ethnic group, the poorest and most primitive people group in the country. In India Christians are known for loving the Dalits, the untouchables, the lowest caste whose employment is often cleaning the toilets of the upper caste people. In many places Christians are known for loving and caring for the disabled and the mentally retarded, even for caring for and adopting infants who have been abandoned by their families.
Sadly, in the United States, it's not so. So-called Christians are known for little more than protesting abortion clinics and trying to prevent gay people from getting married. I remember one time I had a friend who was a single mother. She had just given birth. She was alone. She had become a Christian and was attending a local church. One time the church went downtown to an anti-abortion rally. They must have taken the road to go right by her apartment building. They never stopped in to see her baby. Not once did anyone offer love to the single mom. Many people attend anti-abortion rallies. Once a kid is born, they stop caring about it.
It's been said that most gay people will never step inside a church because they think that Christians despise them. The reason they think that Christians despise them is because most Christians despise them.
What better praise can we offer God than to do things that invite others to praise Him?
I was in Honduras one time, and I talking to a Christian couple. I told them how it seems like there is a church on almost every corner in the United States. They marveled saying how wonderful it must be that so many people are Christians. I told them that most of the buildings were empty of both people and faith. They didn't understand. How could this be? But if Christians were known in this country for loving their neighbor, then we'd have to build more churches because people would want to come in a worship our God.
posted by Dave at Sunday, April 04, 2010
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