The Christian Life is a three dimensional response to God’s unqualified love for us.  It involves continual interaction between: GOD, ourselves, and others.

IN RESPONSE TO CHRIST’S GIVING OF HIMSELF FOR US, WE, BECAUSE WE ARE CHRISTIANS, GIVE OF OURSELVES TO OTHERS.  THIS IS CHRISTIAN ACTION.

The very living of a life in Christ, the very act of being a Christian, moves us to reach out so that; others too may experience God’s love and begin a friendship with God.

We love because God first loved us.  God demonstrated His love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  

God calls US to reach out to others and to love them into the Kingdom of God. God doesn’t desire anyone to perish but that all would come to a saving knowledge of Him.  

The Christian gives of self to another in order to allow the other person to grow in Christ.  Actions speak louder than words.  People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

THE ONLY ACTION WHICH IS FOR GOD IS LOVE.

Love is an action verb. Love is not some mushy feeling that we have deep down in our psyche.  Love is an Action:  The Action of behaving compassionately; lovingly.  We have to resolve to act lovingly no matter what!  Sometimes, the people that are the most difficult to love, are the very ones, who need love the most.

Jesus gave us a new commandment.  Jesus said to the apostles: “And now I give you a new commandment, love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  

The Apostles were very far from perfect people.  As you read the scriptures, you get a sense of how imperfect, how flawed, how human, they really were.  They were often prideful, opinionated, selfish, and foolish; they continually misunderstood or even entirely missed the point of what Jesus was saying.  In the end when Jesus needed them most, they all bailed on him….yet… Jesus loved them anyway.  

Jesus tells us to do the same.  Our brothers and sisters aren’t perfect either.  Don’t love someone because he does this, or doesn’t do that. That’s not love, that’s a transaction.  Love others as Jesus loves you: with out condition or strings attached.

First John (4:20-21) says: If anyone says “I love God” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, who he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command:  Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

What does it mean to love?

To really love someone means to put their best interest, their well being, even before your own.  The following passage of scripture which illustrates what unconditional self giving love really is.

Philippians Chapter 2 verses 1-8

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Christ’s humility of heart and mind must be found in His followers, who are called to live sacrificially and unselfishly, caring about others and doing good to them.

In order to really love people and in turn allow them to love us we have to be transparent and honest with them.  We have to risk rejection and ridicule.  We have to become vulnerable to them.

We have the example of Paul who said to the believers in Thessalonica:

“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God… but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. (1Thess 2:8)

Love requires compassion.  “Compassion” literally means “to suffer with.”  We can not love others without recognizing their pain without suffering with them, and reaching out to them in love.


Paul said

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”  (2 Cor 1: 3-4)  

The Greek word for comfort used in this passage (paraklesis) literally means to “stand beside” a person, encouraging and helping him (or her) in a time of trouble. God calls us to “stand beside” others, offering spiritual support and encouragement to them, especially during times of trouble.  

We have to trust that; God will work through us despite our obvious faults, failings, and inadequacies, to bring comfort and healing into the lives of others.   For the most part, we just need to listen with understanding hearts and love.

None of us can really love someone without God’s help.

God’s love is AGAPE love; unconditional self giving love.

Agape love can be defined as: wanting the very best for someone else and being willing to be used by God to get it for them.

God will always give us the strength to love one another if we ask for it.  

“ This is the confidence that we have in approaching God… that; if we ask anything according to His will, we know that He hears us,…. and if He hears us, - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5: 14-15).

Jesus has given us the Church to support us as we act to love one another and reach out to the unchurched.  The church is NOT a building, or a place, or even an organization.  We the people are the church.  God has given us each other to; love, support, and encourage each other as we reach out to the unchurched: inviting them into a relationship with Jesus.

Real relationships require that we become vulnerable to other people.  To become vulnerable to another person we must risk trusting another person enough to share openly and honestly.

All good relationships are built upon honesty.  With honesty we begin to build trust, but it takes time and commitment. This commitment is a heavy one.  It is difficult in our modern American society and can only be done in community.

It can be done, with God’s help and the help of other Christians in or community.  “For with God all things are possible.”

Christian action is vital to our own spiritual health and growth.
All vital power if not used grows weak, wastes away, and dies.  James, the brother of Jesus, said that: “Faith without works is dead”.  

We grow in our Christian life, our life in grace, as we share the love of Christ with others.  We are each unique vessels of His Holy Spirit.  As we allow God to work in and through us, we become more and more conformed to the image and likeness of His son Jesus.  i.e. We become more like Jesus.  

Paul said in his second letter to the Corinthians that:  We have this treasure in Jars of clay, in order to show that this all surpassing power is from God, and not from us.  (2 Cor 4:7).


Christian Action is vital for the salvation and growth of others.

We live in a fallen world.  Over 60% of our neighbors are unchurched.  Unless we become Christ bearers to our neighbors, our neighbors are lost.

“How then can they call on the one they have not believed in?  …And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?... And how can they hear unless some one tells them?” (Romans 10:14)

If we do not win souls for Christ, then the enemies of Christ will over-run us.  Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.

HOW DO WE LIVE A LIFE OF CHRISTIAN ACTION?

By loving other people.  With His new commandment, Jesus gave us the formula for Christian action.  “Love one another even as I have loved you….If you love one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples” (John 13:33-34)

Jesus is our model.  To love is to affirm.  

It is to see others as they can be, not necessarily as they are.  Jesus did this when he chose his disciples.  The disciples were all ordinary tradesmen.  They were considered “not good enough” by the religious elite to continue in their religious studies beyond the basics of Judaism.  They were “not good enough” to go on higher levels of religious study.  If they had applied to study under a Jewish rabbi, they would have been encouraged to go home and learn the family business, instead.  They were the “not good enough’s” the “B” team.

Yet, Jesus saw in these same men the very traits and characteristics necessary to resolutely carry on, to persevere in faith, following his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.  Jesus CHOSE these men.  He entrusted them with the Gospel, because Jesus saw them as they could be, not as they were.  He had faith in them... Jesus believed that they were “good enough”.

We need to trust Jesus.  He chose us too. (see: Ephesians 1:3-14)  We need to be obedient to him.

We are called not to judge one another or condemn one another.  

Jesus warns us against it “Do not judge others, and God will not judge you.  Do not condemn others and God will not condemn you; Forgive others and God will forgive you.  Give to others and God will give to you.”  (Luke 6:37-38)

It is God’s job to judge people, not ours.  It is our job to love them.

LOVE IS THE MOST DIFFICULT ACTION WHICH WE ARE COMMANDED TO DO.

To treat the other person in such a way as to always help him or her become a better person and grow in a personal relationship with God is not any easy task.  

Remember that: sometimes the people who are the most difficult to love, need love the most.  Resolve to treat the other person lovingly, no matter what. Resolve requires the use of both the mind and the will.

We use the head.  What we hope to do must be carefully thought out before we begin to act.  Christians “act” in the love of Christ.  They do not “react” to people and situations.

We use the will.  As Christians, after we have done our “head-work”, we make a decision about the way we are going to act and are unwavering in our action. We stick to it in spite of obstacles, and disappointments.  We WILL to love.     

Additionally, we have to use the body.  We must go!  We must be there for people when they need us.  Showing up is half the battle.

We must use our knees.  Through prayer, we maintain our connectedness with God.  We must be willing to use our knees to back our action up with agape love.  

Two scriptures bear directly on this:  John 15:5… Jesus said “ I am the vine you are the branches.  If a man remain in me, and I in him, he will bear much good fruit.  Apart from me…you can do nothing.

And

Philippians 4:13 “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Only through our connectedness to God can we bring new life.

Finally, we use our love; or more correctly: God’s love.  “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).  The love of Christ causes us to reach out to others.  We are conduits or channels of His love.  

Just as the moon has no light of its own, but reflects the light of the sun… so… We reflect the love God showers upon us… to others.

THERE IS A CHRISTIAN METHOD FOR EFFECTIVELY REACHING OUT TO OTHERS.

Step 1: Make a friend. …Find someone who needs a friend.  This may even be someone who thinks that He doesn’t need a friend.

These words from the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi apply:  

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek;
so much to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.

To make a friend, let the agenda and conversation be mostly about the other person, not about you.

Step 2:  Be a friend.  The way to make a friend is to be a friend.  Put the other person’s best interest even ahead of your own.

Step 3.  Introduce that friend to Christ.  This is probably the most loving action you can ever do, and the action which may result in positive eternal consequences for your friend’s life.

You may be the only Bible some people ever read.  You may be the only example of Christ they will ever see.

What we DO says a heck of a lot more about what we really believe, than anything we will ever say.

Live a life of faith in action.  Live a life of love.

Make a friend.  Be a friend.  Introduce that friend to Jesus.