There are more people on this planet outside the Church than inside it. Millions have been baptised, millions have not. Millions participate in the celebration of the Lord's Supper, but millions do not.The Church as the body of Christ, as Christ living in the world, has a larger task than to support, nurture, and guide its own members. It is also called to be a witness for the love of God made visible in Jesus. Before his death Jesus prayed for his followers, "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world" (John 17:18). Part of the essence of being the Church is being a living witness for Christ in the world.
How does the "outside" world see us? According to recent surveys by the Barna group, "16- to 29-year-olds who aren’t followers of Christ have an overwhelmingly negative view of Christians and Christianity. These young people believe Christians are insensitive, judgmental, and hypocritical." In his book Speaking My Mind, Tony Campolo talks about a professor who, when seated at a table with a variety of students, asks them to respond to the word "evangelical." Their responses run from "bigot" to "homophobic" to "male chauvinist." When the same group is asked to respond to the name "Jesus" their answers are "caring, understanding, forgiving, kind..."
"Doesn't it bother you, " the professor asks, "that the name of Jesus elicits a completely opposite reaction from the name 'evangelical'?"
Well it bothers me. It bothers me that so many people in the Western world see Christ-followers as intolerant, judgemental, hypocritical and hyper-critical; while ironically, many in the Eastern parts of the World equate Christianity with American indulgence, crime, and immorality. What then is our position as Christ-followers?
Jesus prays in John 17:18; "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world"
How was Jesus sent by God into a world that did not know Him? As an innocent babe, as an agent for PEACE through forgiveness, as a feeder of the hungry, a voice for the oppressed, and hope for the broken-hearted. As a sacrifice for all mankind. Until we who are called by His name return to our calling to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God; to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, cry out for justice, and heal the sick, the world "outside" will continue to see us as "the problem" instead of THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE!
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