There is a moment during my workshop on meeting pressing needs in the local church where I transition from describing the different types of pressing needs churches experience to discussing how the practice of the love of Christ perfectly meets those needs, and it’s electric.
As I begin talking about the three unique qualities of Christ’s love – personal identification, commitment and sacrifice – and how these qualities relate to the needs of widows and single moms, suddenly the men in the audience sit up straighter and move to the edge of their seats. Some even begin tearing up. I can tell they’re seeing something they’ve known about for years and years – the love of Christ – in a completely different way.
Why are these Christian men responding the way they do when I talk about the practical aspects of the love of Christ? Here’s why…
- Because practicing the love of Christ is our highest calling as Christians.?
- Because practicing the love of Christ is our key distinctive.
- Because practicing the love of Christ is exactly what people around us need, especially the neediest people around us.
- Because practicing the love of Christ is doable.
- Because practicing the love of Christ is dangerous, fascinating, healing, even thrilling.
- Because practicing the love of Christ is a precursor to the gospel.
For years these men have been given the impression that the love of Christ is an ideal that can’t really be practiced in everyday life. Consequently, they have a fuzzy notion of what it means to love like Christ and they despair that they will ever actually be able to do it.
But when men clearly understand what it means to love like Jesus Christ, how simple, effective and profound it is, why it’s so desperately needed, and then are given a practical way to do it, they almost jump off their seats when I’m done.
And then they actually go and do it.
Thousands of them.
And that is why I get so excited when I talk about practicing the love of Christ.
This post firs appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom
and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.
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