Christian Love = Reaching Out

No man can be friend of Jesus Christ who is not a friend to his neighbor. (Robert H. Benson)

After attending a conference, I was all fired up. The speaker was very energetic. His level of enthusiasm was higher than KLCC tower. His talks was really encouraging and if anyone sleeping by that time, they either very tired or not feeling well but never because of boring. I take notes which I’ll never read it again. I was convince that if only I could talk with him and asked him for insight about reaching out to other people; I would have valuable lessons to bring back home. But when I had a change to meet him, I was so disappointed that he was never even trying to ask about my name. With little eyes contact and zero handshakes, he left the ‘conversation’ with an excuse to answer his call.

It was a sad moment… the talk doesn’t match the walk.

This was not the first time it happens before, I have met people who can inspire from a pulpit or a stage but cannot talk with or relate to people as friend. Real love involves having a relationship with people. Christian love is not only what you do when the crowds are watching but also what you do when you are alone with people – just you, God, and the person you are talking to.

The living God calls us to love and relate to people as real persons. Someone approached me and said, ‘I’m a failure. I cannot share the Gospel to my friends. They don’t want to believe me even if I ask them to read the Bible every time I met them.” Come on! People are not OBJECTS to be evangelized or ‘souls’ to be saved.(It’s His job not ours) Our job is to love people and befriend them as Jesus did. ‘God wants to reach people with souls, not just as souls.’ (Quote unknown)

By treating people as who they are, as real persons; they may take a consideration to inquire the source of our genuine love towards them: Jesus. Stop using, manipulating or convert people to Christianity. Real Christianity doesn’t force people to believe, it's a volunteer decision. Reaching out is not that hard or troublesome as we thought it would be. All this talk about the Holy Spirit, miracles, signs and wonders, and faith is meaningless without real love.

Christian love means reaching out!

The reason why God’s servants love creatures so much is that they see how much Christ loves them, and it is one of the properties of love to love what is loved by the person we love. (St. Catherine of Siena)