Christians, true followers of Jesus Christ, must seize this time as a golden opportunity to show this country and this world there's another way of doing things. So how do we this? It's simple yet profoundly deep. Christians need to show love towards each other. Even the Church has been somewhat divided over this election. But rather than following the zeitgeist of this culture, we need to listen to the Spirit of our Lord. As a matter of fact, Jesus commanded His disciples to love each other.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
-- John 13:34-35 WEB
So Jesus isn't giving an option-- it's a mandate. And if we claim we love Jesus, we must listen to what He says (John 14:15). So it doesn't whether your brother or sister in Christ is a far-lefty or a right-winger, we must love them all the same because they follow Jesus Christ, the Lord. Not to mention, they are also human beings, which are made in God's image (Genesis 1:27).
So what does this love look like and how far does should this love go? What does the Scripture say?
By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. -- 1 John 3:16 WEB
Since Jesus gave us an example of love looks like by laying down life His down on the cross, we ought to be willing to lay our lives down for our brothers and sisters in Christ. So it doesn't matter whether you agree with them or not, you need to be willing to your lay your life down for them. It's not about us and our comfort zone. It's about God and others. Because if show hate towards our brothers and sister, then we are in darkness, we are murderers, we are liars, and cannot love God (1 John 2:9, 2:11, 3:15, 4:20). In other words, we are bunch of phonies if we don't do this. See the following Scripture for further reason why we should love each other.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. -- 1 John 4:8 NIV
And this love isn't simply a command. Love each other will have a profound impact on those outside of the Church. Look at John 13:35 again:
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
King Jesus knows that if His followers love each other truly, then the world will know we identify with Him. Jesus said something similar to God the Father before He was crucified on the cross.
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. -- John 17:20-23 NIV
Jesus said that if those who believe in Him showed the same unity towards each other like the unity He had with God, then the world would know that He was sent by God. That's profound!
You see many people don't follow Jesus not because there's no evidence. There is. It's because there's no proof of Him in the lives of those who claim the name of Christ. But if we show love and unity towards each other, then what would this nation or this world would say then? I believe their hearts would be more open towards the Lord Jesus. The proof is in the pudding. Being the example matters.
In the same way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. -- Matthew 5:16 NIV
So what I'm saying is this: We need to start the healing within the Church by loving each other. Once we are healed and united under Christ, then we can show our love to others outside. Then, the healing in this divided nation and in this broken world will begin.
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