"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
I want to share a couple of stories with you.
During the Black Death of the Middle Ages, when millions upon millions of people died from the deadly plague, it is said that while many individuals fled their families and hometowns to escape the disease, Christians in Rome stayed and cared for the sick and dying pagans among them, and consequently converted many of them to Christianity. So great was their compassion--and their success--that the Roman government even attempted to replicate it (albeit unsuccessfully) in a public welfare system.
Now, here's a more modern perspective on Christian compassion: avowed atheist Penn Jillette (of magician-duo Penn & Teller fame) tells the story of a Christian businessman who came up to him after a performance and handed him a Bible. Penn's response is recorded here , but I want to quote the "meat" of his comments:
“I’ve always said,” Jillette explained, “I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe there is a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward.
“How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate someone to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”
Now, which one of these stories resonates most deeply with you? Which is the better way to love the lost: compassionately caring for them and meeting their physical needs, or sharing the gospel with them?
If you chose either of those two anecdotes, I have some news for you: there is no "better" way. As followers of Christ, we are commanded to love the lost. And while some of us are better at simply sharing the gospel and others lean much more toward the "compassionate care" approach, we are really not given the option of one over the other.
Christ Himself showed us the importance of loving the lost both in word and deed. On many occasions in the gospels, we see Jesus, moved with compassion, feeding the hungry (Matthew 15:32-36), healing the sick (Matthew 14:14), and raising the dead (John 11:43). But other times, like in the case of Nicodemus or the woman at the well, a word of truth was needed, and the Lord offered the right words at the right time.
Here's the thing: if we truly love and follow Christ, we must love the people He loves, and we must do it in the way that He showed us while He was among us. Both compassionate action and the truth of the gospel are indispensable when it comes to reaching lost souls. And while that may sometimes mean doing the hard thing, we can be certain that they will take notice, and we will have fruit for our labors. Armed with God's truth and love, may He embolden us to win souls for His kingdom.
This will be the last regular Joy in the Morning that we will be sending for the near future. Though I may put down some thoughts as they come to me, I have determined that my writing time can be better spent focusing on poetic/musical writing rather than prose. Our family's ministry is primarily a music ministry, and I believe that is an area of giftedness with which I can better serve our primary purpose. I hope that what I have written over the past year or so has blessed you and caused you to grow closer to Christ; and I hope that the music we continue to produce will be a blessing as well.
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture used in "Joy in the Morning" is taken from the English Standard Version.
