After the last blog I had some people ask me if what I was suggesting wasn’t just bait and switch. The idea is that I was only encouraging people to “love” (or act lovingly) as a means of getting people to become Christians or church members.

I can understand how someone could interpret this call to let our love precede our proclamation of the gospel. When we love others the way Jesus loves us we are following the teaching of the Bible.

Here are a few examples:

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

Romans 12:9 9 Love must be sincere.

Galatians 6:10 So then, awhile we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,

John 13:34-35  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Our mission is to accurately transmit the life and love of Jesus through our experience of his love that overflows into the lives of others. So while it may appear to some that this is “bait and switch” what is happening is Christians overcome by Jesus’ love sharing that reality with others.

If we didn’t love our neighbors, co-workers, family members we would not try to share the message of Jesus with them. If we lived without sharing the gospel or God’s love and resigned people to live in their sin and without hope in the world, could we honestly call ourselves followers of Jesus?

Our love is not a ploy. Our love is a reflection of the love of Jesus poured out on our lives. Anything less is not worthy of His sacrifice for us and a sign of contempt for those that Jesus died.

 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.  2 Corinthians 2:14-15