"What if We Really Loved Jesus?"

I was just contacted by another blogger and told to never contact him again. He said I was harassing him and that he was going to send my information to the FBI. Fine, so be it.

If me sharing with him my heart felt convictions of Jesus is harassment and him professing that Christ is his Savior then I suppose something is slightly wrong. I respectfully emailed back my apologies and let him know I meant no harm. Then I began to wonder.

I began to wonder what we would look like if we really loved Jesus. What would we look like if we really represented Him right? How would we change who we are to benefit those around us for the sake of Christ? What way would we be willing to reform ourselves to bring glory to God and humility to ourselves?

I am so influenced by Paul when he says in 1 Corinthians, 19-23 ,”Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!” (MSG)

So how is it that when we profess to love Jesus we tend to rather oppose others that are not in the same boat as ourselves. We spend quality time with those that are as narrow-minded as we are and yet we much of the time care less for the others around us. I hate that type of person. And in all reality I find myself in that position more often than not. And it’s when I get a reality check from some no-named blogger that I realize I am at just as much fault as they.

Should it start with me? Should I begin to love Jesus and try to be humble in likeness with Him and then wait for others to tag along and try the same? I probably shouldn’t even worry what others think. But then again maybe I should at least try to see from their perspective.

I want the community of theemerge.com to be a place that is tolerant. Not to sin but to people, people that aren't like us. Other people with shady backgrounds, other seekers with broken families and sin so deep it looks unforgivable. I want theemerge.com to reach the broken churched of our modern culture. The believers and seekers that have no family because all their brothers and sisters do is cast their starry gaze at them in contempt. I want theemerge.com to be a place of safety and solitude and also a place of rebellion and revolt against the status quo. I want the community of theemerge.com to actually love Jesus and to be simply changed by that.

Are you willing? Willing to lay down your life for another that probably isn’t even worth it; for someone that you probably would even want to talk or dine with. Don’t you want to represent Jesus rightly?

What if the community of theemerge.com really loved Jesus? Who would come and who would go and what would we all look like? In spite of all our shortcomings and frailty I implore you all; let us love Christ Jesus. In all that we are and all that we do let us practice Jesus. In our work, our play, and our leisure let us wear Christ wherever we are; not preaching, not judging, not condemning, but rather charitable, unspoken, and commending. Let us give preference to others before we give precedence to ourselves. Let us follow our King and try our best to allow Him to mold us into who He wants us to be. And my friends, in doing this, may we persistently and in all authenticity love Jesus with all we have and with all we are. Thanks for listening...