Continuing my series on following, I again am going to reference the "Opening Day" message series being presented by Rick Atchley of The Hills Church of Christ in Fort Worth, TX.
I have long been concerned that most of the people that regularly attend worship services at churches across America are not truly 'following' Jesus. I have read a few books by radically sold-out Christians. Francis Chan ("Crazy Love") went so far as to give up a large house and live in a smaller one and have strangers stay in their home. How far are WE willing to go to show the world we are followers?
Jesus said in John 13:35: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Love is what distinguishes a true follower from someone who is just a fan. And as Christians, showing love for others requires that we apply 'intentionality' to our life. We need to be proactive in showing love in our every action, regardless of who we interact with, but especially to other Christians. All who call Jesus "Lord" should be actively looking for ways to show the love that Jesus showed us by His sacrifice on the cross.
As Rick said in his message, a real community of believers can be identified by 3 characteristics. Real community: requires intentionality, values authenticity, and practices generosity. Measure yourself and your friends by those standards and note how often you show these in your life. A true follower shows love by helping people, sharing others' troubles, and by being transparent about the struggles in their life.
Let our lives show that we are true followers by loving others as we love ourselves and really thinking how we can help everyone we meet in even some small way.
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