Christian Living

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Jesus tells us to love our neighbour as ourselves, but we cannot do that if we don’t know them. We have to get beyond the “how are you” which (in Australia at least) is usually just another way of saying hello.

If we are really going to say “how are you?” then let’s be prepared to spend half an hour listening to the answer!

Too often the Sunday morning fellowship is shallow. The topics are safely non-personal. The conversation over the coffee and cake is the weather, will G.B. get re-elected, wasn’t it a nice sermon, etc etc.

We have to go beyond that. We must attempt to meet people’s needs. We have to go beneath the icing to know what the cake is like. To genuinely love our fellow church member we must take the time and trouble to know who they are, what they believe, what are their hopes, dreams, ambitions. Do they have a family or are they alone? How are they coping with life? Then we must ask ourselves “What can I do to help this person?”

Surely God doesn’t want us to be ice-skaters but deep-sea divers when it comes to human relationships. Isn’t that the kind of love Jesus spoke of?

We as Christians and church members must not only sing the hymns, read the Bible passages and go through religious motions, but we must live the faith. As James said, we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

Church should not be about merely shaking hands but knitting a community. To disciple someone we first of all have to become their friend – a genuine friend. We are to be people who care about one another, who pray for one another, who do practical things for another when there is a need.

So much so that all who see us will see the words of Jesus in action: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” John 13:35.

That will bring Christianity from the realm of just another religion into a living, moving personification of the Lord Jesus. We are to be His clones in a sense, to seek to achieve the Master’s holy perfection. Not totally attainable - but still a mighty aspiration.

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