Dave’s Monday Blast – September 2, 2019
Happy Labor Day!
Franklin Graham writes: ” My father and I have had the blessed opportunity to carry the Gospel message around the world. In so doing, we’ve noticed a very clear reality: Nearly everyone is searching for the same thing. Cultures are different. Customs are different. But there’s one common denominator. People are desperately seeking hope. And from a worldly perspective, hope is in short supply. You see, where people are desperate for hope, the world only offers pain, broken dreams, and ‘this is as good as it gets.’ Conversely, the Gospel of Jesus Christ heals the wounds of this world with its eternal, all-encompassing hope.”
The problem is Christians today are facing a crisis of influence. In our rush to speak truth to today’s tensions, cultural issues, and trending controversies, it becomes all to easy to focus on proving our points rather than extending God’s grace. Conversely, when we seek only to love but never proclaim a better way, we short-circuit God’s plan. As believers in Christ, we need to be known for both truth and love (Ephesians 4:15 & 16). To accomplish this task we MUST be filled with the Spirit of God so we can develop His fruit in our lives. THEN we naturally begin to draw others to Christ and the truth found in God’s Word. Truth plus love is the formula for offering hope. Only truth can transform lives which in turn influences the world for Christ. This strategy employs a firm center full of conviction regarding the truth but a soft edge which draws people into the love of God.
Jesus specifically calls us to love each other “just as I have loved you” (John 13:34). Next week I want to share 3 ways that we can model the soft edge of love to a world desperate for hope.
