REAL PEOPLE

Jesus said to His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”  (John 13:34-35 NIV)

Christians in their relationships should be the most human people you will ever see.  This speaks for God in an age of inhumanity and impersonality and facelessness.  When people look at us, their reaction should be, "These are human people" -- human, because we know that we differ from the animal, the plant, and the machine; and that personality is native to what has always been [human].  If they cannot look upon us and say, "They are real people", nothing else is enough. 

Far too often, young people become Christians and then search among the Church's ranks for real people, and have a hard task finding them.  All too often, [Christians] are paper people.  If we do not preach these things, talk about them to each other, and teach them carefully from the pulpit and in the Christian classroom, we cannot expect Christians so to act.  This has always been important, but it is especially so today because we are surrounded by a world in which personality is increasingly eroded.  If we, who have become God's children, do not show Him to be personal in our lives, then in practice we are denying His existence, and He cannot be anything but grieved. 

-- Francis A. Schaeffer in “The God Who Is There”  [1968]

#6207

EMISSARIES OF GRACE

“We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ Himself now: Become friends with God; He’s already a friend with you.”  (2 Corinthians 5:20 MSG)

Christian character reflects our relationship with Christ. We learn and build Christian character as we grow closer to God and follow His directives. We still have our individual personalities, but they develop into a godly version – a better version of ourselves – the person God created us to be. We grow in Christian character as we walk with God, dive into His Word, and spend time with Him in prayer. Christian character should display Christ to those around us – we are His emissaries of grace!

We have to be intentional about developing Christian character. Every day we make choices that will either grow our Christian character or send it into a slump. Our life circumstances are where God builds character, but we have to cooperate with Him in the effort. We are often confronted with issues and situations that tempt us to act out in ways that are the opposite of Christian character – we might want to fight back, get even, use foul language, get angry, and so on. We have to make the conscience choice to respond in a Christlike way. 

-- Author Unknown, from biblereasons.com

#5810

MATURING IN THE FAITH

“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”  (1 Peter 1:13-16  NIV) 

The Christian community was never meant to be a collection of “cookie-cut” human beings. The gospel delights in a Christ-like individuality for each disciple.

One never sees Jesus, for example, squelching the dynamism of Peter. Rather, He simply seeks to envelope Peter’s temperament in wisdom and spiritual character. The Apostle Peter, who so wisely gives leadership to the Jerusalem church in its early days, is the same Simon Peter of earlier days who was marked with impulsiveness and a competitive spirit. The only difference between the apostle and the fisherman is maturity, not suppressed individuality. 

-- Gordon MacDonald, quoted in “Side by Side: Disciple-Making for a New Century”,  Steve & Lois Rabey, General Editors

#4871