It’s important to check ourselves, and do things for the right reason. When we talk about going out and loving our neighbors in the community around us, that is EXACTLY what we are talking about. The “agenda” is one of love, motivated by our faith in Christ. This is about sacrificing a little bit of our time in our busy lives and get to know our neighbors more. Know their names. Know their stories. Know them. Love them.
This is not about seeing people as “projects” to persuade them to convert to Christianity. This is not about hidden agendas or coercion or manipulation. This is not a secret church membership drive.
In fact, if anything, we are not trying to convert people outside our churches to Christianity as much as we are trying to convert ourselves to be more faithful in following in the Way of Jesus and love our neighbors we have been overlooking. We can’t change anyone. But we can trust that the Holy Spirit is at work in all of this. Trust in this.
Remember that song, “They will know we are Christians by our love?” I guess that is the big question. How will the community around our churches ever know we are Christians by our love if we never even take the time to know and love our neighbors?
