Loves that changes the world.

I spoke at a church this morning. State missions. The theme this year is Relentless Pursuit: Reaching the next generation.

The stats are pretty startling. Teenagers and college students just aren't "doing church" .... even more scary, their perceptions of Christians are less and less favorable. Some statistics say that 60-75% of college students will stop going to church once they reach college. And I think we're finding that they don't necessarily go back at those points where we thought they did - when they get married or have kids ...

So, as I was trying to figure out what to say to this church to help them be motivated to reach this next generation, I realized, students don't need a logical reason to go to church, they don't need a church that's more relevant or trendy ... they aren't looking for the theology of community ... they are looking for someone who looks like Christ ... and sadly we are coming up lacking in that area. I really think if we are going to reach this "lost" generation, we've got to learn to look like Christ and I think predominantly, that means we love well!

Brennan Manning said, ”We cannot help being struck, upset, and confused by a Christian who is truly Christlike. And we do not forgive him when he fails to be.”

Sadly, the world in which we live doesn't expect much out of us. Simple acts of kindness or even consideration are unexpected. Crazy acts of seflessness and love that make us look like Christ are incomprehensible.

II Cor. 5:13-14 says, “If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."

What would we really look like if Christ's love compelled us ... to listen, to give, to act, to look, to befriend, to share ...

It's really not that hard to love well. It is hard to not grow tired. Jean Varnier said, "We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love."

Paul said, "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Gal. 5:6)

So, we can try to make our venues more trendy, out settings more comfortable, make our programs more fun and our fellowship sweeter ... but really, if we want to change the world, we've just got to start letting Christ's love compel us to love like he does ... and to not grow weary in that. Sounds simple. If it only were.

The selfish side of us will battle every time! I have a stack of cards sitting in front of me ... I thought of friends in need, I bought the cards ... but they need to go in the mail to make a difference. I think I'll do that. What about you?