Can you think of something Christians believe and do that non-Christians find appealing? The fact is many people perceive Christians negatively. Some of that has been earned by our failings. Some of the negative view is really a rejection of a biblical worldview of sex and marriage and anyone who holds to one. There are other Christian beliefs and practices, however, that even outsiders tend to respect. In particular, I'm thinking of sacrificial love and care for others.
The Bible is filled with teachings related to justice and mercy that compel God's people to consider how their love for God should also lead to love for people. From instructions to the Israelites who had just fled slavery:
Exodus 22:21
“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Jesus summarized the whole of the Old Testament teachings as love for God and love for others:
Mark 12:29–31
[29] Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ [31] The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
James, a brother of and follower of Jesus summarized the way God prioritizes care for the most vulnerable people among us to be equal to our calling to live holy lives:
James 1:27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV)
At Harvest, we have established a Family Advocacy Ministry to help connect you with opportunities to serve others in our community.
Whether you feel like God might be calling you to mentor an at-risk teen, walk alongside a single mom facing an unplanned pregnancy, bring a monthly meal to a foster family, commit to praying for families, or even to open up your own home to a child as a foster, adoptive, or safe family, we encourage you to take the first step and contact us to begin the conversation.
