October 30th, 2024
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
What Bold Fresh Love Looks Like!
A young man attended a worship service. He was wearing lots of leather and chains. His hair was spiked blue. He wore black eyeliner and had a ring in his lip. People were staring at him with astonishment as he strolled down the aisle and sat up front. They were thinking this kid must be a rebellious teenager who is probably hooked on alcohol and drugs. He probably has a criminal record and uses filthy language. Little did they know that he was the guest speaker that day and had come dressed that way to go along with his sermon on showing favoritism.
When I was ministering to a church in a small town, I received a phone call concerning a young man who was traveling into our community seeking a new life. He had given his life to Christ in the city where he came from and had moved from there to get away from his former corrupting influences. Mike had enough money to rent a modest house, but he had no transportation and had been dropped off a few miles from our town. I picked him up and brought him to town. Mike was a sight. He had long stringy hair and demonic looking tattoos all over his arms, neck and any visible part of his body. All he had to wear was jeans and sleeveless t-shirts, so when he came to church with me the next day, he was quite a sight in a small, conservative church. We had a “meet and greet” time. I was the only person to shake Mike’s hand. It was as if a force-field surrounded him as no one would even look at Mike. The next day I learned that one of the church deacons called the Sheriff’s office and had a background check run on him and had officers go to his house to question him about why he was there and where he had come from. He told me that he was pretty sure it was someone at church who had sent them.
The next week, Mike attended a different church in town. A discussion in my house went like this:
My 6-year-old daughter Shannon asked, “Daddy, why didn’t Mike come to church today?”
I responded, “He went to a different church because he felt more accepted there.”
Shannon asked, “Didn’t we accept him at our church?”
I said, “No, our church tolerated Mike, but we didn’t accept him.”
Mike had a tremendous testimony, but people could not look past his appearance to see what God was doing in his life.
When James wrote his letter, apparently, there were churches in his time who struggled with the issue of playing favorites. Rich men coming into the worship service were honored and given the best seats. A pour man would come and be given the opportunity to stand in the corner or sit on the floor under people’s feet.
He goes on to explain how God has completely reversed the world from the way human society perceives it. God has chosen to honor the poor by making them rich in faith. Not only is this true, but the rich people of their time were the persecutors who were taking their property, arresting them and putting them in jail.
We think to ourselves, “That wouldn’t happen in our church.” I would hope not, but the temptation to show favoritism is always present.
Do we tend to be friendly with people who look like they could help us out and avoid those who look like they would need our help?
Are we friendlier to people who look like us than people who look different from us?
No one in all of history demonstrated what Bold Fresh Love looks like more than Jesus Christ. Jesus had every opportunity to hobnob with the religious elites who were also the wealthiest people in the society of that day. However, Jesus spent most of his time with the “sinners” and poor folks, the people who had no opportunity to repay him financially or socially. In fact, some of the people Jesus spent a lot of time with caused his reputation as godly man and teacher to take a hit.
Jesus taught us to love our neighbors and even our enemies as ourselves and to pray for those who persecute us. He demonstrated this kind of love with every fiber of his being.
James has reminded us of Jesus’ version of Bold Fresh Love. As followers of Christ we must imitate everything about him and all that he did. Truthfully, when Jesus lives inside of us, he will lead us to demonstrate his characteristics every day.
Ron had long hair when it stood for ‘rebel,’ listened to heavy-metal music, drank alcohol, and experimented with drugs. He had also tried church but had been ‘turned off’ by the zeal of a few and the judgmental eyes of others.
One summer he was hired to work in a lumber yard in California. He was partnered with a skinny, fair-skinned Christian teenager name Joe, who immediately thought Ron was ‘cool.’
Over the weeks, Ron and Joe laughed, ate, and talked for eight hours a day. Ron drilled Joe about God and the Gospel, but Joe never pretended to know all the answers. One day, Joe asked Ron if he’d like to come over to his house—a beautiful home—for dinner the next night.
A couple of weeks later, Ron got brave enough to ask Joe over to his small house in a poor neighborhood, where he introduced Joe to some of his favorite music.
As the summer drew to a close and Joe prepared to return to college, they both knew that their days together at the lumber yard were numbered. As they walked out to the car on Ron’s last day, he looked up at Joe and tearfully said, ‘A lot of people have tried to tell me about Jesus, but Joe, you’re the first person who has shown Him to me.
When it comes to your example of love, do people see Jesus Christ through you?
This Sunday I will share a message with you titled Broken Chains based on Luke 4:14-21 and other passages. Are you bound up by sin or fear or your past problems? Jesus came to break those bonds and set us free. Bring a friend and come this Sunday to find out how Jesus can set you free.
Loving even the unlovable,
Jon
What Bold Fresh Love Looks Like!
A young man attended a worship service. He was wearing lots of leather and chains. His hair was spiked blue. He wore black eyeliner and had a ring in his lip. People were staring at him with astonishment as he strolled down the aisle and sat up front. They were thinking this kid must be a rebellious teenager who is probably hooked on alcohol and drugs. He probably has a criminal record and uses filthy language. Little did they know that he was the guest speaker that day and had come dressed that way to go along with his sermon on showing favoritism.
When I was ministering to a church in a small town, I received a phone call concerning a young man who was traveling into our community seeking a new life. He had given his life to Christ in the city where he came from and had moved from there to get away from his former corrupting influences. Mike had enough money to rent a modest house, but he had no transportation and had been dropped off a few miles from our town. I picked him up and brought him to town. Mike was a sight. He had long stringy hair and demonic looking tattoos all over his arms, neck and any visible part of his body. All he had to wear was jeans and sleeveless t-shirts, so when he came to church with me the next day, he was quite a sight in a small, conservative church. We had a “meet and greet” time. I was the only person to shake Mike’s hand. It was as if a force-field surrounded him as no one would even look at Mike. The next day I learned that one of the church deacons called the Sheriff’s office and had a background check run on him and had officers go to his house to question him about why he was there and where he had come from. He told me that he was pretty sure it was someone at church who had sent them.
The next week, Mike attended a different church in town. A discussion in my house went like this:
My 6-year-old daughter Shannon asked, “Daddy, why didn’t Mike come to church today?”
I responded, “He went to a different church because he felt more accepted there.”
Shannon asked, “Didn’t we accept him at our church?”
I said, “No, our church tolerated Mike, but we didn’t accept him.”
Mike had a tremendous testimony, but people could not look past his appearance to see what God was doing in his life.
When James wrote his letter, apparently, there were churches in his time who struggled with the issue of playing favorites. Rich men coming into the worship service were honored and given the best seats. A pour man would come and be given the opportunity to stand in the corner or sit on the floor under people’s feet.
He goes on to explain how God has completely reversed the world from the way human society perceives it. God has chosen to honor the poor by making them rich in faith. Not only is this true, but the rich people of their time were the persecutors who were taking their property, arresting them and putting them in jail.
We think to ourselves, “That wouldn’t happen in our church.” I would hope not, but the temptation to show favoritism is always present.
Do we tend to be friendly with people who look like they could help us out and avoid those who look like they would need our help?
Are we friendlier to people who look like us than people who look different from us?
No one in all of history demonstrated what Bold Fresh Love looks like more than Jesus Christ. Jesus had every opportunity to hobnob with the religious elites who were also the wealthiest people in the society of that day. However, Jesus spent most of his time with the “sinners” and poor folks, the people who had no opportunity to repay him financially or socially. In fact, some of the people Jesus spent a lot of time with caused his reputation as godly man and teacher to take a hit.
Jesus taught us to love our neighbors and even our enemies as ourselves and to pray for those who persecute us. He demonstrated this kind of love with every fiber of his being.
James has reminded us of Jesus’ version of Bold Fresh Love. As followers of Christ we must imitate everything about him and all that he did. Truthfully, when Jesus lives inside of us, he will lead us to demonstrate his characteristics every day.
Ron had long hair when it stood for ‘rebel,’ listened to heavy-metal music, drank alcohol, and experimented with drugs. He had also tried church but had been ‘turned off’ by the zeal of a few and the judgmental eyes of others.
One summer he was hired to work in a lumber yard in California. He was partnered with a skinny, fair-skinned Christian teenager name Joe, who immediately thought Ron was ‘cool.’
Over the weeks, Ron and Joe laughed, ate, and talked for eight hours a day. Ron drilled Joe about God and the Gospel, but Joe never pretended to know all the answers. One day, Joe asked Ron if he’d like to come over to his house—a beautiful home—for dinner the next night.
A couple of weeks later, Ron got brave enough to ask Joe over to his small house in a poor neighborhood, where he introduced Joe to some of his favorite music.
As the summer drew to a close and Joe prepared to return to college, they both knew that their days together at the lumber yard were numbered. As they walked out to the car on Ron’s last day, he looked up at Joe and tearfully said, ‘A lot of people have tried to tell me about Jesus, but Joe, you’re the first person who has shown Him to me.
When it comes to your example of love, do people see Jesus Christ through you?
This Sunday I will share a message with you titled Broken Chains based on Luke 4:14-21 and other passages. Are you bound up by sin or fear or your past problems? Jesus came to break those bonds and set us free. Bring a friend and come this Sunday to find out how Jesus can set you free.
Loving even the unlovable,
Jon
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