Inclusiveness

Inclusiveness
Jesus said,
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16,17.
Take a close look at the above scripture particularly the sentence that states, “For got did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” John 3:17.
If we claim to be Christians this should be our objective. To save the world.
As Christians we are called to reach out with the love of Christ to all men and women irrespective of their faith, their lifestyle or who they are.
We need to show the love and compassion of Christ without prejudice.
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter four he didn't care who she was. He witnessed to her, offering her eternal life.
This is how we should be as believers in Christ. We should administer the word of God in love as the opportunities arises.
Neither Jesus or his apostles ever preached hellfire or condemnation. Jesus did speak words of correction to the Jewish religious leaders of his day. But then he was a Jew and as such had the right to do so.
Still he never condemned the secular civil authorities of Rome or as we see in the case of the Samaritan woman people outside the Jewish community.
Paul preaching in Athens with all the paganism that was there, never once preached against the practices and lifestyles of the Athenians. 
He presented the salvation of Christ saying simply this is what I believe it is up to you to make your own mind up.
While we can and must win souls for Christ outside the walls of the church. Our churches must be inclusive.
That's not to say we are to relinquish our core values. Far from it we should be ministering the word of God in a positive, loving, unadulterated way.
In a way that will give all people irrespective of who they are pause to think.
If God loves the world and sent Jesus into the world to save the world then we must do the same.
The James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" James 2:12,13.
We must remember that one day we will be judged by God and as such do our best to minister His word as far as is humanly possible in spirit and in truth.
It is only by doing this that we will win souls for Christ.
Think about it.

A New Creation

A New Creation
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  2 Corinthians 5:16,17
What Paul is saying here is crucial to the Christian life. In Christ we are a new creation. We therefor should not see people from a worldly point of view.  We are called to see them from the point of view of God.
Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.
This is the reason Jesus came to this earth. This is the reason we must be willing to interact with people of all faiths, and lifestyles. This is the reason we must never judge a person. Quite the contrary we must love everyone unconditionally because God loved us.
The apostle John writes,
“We love because he first loved us.  
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  
And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1John 4:19-21. 
One of reasons the early church reached their world for Christ was that they loved unconditionally. They like Christ sat with believers and sinners alike. They realized they had a message that could transform individuals and their world.
Billy Graham the American evangelist said,
“The men who followed Him (Christ), were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same.” Billy Graham
Is your heart right side up.
Please think about it.

Christian belief in a Nutshell

Christian belief in a Nutshell
The Gospel of John records Jesus speaking of himself as saying, 
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18.
This is the message of Jesus Christ in a nutshell. In very clear terms it makes three statements.
1. God loved the world so much He sent his one and only son into it, so that whoever believed in Him would have eternal life.
2. He makes it clear that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world in any way. He came to save all who would believe in Him.
3. He gives a warning. Making it clear that whoever believes in Jesus in not condemned. But whoever does not believe in him is condemned.
This is a core belief of all who believe in Jesus Christ.
All who hear about the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ must decide for themselves if what the apostle John wrote here in his gospel is true or not.
If it is untrue then no one has anything to fear.
If on the other hand it is true then there are eternal ramifications. 
Please think about it.