The Pharisees were self-appointed experts in matters of dietary laws, dress codes, etc. These practices allowed them to decide who was ‘in’ and who was ‘out.’ And what’s worse, the insiders became judgmental toward the outsiders. Jesus didn’t do that. When He was asked to identify what the law was all about, He simply replied, ‘Love God and love people’ (see Mark 12:29-31). Speaker and author Dallas Willard writes, ‘How many people are repelled by Christians who are unfeeling, stiff, unapproachable, boringly lifeless, and dissatisfied? Yet such Christians are everywhere.’ The truth is, when our lives aren’t marked by genuine joy and devotion to Christ, we start looking for superficial ways to distinguish ourselves from the people we classify as ‘worldly.’ We set rules, create cliques and end up judging others. It becomes the ‘Christians’ and the ‘non-Christians’. Even our churches aren’t immune to it. There can be cliques and judgement there too. But Paul writes: ‘If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal’ (1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV). If we put loving God and loving others first, we won’t be interested in these other ways of trying to stand out. One of the greatest compliments ever paid to the apostles is that they were ‘recognised…as men who had been with Jesus.’ That’s an amazing compliment. When people see us, do they see us as people who’ve been with Jesus? Can they see Jesus in us? Is His love visible in us? Let’s be people who distinguish ourselves by love.
What now?
Invite a non-Christian friend to join you in your prayer time. Try to create a relaxed (maybe even a fun) atmosphere where they feel loved, accepted and not judged. Ask if there’s anything you can pray about for them.