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The mistake people make, including the majority of Christians and the majority of parents, is that they see each person’s life as a single snapshot that is never going to change. But that’s not at all how life works. People do change, and Christ is never limited by the stupidity any human can involve themselves in at any given time or however long they wallow there.
Humans are not paralyzed in time, but have the potential at any moment to be drastically changed for the better. But I absolutely guarantee you, without the unconditional love of Christians – the very same kind of love that Jesus Christ has for every human – multitudes of people will remain locked in bitterness or in a tragic lifestyle that ultimately will destroy them.
Larry and I are not out to bash churches. Being a pastor is often like being a tightrope walker with the balance they have to maintain in every area. Sadly, many pastors have fallen off the tightrope and their congregation has either run away in horror or haven’t even noticed.
Any church should be an obvious place of love – Christ’s love. Otherwise it may as well be a social club for only certain kinds of people. When you take a seat at church do you notice who is sitting next to you and do you warmly greet them? You never know what someone is going through unless you let them know that you care about them first. And no matter what they tell you, if you are even in the slightest judgmental, you will be signaling them that you aren’t to be trusted.
Without love you profit nothing – 1 Corinthians 13. That’s true with your kids, your parents, your neighbors, EVERYONE. If Sarah had felt the love of the church at the age of 13 – the love that everyone is supposed to feel from a church congregation – she might not have had to go through such hard places. Here is Sarah again to make this clear…. –Ray
Without love you profit nothing 1 Cor 13:3 Sarah Jakes #6