By Lamont H. Fuchs, Ed.D.
(excerpt from Preacher Spurs, Christian Faith Publishing, Meadville, PA, 2022)
People will not care for what you have to say until they know how much you care. The best churches I’ve ever been part of are those where most of the congregation shows one another genuine love. That love begins with God and is poured upon the congregation by example. The congregation’s best example of love is Christ. He is the example for the pastor, leaders in their church, and each other. It’s all biblical, and you all know it.
If that kind of love is lacking in your church, revival needs to begin from the pulpit. Sometimes a member or a visiting pastor can bring revival or start an outpouring of Spirit that brings revival, but it should be in the pastor’s job description, and if it is not, I pray it already dwells in you. Your church can have a good music program, lights, talented musicians and singers, a beautiful building, and if you don’t have love, all you might have is Show-Time on Primetime Sunday morning. God is love, and worshipping and glorifying Him should be Primetime all the time.
Jesus’ love for those He ministered to is not the average Sunday morning churchgoer we see today. Jesus’ healing power brought all types of people to see Him and hear His words. Our modern-day churches don’t often seek the kind of people Jesus sought. He said He came to heal the sick (sin-sick), not the righteous who don’t need Him. (Matthew 9:12) He loved the unlovely and was reviled for whom He sought to save.
How hard is it to love the unlovely? These are the types of people churches shy away from and neglect to minister to or even approach. The ugly, scarred, toothless, old, alone, sick, young, and restless, druggies, tattooed, pinned with studs and earrings, smelly, drunk, nasty looking in dress and style, street people, gay, sinful symbols, evil-looking, homeless, mentally, or physically challenged – add a color or language barriers to any of these for multiplying effects. After all, what good are they to your church, anyway? Recognize they are likely burdens with no resources or talent, lots of baggage, and many needs. Can you see them, or are they so far out of sight you don’t even want to think about them?
1 Timothy 2:3-4 – This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.
Matthew 28:19 – 19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
We are not defined by our worst or our best. Our God defines us. The last time I looked up the definition of the word all, it meant all, everyone, everywhere. Preachers and pastors, under-shepherds, deacons, ministers, and laypeople who believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Word must know and prioritize the great commission (Matthew 28:19). They must also prioritize the greatest commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. They should live by the second most important commandment to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Mark 12:30-31 – And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
So, the essence of this message is written in James, and I cannot add to it or subtract from it. I’d love to say it better than this, but James, the brother of Jesus, says it best.
James 2: 1-9 – My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing; and ye have regard to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool; do ye not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? But ye have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and drag you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme the honorable name by which ye are called? Howbeit if ye fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 9 but if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
