I grew up going to church, but it never impressed me much. Most of the adults I remember were nice, but nothing really differentiated them. The people going to church were very similar to everyone else I knew. Jesus was talked about, but He didn’t seem to make much of a difference in people’s lives.
That impression changed during my freshman year in college. A friend invited me to a Bible study in her dorm and I was taken aback by the love these students had for one another. They were very different from other students I had met and different than the people I had met in my local church. That night my life took an entirely new direction. I decided if this group of college students had this kind of love because of Jesus, then I wanted to follow Him, too.
Love is the most powerful tool we have in drawing others into the Kingdom of God. As the Apostle Paul says, churches can have many things—a great worship band, a coffee bar, a hip pastor, solid biblical teaching—but if they do not truly love one another, they really have nothing (I Corinthians 13:1-8). And love goes well beyond friendly. It truly cares about others and invests time and other resources in meeting physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. It is a love that can literally transform lives, such as the one of a 19-year-old student long ago on a November’s evening.
Today, whether you are involved in a local church or campus ministry, know the best way to make an impression on those outside the faith is to love those in your fellowship of believers. Indeed, this is the only way they will truly know you follow Jesus.
© Jim Musser 2013
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