Olivet Baptist Church

Loving The World





A mature disciple will also seek to serve the world in the name of Christ. He or she will consistently seek to share their faith with others both  individually and through church ministry. A mature disciple will reproduce their own walk with Christ in others. The disciple will also serve the world in a way that demonstrates Christ’s love for every person.



At the old church house people think you are pretty sweet. You pitch in, helping other people. Everyone thinks highly of you. But what do people outside of the church think about you? Perhaps you feel that your relationship with non Christians is strong, but statistically most Christians do not have significant relationships with “outsiders.” This is especially true the longer you follow Christ. Also, increasingly,

people hold negative attitudes about Christians.



This is odd in comparison to the life of Jesus. One of the repeated criticisms of Jesus was that he was a “friend of sinners.” The religious folks were

scandalized by his love of the world. The outcasts of proper society loved to be with Jesus, too. They went to banquets with Jesus. They flocked to see Jesus and to seek healing from him. So this begs the question, why aren’t we more popular with those who are not members of the church?



I believe that the more we become like Christ (maturity) the more we will love those who are in the world. We will have a passion for those who do not yet have a passion for God. On top of that, as we become more Christ-like rather than repelling folks, our lives will attract people. They will respond to our genuine love.

I believe this love for the world will show itself in genuine ministry to those around us. It will take two directions. First, if we truly love the world like Jesus we will share with our new friends the salvation message of Jesus. Jesus embarked on a Palestine tour preaching the kingdom of God. We will desire to invite people into the family of God. Jesus

promises us transforming help. He says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses… (Acts 1:8)”



A second way that a maturing love for the world will manifest itself is that we serve others as they present their needs. This is the example of Jesus. He didn’t just teach them about the kingdom, he

demonstrated it by meeting their real needs of healing and deliverance. When they were hungry he fed them. We, too, must discover the basic needs of people around us and try to help. This is the real test of love. If we sacrifice our time, talents and treasures for the sake of others, then we can be certain that we are becoming more like Christ.



It is very easy to focus our attention on other

believers. We can keep busy with church stuff. If we do, we have missed the mark. We are not

maturing and becoming more like Christ. So I urge you to keep your balance—love the brethren and love those who have not yet come to follow Christ.