Your Neighbour and You - Part 3
24th September 2011
In previous weeks, we've been reminded that loving our neighbour the way we love ourselves is one of the two greatest commandments that God has given us. We've seen that it must involve the practical things of life, meeting our neighbours needs. We've seen that it involves having the same tolerant and forgiving attitude towards our neighbour as we have towards ourselves - loving our neighbour despite his faults as we love ourselves despite our faults.
To love our neighbour must be to want for our neighbour what we want for ourselves. And the greatest thing we have is our relationship with God. Thus:
To love our neighbour as ourselves is to help our neighbour to understand the Good News about Jesus Christ
How can we claim to love our neighbour if we don't want to show him how to be born again, adopted as God's child, forgiven his sin, filled with the Holy Spirit, included in the church, assured of eternal life?
If we've learned the earlier lessons, and truly love our neighbour, and truly accept our neighbour without judging Him, then we're ready to obey this instruction:
1 Peter 3v15b-16
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect,
keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be
ashamed of their slander.
The best way to love our neighbour is to pray for him, to befriend him, to look for a chance to humbly, gently and considerately tell him about our wonderful Lord and Saviour. To do all the practical, kind, shopping / visiting / gardening / listening stuff is great, but he will not be saved, his eternity will be without God, if we don't go further, and share Jesus with him.
It's often difficult to raise the subject of Jesus, and sometimes it's just the wrong time. But we can ask God to show us a small number of people to pray for regularly, that the opportunity would arise for us to show them practical love, so that one day we might be able to give them the best love, which is to help them understand the love of Jesus. And when the time is right, that we might be faithful and humble to share what we know of God. Or, at least, to bring our neighbour to a church event where someone else can.