Rebranding Christianity - Love in action

In Rebranding Christianity, Jeff Jones shares Matthew 5:16 from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. " ...Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Jones asks what it means for us to let our light shine before others. He says the very tangible answer is to "do good works that are genuine and remarkable enough to cause others to glorify our Father in heaven." He points out that this command has three parts; "Substance: good works; Exposure: that people can see; and Results: glorifying God."

Good works are the evidence of our faith and the substance of the kingdom life. Is it possible the world thinks the church have little to offer because they do not see anything remarkable through our lives? Sharing the gospel message with others begins by removing the barriers to selfless authenticity in our own lives. 

Doing good works so that others can see means exposure to the world beyond our weekend services. Many people may disagree with me, but I think inviting others to join you in doing good works is more important than inviting them to your church. In fact, if they are not already seeing good works in your life, then you may be doing more harm than good. 

When our good works brings glory to God, then the result of others seeing those good works will help them connect with God in a meaningful way. Jones says, "Putting love into action has always been the most powerful way for the church to win over a skeptical world." I guess Jesus knew what he was doing when he put his relentless and unending love for us into action.

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