I am so thankful that God sent Jesus to earth to show us His face and His heart, and to save us from the penalty of sin. He is a God who cares so deeply for us that He would sacrifice the life of His Son to save us and show us the depth of His love. Through the revelation of Christ in the Word of God, we can know God intimately and become acquainted with His voice.
At the end of Jesus’ time on earth, with great power and love, He commissioned all those who believe in Him to testify of His love and lead other souls to find salvation and purpose in Him (Matthew 28:18–20). Here, Jesus tells us directly what our purpose is as we walk this earth, awaiting our heavenly kingdom home: to love others to Him. What a beautiful calling. What a magnificent reason to live and keep going. Regardless of where we are or what we do, all the family of God is centralized on the eternal mission of Christ.
I love to think about the beauty of the church. It is the body of believers all around the world, connected by the blood of Christ. Regardless of where we are from or what we look like, if we have accepted Christ, we have been adopted by God and are brothers and sisters in Christ. All of us look forward to the day where we will bow before the Lamb and sing of His glory and majesty without end.
Unfortunately, the church can often become contaminated by cultural ideas or selfish desires. There have been many moments where I have lost sight of the mission of love and held grudges against my fellow brothers or sisters in Christ. I have been encouraged as I read in Acts 2 that believers are to be set apart and completely unified and of one accord. We should look different from the world and bear the fruit of the Spirit. We should be people of love and peace, and this is only possible if we walk in step with the Spirit without ceasing and lay down our fleshly desires (Galatians 5:16).
You see, the only way we can fulfill the eternal mission of loving souls to the heart of God, as Jesus commissions us to, is if we first love our fellow brothers and sisters. We must keep the body sacred and holy, rid of strife. We must protect the body of Christ from the contaminants and lies of the culture and from arguments that aim to split up believers. We must come together on the foundational truth that God has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). In this way, the family of God will be marked by love. Although the world cannot see God, our love for one another will make His character known to them (1 John 4:12).
In John 17, Jesus prays to His Father for believers everywhere—those who would come to know Him through the testimony of His grace. In this prayer, we see that Jesus gives believers the same glory that God gave Him so that the church can be unified. He speaks of oneness multiple times as He prays for us, telling us that the world will know God by the way we love each other (John 17:22–23). Jesus cries out for us to be completely and totally one. He wants to use us as a unified body to save lost souls, for God desires that none should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Friend, your God-given purpose is to love God greatly with your life and to love those He has created in His own image—believers and unbelievers alike. You minister to the heart of God first by offering your body as a living sacrifice to Him—by giving Him control of your life and walking in obedience to His Spirit (Romans 12:1, Galatians 5:25). Then, you minister to the heart of God by loving the ones He has created, for whatever you do for others you are doing for Him (Matthew 25:40). You can transform the way the culture views God and the church by walking in the way of love and by imitating the Savior of the world, who came dressed in love. In Christ, you are marked by the thing that is most desired by the human soul; the garment that unites those on opposing sides; something with healing power beyond comprehension; a character trait that is only sourced purely from God Himself, and that is love. Live in it.
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