Faithbase

Hey, Faith-Based Family and Friends. Blessings and love to you today. Hey, my question for you today is, what do you believe makes Christianity attractive today? I'm not talking about a physical attraction, but I mean, what is it that makes following Jesus attractive to those who don't know him? I asked the question thinking about the early church. Starting around AD 50, Christianity became an illegal cult under Nero's leadership, and it was actually illegal for the church to gather, so they met behind closed doors. Christians were discriminated against. They were persecuted. They were tortured. They were even killed. So the churches weren't actually open to people who didn't profess Christ. It was like undisclosed locations. But you know what's incredible is that the church grew. Isn't that amazing? See, the church, they were so convinced of the truths of who God was and who they were that their lives were distinctively different. Back then, there was a big deal with honor and shame, and so people wanted to be buried with honor, so the Christians established burial societies. The pagan cultures, they would discard their babies, especially if it were a female baby because of the male-dominant society, and the Christians would rescue these babies and care for them because they had such a high regard for the sanctity of life. And around 250, 251 AD, this plague broke out, especially in Rome, and a lot of people fled from the cities to the countryside where there's fresher air. The Christians stayed in place, and they cared for the sick, often getting sick themselves, often caring for the people who were their persecutors, providing basic nursing, food, water, and basic medical care. See, at stake was the gospel message, and so they remained true to their calling, and I just wonder, in our age today, what is it that makes the gospel attractive? What can we do? Maybe we're already doing some things, but what else can we do to show the beauty and the depth of God's grace so that people are enticed to want to know him, to want to experience the richness of his mercies, that love that he lavishes on us? So, my question for you is, what is it that makes the love of the Father attractive today? What is it that we need? What is it? Are we lacking anything? I'm convicted by that verse in John 13 where Jesus says, and they will know us by our love. So, I ask one last time, what is it that we could do just to reveal the beauty of God's love and the way we live, the way we interact? See, those Christians in the early church, when the church was like this illegal cult meeting secretly, they were in relationships with people. They were bumping into people on the streets, and in their jobs, and in their neighborhoods, and they were just showing the love. So, I just challenge us to be intentional. How can we do this more effectively? I say that with great conviction, thinking of myself, but I bless you. As you share the love, as you represent Jesus in your daily interactions, would you just shine brightly? Blessings to you today.