Be loving and intentional

Our love will not make people Christians, but as we reach out to others our love will be blessed by God says Archbishop Jensen.

In the last couple of months we have been praying particularly for the Lord’s blessing to accompany our Diocesan Mission. We have been praying that we may be so moved by love that many will come to know Christ through our ministry. 

Of course our love will not make people Christians. Only God’s word, blessed by the Holy Spirit, will do that. But I believe that our love will be blessed by God as we reach out to others. 

Love for others often includes two gifts. 

The first is imagination. We put ourselves into the other person’s place. We ask ourselves what will be needed for them to hear the gospel and to come to know the Lord Jesus.

For example, we think about the children in our suburbs. We thank God that many are in Scripture classes. We must ask ourselves to imagine how children will move from Scripture classes to the fellowship of Christ’s people. 

It may be that the bridge we are seeking is through a children’s club, perhaps Kidsplus. I heard recently that three new children’s clubs have been started in the southern region of the Diocese. This is really good news, and it reflects the love and imagination of people who want to share the gospel.

The second gift that is useful is what I may call intention. The gift of imagination is to be accompanied by a real intention to make things happen. 

Sometimes we get so involved with our particular piece of work – running a children’s club, a youth fellowship, or a cell group – that we fail to ask ourselves what we are doing this for. How does our work fit into the bigger picture? Is there more that could be done to help those who participate toward a living faith in Christ, and association with Christ’s people?

I am delighted to hear of the growth of children’s work in the Diocese. This reflects that sacrificial love for which we have been praying. I pray, too, that love will be helping lots of us to imagine what could be, and moving us to intentional action to bring our dreams to pass.

Let me remind us all again, however, that our mission is really God’s work. This means that, on one hand we don’t take pride in our own skills, while on the other hand we trust in him as we seek to do his will.

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