One Word

I've ran across this great book that during the first Chapter it really spoke to me about the focus of our youth ministry.

It started out with this guy wanting to know what ministry is all about? He noticed that outreach wasn't working in their student ministry and he wanted to know what was missing. He didn't want the top 10 tips for a productive ministry, he wanted a straight forward answer in one word.

However the answer he received was not what he expected....

L.O.V.E.

In one word;

How do you sum up students reaching other students?

How do you verbalize youth leaders reaching out to youth?

Jesus was asked basically the same question in the bible.

The conversation went something like this

“Okay, Jesus – then what is the most important thing?

Don’t give me the long answer, just what is the bottom line?”

Jesus answered, “Love God…love others.”

That’s what it comes down to.

LOVE

Matthew 22:37-39

Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

If we are going to continue to try and reach out to a hurting world then we have to learn how to love like Christ did. Too many times we pick someone apart before we get to know them. We judge them on their appearance and their past, we stick them in a category compared to who they hang with, we decide who to and who not to share the love of Christ with.
We are Wrong!
Love Like Christ and if you haven’t wrapped your mind around that type of Love, then bring yourself to the cross where Jesus sacrificed himself for everyone.

Interesting picture that will make you think about how far your love goes.