Love Acts

The expression of Christian character is outlined in 2nd Peter chapter 1 - and it begins with our profession of faith in Christ. We can read this list:
(5) giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, from our starting point of faith in Christ, we are ushered in to the discovery of various elements consistent with the presence of Christ in us.  The last characteristic is love - true love, with affection for God and attention toward other people.  We should be motivated by that love, which flows from our true identity in Christ - if we are growing inwardly, we can manifest His grace outwardly and make a strong statement for the Lord each day, showing that He is with us.

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We can live in a consistent state of being prepared for action, to do the work of the Lord, or better said, to allow Christ to do His work through us. Readiness is a big part of that. James 1 states:
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

The love is Christ is a powerful force in our society, and God's people can seize the opportunity to communicate it effectively.  A Pittsburgh-area church posted this message on Facebook:

GROCERY STORE TAKEOVER! Throw your FOURS up, Family! Earlier today, we blessed 200+ @gianteagle (Southside) patrons by paying up to $50 towards their grocery bills! Not only that, we also blessed each employee there with a $50 gift certificate to various popular outlets. We wanted to recognize these front line workers and show them that we appreciate all they do in this season. We're able to be a blessing in our communities because of faithful givers like YOU! Thanks to all staff & volunteers as well as the management at Southside Giant Eagle for making this an excellent initiative. #CommunityOutreach #GiantEagle #BeyondTheWalls #DreamAgain #mcop

The Christian Post reported on the event, stating: "Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh, a predominantly African American congregation founded in 1903, held what it called a 'grocery store takeover' on Saturday at a local Giant Eagle." The church's senior pastor, Brian James Edmonds, said, “our world is hurting right now," adding: "We are battling multiple pandemics, people are grieving lost loved ones, and frontline workers are putting their lives on the line. We thought this would be a powerful way to give people hope and demonstrate the love of Christ during uncertain times..."

And, catch what the pastor said to the Post, that this action, was "rooted in our understanding that the church should also tithe into the communities that it serves.” The pricetag for the outreach was $13,000, and the pastor added, “This is what it means to be a good neighbor. As a part of this particular outreach, we also gave $40,000 to local nonprofits who are doing transformative work..." In fact, the church had dedicated  its weekly offerings to local nonprofits on occasion.

Pastor Edmonds has a message to share to his community: “that they are not alone, that they are appreciated, and that the love of God just might surprise you at the grocery store.” To put it in perspective, he said, "Our prayer is that someone’s faith is birthed, strengthened, or restored, as we are faithful to our calling to be the church..."

This is true Biblical Christianity on display, and it's important that we try to get it right.  The pastor talked about someone's faith being "birthed, strengthened, or restored."  The aim of the action, whatever we do is to glorify Christ and to allow people to see His love.  Our good works should be infused with a gospel motivation.

We do serve an active God and we are called to be the arms of His action, the hands and feet of Jesus. It may the simple act of showing kindness in the neighborhood or a church-wide presence in the community.  God will give us the creativity and the resources in order to carry out His mission - it may sometimes be a one-time big event or a continuous attitude of service.  

But, in the aftermath of our action, we can see the fruit of His presence. Now, we have a chance to minister hope and see God bring about lasting change due to the faithfulness of His people to love Him and love other people.