The Church That Changes The World
Pause:
Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus.
Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.
Read:
John 13v34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (35) By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Going Deeper:
When news of the Corona Virus was starting to hit home for us in South Africa, and as the lockdown and dramatic response of the government was made public, I thought of a book I had read years ago by Rodney Stark called “The Rise of Christianity.” At the time of writing, Stark was not a Christian, but was a Sociologist interested in the rapid growth of the Church from an estimated 0.0017% of the 60 million person strong Roman Empire around the time of Jesus’ death, to over 56.5% of the Roman Empire by 350AD (according to his research).
One of the reasons for this rapid growth, according to Stark, is the way that the early Christians in Rome put this golden rule of Jesus into practice in a period where there were two massive epidemics that broke out in the empire (most likely small pox in 165AD and then measles in 261AD).
One writer says of the first epidemic, “The Plague of Galen”, that “so many people died that cities and villages in Italy and in the provinces were abandoned and fell into ruin”. Some estimate that a quarter to a third of the population died throughout this epidemic. And at its' height, 5,000 people a day were reported to have died in the city of Rome alone!
Christianity was very different in thought to the Pagan religions of the time, and many of the Pagan priests, civil authorities and wealthy families fled the cities to save themselves, seeing this plague as the gods sending punishment and misery on their people. The pagans pushed sufferers in their owns homes onto the street to die, and then left the corpses on the road treating them like dirt.
The Christians on the other hand had a sure sense of identity, purpose in life, and an assurance of eternity in heaven to follow death. Christian teaching offered an explanation and comfort to those who were suffering, but also provided a call to action for the Christians. And so, the Church inspired and convicted by Jesus’ golden rule, and his own sacrifice for us, heroicly nursed both Christian and pagan sufferers, with many contracting these diseases and dying in the process.
The Emperor Julian wrote to one friend, “The impious Galileans (meaning the Christians) support not only their poor, but ours as well, everyone can see that our people lack aid from us.” He was impacted (and embarrassed!) by the Christians and their radical, impactful love for others, even though they made up only 0.4% of the population at the time.
Doesn’t their example of sacrificial, Christ-like love challenge you?
For each of us, our response to love others in the same way that Jesus has loved us might look different. From praying, to giving food or finances, to finding a way you can serve your neighbours in need, to spending time with the lonely, to volunteering with an organisation caring for those in need when lockdown restrictions are loosened, to encouraging the discouraged. Each of us has an opportunity to share the unconditional, sacrificial love of Jesus with the people around us.
And who knows? Maybe God will use this moment to bring revival and a rapid spread of the Gospel, so that many people begin to follow Jesus, because of the way the Church has revealed their God and His message so well.
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to you from this passage this morning.
Listen:
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this morning?
Apply:
What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?