Unconditional Love of Jesus

 Ed Silvoso was one of the most effective leaders in the great revival that swept Argentina in the 1990s. As a teenager, he was already a dedicated evangelist. He prayed earnestly for the sinners in his neighbourhood.

He piously told God all about the sinful lives of this man and that woman. He called on God to bring conviction of sin and grace for them to repent of their evil ways.

Then God spoke to him about his own wrong attitudes. God showed him how he loved his neighbours. 

The zealous young evangelist learned to pray for the personal needs of his neighbours. God did not even want him to preach to these neighbours because of his superior judgemental attitude.

People don’t become addicted to drugs or alcohol because they want to sin and be evil. They feel an emptiness in their lives and they look for drugs to make them feel better. Should we pray for them to feel guilty and repent? Guild motivation usually doesn’t work.

Do women become prostitutes because they enjoy sexual sin? Usually not. Prostitution is often a last resort. Women are poor and hungry or need money to support drug habits. There are all kinds of reasons, but to reach prostitutes for Jesus, we have to empathise with their suffering. We need to see how God values them, even if they cannot see any value in themselves.

Many Christians today expect people to repent of their sins and be converted to Jesus before they will pray for their healing or offer much needed help. Jesus often did things the other way around.

Jesus healed many who were not converted, although he was deeply grieved when they received healing but did not turn to God for salvation.

I know a group of Christian women in Germany who visited a brothel every week. They didn’t go in like evangelists, but offered genuine friendship.

One Christian woman took a prostitute to a cinema. In the middle of a movie, the prostitute shouted out loud, “Now I believe in Jesus!” It was not a Christian movie, but she was touched by the love of God because the Christian woman showed her unconditional love and acceptance.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

Jesus offered up his life because he loved people, people like you and me, people like teachers and nurses, people like drug dealers and pimps, all kinds of people. 

Jesus feels what we feel. He feels the pain of the victims of abuse. When you love someone, you feel empathy with their suffering. That is what God is like.

Reaching Difficult People

 I was in a wonderful church for a few years where all kinds of people were welcome, strange looking people, prostitutes and ex-prisoners.

There was a man in the community who had spent 23 years in prison. He was probably a murderer.

He regularly visited prisons and often brought ex-prisoners to the church meetings..

This man's previous life was undoubtedly terrible, but after his conversion he was like an angel to broken men.

When Jesus was a guest of a Pharisee, a woman came in who was living a sinful life.

As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. Lk 7:38 NIV

The religious host was indignant.

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Lk 7:40–43 NIV

The Pharisee was probably shocked when Jesus then explained that the woman's sins had been forgiven.

The religious types said that Jesus was a friend of sinners, but in their eyes that was not a compliment. But God is very different from many religious legalists and perfectionists.

How can we apply this approach of Jesus today?

I know women who visit brothels and help prostitutes with kindness, but not all Christians can do that, and many Christians should not.

I have once visited a pub and had friendly conversations with a New Age mystic. Not all Christians can or should not try this.

A man in our church told of a friend who rented a house where the neighbours made his life a living hell. He prayed regularly for the neighbours and treated them politely. Little by little, bad neighbours became human and friendly.

If you treat all kinds of people with respect and kindness, you will sometimes be amazed at how God can transform evil people.

But we also have to be careful.

There are people who only want to manipulate and exploit you. Beware of narcissists with cold hearts.

There are also self-centred criminals who go to church to find sexual victims, especially children and young women.

Not only men can be dangerous, but also some evil women.

I know a Christian couple who always wanted to be kind and help outsiders. They regularly drove a couple to church services, but it turned out that the woman was a witch who was causing great harm in the church.

Dangerous people can be outsiders who attend church services, but there are also priests or preachers who are really wolves in sheep's clothing.

Beware of preachers who want to dominate and personally control everything and everyone in the church, no matter how holy they may appear.