LOVE Letters

From its inception, the Church has always had its problems. Yet with all its faults, the Church is firmly fixed in the heart of God. We are His beloveds and He wants us to know who we are in Christ.

We, together, are the Lord’s love letter written in the hearts to the unsaved. We should not be content to let the Lord’s letter of love to the world be cluttered with petty messages and trivial pursuits. We have a great responsibility to carry the Lord’s love to people. Our words must be backed up by our actions.

Like a scented letter to someone special, we must make people realize that they are special to God – that He is concerned enough about them to send them His sweet love. We give off an aroma that is attractive or we give off an odor that is repugnant. Even with our faults, failures, disappointments, and hurts we can convey God’s unconditional love.

His love covers our shortcomings. His love works no ill to our neighbors. His love fulfills the whole law. The world will know we are His children by our love.

We must not be satisfied to let things stay the way they are. In the natural, we need stamps in order for letters to reach their destinations. Spiritually, we need the Holy Spirit’s power and wisdom in order to communicate the love of Christ to the world in a way they will receive it.

We need addresses for letters to reach people in their homes or businesses. Are we going into people’s every day lives with the love of God? We must go into the world and be witnesses so fragrant with His love that we draw people and stir a desire within them to hear what we have to say.

Letters have punctuation: commas for pauses, periods for statements, exclamation points for emphasis, and question marks for responses or answers. Let us bring people a comma of peace into their restlessness. Give them the period of the gospel. Let us show the exclamation point of joy. And then let us ask them what they will do with Jesus.

Once they agree that they want to follow Jesus, we must sign them up (with the prayer of repentance), seal them (with loving concern and follow-up), and deliver them (interceding for them in prayer). We must also teach them how to become a chain letter (becoming a soul winner, reproducing other believers).

We are the Lord’s love letters – not Satan’s postcards! Let’s get serious about communicating the gospel. Some of our lives have gotten stuck in the dead letter office because we have failed to reach the world around us and have not returned to the Lord who sent us. We are just here. But if we will repent and return to the Lord, He will give us new directions by which we will find our way into the world we are trying to reach for Him.

Yesterday’s methods simply won’t do. Times have changed. The hour grows late. People are moving at a much faster pace. We can’t afford to just take our usual, convenient, tired and familiar way of serving the Lord and hope that somehow His message will get through. We must realize that we are living in perilous times that call for drastic, radical, purposeful, diligent action.

We’ve got to be willing to move with the Holy Ghost who is lifting up a generation that will obey. We must take the time to deal with individuals in personal ways. No faxes. No e-mails. Personal, face-to-face encounters with living, hurting, dying people who need Jesus. It’s the only way. We are the Lord’s letter!