Most people I know including myself don't really follow the Bible like we say we do. When in the end of Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, and 1 Peter the Word says to greet your brothers in Christ with a holy kiss and in many other places the Word emphasizes outwardly showing the love you have for fellow believers, why don't we do it? I know that in this day and age it is very unusual for a man to give another man a hug or to grab their shoulders while they talk to each other and it is much more comfortable to just shake the hand and pat the back to say hello, but if we really do care about one another then why do we often act like their just any other random guy to us?
I have never seen guys so excited to see each other and love so outwardly shown when greeting one another as I have when I helped out with the Kairos prison ministry at the maximum security prison this past year. As about 40 of us volunteers lined up on one side of the prison gym right near the doorway, I could since that many of these guys who had come before were so energetic and excited to see these prisoners again. I was pretty nervous as I watched about 100 inmates come strolling through the gym door. I became even more nervous when I noticed that every one of the inmates hugged each of the volunteers on their way into the gym. I had never really hugged a guy that firmly and meant it before, but here come these inmates who have been doing time for who knows how long and are in a maximum security prison with the biggest smiles on their faces and giving the strongest hugs you could imagine. After hugging every one of em, I felt like they really did appreciate my being there. As the next two days with the prisoners came and went, I remember not wanting the say goodbye because of the great conversations we had and the awesome prayer we experienced as we met up. Even if none of the volunteers loved the prisoners, we could tell they loved us.
After I got back from the prison weekend, I promised God that I would start showing my brothers in Christ that I cared for em and was praying for em instead of giving a quick handshake and a "have a good one". As I started to practice this, I noticed that hardly any of my friends greeted me in this way when they saw me. It was not as though they didn't care, but it just wasn't the brotherly love I pictured when the Word speaks of it.
A few weeks ago, I experienced exactly what the Word means when it says greet one another with a holy kiss and hug. I went to Centrikid for a week with the youth at the church I am interning at and didn't expect to find a very grounded man who was so excited about following Jesus as I did. When I first met Jeff, I could just tell that he cared about his brothers in Christ and that he really did want to pray for them and strengthen them to be the men they should be. I went to greet him with a handshake and he shook it, then grab me by the neck and with a big smile just told me that he was glad to see that I had come to work in the lives of these youth. He gave me a big hug and kissed my neck then just started praying for me right then and there that God would keep being my Lord and that He would bless my life. I didn't even know the guy and he did all this! I was blown away and actually felt kinda awkward having not been used to acting so excited about a brother in Christ. This is exactly how I want to live everyday....glad to see others working the harvest and very quick to pray for others who need it. Sometimes I read this stuff in the Word and feel like I would look too mature for my age if I greeted a brother in Christ this way, but then I think that God wants me to just love Him and love others and everything else will iron itself out. So what if people are shocked by the love that comes out of me....I mean if Christ really loved me the way He does, then why don't I really love others the way He loved me?
I have never seen guys so excited to see each other and love so outwardly shown when greeting one another as I have when I helped out with the Kairos prison ministry at the maximum security prison this past year. As about 40 of us volunteers lined up on one side of the prison gym right near the doorway, I could since that many of these guys who had come before were so energetic and excited to see these prisoners again. I was pretty nervous as I watched about 100 inmates come strolling through the gym door. I became even more nervous when I noticed that every one of the inmates hugged each of the volunteers on their way into the gym. I had never really hugged a guy that firmly and meant it before, but here come these inmates who have been doing time for who knows how long and are in a maximum security prison with the biggest smiles on their faces and giving the strongest hugs you could imagine. After hugging every one of em, I felt like they really did appreciate my being there. As the next two days with the prisoners came and went, I remember not wanting the say goodbye because of the great conversations we had and the awesome prayer we experienced as we met up. Even if none of the volunteers loved the prisoners, we could tell they loved us.
After I got back from the prison weekend, I promised God that I would start showing my brothers in Christ that I cared for em and was praying for em instead of giving a quick handshake and a "have a good one". As I started to practice this, I noticed that hardly any of my friends greeted me in this way when they saw me. It was not as though they didn't care, but it just wasn't the brotherly love I pictured when the Word speaks of it.
A few weeks ago, I experienced exactly what the Word means when it says greet one another with a holy kiss and hug. I went to Centrikid for a week with the youth at the church I am interning at and didn't expect to find a very grounded man who was so excited about following Jesus as I did. When I first met Jeff, I could just tell that he cared about his brothers in Christ and that he really did want to pray for them and strengthen them to be the men they should be. I went to greet him with a handshake and he shook it, then grab me by the neck and with a big smile just told me that he was glad to see that I had come to work in the lives of these youth. He gave me a big hug and kissed my neck then just started praying for me right then and there that God would keep being my Lord and that He would bless my life. I didn't even know the guy and he did all this! I was blown away and actually felt kinda awkward having not been used to acting so excited about a brother in Christ. This is exactly how I want to live everyday....glad to see others working the harvest and very quick to pray for others who need it. Sometimes I read this stuff in the Word and feel like I would look too mature for my age if I greeted a brother in Christ this way, but then I think that God wants me to just love Him and love others and everything else will iron itself out. So what if people are shocked by the love that comes out of me....I mean if Christ really loved me the way He does, then why don't I really love others the way He loved me?
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