Correction

Matthew 22:36-39

Question:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Correct answer: "Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."

Question:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Wrong answer: "Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind when you are playing church. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself, as long as they look like you, act like you, believe like you, smell like you, and separate their colors from the whites when they do laundry."


Which answer is the church beginning to scream out? Definitely the wrong one. God commanded us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. All the time. That does not mean that we go to church on Sundays and fake it. The building that church is held in was meant to be a gathering place for people to come together and worship God. Not a place where people come to show others how well they worship God. Lately I haven't been going to the church building every time the doors are open. Am I going to Hell because of that? No. Am I backsliding because of that? No. I've gotten more out of Francis Chan on YouTube than I get out of a church that is full of religious people playing the church game.

And as for loving our neighbor as ourselves? Psh. Only if it's convenient apparently! I'm sorry, I didn't realize that after God said to love our neighbor as ourselves, He personally contacted you and let you in on the little secret that He actually meant only the people who were up to your standards. Oh wait, He didn't do that - because that wasn't His purpose in telling us to love our neighbors. Who are our neighbors? Everyone we come in contact with. The drunks of the world. The loners of the world. The people who smell bad. The people who smell good. The rich, the poor, the angry, the happy, the small, the big, the young, the old, the crazy, the shy, the content, and the wishful. We are to love each and every person as we love ourself. God did not give us standards to go by with that. His only standard was that they be our neighbor, and in His eyes everyone meets that criteria.

It's time for the church, the body of Christ, the people who are supposedly following Jesus, to start acting like it. That doesn't mean go play church. That doesn't mean point out other people's flaws and sins. That doesn't mean act religious and boast in the fact that you can quote the entire Bible word for word. That means to love. Love God. Love Him always, no matter where you are. And love your neighbor. Don't dictate who your neighbors are. Don't shun those who aren't "good enough" for you. Chances are, if you think you're above them; they're far above you.