fixing our eyes on Jesus

My church is considering simplifying its vision statement, and at a meeting last night, we discussed various iterations of the phrase "Love God. Love One Another. Love the World." Unsurprisingly, if you google the phrase, a multitude of churches with some variation on this tri-fold motto appears. Be clear that I support simplifying our current mission statement. I also support the intent of the phrase above since its basis is Biblical, rooted in Jesus's condensing of all the commandments into but two.

But my support of the phrase ends there. At last month's meeting, a wise brother remarked that the phrase lacked Christ, and that a unitarian church could hold the same motto. And that insight has affected me greatly over the past few weeks, to the extent that I made my voice clear that I wouldn't support any new vision that was not Christ-centered. The far, far better motto is "Love Christ. Love One Another. Love the World."

Do you know how many of my friends would claim they love God because they are spiritual and love people? Do you know how many of those same people I'm praying for their salvation? That overlap is almost 100%. If I raise my children to love God and people and the world, they will still burn in fire in eternity if they do not love Christ. Acts4:12 refers to Jesus and says "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Christ is the difference-maker. The whole point of the existence of ANY church is to bring men to Christ, not to God. If we're going to be using any short phrase to put on banners and wristbands and mugs and bulletins, one of those words has to be Christ. I'd argue that if you really want to simplify the vision, you could cut out the last six words and just go with "Love Christ."

The difference between the proposed vision and the revised vision is but one word. But that word is THE most important word in the whole universe.