HGU
Jesus has an image problem. Well, maybe not Jesus as much as how his followers represent him in their everyday lives. ‘He Gets Us’ (HGU), is an online campaign attempting to bridge the gap between the message of Jesus and the perception much of the public has about his current followers.
(If you have not seen any of the videos or read anything about this movement explore the content here.)
Christians often believe their faith to be the greatest love story ever told. But many outside the faith hold different perceptions and frequently assume Christians are nothing more than bigoted, exclusive, narrowminded individuals intent on hurting others.
Jesus expected his followers to live in such a way that demonstrated a different kind of love. In the Gospel of John Jesus says:
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Where have we gone wrong? What are we doing that has caused such confusion and misunderstanding about what it means to be a follower of Jesus? Perhaps it is our preaching that causes the conflict in perception. Saint Francis of Assisi suggested that preaching has less to do with what is said and more to do with actions. “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”
Maybe we should begin a campaign of our own, one that seeks to communicate the Gospel using ourselves in proportion to the physical attributes God designed. We have two hands—our giving should occur twice as much as our speaking. We have two ears—our listening should be double the efforts we make to be heard. We have two eyes—we should be twice as alert to the needs of others than we are to communicating our own needs.
Certainly, Jesus gets us. We need to work together ensuring that our words and actions are not inhibiting others from experiencing that reality.
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Dan Kreiss, RPC’s Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach, brings with him a heart for service and a diverse array of experiences in the mission field. Be sure to subscribe to the Mission Outreach Blog to read and follow along as he documents his personal journey and shares his vision for RPC’s mission outreach commitment. Along with providing meaningful resources, this blog will help jumpstart the important conversations our church community must be having about missional living.
Dan Kreiss
Rev. Dr. Dan Kreiss is the Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach at RPC. Dan is particularly passionate about encouraging the church to reflect the diversity found in its surrounding community in regard to age, gender, ethnicity, education and economic status.