As a missionary and evangelist, the apostle Paul devoted his life to spreading the good news of Christ throughout the known world. His heart for reaching people with the message of God’s forgiveness comes through very clearly in his letters. So, with that as such a major focus in his life, I find it more than a bit surprising that, when Paul writes to the churches to teach them how to live as followers of Christ, his biggest concern is not that they reach out to the nonbelievers around them, but that they live in love with one another.
To give one example, after telling the church in Rome to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” (Romans 12:2) Paul explains what that looks like, first instructing them to use their gifts in service to the whole church and then continuing with:
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. (Romans 12:9-16)
The phrase “one another” is used three times in this short passage: “be devoted to one another in love,” “honor one another above yourselves,” and “live in harmony with one another .” But it’s also implied in, “share with the Lord’s people who are in need,” in “practice hospitality,” in “rejoice with those who rejoice” and in “mourn with those who mourn.” That’s seven times in eight verses. And that seems to be Paul’s priority everywhere. He wrote to the Galatians, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:9-10)
We, those who follow Jesus, are the visible part of God’s kingdom on earth right now. And what Paul describes here is what that kingdom is supposed to look like; brothers and sisters who show the world who our Father is by the way we love one another.
Loving one another is the way we win the world for Christ. That seems counter-intuitive, but so does nearly everything about the way God deals with the world: Jesus became king of all creation by dying. He defeated evil by becoming its victim. We reach the world by loving one another.
The first priority, then, is not reaching the lost, but rather loving our brothers and sisters. Sharing Christ’s love comes out of a body that is functioning properly. In other words, it comes out of being a family that somebody would actually want to join.
The good news of the kingdom is not just about going to heaven when we die; it’s also that the kingdom of God has arrived on earth. We live in the first fruits of God’s kingdom right now, even as we wait for its complete fulfillment when Jesus returns. The way we treat our brothers and our sisters is the proof that what we say about Jesus is the truth. As Christ himself said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)