HEIRLOOM LOVE is the legendary first-century Christian love that changed the world 2,000 years ago and can change the world again today!
In the early church, people were coming to Christ even during times of intense persecution. They were willing to follow Jesus even if it meant losing their loved ones, their livelihoods and their very lives. In comparison, today we go to great lengths to woo people into the front door of a church, but in many cases, there are just as many or more walking out the back door. Could it be that the seekers aren t finding something worth living for let alone dying for? Is the problem rooted in our love?
We think we know love, but when we read the New Testament carefully and honestly, we discover that today's love is very different from the early church love that changed the world. We are familiar with the New Testament passages on love, but we seem to have lost the Lord's intended meaning and the love practiced by the first believers.
Peter, Paul, James and John - all taught that we must love one another by caring for persecuted and suffering fellow believers. But today, very little is being done to help our persecuted brothers and sisters, who are suffering around the world.
Peter, Paul, James and John - all taught that we must love one another by caring for persecuted and suffering fellow believers. But today, very little is being done to help our persecuted brothers and sisters, who are suffering around the world.
We're missing the truth and love that Jesus said would convince the world that He is the son of God. By revisiting Scripture in its original New Testament context...
HEIRLOOM LOVE RESURRECTS THE TRUTH THAT WESTERN CHRISTIANITY HAS FORGOTTEN.
For example, New Testament hospitality originally meant providing food and shelter to homeless Christians who were seeking refuge from persecution. But today in the West, it s commonly misunderstood to mean having our friends over for dinner.
In another example, the apostle Paul originally commanded the churches to collect money on Sunday specifically to raise money for Christians who were persecuted and suffering in a foreign land. Yet today, it s estimated that less than half of 1 percent of Sunday collections in America are used to help persecuted Christians.
More than the latest persecution news, Heirloom Love opens the eyes and stirs the hearts of Western Christians to restore the love that will change the world.
Dominic Sputois the founder of Lumen Life. He is a passionate voice for the poor and persecuted and is the author of Heirloom Love: Authentic Christianity for this Age of Persecution. Dominic is the founder of Lumen Life whose mission is to awaken and mobilize Jesus followers to care for their persecuted brothers and sisters.
He is also a pastor at 1 Body Church in Tampa, FL and serves on the National Christian Foundation -- Tampa Bay board of directors.
