Matthew 22:37-39 says " 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important. 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
The two greatest commandments listed in the Bible are simply put as: love God and love people.
I want to tell you about a man named Tyrone. I'm not sure what Mr. Tyrone's last name is, but for the remainder of the story I'll refer to him as "Mr. T". About a month ago, we were preparing for our young adult service as usual. Food was set out on the counter, the band was rehearsing, and the few guests present were mingling amongst each other. The weather was looking gloom outside and it began to rain which didn't give me much hope for more attendees. I was preparing to gather everyone in the sanctuary when a stranger approached our building. He was a tall, feeble man with a shoulder tote and a walking cane. His worn clothes were damp from the rain and I knew he was just looking for money.
I found that one of our youth had already began speaking to Mr. T before I could get to him. So, I walked outside prepared to tell the man we could not help because we didn't carry money at this location. When I came close I sensed a very sweet spirit about him. I introduced myself to the man as one of the youth pastors for the church. He began to tell me who he was. I listened intently as the faint smell of alcohol lingered around him.
Mr. T is a war veteran who was exposed to chemicals during his term. He suffers from a brain tumor which causes many pains and complications. As he tells me this information, I sensed the Holy Spirit at work and invited the man in for food. He tried to refuse, but I insisted. We offered him a warm place to relax for a while and hot pizza and a drink. Many in our group began to welcome him as if we waited all night for his arrival. He quickly became our guest of honor! I asked Mr. T if he would like to stay for our service. I explained that the music was loud and probably not his style, but he didn't mind. From that point forward, the Holy Spirit began to move on that man like never before. He was in awe of how welcoming we were and loving towards a complete stranger. He asked if he could come back and soon found his way to one of our Sunday morning services.
Mr. T dropped by again last night during our Bible study and spoke to us a little on what God was doing in his life. He told us that according to his doctors, he is dying. He said that it's taken so long for him to realize what's important in life - that's an intimate relationship with God. That all happened because of a seventeen year old willing to show the love of Christ to a complete stranger and a young (sometimes judgmental) youth pastor who was willing to listen to the Holy Spirit.
I will forever remember Mr. Tyrone because the experience I've had with him is one that I think illustrates what Christ intended the church to be. A place where anyone can come as they are and experience the goodness and love of God. If we are ever going to see the world changed, we must humble ourselves and position ourselves to love. Love is the mechanism which the church should function in - love for God and love for people.
"Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is LOVE." (1Cor. 13:13)
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