People are not Projects

I would never dispute that Jesus said: “make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20 God’s Word). It’s come to be known as the Great Commission, and its pretty clear what Jesus wants us to do, but what does that look like? 

Let me start by saying what it’s not: It’s not to treat people as a means to an end, even if it’s arguably a good end. The philosopher Immanuel Kant described it as this: 

Every man is to be respected as an absolute end in himself; and it is a crime against the dignity that belongs to him as a human being, to use him as a mere means for some external purpose.

Just going back to the book of Genesis, we see that God created men and women in His image. We are His Image-Bearers, and as such everyone is invaluable. Every person regardless of background or decisions has that in common. We are worthy of love if for no other reason than that we carry God’s image. This fact explains why people are never a means to an end, but rather they are the end objective of God Himself: a person to love; a person that is seen; a person that was planned by God Himself; a person that deserves respect; a person that bears His image and made to be loved.

Too often, we frail humans lose sight of the goal and focus on the enabling objectives. The Great Commission is an enabling objective. Church is an enabling objective, but people… people are the prize! Relationships are important, and projects are simply enablers. If you want to obey Jesus’ Great Commission, then start by loving people. 

Now love is incomplete without truth. To love someone is to see them as they are and choose to love them anyway. To be seen is to have both flaws and strengths and be understood and accepted. Love is a decision and is not dependent upon anything. We can only love in light of imperfections, and we can be wise in how we love others. We can love an addict while being wise in how we interact with them. Do you care enough to love a person even if they don’t change? It’s hard, for sure, but again, we can love wisely, leaving the door open and with appropriate boundaries. 

Contrary to the saying, love is not blind. Rather, love is enlightened, and as Dr. James Dobson wrote: “Love Must Be Tough”. (Find it at Christianbook.com) To love someone is to speak the truth in love and not to beat them over the head with truth. We explain truth out of love for the person, for their eternal benefit.

The reality is that most people know when they are seen as a means to an end. Some people are so wounded or so lonely that they’ll take whatever attention they can get, and even if treated as someone else’s project, they’ll embrace it. God can and often does use this in the salvation of some people as part of their journey, but we know He works all things together for good to reach those He’s called for His purposes. (Romans 8:28 God’s Word) 

I wonder how many people are turned away by being viewed as a project? In a post-Christian society, I’d expect an emotionally healthy but spiritually dead person would run away. An emotionally healthy person keeps predators at a distance and can sense when they are being targeted to build another’s kingdom. It’s one thing to be on mission together, humbly seeking God’s will in each of our lives as we intentionally reach out to bring others in the fold; it’s another thing to mutually use each other so that our individual desires are being stroked. The former reflects the Kingdom, but the latter reflects the World. 

To be clear: I’m not saying the Great Commission or building the Church isn’t important, and I do believe that intentionality is important in relationships. But the goal is to love people into the Kingdom, training in love and truth rather than mobilizing a volunteer army. People will respond to love, especially as they are introduced to the God of Love. That is the cornerstone relationship that changes each of us and that ultimately changes the world around us. As the saying goes: “They won’t care about what you know until they know you care”. So if you want to embrace the Great Commission, start with loving everyone around you, speaking the truth and genuinely caring about them. This is the cornerstone of Christ’s Church. This is what it means to be a faithful Ambassador of the Kingdom, when we earn the right to teach the truth by demonstrating that we care.

copyright ©2024 Mitchell Malloy (http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/)

P.S. - This is not be confused with the Social Gospel, which replaces the good news of God's Love with a focus on societal improvements. 


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