Sharing love
by Silas Martin Bollweg on Sun Sep 27 2026
The Apostle Paul writes in his First Letter to the Corinthians that even if he could speak in the language of angels but acted without love, it would all be worthless!
Unfortunately, I have often seen many Christians try to impose the Law of Moses (the Ten Commandments) on others and then become disappointed that no one followed their ideas or was interested in God. So that was not the wisest approach to missionary work. The logic behind such an unwise approach to missionary work is as follows: “If I explain God’s law to someone, they must realize that they are a sinner and will repent.” Far from it!
The reason this doesn’t work is that, in most people’s minds, Jesus exists only as one of many fictional characters, like Superman, Thor, or Gandalf. And if not, then he is perhaps recognized as a reformer, like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandela, but he is generally not accepted as the Son of God at all. We cannot expect the average person to accept Jesus Christ as God without any preparation. However, we are called to make it clear that this Jesus truly exists. A good way to do this is to share how we have personally experienced God. We generally refer to this practice as “giving our personal testimony.”
It can also backfire if someone is too pushy with the Gospel in an attempt to convince the person they’re talking to. We are all free people who don’t like being forced or persuaded into anything. This applies just as much to followers of Jesus as it does to those who do not yet know the Lord Jesus.
I consider it my “sacred duty” to tell every person about Jesus at least once! Afterward, I assess whether the other person’s heart is already ready, or whether they still need time and I may have just sown the first “seed.” Then I decide how to proceed and may choose to remain silent rather than annoy the person.
If you want to win people over to Jesus, it helps to put yourself in the other person’s shoes to understand their way of thinking and to figure out why they might have reservations about God. Are there specific reasons for this, such as bad experiences with other Christians or a church? These are indeed serious reasons that can keep a person away from God! Only by listening to people can we possibly respond to negative experiences, clear up misunderstandings, correct them, and present biblical truth.
Perhaps in certain cases it is even appropriate to apologize for the wrongdoing of our brothers and sisters in the churches, even if we personally have nothing to do with the situation and are not to blame for the evil deeds of others. Doing so can open hearts, heal wounds, and overcome prejudices.
Our intention is to proclaim Jesus, and we must make it clear that the church must not be equated with Jesus! Churches, congregations, and we as individuals are not perfect, and we should not portray ourselves as such. Not only would that sound very strange, but it would also be extremely untrustworthy.
“To accept the sinner just as he is—that is the purest way to proclaim the love of Jesus.”
Be a visible and tangible witness to Jesus’ mercy by offering practical help to another person. We can say many things about faith, but if they aren’t backed up by actions, they’re nothing but hot air and hypocrisy.
James puts it this way: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:14-20)
Sharing the Word of God always takes top priority and is to be valued above all else! And without the Word of God, all our deeds are virtually useless if we do not point people to Jesus at the same time. But through good deeds, we can underscore the Word of God, and Jesus said that whatever we do for one of the least of these, it is as if we had done it for God Himself. Even a glass of water that we give to someone who is thirsty will not go unnoticed by God and will be rewarded in heaven.
We cannot help everyone, but wherever we have the opportunity, we should do so. Let us act like the Good Samaritan. God says that He is pleased when we help widows and orphans. James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
Well, there are many organizations that do this kind of work, and we can support them with relatively small amounts of money. Generally speaking, the cost of sponsoring a child is about 30 euros per month. Every working person should have that much money to spare to do some good. Of course, the reliability and biblical integrity of such an organization play a major role, because there will always be a few bad apples in this field! When I decided to sponsor a child, there were two important criteria for me at the time. First, the child should receive a solid, biblically grounded education, and I was surprised to find that even Christian organizations rarely offer this. Second, it was important to me to maintain regular correspondence with the child, because this not only helps build a meaningful personal relationship but also allows you to verify that the donated funds are being received in full.
But there are other ways to be helpful, too, if you go through life with your eyes open. There’s the neighbor who needs help with a handyman job, or the elderly woman who’s having trouble getting her groceries into her apartment. The crying child on the side of the road or the poor beggar. You can help out with money, run errands, and so on—just everyday things. Sometimes a kind word or a smile is enough to show acceptance and love, and to bring joy to our neighbors.
The greatest challenge in showing love is certainly found within our own family, and right behind that is the workplace with its many dear colleagues. Here, each of us can practice humbly taking up our cross, representing Jesus, and becoming more like Him by putting the interests of others before our own and learning to serv
God bless you.
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