This morning I was praying for people who (I believe) do not have salvation. That sounds judgy but some are self-proclaimed adverse to the gospel and others I hear words but those lives are just as uncertain as the last group. I’ve started calling people ‘followers of Jesus’ vs believers. That is wrong. I learned so last week as I traveled Paul’s second missionary effort through Greece. You see, I have been measuring the visible, which is works. If people don’t look like Christians, in my estimation, they may not be authentic. Now faith without works is dead – no faith. But calling someone a follower of Christ is to say they are separated and outside of Christ. We who believe the gospel are in Christ. This new thought needs some Bible treatment – in other words- what does scripture say? I’ll do that study soon but for now I do not want to be that person worrying about others when I should be looking after my own faith. I will continue to pray for these.
Today there was a mention in a missionary update of a Vietnamese woman, Khoi, now age 95, who became a Christian in 1975. Her story of faith inspires. How the church grew is, “It was like a miracle of God. We just loved the Lord and served the Lord with all our hearts, and we loved our people. We shared the gospel with the people, showed our love to them, and they just opened their hearts and accepted Jesus.” That is how it is done. Not by sorting my friends by the works I see. This faithful woman invited everyone. This is a miracle.
I subscribe to Father Patrick van der Vorst’s daily publication of Christian artwork which includes the Biblical meaning behind the art. Today was about a woman tending to an ill man. Father Patrick writes, “For Jesus, there is no ‘wrong’ moment to do good. There is no day too sacred or no rule to rigid, to silence love for our neighbor. Healing and helping one another are in themselves acts of worship.” He was referencing the Jewish leader’s criticisms of Jesus timing on healing. Jesus is looking for a prayerful posture in our hearts as we serve others by submitting to His will. We know a God of comfort who is not judgy and pursues everyone of us. Worrying about the actions of my brothers and sisters is not my business as I allow details to swim around in my head. It is not the business of sharing and meeting needs.
Lastly, as I absorbed a new experience in another country, Greece, I began to question, again, how God can love so many people? God’s love is perfect and has broad reach. From the publication, Our Daily Bread, 10/20/25, written by James Banks, “God’s so great that He’s able to care deeply for those who are far from Him. His love goes to the lengths of the cross and empty tomb of Jesus to meet our ultimate need. His greatness manifests itself in goodness, and He longs to draw us near.” These are all miracles.
