3 Ways to Love Like Jesus
By Eric Geiger
IN THE TRENCHES | ERIC GEIGER
One of our values that drives the team in my context is “Love others as Jesus loves us.” While we do not believe the totality of our ministry happens during our weekend worship services, we do want to maximize the time we have with the people we serve during our weekly gatherings. The church has gathered on Sundays for more than 2,000 years, so making the most of those moments is wise.
Recently I challenged our team to apply our value in three specific ways during our weekly gatherings:
- Welcome Others as Christ Has Welcomed You (Rom. 15:7).
As ministry leaders organize programs, there are going to be problems. Checklists need to be updated, training processes need to be audited, rooms need to be updated, etc. The weekend gathering is not the time to solve problems—it is the time to seek people. Though we were strangers, Christ welcomed us to himself. As guests attend our gatherings, we should be seeking to welcome them.
Ask yourself each weekend gathering, “Who can I welcome today?”
- Serve Others as Christ Has Served Us (Phil. 2:4-5).
The apostle Paul challenged believers in Philippi to put others’ interests ahead of their own, to adopt the same attitude of Christ who humbled himself to serve us through his death on our behalf. During the weekend gathering we, as ministry leaders, should think “them, not us.”
During the week, we work on ourselves to better serve them, but during weekend gatherings we should think them, in all our conversations, putting their interests and needs ahead of our own.
Ask yourself each weekend gathering, “Who can I serve with my words of encouragement today?
- Forgive Others as Christ Has Forgiven You (Col. 3:13).
Ministry is relational. While there is a lot written about ministry leaders hurting people they serve (which is devastating and horrible), less is written about the pain that ministry leaders absorb. Bitterness toward one stifles ministry to all. When resentment lingers, it quietly drains energy, clouds conversations, and diminishes joy. You may think you are carrying a private frustration, but it inevitably spills into tone, posture and presence. Over time, it impacts the very people we are called to serve.
If ministry leaders don’t forgive those who hurt them, the ministry will be suppressed. We can forgive because we have been forgiven. We release our bitterness because Christ has released all our shame and sin.
Ask yourself before each weekend gathering: “Who do I need to forgive today?”
We don’t welcome, serve and forgive in order to earn God’s love. We do so because we already have it. And when his love truly motivates us, our weekend gatherings are no longer events to manage but sacred moments to steward. His love is not merely our message; it is our motivation.
