How Can You Love Someone You Don’t know?

I John 4:20-5:5

Dad was told that he was too old to become a missionary, but knew God had called him, so he took a job as Construction foreman for the Navajo Tribe, building schools. On weekends, he visited people and started holding services in a tent just off the reservation. As a result, he learned that a new town was to be built and that four sites were designated to be used for churches.

Dad applied for one of the sites, and because the sites could only be granted to legally constituted missionary organizations, He applied to the Baptist Bible Fellowship for some kind of legal standing. Since he had a church already going, and was a graduate of their program, they made an exception for his age and approved him, but since their policy was that approved missionaries could not hold a job, he had to resign his position with the tribe. Keeping the church going, and attending the required meetings to obtain the church site at Navajo prevented the standard process of raising missionary support, so we had only about sixty to seventy dollars per month to live on. It wasn’t easy, especially as there were eight of us.

When the site was approved, we had one year to get funding and complete construction. The BBFI loaned us twenty-five thousand dollars and we built the building for the Navajo Baptist Church and held our first services in it within about six months. The wind destroyed our tent at Tse Bonito, and we were not able to get a permanent place in the area, but most of the people who attended the tent church wound up moving to the new town of Navajo to work.

With a new church, and no one to fill in when he was away, Dad was unable to devote full time to raising support, making trips when he was able. Because he was already on the field, many churches assumed we didn’t need any more help, with the result that we struggled financially for several years, but were blessed to see thirteen churches and a Bible College started.

As a result of my experiences and observations, I have a different perspective than many about what goes on in our churches. For example, I am troubled by missionaries who refuse to go until some arbitrary level of support is attained, or until they can be assured of a certain standard of living. I am amazed at the number who have told us that we should turn our works over to them and start a new one because we knew how. They assumed we would still take responsibility for supporting the work. It is shocking to go into churches and find pictures of churches you started and physically built being claimed by other missionaries.

One missionary told us that if he could find any other job that paid as well as being a missionary he’d take it because he hated the work. Another told us he wished he could just stay on deputation forever, because he couldn’t stand the people on his field. Others have advised us never to allow the people to visit in our home or to become too personally involved with them lest we lose our sense of being American. In visiting churches. I see members of one ethnic group avoid those of another.

One pastor stated in my presence, that they needed to get rid of some of the people they had so they could get a higher class of people into their church. Missions trips don’t really let them get to know the people in everyday situations, and provide only superficial contact. I am concerned when I hear about these people’s great love for people on the mission field, when they can’t even get along with Christians in their home town, or even their own church. How can you love a person you don’t know? John carries it one step farther.

“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” (I John 4:20-21)

If we truly know the Lord, and love him, we will obey his commands and the Holy Spirit will be in us. John 14:15-17 states, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” We have Christ’s command to love, and we have the Holy Spirit to produce love in us if we love the Lord.

Even if we had no command to love, and we didn’t have the Holy Spirit to produce love, the very fact of loving God should naturally produce a love for those he loves. A dog will tolerate, and even learn to love a cat because his master loves them, and love for God will have the same natural result. Clearly, if we do not love other Christians, it is because we don’t love God.

“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (I John 5:1-3)

The dog and cat naturally hate each other, yet because of their love for their master, and his forbidding them to fight, they overcome their instinctive antagonism and become friends. Love is demonstrated by pleasing the one loved. We demonstrate our love for God by doing what he wants, by loving one another. We overcome that natural instinct to hate and hurt others, and to take advantage by our love for him and by the spirit he has given us.

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (I John 5:4-5)

The change in attitude the Holy Spirit produces affects our actions toward everyone we come in contact with. It will be especially apparent when meeting those who have a similar attitude. The old saying is it takes two to tangle. If one is determined to fight, the other may be forced to fight against his will, but it will be difficult. If both are trying to avoid causing a conflict, it will be almost impossible for one to occur. If they love God, both will try to avoid a conflict. The ability and desire to overcome the natural pride that causes conflict is indicative of love for God.