"If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith, so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."
The sad fact is that many who carry the title of a follower of Christ cannot even achieve the sub-par expression of mere tolerance. Every act of Jesus on the earth screamed out the clear message of love; from his interaction with the children who were rebuked by His disciples, to the encounter with the adulteress, condemned by the religious leaders. His acts were so radical and contrary to cultural norms that He usually caused a great stir wherever He went. Often our idea of love is expressed in action, or lack thereof, meant to prevent or avoid the metaphorical "rocking of the boat". If we believe that God is love and Jesus is God, I believe that we can easily assess that the example set by true love in human form on this earth was not one that shied away from boat rocking. In fact you may even be able to say that is was one of His favorite pastimes; yet every action was derived from deep true love. This was the very nature and identity of Jesus. True love steps on toes, breaks cultural rules and defies the accepted norms that allow us to be complacently comfortable.
If you live a life of love as defined by Jesus, you will get your hands dirty and even find yourself associating with the "unlovable" and "unreachable" ones. These are the ones that true disciples of Christ should be drawn to. Such love doesn't make sense to our natural conclusions on the matter. We should aim to associate with the ones who hold similar interests, beliefs, and social status, right? Wrong. Not to say we should not associate with such people, but if that is as far as a "Christ follower" can go, then serious evaluation is in order. Matthew 5:46-48 sets the bar for the Christian's level of acceptance and love.
"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
I've seen so many examples of Christians utilizing rejection, boycott, and separation to express their stance on a matter and bring light to their perspective on sinful behavior. If this is all we can offer in the face of blatant carnality then we stand in the same boat as the ones we reject, even as "separated" as we may try to be from their kind. I've never heard a sensible argument that conjoined the act of rejecting another person with the act of openly displaying true Godly love. So many are blind. So many are missing the point entirely. So many are hurting the world's perception of what Christianity means. Who will be the ones to shatter the distorted lens through which so many see? If this is ever to happen we cannot walk around as if this is business as usual. We have to be on high alert, ready at all times to bring forth a pure expression of God's love and acceptance. If our motive is to change someone then we are not truly loving. If our motive is to bring forth the love of God placed within us, then He will enact the change. Allow Romans 2:3-4 to bring forth a new perspective.
"So when you, a mere human being, pass judgement on them, and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgement? Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"
Let's refuse to pursue tolerance. Set the bar to the highest and most powerful standard of love as defined by love Himself. Tolerance is overrated.
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