Lifeline Church in Chicago, Illinois, established today’s National Day Calendar celebration in 2017. This is National Love People Day. While we would disagree with the church’s Apostolic doctrine, we cannot disagree with their emphasis on loving people.
Think carefully about this. How do you/I feel about people? Read the statements carefully and see which ones you agree with.
- People are mostly irritating and annoying.
- People are tools, the means to the end.
- The world would be a great place if it weren’t for people.
- I tolerate people but prefer to be far removed from them.
- People are a bother and way too much work.
- Overall, I don’t like people and would prefer they leave me alone.
- I want to keep my distance from people and not interact with them any more than I absolutely must.
Those are some dark, negative feelings that we’ve all experienced on occasion. However, there are some that feel this way 24/7/365. Lifeline Church and their pastor desired to help their church members develop a love for others. Some of the things the church has done in the past is:
- Give Love On Christmas Day– partnered with Warren Park Elementary School to provide Food, Clothing, and Christmas Gift to a family of six.
- Car Giveaway – Provided a single mother with a fully-paid SUV.
- Extreme Makeover (Home Edition) – collaborated with independent contractors to remodel a home, inside and out, for a volunteer worker in the church.
- Health & Fitness Weekend – partnered with the Loyola Ronald McDonald Pediatric Mobile Unit and the National Kidney Foundation to provide FREE exams to those in the community.
- Gas Giveaway – Gave away $5,000.00 of FREE Gas to residents in the community.
- Share The Warmth Coat Drive – Donated Winter Coats & Accessories to students at Goodwin Elementary School.
Isaac Miller was a student at West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California, in 2013. He wrote a blog about his college experience and shared about a ministry WCBC and Lancaster Baptist Church did at that time.
“Here in Lancaster at Lancaster Baptist Church, we have deemed October as “Love Works Month.” The church has been going out into the community to perform all sorts of acts of kindness. The projects consisted of things as elaborate as a free orchestral performance accompanied by free hot dogs and lemonades down on the boulevard to things as simple as planting flowers at the hospital and picking up trash in vacant lots. If you want to know
more about the Love Works program in of itself, go here to view the website!
“The testimonies people could give about the Love Works outreaches are amazing! For example, a group from the church had the privilege of providing meals to the Antelope Valley high school football team after one of their practices. Afterwards, the coach of the team came up to the leader of this particular Love Works group and asked him if he would like to briefly speak to the team. The opportunity was obviously not passed up, and a gospel presentation was given to the entire team. Because of this, two members of the football team accepted Christ as their Saviour that day!
“Story after story, testimony after testimony could be given of how the outreaches affected people personally and the community as a whole. It seemed that every time a new outreach went into the community, they would come back with more stories about people getting saved and promising to come visit the church! It was awesome seeing the love of God work in others through the members of Lancaster Baptist!
“Being that the college is a ministry of the church and is thus a part of the church, the college students had the opportunity to help as well. Each dorm was given a specific task as an outreach. Several of the dorms were given the big task of cleaning up a collection of vacant lots in the high-traffic, business section of town beside a Walmart. Despite cold wind and wet weather, we faced the ugliness of the day to impact the community.”1
Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). Paul and Peter both exhorted believers to practice “good works” (Titus 3:8, 14; 1 
Peter 2:12). This is not an attempt to replace personal soulwinning. It is designed to fuel personal soulwinning by creating additional opportunities to present the gospel.2
To accomplish the Lord’s instructions and example, we have to change our view of people. We must LOVE them. Love is going to be the key to reaching them. Acts of love may be just the ticket to opening doors for sharing the Gospel. If we are going to win anyone to Christ, we need to follow God’s example and love them first.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
1https://lifeatwestcoastbaptist.blogspot.com/
2https://ministry127.com/outreach-discipleship/impacting-your-community-for-christ
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