Sometimes, godly advice comes from the most unexpected places. For a recent example, look no further than Donald Trump. That’s right, in a recent speech, Trump made it clear: to make America great again, the American church needs to be great again. He explained that he “had the honor to join a church service in Detroit at the Great Faith Ministries International with the amazing Bishop Wayne Jackson.” He called it “an incredible and deeply moving experience.” From there, he noted that “I will fight for Detroit, for Chicago, for Baltimore, and for every neglected part of this nation – and I will fight to bring us all together as One American People.”
Certainly, all of this is very nice. That said, things got very interesting when Trump gave his recipe for revival. He continued “Let me quote the same passage from the Bible I read on Saturday, from 1 John 4: “No one has ever seen God; but, if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” Imagine what we our country could accomplish if we started working together as One People, under One God, saluting One Flag.” Trump, in his trademark no-nonsense style, went where most American pastors are afraid to go. He boldly declared that we’re one people, not many different races; there’s one God, not many; there’s one way for this country to turn around, and for that to happen, we must genuinely love each other because we love the Lord.
The United States has more churches, Bibles, conferences, children’s programs, ministries and every form of Christian entertainment known to man than other country in the world. Despite all of this, the American church is in retreat; it has lost much of its influence on the culture. No amount of money, resources or knowledge can seem to stem the tide, and Trump accurately pointed out why. It’s easy to attend church, sing a few songs, donate some money and listen to a message. Sermons and church attendance are easy; loving people sacrificially is hard. It’s more difficult to develop real friendships; it’s more challenging to help people when they’re in need. Yet, how can we expect people in this country to follow Jesus, when His followers can’t even truly love one another?
Jesus said “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Actions speak louder than words, or as the Bible puts it, “let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth” (1 John 3:18). We’re the light of the world, so let’s shine brightly. We’re the city on a hill that can’t be hidden, so be bold (Matthew 5:14-16). Sacrificially love who you can within your sphere of influence, because “If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12).