Welcome to Hope Flinchbaugh, guest blogger. Hope is the author of three novels about China, Daughter of China, Across the China Sky, and I'll Cross the River and a nonfiction book called Out of North Korea. All are available on Amazon. Hope and I became friends at the Montrose Writers Conference two years ago. She invited me to produce a Blog Talk radio show, "The Voice of Hope," which is broadcast weekly in English and Mandarin. Meet my friend Hope . . .
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners (Isaiah 61:1).
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert is a book that was recommended to me by my good friend and partner in Chinese radio ministry, Jo Ann Walczak. Jo Ann lived in China for more than a year and taught children there. She is now the producer of our Blog Talk radio show that is in both English and Mandarin, "The Voice of Hope."
As Jo Ann and I prayed about where God would lead us in upcoming shows, He made it more and more clear to us to share on love. And that’s why she brought up this book by Rosaria Butterfield—she said it was a great read. Rosaria shares how people did not keep telling her about the gospel but loved her over and over again. She even said that if people would have kept telling her how to be saved and pushed her on that, she would have never been born again. Rosaria was a lesbian who taught at a large university. What spoke to Rosaria was the love shown to her by Christians.
I’ve been saved since the womb, I think (not true, but feels that way), so I oftentimes wonder what a person who doesn’t know Jesus thinks about. How does he or she feel or process what we say when we share the gospel?
Love. They need to feel love. Matthew 24:12 says, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” Times will be difficult. Families will divide, two against three and three against two. Some Christians, even the elect, will fall away, and “men’s hearts will fail them because of fear.” That does not sound like good news to me. So how do we share good news in the era of COLD HEARTS? We love them. “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
How do we love the lost? I don’t know. I think love has many different approaches and nuances. Love meets needs. Love gives and serves. But most of all, the purest expression of love comes from a person who is connected to and in conversation with the God of love. Am I connected to God today? Are we talking right now, checking in with one another? Do I look heavenward and ask God, “What’s next? How can I help you? What can I do for you right now?”
God is love. That’s it.
And as far as our Blog Talk radio show, "The Voice of Hope"? Well, we’ve laid quite a foundation of scripture since our launch date 11/11/11! We’ve read over the internet radio the books of John, Acts, and Ephesians from the Bible, and now we’re recording Romans, too, in both English and Mandarin. We’ve done a number of music shows and broadcast a commentary on Ephesians. It’s exciting to work for the king! But love . . . Jesus loves the Chinese people. Jesus loves ALL the people of the world.
Love is a force. Love is something you do on purpose. Love shakes off offenses and forgives. Love clings to truth or it is not God’s love. Love . . . Father in heaven, help us all to love you and to love the person in front of us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Free Downloads!
Listen to the Gospel of John read in English and Mandarin on Voice of Hope Blog Talk Radio. Listen to the Book of Acts, Romans, and Ephesians read in English and Mandarin from Voice of Hope Blog Talk Radio.
Listen to the Voice of Hope Music shows from Voice of Hope Blog Talk Radio. 
Thank you, Jo Ann, for inviting Hope to share her thoughts. Hope, it was a pleasure to connect with you at the Philadelphia Writers Conference. Thanks for sharing these reflections on love . . . so very relevant.
ReplyDeleteI wish there were another English word for love that communicated "go after them as if your life depended on it." Just before I was saved in college I remember thinking, "Here comes that Doomsday Message" when Christians shared their idea of the Gospel. I also remember feeling like people would honestly miss me if I didn't let them pick me up, feed me, and then take me to the Saturday Fellowship & Joke-fest.
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