our not so "good news"

Anonymous- who is welcome to remain anon as long as he/she likes in my opinion and should feel safe to comment at will here (hint hint)- ahem, has asked a very good question that has been running around in my head lately.

Do you think that sometimes we try too hard to establish a relationship? Do you want to be her friend or are you looking to change her?

Here is the crux of the matter. I think so often in our church history and in my personal history, we've swapped out the "great commandments" with the "great commission". The Lover told us the heart of the matter is to love God and love others, but instead we act like the most important thing is to make disciples and not really disciples of the Lover, but of ourselves and not really disciples (I mean that would mean getting close) we'd rather just make "converts" a nice word for getting someone dunked or prayed for or speaking in tongues or "attending church" (whatever your definition of conversion is) so that we can feel like we've "done our part".

I Cor. 13 has been a real slap in the face to me of late. The first part sounds awesome: if I can speak in the tongues of men and angels, if I can prophesy, if I can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, if I have faith to move mountains, if I give all I possess to the poor- I would love to have even a bit of any one of those and lots would be better. But it says if I have all that but NOT LOVE- I am an IRRITATING NUISANCE, I AM NOTHING, I GAIN NOTHING. Well, that about hits it all. Aren't we trying to convert so that we can shine, so that we can BE SOMEONE, so that we can GAIN God's favor? I know that is what is in my heart much of the time.

What if we rewrote Jesus' stories the way we actually think? The Good Samaritan takes care of the robbed man and (what we think Jesus must have left out) tells the man the plan of salvation, gives him a tract, explains to him a better way to live... Is that not how we act? How I act?

And yet, He does tell us to make disciples of HIM. He also says that being a friend is sharing all that the Father has revealed to Him (John 15:15). I don't think we can be true friends without sharing the abundant life the Lover freely offers.

All of that to say that I don't know how to reconcile the disparities between how the Lover wants me to live, act, think and the religion that propels me to ruin (myself and others).

Anon- I'd love to hear your perspective and receive your counsel... and any others (including all other anons, and Miller and Agent B too ;)