Most people in our generation and even in two generations before us, do not know what love is, because of this they interpret the love of Christ to be their version of it. They think allowing others to live in sin without correction is loving because it produces good "feelings."
Christ loved us so much He was willing to die for us while we were still sinners. He never schmoozed anyone to make them feel good about themselves. There was nothing to feel good about, mankind was wicked and still is, mankind needs to see their own sinfulness in order to repent.
So many Christians say things like "only God knows the heart" as though our actions can be different from our heart condition. The truth is that whatever is in the heart is what comes out translated into actions. The condition of the heart produces the actions in every single case.
If someone blows up at another human being or manipulates others to intimidate them into being or thinking like them, these are those who do not love. The heart harbors anger and willfulness.
Christ told the truth for the purpose of information to help people repent from their sin. He never bludgeoned others for the purpose of intimidating them. He did however speak harshly to stubborn hearts to had heard but were resistant to Him. Christ was the hardest on hardened hearts.
When we love others our purpose for warnings has nothing to do with us. We warn because we love, not to elevate ourselves above others nor to cause bad feelings in others.
The love of God is not based on good feelings or self-serving accolades. God's love in His people is there because they wish people to be saved, not because they wish to appear better than others.
Those who wish to be superior to others are not loving people. They mock, intimidate, and demean rather than speaking the truth.
These people often mirror the culture far more than they follow Christ.
Loving friends are those who will evaluate everything with their friend in terms of what God says in His word. Unloving friends are those who say what their friends like to hear to preserve their friendship. The friendship is more important than Christ and more important than truth.
Matthew 10:36-38 "36 A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38 and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.…"
This applies to friendships as well as family. When anyone is more important than Jesus Christ, the defensiveness will be toward the people not toward Christ. Anyone who takes priority over Christ and His principles is an idol to us.
Any political system or community service that takes priority over the gospel is an idol. Political and community service in our day is more often than not a means of elevating self rather than Christ. How often do we hear of believers walking into a political meeting proclaiming the gospel of salvation through Christ's? Just asking!
How often do we speak boldly about Christ to our neighbors, our community, and in public gatherings? Nearly 100% of the time believers are not addressing Christ at all. They have translated fighting for rules and standards as speaking the gospel, but this is not the gospel. The Muslims, the Mormons, the JW's would all have the same standards and rules. It is the gospel that is different from all these other groups who would agree on moral standards. Most do not live by their own standards because they are not powered by Christ, He does not live in them. And so it goes for those who say they are Christians but do not loudly proclaim the gospel in all these venues they claim they are "occupying."
The scripture, "occupy until I come" is not referring to politics, it is referring to the gospel, but the modern politicized church is claiming it is to take over the culture and force it to be what God would want. Sadly this leads no one to Christ, it might produce converts in a false way to the cause, but it does not demonstrate Christ's love.
Christ nor the apostles never involved themselves in politics, they preached the gospel, they understood "occupy" means to be busy with the gospel.
