Some simple suggestions for those who call themselves ‘followers of Jesus’ as well as all people of faith & good will. You can click here for the full Manifesto
Follow the Nazarene closely (He set a pretty good example on how to live).
Pray often and even more so. Pray for the people you love, and pray for the people you don’t love.
Don’t build a big church. Because if we do, then we will need to protect it and use up time, taxes, and treasure to maintain it. Instead of a building try Being Church – and rather than building a new building, start by sharing your life with people as they are, where they are and they will undoubtedly see Jesus.
Share the Good News. For what Jesus did is indeed Good and truly Newsworthy.
Make serving the poor the Gospel mandate it is (instead of treating it like a superfluous add-on)…make charity and justice for the poor a personal, close-up thing and not a ‘program’ in the church.
Give relief to those who are suffering around you and those far away (for we are all in this together).
Visit the sick, the locked up and the shut in.
Sit with the dying…just be with them as they transition into the next part of life.
Comfort the broken, the bruised and the bereaved.
Be generous and lavish with those in need and do so with your time, your talents, your money, and your stuff. Share your house with someone in need like a teenager in a bad situation or a person coming out of the system. Share your car, your tools, your garage, your apartment, your books, etc., because we are merely stewards of what God has given us.
Be reckless in giving and receiving God’s grace, graciousness, love and mercy.
Practice hospitality and be hospitable to strangers and those different from you (not just your friends and family).
Love your neighbor…and yes, I do mean the one right next door, as well as the one down the street, across the country and across the world.
Live your life as a fully alive, aware human being. Practice being real and transparent then watch people see Jesus in and through your unique personality. No stuffed shirts, smug piousness or the need to be superior over people.
Love ‘sinners’…and love all of them, not just the ones you feel most comfortable around. Remember first and foremost that you and me are ‘sinners’ as well, which is another way of saying we are all wounded and are all in need of Divine mercy and grace. Befriend people different from you and people of other faiths, and don’t do it just for the sake of “converting” people. Jesus loved all people – truly, madly and deeply – even those who walked away from, betrayed and killed him. Jesus had no other motive but to love people into the Kingdom, so put down your Four Spiritual Laws, your missals, and your Bibles and start being real (i.e., human) around people for you’ll be amazed at how much God’s love will flow from you.
Practice Common Grace (whether you are Calvinist or Catholic). For all people are made in the image of God and God sustains everyone regardless of their faith or lack thereof (see Matthew 5:45, Acts 17:25-28, and James 1:17)
Practice common graciousness as well…don’t be a bully, smug, self-righteous or mean-spirited. Just because we know the Truth does NOT mean we are the truth or always right. Only Jesus is Lord and only he will judge on the last day, so save the judging for him and him alone.
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