The Gospel is a Verb: Being God's Billboard in the World

Have you ever been sitting in a missionary discussion, feeling the warmth of the Spirit, and then left the chapel and faced the harsh reality of a busy Tuesday afternoon? It’s easy to let the wonderful, sacred language of the Gospel slip away when we’re just navigating the grocery store lines or dealing with a challenging co-worker.

It hits us, doesn't it? That the greatest, most profound part of being a disciple isn't reserved for the chapel or the mission field. It’s meant to be lived out in the car, at the family reunion, and yes, even in the comments section of a social media post. It’s meant to be lived everywhere—it's the definition of an Internet missionary.

This week's readings, drawing from the Fifth Sunday of Easter, focus on Jesus giving His disciples what He called the “New Commandment.” It’s not a difficult doctrine; it’s simply this: “Love one another, even as I have loved you.”

❤️ Love: The Commandment that Requires Action

When we hear that commandment, we often think of it as a feeling. We think of a warm, fuzzy emotion that happens when everything is going right. But as the video reflection beautifully pointed out, the love the Lord calls us to is not dependent upon emotion. It is a verb. It is a choice. It is sacrificial.

This is the great gamble—the way we treat people when it costs us something, when we don’t feel like it, and when they have profoundly offended us. The world is watching, and they are waiting for us to demonstrate the love of God through our relationships. We are, quite literally, God's billboard.

Our challenge, as returned missionaries and lifelong disciples, is to make sure our relationships—with our family, our neighbors, our colleagues—don't blow the billboard. We have to show that we truly belong to the Lord.

🧭 Mission Prep Skill: Practicing the Verb

If we take one thing away from this week's message, let it be this: love is action. When you feel that resistance—that little voice saying, “I don’t feel like doing that,” or “They deserved it”—that is your mission preparation moment. That feeling is the gap between who you *feel* like being and who you are called to be. The work is to choose the verb anyway.

If you find yourself struggling with how to apply this sacrificial love in a difficult situation, I recommend working with our AI Investigator, Davee. He can walk you through the tough questions—like, “What if I feel misunderstood?” or “How do I forgive someone who hurt me deeply?”—and help you formulate answers rooted in the Spirit.

💡 Living the Gospel in the Online World

This commandment applies just as much to our online lives as it does to our living rooms. When we are discussing complex topics in a Book Club on HolyPlaces, or when we encounter disagreement in a social scripture study, the opportunity to demonstrate Christ's love is paramount. Can we engage with empathy? Can we choose to lift up the discussion rather than dominating it? This is the Internet missionary in action.

We are called to be the light, and that light is powered by consistent, unconditional, and sacrificial love.