Community of the Kiss
"Greet one another with a holy kiss...." (Romans 16:16)
I learned today that one of the names for the early church was the "Community of the Kiss." They earned this name not merely because they greeted each other with a holy kiss. It was because they would kiss people no one else would kiss. They gave the holy kiss to the diseased, the sinners, the rejected, and the downtrodden.
I am not suggesting that we Christians go around planting one on strangers. The early church lived in a culture different than ours. In a modern Western society we would most likely get a slap for such a display or at least a bad reputation. However, we can still keep the spirit of the holy kiss. We can love people no one else will love. This, in my opinion, is the greatest proof that Christ is among us.
Doug Reed
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Doug,
Good post.
You wrote:
That sounds like the spiritual condition of man before salvation. It seems that before God asks something of us He demonstrates how to do it. In this case He first demonstrates His great love to us and then calls us to love others.
Knowing that I was loved in my brokenness and hurt makes it easier to love the broken and hurting . I then also have something good to give to them -- the love that God gave to me.