yes, kingdom and repentance, but also love you neighbor. How can we bring our neighbors to repentance if we show them nothing but judgment without love? I find that when we love the person and hate the sin, people are much more receptive. There have been many times when I have spoken to my non-Christian coworkers and friends where my respectful disagreement with their lifestyle, yet acceptance of their personhood has made them much more open to hear the gospel.
For instance, I nannied for a Hindu family who are now close friends. Their boys are as my own. Because I was able to respect their beliefs and culture while I worked for them, they respect mine. They have allowed me to take their boys to church and have even attended church themselves and allowed me to pray blessings over their boys because I was respectful. When they tie the cords around their wrists to dispel spirits, I do not remove the cords or participate in the ceremony, but I tell them how I cope with the same issues. When they offer up their prayers and incense, I do not participate but offer up prayers to my Lord. The mother especially watches me and how I live and often asks questions. That is living faith and love, not religion and works.
I am one of very few of my coworkers who waited to have sex until marriage and lives a moral lifestyle. Most of the others are raising children out of wedlock and believe very differently on moral issues. However, I don't shut them down while they talk. My relationship, engagement, and marriage has been a huge witness because when I talk to these women about why Tim and I do what we do rather than putting them down for not believing the same way, they ask more questions. Not once have they pushed me beyond what they know my limits are because I have shown them the same respect. On the flipside, one of my coworkers is also a Christian and has unfortunately alienated this same staff with the comments she makes to them when they so much as shop at Target or Starbucks (literally! It was an unpleasant scene!), or when they say a curse word or mention having had drinks... even though those conversations never ever happen in the classroom. The girls all talk about how uncomfortable she makes them feel and they have said they don't feel like they can talk about their lives at all around her. That's not the way things should be. How can we know where people need Christ presented to them if we do not allow them to express themselves?
