Evangelical.

If you were to Google that word, here’s what would come up:

“1. Of or according to the teaching of the gospel or the Christian religion.”

As I was watching and hearing about the results of the recent presidential election I heard multiple times things like “lots of Evangelical voters”, or “large turnout of evangelical voters”.

And the word “evangelical” was spat from their mouths with a bit of disdain and annoyance, but mainly a lot of misunderstanding.

Evangelicals… we’re misunderstood.

In today’s society, telling people I’m a Christian voter, or just a Christian in general, often results in lots of accusations. You must be anti-gay. You must be very narrow-minded. You must be a prude.

But let me let you in on a secret that all true Christians want to share with you:

I am free. I am full oflove.

I don’t spend my nights at home compiling a list of sins that I don’t agree with. I do, however, follow the teachings of Christ, which are outlined for me in the Bible.

My freedom… comes from there. It comes from the books in there that tell me how God became flesh. How Jesus Christ came to this earth with one mission, and that was to die on the cross for our sins and then he rose from the grave, conquering death.

My love… it comes from the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me and helps me to see that each person has a soul. And regardless what their fleshly bodies are composed of, they are destined for eternity and it is my job to love them and share with them as best as I can the same mercy and grace that was so generously poured out on me.

I do believe in sin. I believe in the 10 commandments. I believe in the laws of nature, and that Jesus created us all in His image.

But, I also know that I’ve messed up… a lot. And I don’t condemn people who also mess up. I don’t think they’re automatically going to Hell. But thanks to the Bible, I also know that it takes one single sin to keep us from going to Heaven, because God is perfect and He doesn’t allow any sin into His realm. This seems to leave us in quite a conundrum, doesn’t it?

He loves us, He created us, but He won’t let us into Heaven full of sin.

This ties back into what I know to be true about Jesus. And how because of the fact that God is love, Jesus is the missing puzzle piece.

I don’t hate people who don’t know about Him. I don’t hate people who choose to ignore Him. I pity them.

I pity that they haven’t gotten to experience His mercy and His grace that is brand new for me every single morning. I pity that they don’t get the opportunity to talk with Him daily. I pity that they are heading for eternity and they don’t realize it.

Evangelicals. The word used to define us obnoxious, crazy, Christ-followers…we’re not all bad. We know that this world is not our home. And we don’t fear death.

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21

So, I guess, if I could, I’d just like to take this time to tell you what all true Christians so desperately want to share:

This Jesus guy, the one you hear about, the one you often mock…He's real, guys. And His kingdom is everlasting. His love is enduring. And He wants desperately to know you, just as you are.