When the Perfect Comes | Tom Heitman

This powerful message challenges us to move beyond surface-level Christianity into the radical hospitality that defines true discipleship. Drawing from John 13:34-35, we're confronted with a startling reality: the world will know we are Christ's disciples not by our doctrine, biblical knowledge, or religious practices, but by our love for one another. The sermon unpacks the Good Samaritan story with fresh urgency, calculating that two days' wages in today's economy would be between five hundred and seven hundred fifty dollars. This isn't the neighborly kindness we're comfortable with—this is radical, sacrificial love that mirrors Christ's own love for us. The message weaves together multiple scriptures to reveal that when Paul wrote about 'charity' in Colossians 3:14, he was describing agape love—the kind that seeks others' welfare even when we feel no affection. This is God-type love, and it requires Holy Spirit guidance to execute perfectly. The climax comes with Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17:23, where He prays for us to be 'perfected in unity.' We discover that unity isn't an individual achievement but a collective calling. The vivid illustration of Christ's body still forming—with joints in Australia, feet in Spain, a torso in America, but no neck connecting the head to the body—reveals why Jesus hasn't returned yet. We must learn to function as one body, listening to the Holy Spirit's direction, before the perfect comes and the partial is done away with.