What Is It About Us?
What is it about us Christians that we simply refuse to "get it"? We are supremely devoted (with a singleness of mind and heart) to the Lord our God. We love His truth exactly because it is His truth. But alongside all that, we are marked as disciples of Jesus Christ by our love for one another. Said another way, the quality of the love that Christians show towards one another is the mark, the thing, by which even lost people will know that we belong to Jesus.
But when you look at our churches, tell me, do we really see a people whose hearts are knit together in love for one another? I confess, such churches are rare, very rare. Instead, we are mean people. We are grumpy and when it comes to love, we love to get the dirt on each other. We are gossips and backstabbers and rumor mongers. (Of course, I am speaking here of the royal "we"). But think my friend, is it not true? We are argumentative and divisive. We love to find reasons to be angry and hold a grudge against each other. These qualities seem to mark the modern churches of Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder the world laughs at us behind our backs? We talk holy but behave as bad as (or in some cases ... worse) than lost people do.
In all this, one thing stands out ... love is not something we talk about but it is something we do. The lost world ought to look at the Church and be able to see our love demonstrated to one another. Note that ... they should be able to see (by the things we do) how we love one another. To be salt and light we need to be loving people. Paul warned us in 1 Corinthians 13 that no matter how spiritual we are, if we are unloving people, it is all for nothing.
I offer this resolution, if love is something we are to do, then it is time for us to resolve to do it. I propose we purpose to read 1 Corinthians 13 this week, slowly and deliberately, and that we put into the practice the things from that chapter that the Holy Spirit lays on our hearts. Love, biblical love, is an action. It is time we acted like it. If we wait until someone else does it first, then we will always be waiting for our turn. Let's purpose to be proactive, let's make it our time now to be noted for our Christian love and to love in such a way that even the lost world sees us and knows we are Christians. Let's start now, today. To wait, even a minute longer, is sin. Amen?
What is it about us Christians that we simply refuse to "get it"? We are supremely devoted (with a singleness of mind and heart) to the Lord our God. We love His truth exactly because it is His truth. But alongside all that, we are marked as disciples of Jesus Christ by our love for one another. Said another way, the quality of the love that Christians show towards one another is the mark, the thing, by which even lost people will know that we belong to Jesus.
But when you look at our churches, tell me, do we really see a people whose hearts are knit together in love for one another? I confess, such churches are rare, very rare. Instead, we are mean people. We are grumpy and when it comes to love, we love to get the dirt on each other. We are gossips and backstabbers and rumor mongers. (Of course, I am speaking here of the royal "we"). But think my friend, is it not true? We are argumentative and divisive. We love to find reasons to be angry and hold a grudge against each other. These qualities seem to mark the modern churches of Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder the world laughs at us behind our backs? We talk holy but behave as bad as (or in some cases ... worse) than lost people do.
In all this, one thing stands out ... love is not something we talk about but it is something we do. The lost world ought to look at the Church and be able to see our love demonstrated to one another. Note that ... they should be able to see (by the things we do) how we love one another. To be salt and light we need to be loving people. Paul warned us in 1 Corinthians 13 that no matter how spiritual we are, if we are unloving people, it is all for nothing.
I offer this resolution, if love is something we are to do, then it is time for us to resolve to do it. I propose we purpose to read 1 Corinthians 13 this week, slowly and deliberately, and that we put into the practice the things from that chapter that the Holy Spirit lays on our hearts. Love, biblical love, is an action. It is time we acted like it. If we wait until someone else does it first, then we will always be waiting for our turn. Let's purpose to be proactive, let's make it our time now to be noted for our Christian love and to love in such a way that even the lost world sees us and knows we are Christians. Let's start now, today. To wait, even a minute longer, is sin. Amen?
posted by John | Friday, November 24, 2006
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