August 26, 2001
These things I command you, that ye love one another. John 15:17
Stop the first one hundred people you meet on the street and ask them this question: What¡¦s wrong with the church today? You will get plenty of answers!
It¡¦s so easy to criticize what others are doing. If you look diligently enough you can find something wrong with everything. A farmer¡¦s neighbor was so negative, criticizing everything and anything. The farmer bought a new plow, the neighbor said it would rust soon. The farmer remarked how it was good to have more rain this year, and the neighbor lamented that his crops would rot at the root with all this rain. It went on ad nauseam.
The farmer determined he would find something to cheer up this bottomless pit of despair. He went out and purchased the finest hunting dog, and secretly trained him to fetch by walking on the water, instead of swimming.
When hunting season came the farmer invited his sour neighbor to go with him. When the first flock passed by, the farmer and his friend shot several ducks each. The farmer yelled to the dog, Fetch! The hound darted, his feet barely skimming the surface of the lake. He scooped up four ducks from the water and was back in an instant, dry as a bone. How ¡¦bout THAT? questioned the farmer. Remarked ol¡¦ sourpuss, Cain¡¦t swim, can he?
Well, the church is something else altogether. We ought to judge the church at its best, not its worst. The church¡¦s best are the ideals and principles upon which it was founded by Jesus.
If we are honest we can see that most churches are 98% wonderful. The other 2% we manage to mess things up. The problem is that unbelievers, and even critics within, focus on the 2%, and not the productive 98%.
„Ñ It is wrong to judge all ministers by the few who fall into gross sin.
„Ñ It is wrong to judge all deacons by the few who do nothing, or just cause trouble.
„Ñ It is wrong to put all members in with the hypocritical few who aren¡¦t faithful to their Lord.
Jesus addressed his disciples, with the command (the word means to point out the goal), to love each other. To love means to seek another¡¦s highest good. Our goal is to find ways to lift each other in the church. That puts us at a fork in the road. You can criticize, or you can build up, but you cannot do both.
Love...as Christ also loved...
A deeper study of how to love one another is contained in Paul¡¦s admonitions concerning the marital relationship. It¡¦s words catch the true spirit of Jesus¡¦ command. The passage deals with marriage, but we can see how Paul points to the relationship that brings blessing, the church family.
Jesus loved the church (us); and He saw much potential for good in each of us. He called us branches of his own vine. In fact, the word member is synonymous with the Latin root for limb. Each of us who are members of the local church, and the body of Christ, is a limb. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. The Lord expects to see fruit produced. He wants us to be great limbs, bearing wonderful fruit.
Now, as any gardener will attest, a crop must be cultivated. It doesn¡¦t just happen. I love the story of the preacher who decided he¡¦d buy a farm to be his "get away." The price was right, but the place was run down. He spent months fixing fences, the house, and pulling weeds. In six months the place was transformed.
Having spent all his time repairing, planting and cultivating, the preacher didn¡¦t have time to meet the neighbors. When he finally did meet his neighbor, the man remarked how he¡¦d heard a preacher man had moved into the old place. Then he to pointed to the tired minister¡¦s new improved house and lands, and said, It¡¦s wonderful what the Lord can do with a hunk of land, ain¡¦t it? Said the pooped preacher, I¡¦m not so sure, you should¡¦ve seen what the Lord was doin¡¦ with it before I got here to help.
Churches are like that. We are a collection of branches, and the Lord can certainly grow us, but there is also some cultivating that needs to be done. Given the right circumstances, attitude and care, the church can be grown and built up like a vineyard.
Sacrificial Love
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Eph 5:25
Jesus sees that kind of potential in you and me. We are the embodiment of the heart of Jesus Christ. That heart is filled with all kinds of good things. What kinds of things? Notice what pieces of the heart of Christ you will find in the New Testament church:
In the heart of Jesus was the willingness to be a sacrifice for the whole world. In the church you will always find members (limbs) who are ready to give. Jesus wasn¡¦t selfish, and his true, fruitful limbs never demand their own way.
One of the things that warms my heart is the generosity of God¡¦s people. It is a common sight to see a Christian put another¡¦s need before his own.
There was a Christian doctor who went to China many years ago. He built a hospital. One day the army marched into town and destroyed that hospital. This doctor followed the army and ministered to their wounded. It came to the attention of the leader of the army. He asked his wife, Why does this doctor do this? She said, There is only one answer. He is a Christian. The General humbly said, If that is what it means to be a Christian, I would like to be one.
Purifying Love
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Eph 5:26, 27
Among the many reasons Jesus gave himself for the church is that the church might be cleansed of things that harm and drag us down. The guiding principle is uplift! Jesus lifts us out of the anger and selfishness of the world.
Think of the blind man Jesus healed. With the hand of love the man received his sight, and his life was never the same again.
Jesus cast demons out; he forgave a woman who should have been stoned to death. He even met a murderous young Pharisee named Saul and turned him into a mighty preacher of the Gospel.
Jesus is still touching lives like that with his purifying love. He does it through his "limbs" the church members, filling them with the Spirit of hope and forgiveness and purity. This purifying love makes the church a sparkling jewel.
Caring Love
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: Eph 5:29
A husband is charged with the responsibility of cherishing his wife. Jesus cherishes his bride, the church. God has seen to our physical needs, and gives as He determines will be good for us.
But this verse emphasizes the spiritual nourishment of the soul. The church meets physical needs sometimes, but our main diet is the building up of the spirit with caring. Groups gather for fellowship, study of God¡¦s word and prayer. We become aware of each other¡¦s needs. We worship together, building up the spirit with praise.
Unifying Love
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery:but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Eph 5:30-32
If there is one thing a body needs in order to remain healthy and useful, it is wholeness. Wholeness means together as a unit. We are the body of Christ, a unit. We are not all the same; just like this world has people animals and plants -- there is great diversity.
The church is no exception. There are more varieties of believer than opinions in a Baptist survey.
Now, in spite of all this diversity, there is one unifying, glorious force: The HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. It is the Spirit of God who teaches us this unifying love. One Spirit, one body.
We are not all the same, but we are one in Him.
We may not all act the same; but in Him we can act in love.
The church, with this unifying love is much like a football team. Eleven men with different talents, different assignments, but ALL with just ONE PURPOSE --Get the ball over the line.
Armies are composed of thousands from all walks of life, but only ONE objective.
A band has different instruments producing different sounds, but only ONE composition to play in harmony. This is the church with its unifying love. We build together or we fall apart.
Lord Nelson of England was about to enter an important battle. He heard that two of his officers were at odds with each other. He called them in and said, Gentlemen, give me your hands. The two captains put their hands in the Commander¡¦s hands, and he squeezed them with a tight grip. Men, he said, Remember the ENEMY is OUT THERE!
The love God wants for his church is tough, enduring, and sees beyond human emotions and selfishness. It gives, uplifts, cares, builds and unites. The Psalmist said it this way:
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Psa 133:1
Sacrificial, purifying, caring and unifying. That is the kind of love Jesus had in mind when He said, Love one another.
It¡¦s God¡¦s way ¡V It¡¦s the good way!
