Love is the single most important command in the scriptures. Jesus taught that the single greatest commandment in the Bible is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. He followed up by saying that the second greatest commandment draws from the first – love your neighbor as yourself. Then Jesus made an interesting comment, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” If you base your life and your actions on the love of God and the love of people, you will fulfill God’s law regardless of circumstances. On the contrary, if someone tries to live a religious and holy life that is not founded upon love, it is a completely wasted effort. Why do people fall into harsh legalism? They are keeping the rules, but their faith is in the rules and not founded upon the love of God.
When we live our life in submission to God, rules don’t constrain us, the love of God within us is our constraint. The Bible says that the law of God is written in our heart. Instead of needing rules and laws to force us into submission, the Christian’s walk is consistently right with God because we are following the love of God within us. I want to know scripture because my heart is drawn toward God and His word. I want to fulfill my calling because God draws me from within and it is a joy to do the work I have been equipped to do. I don’t obey because I have to, but because I want to.
Keep in mind that the word for love that is always associated with the commandments of God is the word ‘agape’. Agape is the love of God and it comes from God not from man. Agape is self-giving, self-sacrificing and outward focused love. The Bible also translates the word ‘philia’ into the word love. Philia is brotherly love, affectionate love or friendship love. By nature, we always love our friends, therefore, God did not need to command us to love with philia love.
Agape is one of the fruits of the Spirit – in fact it is the first fruit of the Spirit. Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”. The reason is because God places His Spirit within us when we are born into His kingdom. The evidence that this has occurred is that we have His love for His people. Even when we have disagreements, we still love God’s people. The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of a Christian is love.
Root of Bitterness
Even though we are born in the Spirit, we have the choice to live contrary to the Spirit. Some believe in error that when a person becomes a Christian that our sinful nature disappears and we no longer struggle with the flesh. All we have to do is look around and see this isn’t true. The scriptures also acknowledge this issue repeatedly, but it is stated clearly in Romans 6:
11 Likewise you also, reckon (or account) yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Following the Spirit of following the flesh is an act of the will. We are to consider ourselves dead to sin; we are to choose not to let sin reign in our bodies; we are not to present ourselves to sin; we are to present ourselves to God. Verse 16 concludes by saying:
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
With each decision, you make the choice to submit to God through obedience, or to submit yourself to sin. This is important to understand when it comes to loving God and loving others. Our human nature is a daily struggle, but we as Christians have the God-given power to live by the Spirit. Bitterness is of the flesh, but love is of the Spirit – I must choose which nature to follow. Look at Hebrews 12:
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
As individual Christians we must all take care and be on guard against bitterness. Nothing can destroy a church quicker than bitterness. The Bible has given us a very clear warning that one root of bitterness can defile many. If we observe the churches we have been a part of, most of us have seen bitterness destroy people and often entire congregations.
Jesus said that when He builds His church, the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. A gate is a defensive barrier that is designed to keep the enemy out. The church has the command to go out into the world to preach the gospel and make disciples. There is only one thing on earth that can stop the work of the church – the world can’t stop the church; the defenses built cannot stop the work of God; laws, persecutions and threats cannot stop the church or her mission. Only God’s own people have the power to stop the church. God has entrusted us with the gospel and if we create a whirlwind of disputes based on bitterness, the work of God comes to a screeching halt. If we don’t stop the internal destruction we are causing, the congregation will fall and God will raise up a new work to do what we have committed to failure by our choices. In the wake of a congregation’s fall is increased bitterness, hurt and many who will withdraw out of God’s work – some who will never return.
Keep in mind that God has warned that those who offend His children will be judged. Look at the stern warning in Luke 17:
1 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
2 "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
Are your offenses challenging the work of God? Are you allowing bitterness to spring up in your life?
Handling Conflict
Conflict in itself is not a sin, nor is it destructive. How we deal with conflict can be sinful or it can be helpful. Most Christians look at conflict as though it were a gross evil and some will go to any length to avoid conflict. To compromise truth to avoid conflict is sin. At times even mature Christians can encounter conflict. When a tradition is a hindrance to the work of God there will inevitably be a conflict when there is an attempt to rectify the situation.
When someone sees the result of a decision differently than another, there will be conflict. When a program is not working, there will be conflict when other ideas are introduced. We, by nature, think our ideas are right. Unfortunately, the other person also feels the same way. Conflict can be healthy when ideas are challenged and discussed without emotional attachments. What works in one church may not work in another and every program has the potential to be improved. Conflict becomes unhealthy when people look at the ideas of others as a challenge to their self-worth. Few things reveal our maturity level quicker than how we handle conflict.
In the Bible we have an example of conflict and how it did not divide the church. In Acts 15 Paul and Barnabas had a sharp conflict concerning John Mark. On a previous missionary journey, Mark became discouraged and left to come home. Barnabas did not give up on Mark and he prepared him to try again. Paul was driven and passionate and did not want to take people he did not feel were dependable. Barnabas refused to leave Mark behind and the contention was so sharp that they formed two missionary groups and Barnabas took Mark and Paul took Silas.
We can see that this conflict did not hinder the work of God; no one got mad and left; the church did not divide. In fact, we can see later in 2 Timothy 4:11 Paul said, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry”. As brothers in Christ, we may have conflict, but when the issue is resolved, we are still brothers and the love remains.
One of the tale-tale signs of negative conflict is when the issue at hand is pushed aside and personal attacks become the focus of the conflict. As a mature Christian, we must make every effort possible to shift the focus off people and onto the issue we are trying to resolve. We know we have stepped outside the proper bounds when we are tempted to insult the person. Name calling is an act of the flesh and has no place in the work of God.
A Christian never has the right to refer to another Christian as a ‘disciple of the devil’, a demon, or any of the other names I have heard people call other Christians. If God bought someone with a price and you call them a disciple of the devil, what are you calling God? Either you are insulting God or you are challenging their salvation. Both are wrong. If you question someone’s salvation based on their actions, you should be praying for that person rather than cursing them.
There are times when it is O.K. to challenge someone’s actions, but the action should be the target – not the person. Calling someone a devil has no value in the church; however, questioning ones actions can have a place when their action has potential harm. At no time does any Christian have the right to curse another person – especially another Christian. Look at Matthew 5:
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
This is reiterated in Romans 12:
4 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
If we don’t have the right to curse our enemies and are commanded to bless and pray for them, how much more is this true for our own brothers and sisters in faith? Look at 1 John 4:
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
People try to skirt this verse by saying, “I don’t hate them”, or “It’s not hate, it’s just a strong dislike”. What is the evidence? If you are trying to destroy someone, can you say that is not hate? If your words are hateful, it is based on hatred. If your actions against someone is hateful, it is based on hatred. Even so, consider the remainder of this passage above; the one who says ‘I love God’ and hates his brother is a liar and “he who loves God must love his brother also”. Not hating is not enough. If you love God you must love your brother also. If you don’t then you do not love God! What is the evidence of love?
Evidence of Love
1 Corinthians 13 begins by telling us that if we speak like an angel, have all knowledge and understanding; have the faith to move mountains; give all I own to the poor and even sacrifice my body and do not have love, agape, it means nothing and profits me nothing. Then love is defined:
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Do you have love? Are you kind and are willing to suffer long? Do you envy someone? Are you puffed up or want to be paraded as a hero? Do you behave rudely or seek your own benefit? Do you think evil about another person? Do you hope for another person to fail because you feel left out? Are you willing to bear the burdens of the person you like the least in the church?
Look also at Romans 12:
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
There are so many passages that define the actions of love and command us to love; I have not mentioned half of them here. Love is active, not passive. You cannot say, “I love my brothers and sisters in Christ” and not show evidence of that love. Sometimes love calls us to rebuke others in a spirit of meekness. The Bible says that if you rebuke a wise man, he will love you and Proverbs 27:5 says that open rebuke is better than concealed love. Unfortunately most people within the church rebuke with harsh words of condemnation rather than coming to rebuke in love with a humble spirit. Love is not only to rebuke, but also to restore.
Restore Others
I have observed that most Christians justify their bitter actions by first classifying their enemies as evil. The rational is that if you can accuse someone of being a disciple of the devil or a heretic, then you can attack them without guilt. In error, some think that if you can make someone an enemy of God then your hatred is God’s service. We have already seen the error of this way of thinking by the passages where we are commanded to love our enemies just as God does. The Lord makes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. If God does good to His enemies, what right do we have to try to destroy God’s enemies?
The Bible gives instructions to us in this area as well. Look at Galatians 6:
1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
5 For each one shall bear his own load.
6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.
We are not commanded to drive out the sinners, but to restore them. The Bible does give us a process for dealing with sin in the church. If someone is actively sinning (including bitterness), the spiritual leaders of the church are to go to that individual with gentleness. If they are unresponsive, two or three confront the person with the same spirit of gentleness. If this fails, we are commanded to bring it before the church body and as a last resort; we are commanded to count them as an unbeliever outside of the body. The reason we are commanded to disassociate the one who refuses to conform to truth is because if sin is left unchecked, it will affect others and sidetrack the entire church. However, at the point the person who has broken fellowship with the church turns and repents, we are to extend grace and restore this one to the family of faith. Paul addressed immorality being practiced by a member in the church of Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-7 Paul commands that the man practicing sin be removed from the congregation. In a later epistle, the man has repented and Paul writes that the church should restore this person and affirm their love for him (2 Corinthians 2:5-8). I have seen church discipline exercised quite differently. Most of the time, gentleness and humility are completely negated and the attitude is to take the sinner behind the woodshed. Instead of being the last resort, punishment becomes the first line of defense.
We are commanded to first consider ourselves. What person would not give into sin if God removed His hand from their life? Someone who has never been exposed to drugs has no concept of drug addictions. Someone raised in church has no concept of the influences in the life of someone who has been raised in a godless environment. How can we condemn someone when we cannot even empathize with their struggles? Anyone who thinks that they are above temptation is blind, proud and has no business instructing those who struggle. We are all sinners sheltered by the hand of a loving God. We all recognize the sins of others but it is hard to consider ourselves. Pride is the greatest of all sins and it blinds us so that we cannot even recognize it in our own lives. God resists the proud, but give grace to the humble. The person who is overtaken by sin is closer to God’s grace than the proud man or woman who shows no outward signs of sin.
I have heard it said that no one shoots their wounded more than the church. Unfortunately, this is true all too often. When our members begin to slip away, few will ever contact them. When someone falls into sin, they feel ostracized from the congregation and no one reaches out to them. Many times people feel left out or feel hurt for various reasons. They feel like they are not part of the body, so they quit coming. If no one ever reaches out to them, their feelings are confirmed. We cannot prevent someone from leaving, but we must not let our members depart unnoticed. We must not allow our brothers and sisters to be defeated by sin without holding them up in prayer and by direct interaction.
We are commanded to bear one anothers burdens while bearing our own burden. It is through discipleship that we build up those who struggle so that they are first bearing their own weight and then reaching out to those who need help standing.
Discipleship
Discipleship is an act of love. If I truly love God, my desire will be to draw others into that loving relationship with God. When we are fleshly minded, we will have an envious attitude. If you look at the world, people rejoice in the failures of others. Many will help others to succeed as long as they see personal benefit or credit. As it is in the world, many in the church have a childish tattle tale attitude. Those who are carnal minded feel puffed up when they see the weak struggle. Instead of rushing to their aid, they push them aside. This is the same attitude you see in children. Young children rush to tell bad news they find out about another. If someone commits an error, they want to see them punished and rejoice when a peer is in trouble. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
I believe this is fitting when it comes to discipleship. When we were immature Christians, we still had worldly ideas. We acted childish; felt like we must protect our piece of the pie; we were willing to backbite and badmouth others; and we rejoiced in the demise of others while being jealous of their success. When we grow, our attitude changes until we come to the point where we are willing to put away childish ways and become spiritually mature. We then will adopt the attitude of Romans 12:
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Once we begin to think as a man or woman of faith, we will also seek to instill these values into those who are willing to grow as well. As mature Christians, we are able to disciple those who will either replace us or go out and replicate the same ministries. Discipleship teaches others to walk in the faith and then equips others to work out God’s plan in their own lives.
Part of loving others is reaching out to those who struggle; instilling godly values in those who are growing; and then equipping others for ministry. As a Christian matures, they cannot sit idly without a ministry. Not all are teachers, preachers and publicly visible ministers, but all do have a calling and a specific ministry. If there is backbiting in the church, this shows spiritual immaturity and that the church vision has been forgotten.
God has not called us to protect our piece of the pie nor did He call us to live cautiously. We have not truly discipled someone until we have given them the opportunity to fail. We equip others for success and them give them the opportunity to succeed. The opportunity to succeed is also the opportunity to fail. Look at the example of Jesus Christ. He poured His life into twelve men and then placed in their trust the entire future of the church and the salvation of the world. If we look at their lives we see that they were clueless and short sighted. Yet when God put them into His plan, they became the foundation of the church.
We undervalue the command of discipleship and we underestimate the call of God. The modern church demands iron clad credentials and limits the call of God. Not one of the apostles would have been qualified to lead the church today – with the exception of Paul. Ironically Paul denounced his qualifications and said, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified”.
Where is discipleship in the church today? When a church leader leaves, the church should already have someone to take his place. Not only that, but we should also have equipped leaders to go out and begin new work. We have replaced discipleship with task oriented leadership. Church leaders give classes and then assign specific tasks to workers and never allow them to have ownership of the ministry God has called them to do. We are warned not to place novices (or young / immature believers) into positions of leadership, but we have taken this completely out of the spiritual realm and made men the ordainers instead of God.
Why is it that a church can have four men who are called to preach, yet they have to organize a search committee to go outside the church to find a pastor? The church should be equipping leaders and sending them out to extend the work and vision of the church, but instead we focus ministry inward and then have to go outside the church to find leaders to fill the insufficiency of the local body. Instead of grooming future leaders within the local body and following the Bible’s mandate for discipleship, future leadership is based on one or two impressions and the ability to finesse the interview? The church prays that God will lead us to the right man, but so have many, many other churches that were confident when they called the pastor but later regretted the decision. The question remains, why are people calling the pastor instead of God? If God has called someone within the body, what good is it to pray for God to lead you to someone outside the church? If we refuse to consider the people God has equipped, our prayers are in vain for God will not change and bless what He has not ordained.
The entire modern church system has been organized solely on tradition rather than scripture. I guarantee that if you ask any church why they are going outside the church to find a pastor, everyone will say, “this is the way we have always done it”. I realize this is a nationwide problem and will not be changed overnight, but consider how leaders were chosen in the Bible.
Moses was called by God to lead Israel. Moses groomed several leaders who showed themselves worthy and called by God. When the time came, God chose Joshua and commanded that Moses lay hands on him and he was ordained to lead God’s people. The New Testament teaches this principle as well. Paul chose workers and as they were ready, he sent them to areas of need. When Paul started a new church, he discipled new believers for the purpose of replicating his ministry. Paul recognized God’s hand on Timothy’s life and just as Jesus showed by example, Paul took Timothy, prepared him for the ministry and transferred his work to Timothy. Timothy was ordained within the local body by laying on of hands by the church elders. They recognized his gifts and calling and acknowledged God’s ordination by laying on of hands. Look also at Acts 13:
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
What church would consider appointing leaders today according to these scriptures? The church sought God’s will by prayer and fasting and God called leaders from within the local body to become ministers to be sent out. Neither Paul nor Barnabas had any qualifications or experience for the task at hand, but God chose them according to His own will. A biblically founded church does not draw resources from outside to minister within, but rather disciples within and sends its resources out. How have we gotten so far off course?
There is nothing wrong with someone going to seminary if God is behind it, but seminary does not qualify someone for ministry. God’s call and our discipleship is the true method for leadership training. Acts 4 makes an interesting statement:
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
A love for God and a passion for truth should be what draws our attention to those we identify within the church to be mentored for leadership. An important principle for discipleship is found in 1 Timothy 4:
14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
Is this how we choose leaders today? Do we identify those called by God with the gifts of God and acknowledge this by laying on hands? Or do we put our trust in credentials and how many abbreviations follow their name?
Conclusion
Following God is an act of love. Discipleship is an act of love.
John 14:
21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
…
23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 " These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.
26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
John 15:
10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
14 "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Do you love God? Are you living obedient to God?
Do you love others? Do you have bitterness? Are you reaching out to others?
Now is the time to make things right with God and with those you have anything against.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
