After more than thirty moves and attending many different
churches of several differing denominations, I’ve made a few observations. One
is that vibrant growing churches have one thing in common; they magnify the Lord
rather than focus on the responsibilities of His people. This has nothing to do
with denomination, preaching style or organizational practices. When God is
exalted, people come.
The second thing I’ve noticed is that there is great unity
and harmony when people prioritize loving one another. Not only is this love
powerful, it is a choice — and a mark of true faith in God. It shows that I
know God and He knows me . . .
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7–12)
Tozer says that this love is the antidote to the troubles
that could come. When a local church is being and doing what we ought to, the
enemy does not like it and will try to stir up problems. Satan wants to ruin
our testimony and our work, but if we “pour in copious amounts of love” it
serves as a lubricant that reduces friction to a minimum. Then the Body of
Christ will work smoothly and without injury to its members.
The question is; where does this love come from? The answer
is that God’s love flows from our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. This
love unites believers to Christ and binds us to each other.
As a quilt maker, I think of how this loving unity is
illustrated by a well-made quilt. The patches and parts differ in size, color,
tone and texture, but because of the stitches, they are bound together in a
unity of design and an intricacy that is often amazing. Not only that, each
part has a common goal — to be a thing of beauty that flows from and shows the
heart of the one who crafted it.
So it is with the Body of Christ. We reflect the Designer
and are to reflect of His great love. Without it, the world cannot see what He
is like. Jesus made this amazing statement:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35)
From this, I conclude that the world has every right to
say I am not a Christian if I don’t love other Christians! This sacrificial,
godly love is the mark of genuine faith.
^^^^^^^
Oh Jesus, we call today “Good Friday” — a day
commemorating the worst that humanity could do and the best that God could do.
The Father sent You to die for our sin. We rejected and brutally murdered You, at
the time not realizing that this must happen so we could be forgiven and given
new life. This is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and
sent You to be the propitiation for our sins. Because God loved me like that,
my love for others should be like that — sacrificial and without reservation or
conditions. Oh for grace to be more like You.
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