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| The Poor Woman, 1857 Oil Painting - Alexandre Antigna. |
Side story:
A few weeks ago something happened in worship that will remain with me forever. As we were getting ready for celebration, I was sitting up front as usual and settling in for the worship to start. A wonderful person came up and sat right next to me. Her name is Donna. She has a deep and sweet heart and loves with no pretense. She has been homeless. She is often disheveled and has struggled with the troubles of life. She came to us when we offered a meal on Easter to the homeless populations of our city. She continues to prosper in the Kingdom and as a member of the Body and her countenance shines brighter and brighter with the presence and love of the Lord each day. She came and sat right next to me on that front row. In my life, I have never been more honored. If you don't understand why, I don't think I can explain it to you. Donna worshiped Jesus with me.
"Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Matt 5
Of course, love is Not completely missing. It never could be. We are created in the image of God. God is love. Love is woven into the fabric of humanity. It finds expression in every culture and across all spectrum's of values and hopes.
Sad to say, but in many parts of the church it just appears to be low on the list of priorities.
That may sound absurd but humor me a moment. Can you name a deliberate attempt to foster love for Jesus first, love for the Kingdom first and his righteousness and love for the family of God first that is ongoing, daily, highest priority action? A love that has such a place in the overall sense of value in what is happening through a church and through us that we measure our Kingdom viability by it? That we measure our success by it? That we measure our ministries by it? Please, if you can tell me about it. How is love the driving feature of your church. Not by default or by some older church grandmothers that help us feel more environments of love, but by the whole gathering of people. Focused on the love of God filling up the identity and expression of what people recognize your church by?
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)
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| Detail from Poverty, by Picasso |
by this all men will know.......
By our powerful grasp of technology and media as communication tools? NO
By the weight of our amazing teaching and pristine grasp of the truths of God's House? NO
By the perfected craft of music in worship and outstanding performance? NO
By the beauty and size of our auditoriums and sanctuaries? NO
By our amazing success in this world as business people, athletes, politicians? NO
By our personality and beauty as people? NO
You get the point.
There is one mark that stands out above them all.
One sign to the world that what we are saying, doing, and preaching is true.
That we have love for one another. Without it everything else is empty, void and powerless.
Today we have love. But it may be for ourselves first.
Are we the idol of the times? US? Ourselves?
Our culture calls us to focus everything in and through and upon ourselves.
Our churches focus everything on "meeting us instead of helping us meet God in a culture of Love that speaks his name and magnifies his ability to save."
Citizenship in the Kingdom of God requires us to move and breathe in the Love of God. We have yet to explore this in any mind blowing depth or width here in the US. The Kingdom of God is a culture of love. The worship of the Kingdom is about laying down our lives for love and connecting with the Father's heart in complete freedom and joy.
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of
God,
to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to
God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2And
do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind,
so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which
is good and acceptable and perfect.…(Romans 12:1-2)
This is the way of the Lord Jesus in our world. He laid down his life for his friends. Then said, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14"You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15"No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.… (John 15:4)
Jesus measures love this way....
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Gal 5:22)
Love is the first and greatest fruit grown in the Kingdom of God. It is the supreme expression and fulfillment of what begins with the Alpha and ends with the Omega - Jesus our Lord.
Reminder:
We will not need faith in heaven. - We will have run our race
We will not need hope in heaven. - We will see it all before us
We will see as we are seen and known as we are known. Perfect communion.
LOVE is what remains in heaven.
Everything in the Father, Son and Spirit flows from love and produces a crop of love as its fulfillment. Heaven runs on a vastly different economy than our world. It originates assignments in love and love flows through and is grown by all that the Trinity puts energy to.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)
A whole Body of believers that is organized for Love.
Is that possible? To start a church and build an ekklesia that is focused on establishing and rooting the Saints in love as the primary goal?
If we do this we will....
Place Jesus at the Center of everything because we are totally in love with him.
If we do this we will
Place our focus on people and grass roots living and allowing the Love of God to touch and change and heal and renew.
Is it possible to co-labor with Jesus for a body of believers that is not satisfied without the fruit of the Spirit present in all they do? A body of believers that looks more like family and carries the peace of Christ at the core of relationships? A body that does not require explanation for it's most compelling quality, LOVE. Because it is self evident, experienced by all and the main ingredient of the Church?
We love because he first loved us. 1Jo 4:19
My answer is YES. Jesus Christ in his perfect work fully provisioned us to shine with the greatest truth the world can grasp. God is in love with them and in Jesus has made a way for every person to know and love God in unbounded freedom and joy. His Kingdom is different.
Thank you for reading. Comment below.
Do you have a story of love that touched you to the core and helped you see the Lord clearly? Share it.
Brother Jeff
Jeff Reynolds Sr. Leader
Capstone Christian Fellowship
jeff@jeffreynoldsministries.com
www.jeffreynoldsministries.com
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