Getting Job-ed
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 ESV
We’ve talked about this in prior articles before, but our culture is in so much chaos and division that it’s hard for most people to unite on any one thing anymore. Mainstream media and social media have been a big culprit in this for our society. But, as we know with so many other issues from Scripture, Christians are called to something different. As messed up as American Christianity is, the true Church is a beautiful bride being prepared by its Groom (Ephesians 5:25-32). The Church is meant to stand out from the rest of the world, in fact, that is what the Old Testament word for “holy” means (to be set apart). How does the Church stand out in a culture of chaos and hatred? The answer is simple: love for the Church.
By this All People Will Know that you are My Disciples…
We are called, in Scripture, to love others, including our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). But in John 13:34-35, Jesus shows that the Church sets itself apart by the way it loves each other within the body of the Church. This is a radical and caring love for each other. The Church is a growing body that is being sanctified to reflect the beauty and worth of Christ, and we are doing that through our love for each other. This is counter-cultural for the world that we live in. We are constantly being bombarded with messages telling us to divide into our clans and hate each other. Yet, Jesus is calling us to root ourselves deeply in love for each other.
Be the Church
Look around you today. Look at the messages being fed to you. Satan would love for the Church to be divided on such petty issues like Vax vs. Anti-vax, Democrat vs. Republican, stances on climate issues, energy issues, economic issues, foreign policy, and on, and on, and on… We are not called to that.
I have coffee with guys that range all over the spectrum with these issues. When we meet, we’re not meeting for any of these dividing issues. We meet to discuss Scripture and Jesus. We are so rooted in those two concepts that, far above all else, we can meet and get to real meaningful conversations and not just exchange punches on petty cultural issues. It’s not to say some issues are not important, and we usually do end up talking about them. But the thing is is that we are driven by our love for each other, truth, the Gospel, and Christ, that we can respectfully talk about these issues in relation to the Church and Scripture. I love conversations with other church members! There’s so much diversity, yet so much unity. The unity comes from the love we have for each other, and that love is rooted in Christ.
-Austin
