Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The Biblical Church Part 2


The intangible things:
When we look at the things that we can perceive but not measure concretely, the perception of Love, Order and Worship are perceptible but not necessarily measurable.
Love in our society has become a cheapened, over commercialized sensual phenomenon that is nothing more than, as the world sees it a physical attraction that we are helpless to do anything about.  Sexual love appears to be the shallowest of all love and mostly in the media is nothing more than lust.  Consider 2 Samuel13:1-20 and Amnon's love for his half-sister Tamar.  Was this love? No just lust.  The best definition of Love I have ever been given is that love is action.  It is what a person demonstrates in behavior, patience, graciousness, and going out of the way for another

(Romans 12:10 , Philippians 2: 4 (2:4-8)John 13:34-35  John 14:15 Ephesians 5:25-30 John 3:16
 All of these scriptures denote actions!

I would also be remiss if I did not mention 1 Corinthians 13  because this passage should be read in context with chapters 12 and 14 to understand that this is how Spiritual gifts work and how all activities are motivated and performed in Love for the sake of each other and the church.

Now lets look at Hollywood love and compare it to the first few verses of 1 Corinthians.... hows that sensual love working for you and what do you do when the lust dies down??

So, in a church we see love shown by demonstration. It is not just being friendly, but putting up with the weaker brother or sister, creating an environment of non-gossip (OK there goes my church audience) not being critical of each other. This is a statement I heard from behind the pulpit many times, but then when I became a minister I cannot tell you how many ministers I heard that would excoriate someone else in the name of "helping them".         Another trait would be tolerance, but not the tolerance that is being used by our new progressives in government.  What I mean by tolerance is being gracious to a person who is not at the same spiritual or emotional level as we are. We shouldn't we look at them as a brother but overlook their foibles.  Remember:  we have errors and bad manners of our own!
Love in a church should extend in such a way that it is infectious on Sunday morning, at fellowship and even when pulling weeds out of the parking lot on a hot summer day!  Our actions are others perception!  Love should imbibe every action, and even when things are tough, or problems come along there should be that bond of love.  I knew quite a few people who were in a very straight laced Pentecostal denomination with me.  Quite a few of us left over the years.  Usually because when you reached 35 or so, you looked around and realized that somewhere the love that was there when you were a young GI disappeared when you became a seasoned minister.  Perhaps, because it was only there with our rank-and-file  and a few ministers!
The love of the brethren is the glue that keeps things together and the family of God inseparable!



Until next time:

Your Brother in Christ
And  Senpai in Karate 
先輩
 

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