Loving Jesus is the Core of Who We Are
Last Sunday Bonnie and I had the excitment to share our Expressions group with my three little cousins from northern Alberta. It was a small group this Sunday but that is ok. God still showed up! I video taped it so that my Uncle and Aunt would be able to see their expressions when they returned from San Antonio and their 20th Anniversary. I thought I would share it here too.
“If You Go God Will Show…a New You!”
“Cure yourself of the condition of bothering about how you look to other people. Be concerned only…with the idea God has of you.”
A few weeks back my dad had invited me out to a four day conference being held at Southside Victory Church called ‘Rivers’. I agreed to go but to tell you the truth, I was pretty nervous about actually attending. See Southside Victory is one of those “Holy Roller” churches and I am a Holy Roller for sure, just in a different way (I am after all in a wheelchair:). But, I did go!
So there I am sitting in the third row from the front (I think my dad had us up front on purpose) and they began to worship with lively music. People were shouting, dancing up and down the isles, jumping and waving their brightly colored banners (it was actually quit elegant and beautiful), and of course “slain in the Spirit” laying and rolling on the floor in the open spaces at the front. One guy runs by me a few times and then grabs my hand and try’s to pull me up to the front. I smiled and politely said no thanks.
Then this couple, probably in their mid fifties, takes out these three to four foot long ram horns from under their seats and start blowing them as hard as they can right in front of me! I thought, are those things real (I later on asked them and sure enough, they were)! So here they were blowing these things for all they were worth, cheeks ballooned outwards, their faces getting redder and redder, and this strange kind of “ahhuuuga” noise coming from out of the horns. I got this big smile on my face as I thought, “No wonder these guy’s are getting slain in the Spirit. Their passing out from lack of oxygen!”
That’s when it happened. A moment and spirit of spontaneous unity that I did not expect. My father reached over, grabbed my hand and raised it in worship with his hands. It was in that moment that I two very real realizations. First, there is great Joy in real worship. No fluffy acts of trying to fulfill the requirements of performing a religious theatrical or professional presentation to the theme music of the day and no fake acts of trying to guard against the feelings of “what will they think of me if I do this?” The pure unadulterated and unrestrained spirit of Joy! And second, my father has faith in a mighty awesome God! But, if I did not go God would not have shown me that!
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.”
Jesus told his disciples, “Go your way…” Not Peter’s way. Not James or John’s way. Go your way! It seems clear that throughout history and time God values human free will more then anything else and Jesus makes no hesitation in imparting that free will to his disciples when he sends them on ahead of himself. He wants their destinations to be set by their own dreams, goals, passions, and inner stirrings. Peter and Andrew were fishermen so maybe they would head for the fish markets and coastal communities. Matthew was a tax collector for the Romans so perhaps he might head for the Roman communities and military postings. In any case they were going where God was showing their dreams and aspirations for the Kingdom of God here on earth.
More importantly Jesus was telling them to go! This was like that moment (for those of you who have seen the movie ‘Transformers’) when the beat up Camero had sped up to them, its door flung open, and Jesus was turning to them saying “Fifties years from now when you are living in the safety of your comfy, white picketed home; are you going to look back at this moment and ask yourself, ‘Why didn’t I go?’”
What if Simon turned to Jesus and said, “If they want to go that’s o.k. but, I think I will just stay here with you Jesus where I know that it is safe.” Jesus would be like, “I am offering you the riches of life in its fullness and wonderment. Why would you just want to stay here and settle for the scraps? Nevertheless, the Kingdom of God has come near.”
Don’t miss the boat! Don’t recognize the call to move in upon your calling, your dreams, your hopes for a better future, a better you and not act upon it! Listen closely to that inner voice and when Jesus says go, then go!
It was the fall of 1993 and I distinctly remember walking down one of the side streets close to my best friend’s house when I had one of those moments of being called to go somewhere. It was as though someone was asking me “How would you feel if you were in a wheelchair?” Looking back I can recognize it as God speaking with me. I answered with what seems now like a lack of complete understanding to what I was being asked. Being in a wheelchair would be great. It would make me unique, I would stand out from others, and I would be special. And it did! I just didn’t count on or expect all the challenges that would come with it.
There was another time several years ago that I had a different calling to go. It was to the Mustard Seed and the homeless people of Calgary. While I was down there God showed me something I will never forget. It was a cold February evening. A number of the college students and I had been down there since early morning serving, cleaning, and walking/wheeling the streets while visiting the homeless beggars on 8th Avenue. The sun had pretty much set and the only light was coming from the street lamps and the natural aura from the moon.
We had lined up with the rest of the homeless outside of the Seed’s main building and were waiting for them to open the doors and allow us to come in for dinner. A couple of the students and I were chatting about the days events while shivering from the cold and jumping up and down with the anticipation to getting in where it would be warmer. Then I noticed a scruffy and some what dirty native man a little ways off looking over at me. When he walked over we chatted for a few minutes and then he asked me if I would mind if he prayed for me! I was a little taken back by the faith of this homeless man but I of course said, “Yes, of course you can!”
I will neither forget that moment nor the face of this broken, native, scruffy, homeless man as he kneeled down and put his hands on my knees while praying for me. God called him to go and he listened and God showed up! I didn’t walk and nothing supernatural happened but a miracle did in fact take place that night sitting and shivering in the cold with this homeless man. The miracle of human unity. The miracle of my brotherhood with this man and his faith. The miracle when realized that when God calls, if I go God will show a new me!
If you go God will show… a new world to you.
If you go God will show… great character in you.
If you go God will show… changed lives because of you.
If you go God will show… transformation within you.
If you go God will show… a New You!
Coming to the Table in a New Light
“Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.”
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
A Sense of Preparation and Anticipation
In a lot of ways I some how can’t help but feel like the liturgical setting and practice of the last supper or communion has eroded the natural and much more creative practice to which Jesus and the disciples first practiced it. That’s not to say that it had little or no value within liturgy as it first was constructed, I just think that value has slipped away through time and lost the appeal of what Jesus meant to say through our remembrance of it.
In the gospels it is not a 5 minute setting where each disciple passed the tray of wafer like crackers and little plastic cups of grape juice, said a quick prayer and “gobbled” them done. In fact Jesus branched the Jewish festival of the Passover feast as a reflection to the New Covenant he was bringing! The Last Supper or Communion was something different something more then a simple wafer or even a feast. It had meaning and personal spiritual significance to those who were apart of it.
Jesus says to his followers earlier that they should go into the city and prepare for the evenings activities. I don’t know why but I picture Peter and his brother Andrew going off and hitching a boat to go fishing so that maybe they might bring a fish to the evening’s meal. Maybe James and John went to the local market to find bread, cheeses, fruits, and other good stuff while Philip, Thomas, and the others searched for a room in which they could host the event.
I don’t really know the order but they all had a part in organizing and preparing for the Passover meal. There was still something deeper about it though. There was this sense of preparation but also the greater sense of anticipation. Anticipation as to meeting up with the others and hearing about the adventures they encountered while preparing for the night. Anticipation as to whom else might be there and anticipation to what Jesus might have planned for the evening. The feast once it arrives becomes alive and full of laughter, joy, and the excitement of people talking with one another as they share their different stories, memories, talents, and gifts.
Unity in the Body
Jesus grabs there attention as he stands with a loaf of bread in his hands. He begins breaking it up and handing it to them as he says “Take, eat; this is my body.” What a peculiar and strange thing to say. I don’t know about you but when I picture the idea of eating a “body” I kind of loose my appetite. That being said, I don’t think Jesus intended us to think of it that way!
I think Jesus intended for the disciples and us to see it metaphorically. So let’s picture it for a moment… what thoughts come to mind as we imagine the disciples taking part in one body? The thought that comes to my mind is that Jesus was reminding them of the unity to which they had with one another through his relational participation with each of them.
The problem though is I think when we start reflecting on that word “unity”. Typically when we hear this word I think we tend to assume it means a grouping of individuals or elements which have all things in common. Like we find unity with the jocks of our schools or we find unity in those who believe, act, and follow the same endoctrinization or denominational system as ourselves. That’s not the unity Jesus was describing here though through the picture of his body.
Picture a single strand of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA). Do you know that if all the molecules of DNA in a single human cell were laid out end to end, they would stretch 2 meters. How many cells do you think there is in a human body? It is estimated that the average human adult has over 10 trillion cells in there body; each one with their own unique, specific, and extraordinary DNA strand! That blows my mind!
I can remember watching a film on the Intelligent Design Theory several years ago that stated the language used within the DNA structure is so complex that it is virtually impossible to be considered accidental or random in nature. If that is so, God in essence spoke each one of our identities into existence and in so doing left his imprint on each one of us.
“Take, eat; this is my body.” This unity Jesus spoke of was a relational interjection which he has with each one of us as we also have with one another through our expressions of love, kindness, compassion, joy, and fellowship. The things we think about affect those around us. The words we speak transform, for better or worse, the people we are close too. The actions we take, either for ourselves or others, begins a processes of change which is inevitable whether we accept it or not but we do have the power to choose whether we do it in remembrance and reflection of our unity in his body, his character, his persona, or not.
Missional Agenda to Pouring Out a New Covenant
Jesus then takes his cup and says, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Looking back we can easily see the tie Jesus was figuratively placing between his death on the cross and the cup he held in front of himself but, what about the disciples? What do you suppose they were thinking in that moment and time?
It might seem radically different but blood was considered to be a life giving element. So I imagine the disciples were not seeing Jesus’ cup of the New Covenant as a representation to his actual death but rather a picture of the way he lived his life! Jesus lived a life which was poured out not for himself and not just for those of his friends. He lived a life that was poured out for many so that they might remember and follow his lead by pouring their lives out into the hearts, minds, and spirits of many more!
Jesus’ life was filled with the imagery and acts of a missional focus to reach out to others in need in whatever way that took shape. That same indwelling call that Jesus had is passed on and shared with us as we in essence drink from the same cup. As we are empowered through his body we are sent out to do his work and incarnate his presence with the rest of his people regardless to there beliefs, life styles, or outer image.
How can we do this? I remember reading a friends blog a few months ago and he referred to another article on the site ‘Towards Hope’ called ‘Ten Tips for Living the Incarnation…[Plus One]‘. John Santic has outlined a beautiful picture of what it means to live incarnationally and I encourage you to read is article but for the sake of pouring it out for you here is a synopsis of his 10:
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Attentive Listening
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Formative Practice
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Proximity
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Holistic Gospel Proclamation
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Patience
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Generosity
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Advocacy
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Hospitality
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Reading the Culture
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Pathos
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[Plus One]…Simplicity or ‘Here’s to Nothing’
Coming to the Table in a New Light
I don’t know about you but when I reflect back on what the disciples may have experienced and encountered at that supper table in a dimly lit room, I begin to see myself coming to that table in a new light. A light filled with hope, promise, future, and purpose. A light filled with communion. Communion with God. Communion with Jesus. Communion with my brothers and sisters. Communion with many!
Expressions of Epiphany: Taking the First Steps
O.k. O.k. It has been awhile since I have had the chance to blog!!! In truth, I have a good reason! Actually, an excellent reason!! Expressions has been a dream Bonnie and I have had for some time and we are finally taking the first steps in making it a reality.
That is where my time has been going. I have been writing and developing a website for Expressions (Click Here) with the aid of my good friend David. As well as planning for the coming month and kickoff of our group starting this weekend. With that in mind, I am looking forward not only to the kick off this Sunday but also to hearing Brian McLaren speak at the First Christian Reformed Church here in Calgary on Saturday (Click Here for Details).
It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention the excitement of having been able to see the Blue Man Group a few weeks ago. Bonnie got us tickets for my birthday and we both agreed that it was possibly one of the best shows we have ever been too. I could also really see what Leonard Sweet meant when I heard him speak on the effective ways in which we as a church can communicate with one another as the Blue Man Group communicated with the audience.
This past weekend I spent sometime at my Dad’s “Holy Rollers” church. I guess I was rolling in my own way (Ha, ha – if you know what I mean). In honesty, it was a great time of seeing what it really means to experience the joy of the Spirit! It reminded me of a poem a friend gave me along time ago.
“When God puts us back together again; (with the aid of our willingness to cooperate); this great church will be marked by; the dignity and scholarship of the Anglicans, the order and sacraments of the Roman Catholics, the warm fellowship of the Methodists, the Presbyterian desire for good preaching, the Lutheran respect for sound theology. There will be the Baptist concern for individual salvation, the congregational respect for the rights of lay members, the Pentecostal reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Quaker appreciation for silence. We will find there the Mennonitesense of community, the social action of the Salvation Army, the social justice of the United, and the Reformed love of the Bible, all wrapped in Orthodox reverence before the Mystery of God.”
Questions to the Contextualization of the Scriptures: How Does it Relate to Evangelism and Discipleship?
In Alan Hirsch’s and Michael Frost’s book ‘The Shaping of Things to Come’ they quote Charles Kraft’s four principles of contextualization in the Bible. Reflecting on their value I am left curious as to how they relate to evangelism and discipleship. What do you think?
“They are:
- The Bible goes considerably beyond revealing merely intellectual truth or information. It demonstrates how truth is conveyed. Says Kraft, ‘Our God… is mainly a God of dialogue who interacts with us.’
- God’s communication with humanity is depicted in the Bible as coming to humans in familiar, expected ways (though the message itself was often unexpected).
- God’s method of self-disclosure is demonstrated to be participatory.
- We observe God’s revelatory activity in the scriptures to be situation-specific.”
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Loving God: Pursuing His Utmost With Our Utmost
At the core of all things Jesus tells us that we are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Love at first seems a simple term however; the love that Jesus describes seems to be lost in the translation.
By the English definition love is described as a “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties or affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests.” This kind of love seems tied to an understanding that it is a reactional response to something which is mutually experienced, beneficial or acquired between two individuals. Love is something which is earned through a relational development rather then a characteristic which is always present.
Although often interpreted this way by many unsuspecting believers this is not what Jesus meant when he called us to love God. The love which Jesus asks of us is in the Greek form of ἀγαπάω love which has the deeper meaning of “a God like love that loves regardless of the circumstances, a deliberate love that decides it will keep loving even if it is rebuffed. We are challenged to live out the highest love and to do so with the highest sincerity. Our love is to be genuine, not counterfeit.”
This is a love which seems most difficult to instill in the hearts of many people today. It is as though we do not trust that it has already been created within us. With the wear and tear of a consumeristic, competitive, self driven, and fallen society we have callused the relational sides of our hearts and hidden, even from ourselves, our own identities of ἀγαπάω love and the connection to which it gives us to God. In spite of this, the apostle Paul is still right in saying, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” We may hide from the love which is in our hearts but love is always present. Jesus knew this and calls us to acknowledge, revel, and bring that love to the surface of everything we do.
Mrs. A. E. Janzen describes the story of a college professor by saying, “A college president not long ago made this arresting statement to a class of graduating seniors: “It gets easier and easier for man to dominate his universe … and harder for him to dominate himself.” He went on to say, “It matters little what you learn or express if in the end you cannot find some ways of working things out with your neighbors.” We cannot dominate the universe, but, with God’s help, we can dominate ourselves.”
Similarly, Michael Frost quotes Vaclav Havel, “There is such an enormous gap between our words and deeds. Everyone talks about freedom, democracy, justice, human rights, and peace; but at the same time, everyone, more or less, consciously or unconsciously, serves those ideals only to the extent necessary to defend and serve his own interests, and those of his group and state. Who should break this vicious circle? Responsibility cannot be preached: it can only be borne, and the only possible place to begin is with oneself.”
Both Janzen’s story and Vaclav’s articulation point to the truth that love is not something which we can earn or acquire from God or others but is rather a conscious choice which we are free to express starting solely within ourselves. We are free to express love by choice and are not confined to expressing it through a consumeristic “what do I get out of it” mentality.
Loving God first starts by the words and deeds we begin within ourselves allowing others to see the transformation to which we experience and freeing them to recognizing God’s love within them. It starts by loving God with all of our heart by seeking the incarnation of Christ like character from the inside out and then extending that love outwards to all of our soul by living faith as a holistic expression of who God created us to be.
Why Church Plant?
From a Biblical Stance it seems natural to follow in Jesus’ final mandate to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:19a) He is sending us as his followers to go to all places where the gospel has yet to be shared in a living form of existence. I say it this way because in our North American context it is extremely difficult if not impossible to escape the knowledge of Christianity and its influence over our heritage and culture. What seems less known or accepted is its living presence and mandate for salvation to be brought to all existence and life.
Christianity has been limited to the presentation of education and knowledge expressed through religiosity rather then the actual engagement with the resurrected Jesus and becoming a disciple or follower of his way in every day life and practice. The gospel in essence is much more than individual salvation and redemption. It is a communal journey of continuing to go out from the boarders of your own comfortability and connecting others to the freedom of following Christ into a greater self awareness and development of the holistic way in which he made them and you.
Nationality also becomes more than the simple nation to which you come from or were born in. It also is shaped by individual history and culture. Culture is defined as the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group or the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes a company or corporation. In a North American context these factors can be diverse when traveling from community to community even within a single city. The beliefs, values, and goals of those living in the inner city of downtown Calgary can be significantly different then those found in the South East corner suburbs of McKenzie Towne or Cranston.
There is the question of why not just work through existing churches? Ed Stetzer offers an answer in his book Planting Missional Churches; “Some people note that the Great Commission does not use the term church planting. Thus, they argue that the Great Commission is fulfilled only through existing congregations (particularly in highly churched areas). But the early church was filled with the Holy Spirit, according to the book of Acts (2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9). These Spirit-filled disciples planted churches. It’s obvious by their actions that the first hearers of the Great Commission assumed its fulfillment required multiplying disciples and forming new congregations.”
I think in close connection to Stetzer’s observation is the sense of calling through a “Holy discontent”. In a personal note to answering the question of why church plant I can only say that in my own following of Christ I see him envisioning a community of followers who are reaching the churched and un-churched in a new and more culturally emerging way. One which is not so easily embraced or expressed through traditional churches. It is a deep sense of the need to go and bring freedom and encouragement to live in holistic relationship to the way God has created us in spite of any challenges or obstacles which we may individually face.
Perhaps in embracing a vision as to why we should church plant we can begin to explore the values and community to which we wish to grow and develop in fellowship with.
A Valentine’s Day Message: Do You Love God?
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
It was several years ago that I experienced one of the most terrifying experiences any man will have in their walk of faith as a Christian. Bonnie and I were leaving the main hall after the worship service in our church and Arnie Termors (the Lead Pastor) came up to us, put his hand on both of our knees and said quit abruptly, “I love you guy’s and there is nothing you can do about it!”
Now I can handle preaching, praying, singing and worshipping in public but; this expression of love was a little different and pretty uncomfortable. A lot of you guy’s are thinking the same thing right now! “What am I supposed to say?” And, “How do I get this guy’s hand off my knee?” So how do we relate those feelings to what Paul said in this passage we read a few minutes ago?
Paul says that if we have great tongues and abilities to speak and articulate words but we do not have love then we lack harmony and are ultimately empty of meaning and purpose. If we have and can see spiritual gifts and abilities in ourselves and others yet we can not express love in all environments and to all people then we ultimately amount to nothing. If we sacrifice great amounts of time, develop ministries, careers, families, and businesses but we do it with out a consciousness of love, then our achievements amount to zilch!
Paul’s expressions in this passage seem centered around a point that love is not something we can posses or find internally in ourselves. It is not just a feeling or emotional expression to which we feel only in a certain context or state of mind. Love is organic. It is a living entity that we can only be in relationship too!
1 John 4:7-8
“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.”
Let me ask you a question. If there was just one thing that you would hope to have accomplished throughout your life, what would it be? What is the one thing you hope to do in all of life?
Jesus was asked this question too and his answer shapes the same view Paul and John have.
Matthew 22:34-40
“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
In all things Jesus says we are to begin by loving God first and all other expressions flow out of that truth. It is as if we are like a mirror that when we are turned first to the source of love (God), we then reflect it to everything and everybody around us. Remove the focus from the source though and ultimately we reflect nothing.
Jesus then says in detail that we are to love God with all of our heart.
In his book ‘Fan the Flame’, Joseph Stowell says the “Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as “the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,” “the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,” and “the center of a person. The place to which God turns.”
Jesus is asking that our love for God becomes more then just a moment of emotion. He is asking that our love for God becomes our natural ethos and character. Loving God would then be a natural identity for ourselves regardless of who we are around or where we find ourselves. It is to internally and continually ask the question of ourselves, “If I were to say nothing about my faith to anyone else for the rest of my life, would they know that I love God?” That’s not to say that speaking about our faith is not good or wholesome, it’s just to ask if we are truly always living the faith which we are speaking about!
We are to love God with all of our soul.
Eerdmans dictionary defines soul as meaning our whole life not only in spirit but as a body and mind as well! It reads, “In the New Testament ‘soul’ (psyche in the Greek) refers to the living being of the whole person and to a person’s life.”
So when we read in Acts 2:41 that, “those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” Luke is saying that salvation is meant just as much for our body as it is our spirit.
When we love God with all of our soul we need to grow closer to him in all aspects of our life both physically, psychologically, and spiritually.
And finally, we are to love God with all of our mind.
1 Peter 3:8-9
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”
Loving God with all of our mind means we are seeking out unity, tenderness, and humility with him. We are not lashing out at God or placing blame or thinking badly of him. Loving God with all of our thoughts means we are blessing him as he is blessing us in return by continually renewing our minds.
I am reminded of something Charles Spurgeon wrote. He said:
“Some will say they cannot help having bad thoughts; that may be, but the question is, do they hate them or not? Vain thoughts will knock at the door, but we must not open them. Though sinful thoughts rise, they must not reign. He who turns a morsel over and over in his mouth, does so because he likes the flavor, and he who meditates upon evil, loves it, and is ripe to commit it. Snails leave their slime behind them, and so do vain thoughts.
Good thoughts are blessed guests, and should be heartily welcomed, well fed, and much sought after. Like rose leaves, they give out a sweet smell if laid up in the jar of memory. They cannot be to much cultivated; they are a crop which enriches the soil.”
Time is running out and I am sure many of you are thinking what’s for lunch so let me tie Jesus’ last point in with my conclusion.
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It is easy to say that yes you love your neighbor but today words seem empty without action. We have gone into get detail of how we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and even our strength. Why then should we not love our neighbor any differently? In truth, we should not love them any differently.
So then let me ask you some question for you to ponder over the next few days. According to the ways we have described love in the last few minutes, do you love the neighbors on either side of your house or home? Do you as a part of a community of Christians love the Mormons who are just done the street from us? Do you love the Muslim who lives a block or two away from you? Do you love that family member or coworker who continually stretches you to your emotional limits?
Don’t answer these questions right away but allow them to stir and mature in your heart. Then when you are ready to answer them truthfully, wholly, and honestly; answer them to God and ask him to transform and adjust your position so that his love can better be reflected into those areas of your life.
William Law once said, “[Christ] is the breathing forth of the heart, life and spirit of God into all the dead race of Adam. He is the seeker, the finder, the restorer of all that, from Cain to the end of time, was lost and dead to the life of God. He is the love that prays for all its murderers; the love that willingly suffers and dies among thieves, that thieves may have a life with him in Paradise; the love that visits publicans, harlots and sinners, and wants and seeks to forgive where most is to be forgiven.”
Without love we can achieve nothing. Without love we can find no purpose or meaning. Without love our very existence is nothing. But…In God’s love we are worth everything!!!
Expressions
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years By Donald Miller
Eternity in Their Hearts By Don Richardson
Follow Me to Freedom By Shane Claiborne & John Perkins
Journey to Significance By Neil Cole
Organic Leadership By Niel Cole
Forge Canada
Friend of Missional
Missional Apologetics
The Missional Network
Verge Network
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