INTRODUCTION: TURN TO ACTS 2:42
When we talk about our experience together as a Christian church, I want us to be very clear what it is we are to FOCUS ON.
We are to BALANCE our commitments. See the triangle –
That’s it. Plain and simple. Easy to remember.
• Communion
• Community
• Commission
Expressed through passionate devotion to:
• WORD, WORSHIP, LEARNING, LOVING, SERVING & SHARING.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”” “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow-man has fulfilled the law.” “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.” “This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.” “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” “And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.” John 13:34, 35; Romans 13:8; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 1:5, NIV.
• WE ARE CALLED TO BE A COMMUNITY THAT IS PASSIONATE ABOUT LOVING ONE ANOTHER.
Yet we live in a world, where ‘loving one another’ does not come easily. Even in our families we jokingly reveal a sad truth when we say: “Families, can’t live with them, can’t kill them…”
Today, I want us to see the standard of loving one another, and to grab hold of some tools to do so.
PRAYER
Read Acts 2:42-47
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47
Look at verse 44: All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Look at verse 45: Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Look at verse 46: They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
Their love for one another was three-dimensional. It wasn’t just talk – it was lived out with ACTION.
1. Loving Attitude: ‘together and had everything in common’ - this is an Inclusive love
2. Loving Actions: ‘selling… they gave to anyone…’ - this is a Generous love
3. Loving Acceptance: ‘in their homes ate together…’ - this is Hospitable love
1. ATTITUDE: Inclusive love – ‘together and had everything in common’
In all social settings, there is a PECKING ORDER. Someone is on top, someone is in the middle and inevitably, someone is on the bottom.
But Christ calls to love with an ATTITUDE of Inclusion. WE are united by one common truth: We need Christ.
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29
Are we inclusive?
This is all about our ATTITUDE. We all have ATTITUDE. We’ve all been shaped by something that has determined out attitude. Shaped by FAMILY, CULTURE, EXPERIENCES. And truth be told, we need to be RE-SHAPED in order to develop the proper attitude of love towards each other.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
What tools do you have at your disposal to reshape your attitudes? Prejudices?
Christ call us to love each other with an attitude of inclusion.
Secondly…
2. ACTIONS: Generous love – ‘selling… they gave to anyone…’
Talk is cheap.
James 2:15-17 says:
“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:15-17
These people took action. Action that we materialistic people swallow hard against. They actually took their possessions – and because of love – sold them and gave the money to those within the church family that were in need.
Everything in our culture wars against this kind of action step. First of all we are measured by our possessions. Secondly, we frequently blame people who are having a hard time financially. In fact, we’ve even spiritualized it and say: “If they were in God’s will, He’d be blessing them!” That is about as unloving as one can be. Many times people will have financial hard times simply BECAUSE they are following God’s plans for them.
The Mormon’s have this down pat. They guarantee their members security from the CRADLE to the GRAVE. When a Mormon family is down on their luck, the Mormon community rises up and helps them get back on their feet. Now, let me remind you that they are doing this to EARN THEIR WAY to planetary rulership.
Paul says:
“you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20
As those who have been ‘bought with a price…’ – who have been forever forgiven and eternally saved by the SACRIFICIAL GIFT of Christ – can we not learn to LOVE the way that Jesus did? Not out of obligation, but out of GRATITUDE?
‘Body’ speaks of the material world. The material possessions that God blesses you with are designed to bless those around you.
• What can we do to help each other in times of need?
The third dimension of ‘loving one another’ is
3. ACCEPTANCE: Hospitable love – ‘in their homes ate together…’
There is something very powerful about opening up your home to your fellow believers. You are making yourself vulnerable. People might judge you – either your house is too nice, or not nice enough. People might think unkind things.
But the power of opening up your house and your kitchen to the community of Christ is that you can sit down together – over tuna fish sandwiches and coffee – and share your hearts with one another.
When you say to someone “Hey, I’m having some folks over for a B-B-Q, can you come?” – what you are really saying is: “Hey, I ACCEPT you, come join us…”
• How important is ACCEPTANCE?
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:7
• What is our motivation to accept each other?
• Why do you think we spend so much time in restaurants and not very much time in homes?
• How many of you are uncomfortable having people in your home?
• Is it possible that God is speaking to you and desiring to reclaim your house for ministry? Is it possible that you’ve been listening to the lies of the enemy: “My house isn’t nice enough… clean enough… in a good enough area…”?
• Isn’t it time to stop listening to the liar and declare that your home belongs to God – even if it makes you feel uncomfortable?
CONCLUSION: The early church loved one another – in fact, they loved each other so effectively that the world around them took notice.
Jesus said: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”” John 13:35
I think we are pretty good at our relationships with one another. Yet – we also are very comfortable keeping them as ‘once-a-week’ relationships. Frankly, I believe that if we are going to be the LOVING COMMUNITY that Christ is calling us to be, we simply need to be more involved in one another’s lives.
• How can we do this?
Loving ATTITUDE
Loving ACTIONS
Loving ACCEPTANCE
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