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1.
People trying so hard to wring all they can from this life when the Bible clearly says we are to live for the next life.
In one of my recent posts I pointed out the agape type of love that sent Jesus to the cross. The type of love that comes with a cost.
15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. 17The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.
I was startled to discover in the above passage in 1 John 2 the same agape Greek word for love. In other words people can and do love the world with the same love that costs them just as we are commanded to love Jesus and people to our cost. That's sobering.
Still mulling over the ramifications of this.
2.
My last post was about how people can love this world, this life, the same way Christians are to love Jesus. Christians are not to love this world which is expressed by spending our time, money and efforts on pointing others to Jesus. We can have fun times but that isn't our focus. Not by a long shot. And you can't follow Jesus passively. No lukewarm Christians allowed.
So who are those who agape love THIS world versus agape loving THE world as in “God so loved the world that He gave…?”
I'm thinking of those who spend their time, money and efforts on the fleeting pleasures of this world.
I'm thinking of those who spend their time, money and efforts on helping others but without Jesus. I compare this to trying to tidy up the Titanic.
I'm thinking of those who say they are Christians and spend their time, money and efforts on helping others but Jesus has to say to them “depart from Me for I never knew you.”
I don't want to stand before Jesus and have to tell Him I loved this world more than I loved Him.
3.
This is a continuation of my last post. Alert: this is a long post.
So how are we as Christians supposed to agape love the world? Below is a group of verses all true Christians wrestle with.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me.’
Christians are often accused by the world of not doing these things. There’s some truth to that. But I can tell you most if not all of the things mentioned in the verses above are very difficult if not impossible to do on a lone eagle, individual basis. You can’t just walk up to a jail and ask to speak with the inmates. And have you tried to help the poor or outcast by yourself? Go try it. This is why I believe these verses were meant to be put into the larger context of through the church. You may have a problem with the church but Jesus Himself began the church. I attend a mega church that does incredible outreach. Prison ministry, emergency responses for natural catastrophe victims and many outreaches into the local community. I mean, literally, your mouth would drop open. All because of the generosity of its members. Many churches have food closets and special offerings to help their communities. Find an outreach minded church. If they don’t have an outreach that you have a burden for, then see if they will let you start one under their auspices. And the true church is a family. You may have to find a smaller group within a big church but it’s there. The stranger and the widow can find a family there. Your small group will visit you when you are sick. Do you really think it’s plausible to go around by yourself looking for widows and strangers to help? Or even safe?
Bottom line: God expects each Christian to take these verses seriously. While you may have opportunity to accomplish some of the things individually, most of the time they are to be done through the church. You may be giving your money generously to your local church but you need to be open to actively joining one of the outreaches of your church if you feel God is leading you to do so. I feel much of the world’s criticism of Christians is unjustified. They don’t see all the church is doing because churches don’t shout it. Bible actually warns against doing that.
4.
I know the church in America has problems. Even the early churches in Acts had problems. And Jesus’ words in Revelation to the seven churches are very, very sobering. How we function as individuals and as the church is critical.
Rather than try to list all that I see wrong with the church I would rather end with this: the Bible is a book of patterns. God lays out what we are to do and how we are to do it. People, either through lack of wisdom or thinking they know better, stray from the pattern That includes the church. The Bible talks a lot about the church. I would encourage everyone to do a word search on every place in the New Testament that mentions the church. That's the pattern.
Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock[a] I will build my church, and the gates of hell[b] shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[c] in heaven.”
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