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Love occurs in the context of a relationship. Jesus did not
wash everyone’s feet, He did not feed the crowds each time He taught, and He
did not love each person in the same way. The Bible describes the relationship
Jesus had with John as more intimate than His relationship with Peter. Yet Peter,
James and John all had a different of level relationship to Jesus that the
other nine apostles. Jesus did not treat them all equal.
As modern followers of Jesus we often confuse inclusion for
equality. God includes us, we all have a part in His plan. But we are not all
equal, we all have a verity of gifts, talents, ability and calling. In our
difference, God relates to us personally. We do not have a one size fits all
kind of love for God. The love of God is personal, it considers who we are and
our relationship to Him. The love of God manifest as discipline, direction,
forgiveness or anger depending on our condition and relationship to God.
As our natures are more and more conformed into the image of
Christ Jesus, we will love out of our nature more and more. The result will not
be a one size fits all kind of love. But we too, will find in us the ability to
be personal. We will love people as the Lord is loving them, seeking not to
cover them in love but to transform them by love. Even unconditional love is
given as an environment for growth and maturity.
Dealing with people,
sin and heaven
Three books I recommend for growth in your inner life and in your relationships.
Three books I recommend for growth in your inner life and in your relationships.
God is in our midst to help us live together. This quest for
together is not a quest to avoid conflict, but an endeavor to find agreement
with God in our living together. To those called to follow Jesus, it is assumed
our main purpose in life is to live as ambassadors of Jesus Christ on earth. If
we interpret all the “one another” passages that follow as a divine call to empower
people in their fallen and broken relationship with God, we miss loves primary
purpose. The goal of the “one another” passages is the same as the passage that
follows, to have Christ in our midst.
"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." (Mat 18:15-20)
All the passages that follow have a context. Each passage
has a subject, someone to do the action and an object, the ones to receives the
action. The more we live by the whole word of God and not break it into parts,
is the way we live holy and happy lives in union with the Father. The Bible
cannot be replaced with even holy extractions or critical passages. We need all
the word. But focusing on highlights or themes allows us to focus and follow
the leading of the Holy Spirit. If a verse below speaks to you or you feel the
Holy Spirit leading, dig deeper into the passage it comes from. Look into what
conditions or context the verse comes from. Who is acting? Who is receiving?
Why?
It is also important to know that the people of God, God’s
family is not a public or universal group. The family of God consist of people
who have made a choice to follow God. Each person is on a different level of
understanding and living out that commitment, but anyone who is a follower of
Jesus must comply to the conditions of following. Many people in our day are
seeking to encounter and experience God as a follower/disciple when they only believe
in God. Biblical believing is not the same as what believing is today.
I believe that all the commands that follow in the one
another passages below have the basic context for life in Christ Jesus.
1.
The goal is to have the nature and character of
Jesus Christ maturing in the life of the follower. Only when we maintain our
eyes on Jesus, when He alone is the primary focus, do we rightly discern the
truth.
2.
Speaking the truth in love is required. Both
truth and love are required expressions of our lives. When we distort the truth
or conceal it, we fail to love people in a transforming Godly way. Truth
speaking avoids the overemphasis of our personal opinion and the de-emphasis of
our fears and anxiety.
3.
Transparency in an ongoing development of Christ
like transformation. The more we look into the mirror of God the more we are
honest about our motives and desires. We learn to be honest and simple in both
our self talk and our speech to others. The love of God empowers us to have
courage to face our own selfish desires and to lovely deal with the motivations
of others that are in our sphere of relational responsibility.
4.
We are doers of the word. Our deeds, what we do
matters. We are not justified by thoughts alone. Wanting to do the good,
desiring to obey, and longing to love God falls short if actions do not follow.
Faith and works, work together. Wanting to love someone is not the same as
actually loving them.
As you advance from knowing to doing, seek to do the tight
action to the right recipients. Often our family and close friends are the last
to experience Christ in us when they are intended by God to be the first. Why
do we often give grace to strangers and withhold it from family? As the Holy
Spirit prompts you, record the names of the people who are to receive from you
a specific kind of “one another” action.
Leviticus 19:11 "Do
not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another."
John 13:14 Now
that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one
another's feet.
John 13:34 "A
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another.
John 13:35 By
this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another."
Romans 12:10 Be
devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:16 Live in
harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with
people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Romans 13:8 Let no
debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he
who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 14:13 Therefore
let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to
put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
Romans 15:7 Accept
one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Romans 15:14 I
myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness,
complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
Romans 16:16 Greet
one another with a holy kiss.
1 Cor. 1:10 I
appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you
agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you
may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Galatians 5:13 You,
my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the
sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2 Be
completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind
and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave
you.
Ephesians 5:19 Speak
to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in
your heart to the Lord,
Ephesians 5:21 Submit
to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Colossians 3:13 Bear
with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one
another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:16 Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude
in your hearts to God.
1 Thess. 5:11 Therefore
encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Hebrews 3:13 But
encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you
may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Hebrews 10:24 And let
us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:25 Let us
not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
James 4:11 Brothers,
do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him
speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not
keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
1 Peter 3:8 Finally,
all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers,
be compassionate and humble.
1 Peter 4:9 Offer
hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 5:5 Young
men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe
yourselves with humility toward one another , because, "God opposes the
proud but gives grace to the humble."
1 John 1:7 But
if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 3:11 This
is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
1 John 3:23 And
this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to
love one another as he commanded us.
1 John 4:7 Dear
friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves
has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:11 Dear
friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:12 No
one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love
is made complete in us.
1 Peter 4:8 Above
all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
James 5:16 Therefore
confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:9 Don't
grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is
standing at the door!
Hebrews 13:1 Keep on
loving each other as brothers. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 We ought always to thank God
for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more,
and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.
2 Thessalonians 1:3 We
ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith
is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is
increasing.
1 Thess. 5:15 Make
sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each
other and to everyone else.
1 Thess. 5:13 Hold
them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with
each other.
1 Thess. 5:11 Therefore
encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thess. 4:18 Therefore
encourage each other with these words.
1 Thess. 4:9 Now
about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have
been taught by God to love each other.
1 Thess. 3:12 May
the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone
else, just as ours does for you.
Colossians 3:13 Bear
with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one
another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:9 Do
not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its
practices
Galatians 5:26 Let
us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Galatians 6:2 Carry
each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
1 Cor. 12:25 so
that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have
equal concern for each other.
Galatians 5:15 If
you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed
by each other.
1 Cor. 11:33 So
then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.
Romans 1:12 that
is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.
Ephesians 4:16 From
him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Philippians 2:3-5 Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider
others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own
interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the
same as that of Christ Jesus.
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