Love Within the Community - 1 John 2:7-17 Part III

Love Within the Community 

1 John 2:7-17 Part III

The Necessity of Forsaking a Love of the World

I greatly lament the disappearing distinctions between the Church and the dominant culture.  Is there any longer a clear and discernible difference between the priorities, allocation of resources, principles and personal behavior of the average church attendee and that of someone who does not espouse any Christian beliefs?  The Church possesses a particular prerogative to transform society into the kingdom of God in which grand aims of the Hebrew prophets concerning truth, justice, mercy, and integrity become a reality.  The Church ought to resist prominent and prevalent tendencies to emulate the felicities of bourgeois culture and its concomitant bohemianism.

The tendency of church attendees to assimilate popular culture and secular, humanistic society creates great impediments to Christian spirituality.  Accommodations to cable television, Hollywood and Madison Avenue advertising greatly undermine the Church’s ability to transform society into the kingdom of God.  The removal of all political, economic and social systemic barriers is a prerequisite to the emergence of the kingdom.  Acknowledging the Lord’s words that the poor will remain always, the kingdom of God fulfills the grand visions of Isaiah 61:1-3, Luke 4:18 and Matthew 25.  “The least of these” receive particular care to preserve their human dignity and sanctity as children of God.  As others unrelentingly pursue their goals and dreams, the Church has a particular prerogative to ensure society distributes its resources fairly and care for the poor in the process.  Nonetheless, when church attendees have greater clarity about their political affiliations than their biblical and theological beliefs, they remain ignorant of “The Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:34-40) and “The Great Commission” (Matthew 28:16-20).  Regrettably, many church attendees listen more attentively to the clarion calls of the lobbying firms of “Avenue K” in Washington DC than they do local pastors who offer the prophetic vision of the kingdom of God.

The inability to distinguish clearly between the principles and actions of the Church and those of secular society depicts one of the Church’s greatest spiritual needs today.  Debatably, there is no discernible difference between the behavior of believers and the average citizen.  More regrettably, the Church mimics the world rather than being the “called out community” (ecclesia) whose existence is fundamentally grounded in the will and service of our Lord Jesus Christ.  To resolve this intractable dilemma, the Church must return to its basic purpose as a biblically based New Testament church operating according to the teachings of our Lord. 

Reaffirming the Bible as the rule of faith and practice resolves a number of attendant problems for the local church.  The moral and ethical laxity in the pews arises from protracted biblical illiteracy.  Plainly speaking, most congregants do not know the Bible well enough to follow it.  They are not acquainted with the commands of Christ.  They cannot explain adequately the reasons why obeying our Lord supersedes the moral relativism and ethical aimlessness of the dominant culture. 

The primary purpose of the Church contemporarily, as it has been historically, is developing a fellowship of believers who mature into genuine disciples, adhering unconditionally to The Great Commandment and achieving The Great Commission by evangelizing the entire world.  The Church meets these biblical mandates by prioritizing people.  More practically, the Church has a stewardship obligation to utilize her resources to assist each disciple in actualizing his God given talents to the fullest extent of his natural endowments and personal application.  More especially, the Church has the prophetic and social justice prerogative to demand a just and equitable society.  Whether the local homeless, the rising national prison population, or the instability in the global economy and international geopolitical relations, the Church must fulfill unflinchingly her divine charge to care for “least of these” through serving direct needs and prophetic advocacy. 

Concluding Reflections

The world needs a greater supply of love rather than oil. Seemingly, there is so little love in the world that people should secure it wherever and however they find it.  Their pursuit and obtainment of love may cross traditional boundaries and conventional relationships.  Many people fight to share loving relationships with another person and other people.  As a pastor, I constantly counsel people who are victims of unrequited love, even persons in marriages.  Broken relationships are a norm for most adults.  However, the great apostle of love reminds us that the Church, in total obedience to Christ, must be a community of love.  Christ’s sacrificial and supreme love is the foundation for relationships in the Church.  In appreciation of His perfect example, disciples emulate His love in contrast to the values of the world.

Three Personal Objectives

• To compare Christ’s sacrificial and faithful love with the emotional and romantic notions of the world.
• To understand how the apostle of love defines love and hatred.
• To help learners ascertain whether they are obeying the new law of love.

Prayer

Our loving Father and Lord, help us to better understand Your love.  Arrest us with a greater appreciation for the sacrifice of Your life on the cross.  Give us grateful hearts that empower us to share willingly with others.  You are love.  Teach us to live daily in Your love and presence.  In Your name and for Your cause, we pray.  Amen.