The Love Of The Christians
“I didn’t take any cookies mom.” Said the Little child
looking pitifully up at his mother, cookie crumbs around his mouth and stuck on
his sweater.”
The mother had to smile at her small child. Of course she did not see him eat
any cookies and did not see him with one now but the evidence on his sweater
told her something else.
Picture a chubby little boy, with messy brown hair looking up pitifully at his
mother, you may think it is cute right? There’s a lot of grown ups today that do
the same thing but concerning a different topic.
“I love my fellow Christians” they can say as they stand before a crowd of
people, holding their Bible in their hand delivering a message. “I too” chimes
up another person as she smiles and shakes the hand of a fellow sister. Yet all
around us there are young and old Christians alike that have been hurt or
saddened by the lack of true Christian love among some of the Christians. Why is
that? What’s wrong?
Loving one another is something that is well spoken on in the Bible, even going
through school you always learn about the “Golden Rule”, so why is it that
you’ll hear people say, “Boy those Christians are some bitter,” or “Those people
aren’t nice at all?” Of course perhaps we have never heard that spoken about
ourselves, but how friendly are we truly being to one another?
Even Paul as he could write to the Galatians could remind us to do good to all
men especially other Christians (Gal. 6:10)
What was Christ’s stand on it? In John 13 He could take the time to show us an
example, In John 15 He could touch on it again on the importance of love.
Let us use this verse to start us off:
Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have
loved you, that ye also love one another.
There are a number of lessons for loving other Christians. We can try to put
them into topics yet you can’t have one topic without the other.
Serving:
John 13: 3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands,
and that he was come from God, and went to God;
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and
girded himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and
began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he
was girded.
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash
my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou
shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I
wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my
head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but
is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had
taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I
have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash
one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord;
neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye
love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another.
While reading through this passage, and please especially note the bolded
verses, the point of Christ’s message came upon me.
The act of washing someone’s feet was a very lowly action. A servant of a
household when a guest would enter would bend down and wipe clean the dirty
dusty feet of the person just entering.
Here you see Christ – The Messiah doing just that! You read these verses (v.13)
He brings something to their attention. He is their and our Lord and Master yet
He has just fulfilled the role of a servant. So if one so great, if the one that
Saved us from hell can wash our feet surely we can and should be “washing the
feet” of our fellow Christians.
Of course washing someone’s feet is not a custom we do today, due to the fact we
have nice sneakers and shoes to wear. So what else could there be to replace
that for our present time? The fact of serving a fellow Christian, showing them
how much we do care for them, because our Saviour has cared so much for us.
If we happen to look upon someone and go “They knew better, serve them right.”
Or say “That’s the 2nd time they’ve done that, should have known better after
messing up the first time.” Are we actually doing what Christ wants? Are we not
in fact in action saying “Hey Lord, I’m better then you because I don’t feel I
need to stoop down and serve this person!”
What right do we have in picking and choosing who we show kindness to? Love is
something that we wouldn’t even know if it wasn’t for God
1Jo 4:19 We love, because he first loved us. (nasb)
The simple fact that we are able to love is because of the supreme example of
love at Calvary.
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CARING:
1Jo 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for
us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Let’s take this verse at face value, exactly what it’s saying, what can we say
about that? How many Christians would we be willing to die for?.......A bit
absurd perhaps to think we’d need to die for someone? I find it equally
confusing why the creator of all things would die for someone like me, simply
because He loved me!.
We often hear in prayer and other places, that the love of God for sinners is so
great that we can not comprehend it.
Would it not be correct to say as well that when the world looks on us that they
too should be wondering. “I don’t understand that love, how can they care so
much for each other!?”
Is that not supported with scripture?
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love
one to another.
:
Ro 12:10 As for brotherly love, be affectionate to one another; in matters of
worldly honour, yield to one another. (wey)
Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity!
The bible tells us in many places like the two above verses that we are to show
kindness and love and affection to our fellow Christians. Not just when we meet
together on Sunday or a meeting through the week, but as the Psalmist could say
as we live together, our daily activities let us do so in unity with each other.
Romans can tell us the same, that we should be caring one for another and always
be trying to take the lower place, putting others higher then ourselves
HOW CAN I TRULY CARE?
Caring for someone that has hurt you or someone that you don’t like something
about them can be very hard to do, so how can we possibly do so?
1Jo 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and
keep his commandments.
This one verse can sum up a lot. We can do nothing properly if we do not love
our Saviour. If we are not reading His word and following His will, how could we
possibly love someone?
So if we’re having problems caring for another Christian, let’s stop and re
evaluate our relationship with God. It can’t be too good if we’re having trouble
caring.
1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a
pure heart fervently:
Here again we see it? our soul in a right condition with God leads automatically
to the love of the brethren.
Ga. 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
But I Don’t Wanna!
Jas 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold,
the judge standeth before the door.
Ever hear the saying “he sure put his foot in his mouth that time.” Can we
perhaps use that term here to help explain the above verse?
We seem to be quick to condemn others, quick to degrade someone and make them
feel less important, but in us doing that what are we actually doing to
ourselves?
If we are constantly willing to look down upon others and talk about others
there is a judge – God who is standing ready to return judgment upon us for what
we are doing.
1Jo 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no
murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and
we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in
him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed
and in truth.
Hate and Love is as much of a contrast as Night and Day, you can’t have both,
you have either one or the other.
If there is a person professing to be saved yet they degrade the Christians,
they despise them and do not think highly of them, what are they thinking? Are
they away from God, not realizing or enjoying the love of God they once did, or
are they saved?
There will always be people that make us annoyed and we get aggravated with, to
be honest I’m sure we can all think of someone that we would have trouble
spending all day with, but with that said does that mean we do not enjoy
speaking of spiritual things with them? Does that mean if they were in need we
would not help? If they did something stupid we’d say rude remarks behind their
back?
Let us pray we never get that way, As Christ acted as a servant for us surely we
should be acting as a servant for each other.
BUT I NEED HELP TO LOVE!
1Th 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye
yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
The term ‘taught of God’ here in Greek is: theodidaktos
It seems to be something that is literally taught to us by God at the moment we
get saved.
If someone got saved in the darkness of a forest and knew little of the Bible
but one day meant another fellow Christian there should be an immediate bond to
each other. They are both indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Both have been taught by
the same one the ability to have brotherly love.
Of course we all have problems at times and need help, that is why other verses
were quoted. Our care for the Christians can slip yet we can keep it strong if
we are walking close to God.
IN CLOSING:
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I
have loved you, that ye also love one another.
If you were to take the love in John 13:34 and look at it closely you would see
that when Christ was speaking to His people in John, He was giving them a new
commandment. Yet He worded it in a way that needs to be noticed. He did not
state it “You MUST love one another.” No he stated it as an offer.
It was a love that He wanted to see us give freely and willingly. He’s not
forcing us to love one another, but wants us to.
So to Summarize:
-->When we got saved God gave us the ability to love one another
-->To truly be in fellowship with one another we need to be in fellowship with God
-->God expects us to act as servants for each other. Anything more then that and
our actions are claiming we are greater then God.
-->God pleads with us to love one another, doing so shows our communion with Him,
shows the reality of our salvation, and is a testimony to the world around us.
Heb 13:1 ¶ Let brotherly love always continue. (wey)