God the Communicator

God is giving to us and talking to us all the time. And very often we miss it, because we are focused on other things.

Sometimes we are focused on a particular way a word from God should come. We expect a message from a prophet, or that particular prophet, when God speaks directly to our hearts, or through the Bible, or our children or a sunset. As Americans we get too used to bigger, louder or brighter. If we were with Elijah on Horeb, we would expect God to speak in the lightning or the earth quake. We would miss the small breath of wind.

Sometimes we are focused on a particular topic. We want God to speak to our felt needs. We want encouragement about difficult relationships at work or a disobedient child. We miss the message that we play too many video games, or are too critical, or about mission work in Bahrain. We would rather not take the road toward humility and service.

Sometimes we don’t hear God’s message, because we are focused on the church’s message. We would hope they would be the same, but they are not always the same. It does not take too much reading of Scripture to realize that God’s most important heart-action is love. In some churches, the most important heart-action is financial support of the church facilities and staff. In others, it is participation in its ministry. It is extremely easy to be trapped within the walls, and lose sight of what’s outside. Jesus had a focus on the Twelve. And he took the Twelve with him to focus on the world.

There are many things that block out God speaking to us. Too often we build these walls ourselves. We need silence and openness to hear rightly. Who knows what radical, powerful force may erupt from it.

Love - IX

Before celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover, Jesus dressed as one of the lowest slaves and washed his disciples’ feet.

In a place where people wear sandals and walking is the most common means of travel, feet get dirty. And households assign the lowest, least valuable slave the job of washing visitor’s feet when they enter the house. Jesus assumed that job for himself. He took the lowest position and cleaned his disciples’ feet.

Is Jesus really concerned about feet? He is infinitely more concerned about hearts than his is about feet. Some Christian groups believe Jesus gave a literal command to wash feet. Jesus was commanding all of us to assume a position of the least slave.

In the current church, there are jobs that have glitz and glamour. These jobs are more spiritual, more valuable, and, in the eyes of the congregation, make those people more important. As in, it is more important to lead worship. It is more important to deliver the message. Those people are more Christ-like than those watching children in the nursery. Yet Jesus – Most High God, Creator of the universe, Ultimate High Priest – washed feet.

This ought to tell us something about our hearts. This ought to tell us something about our priorities. Maybe one of the requirements for being an elder or pastor is a monthly stint in the nursery.

The core of love is giving. The hardest things for modern people to give are their time, energy and convenience.

Love - VIII

As we have mentioned quite a bit recently, God has designed people to give and receive love. Love is an essential ingredient to what it means to be a human being.

God also designed love. He designed its motivations, its actions, its reactions and its effects. The goal of everything God said through the prophets, the apostles and Jesus is love. Obeying his commands is love.

Obeying his command is the love of God. Obeying his commands is the love of people. It may not seem like it always. The outcome of love may seem harsh. The outcome of obedience may seem self-centered to some people.

It may seem harsh to confront someone about the evil in their life. But evil has consequences. It has consequences in the person’s life – present and eternal. It has consequences in relationships and inner health. It is love to want to help someone avoid these consequences.

Sometimes people take steps to avoid those consequences. But the steps they often take remove them from having any effect on those around them. The Pharisees sought to avoid any contact with sin. They were aware of its corrupting influence. That’s why it is compared with yeast.

But was Jesus unaware of sin’s corrupting influence. Yet, he ate with tax collectors and sinners. He walked well within range of that corrupting influence (without being corrupted) in order to exert the healing influence of love.

Love - VII

The point of life is to be the best picture of Jesus we can be. The way to do that is to live like he did. Most people seem to say that means being as pure as he was. I don’t think Jesus’ primary concern was the avoidance of doing bad stuff. I think Jesus’ primary concern was the non-avoidance of doing good stuff. The first thing we need to do so we can be the best picture of Jesus is love.

Part of that means is being patient, kind, humble and forgiving as we bump into people along the way through our day. Part of that means becoming intentional in serving. To go out of our way to bless, to do good; to expend our own time and energy; to get absolutely nothing in return.

That’s how God is. He goes about his day, planning to love, bless and do good to each person. And 99.9% of the time, we do not see it or realize it. The very atoms of the universe would fly apart if God’s hand was not holding each one in place.

Love - VI

When we met Jesus, we came to believe he was God’s son and God came to live in our hearts. We learned about his love for us. When we trust in him, we are trusting in his love. We are placing our bets on his love. We are “all in” on his love. We are making our home in his love.

Love in us demonstrates the reality of God’s love us, and for the world. The reality of love that comes from us demonstrates the reality that God abides in us and with us. And it is not the love that characterizes the world, but the love that characterizes Jesus.

Love - V

Love is a basic human response. People need to give love and to receive love. So, all people love.

Most people love family, friends and other people they have a connection with. It is a natural reaction to return love to those who do good to you, to those who give you love and to those in your “circle of care.” The love of Jesus followers ought to go one step further.

Jesus calls us to love our enemies. To love people who seek our harm or who desire to remove anything that could benefit us.

Jesus calls us to love strangers. We should love people who ignore us, who do not have contact with us or who are new to our neighborhood, our city, or our country. People who are out of our circle, who are not interested in anything we think is important, or who have nothing in common with us.

The love that Jesus has and has put in our hearts by his spirit goes above and beyond.

Love - IV

No one has actually seen God. There are no pictures, statues or videos of God. But if we follow him, he abides with us and in us, and his love flows through us. Then, we become individually imperfect pictures of him. And collectively, we become better pictures of him. And together, his love matures in us and his love matures us.

His Spirit lives in us. We testify that Jesus is the savior of the world. We demonstrate that truth by our love.

Love - III

Many Christians seem to get hung up on distinctives. What is the thing that makes them different from everyone else? What makes them different from every other Christian?

Maybe what they should focus on is not what makes them different. Maybe it should be what God says is important. Love is central. Not manifestations of the Spirit. Not philosophies of ministry. Not church models. The central fact is that Jesus died for sins. Jesus died to ransom mankind. It is God’s love that motivated and drove the incarnation, the death and the resurrection. God’s love under girds, builds and propels the whole Jesus movement.

God’s love sent Jesus to the cross. God’s love raised him from the dead. God’s love brought those who chose to follow him into one community. God’s love sealed us with the Holy Spirit of promise.

So, if God’s love motivates, empowers and puts into practical action whatever he does involving mankind, then …

Love - II

Francis Schaeffer said that the “mark” of the Christian is love. It is the one certain distinguishing feature. It is the bright-red exclamation point, three feet high on the Christian’s chest. Like the “S” for Superman. It is the thing that should followers of Jesus stand out like beacons in the night.

God’s Spirit resides in the hearts of his followers. God is the creator of love. So, love dwells wherever God dwells.