In our current series of blogs,
we will look together at John 13.1-30 and see what a church that loves God’s people looks
like.
What will heeding the command to love God’s
people look like?
This
is a place filled with countless opportunities to practically serve each
other. We will need to work hard at
seeing and seizing these opportunities to demonstrate this love to each other
week in week out.
But
there is more to this. The call to other
person centred love in this new church is more radical that practical
responses. Jesus is not simply calling
for some sort of repetition of this foot washing scene – a token practical
expressions of love, that might mask a superficial concern for others.
The
model Jesus gives us here and most decisively on the hill of Calvary is a servant-hearted love that is committed to
the long-term joy and blessing of others.
Jesus
says, unless I wash you, you have no part in me. Our job is to promote each others share in
Christ. To see those around us, grow to
treasure him more, to rejoice in the blessing of knowing him and being known by
him, to enjoy the blessing that such a person then becomes.
So
we come before each other…knees bent…towel in hand…able to say (as our Lord
does)…I come among you as one who serves.
We long to be a church that
serves the immediate needs of one another.
But we alos long to be a church that goes way beyond this. We
long to promote each others long term joy in Christ – loving each other by
being committed to one another’s passion for Jesus…hope…and godliness…by
keeping each other accountable…by spurring one another to even more love…
What will that look like on Sundays?
It
will mean a wholehearted commitment to Sundays, not coming as a customer, nor
as a passenger…
It
will mean seeing Sunday as an opportunity to increase each others’ long term
joy in Christ…
- Be here every Sunday
- Come with joy and expectation:
- Opportunities to serve each other…by increasing each others long term joy in Jesus…
- Come early:
- Opportunities to serve
- Opportunities to meet new people
- Pray before you come…about serving when you get there
- Treat church…not as a club…but a family…
- Commitment…forbearance…no cliques…not giving up on people
- Stick around…
- Receive the word…
- Thankfully…for you and others…
- Expectantly…for you and others…
- Purposefully…for you and others…
- Look for new people…and people in need
What will that look like in Small Groups?
I want to suggest that Small
Groups are where we most deliberately and most realistically seek to obey the
command of John 13.34, where we serve each other’s growth in long term joy in
Jesus.
Here is again the radical
testimony that a church obeying this command is. Consider the miracle that a Small group
is…yes even warts and all small groups!
Consider the miracle of a group gathered in a lounge room or a foyer or
a pub. A group gathered, as God, by his
spirit does a deep work in a few, by his word dwelling richly. A word we speak to each other in that context
to grow each other’s joy in Jesus (there is not greater commitment to the good
of your brother or sister than that!)
A group
that can be there with practical love when needs come, when suffering
comes. They can be there when you need
someone to pull you back from sin. Or when
you need someone to spur you on to love and glorify God – at work…in your
family…a small group is where we do that!
Now this
might seem overstated…small groups are not the silver bullet…but then…of course
they are! Jesus tells us to gather like
that…to love one another deeply and from the heart. Here in a world where Judas’ heart reigns…is
a group of brothers and sisters committed to each others good…loving each
other… teaching…rebuking… praying…comforting… carrying…pushing each other to
treasure Christ more!
As we head out on this project
together remember why Jesus calls you to this life…if we do this…we will be
blessed…each one and together…we will be at work presenting this church…not
only when we’re gathered…but also when scattered throughout the city…a church
radiant in Christ…the more we bend the knee and serve…serving each other with
the gospel…serving each other with lives shaped by that gospel…the more this
church will shine like he does
