2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and
for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be
encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full
assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is
Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians
2:1-3
Paul’s struggle – his
ongoing desire – is to see the churches encouraged
and demonstrating love in all things. Not just for the sake of being
encouraged and loved, but as a key
ingredient to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and
knowledge of this gospel he is preaching…Christ for us and in us.
Knit Together in Love
When you read the Bible, love is a really big deal. Jesus says, “If
you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and the greatest
commandments – really what all the commandments boil down to – is love again...
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love
your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:36-40
Paul talks about love too. We can do
everything “right”, but if there is no love, it is useless…
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have
not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Love, love, love… I think
we hear it so much that we might not really stop to think about it. What does
it mean to be knit together in love? Being
knit together in love gives me a visual of love being woven into everything. And
not only woven for a haphazard purpose, but this woven love making something
beautiful.
It really is what makes
Christianity unique, but we don’t tend to focus much of our energy there. We
seem to spend much more time judging and condemning and defending.
I had a lot of time this
weekend waiting at my daughter’s dance competition so I opened a book I had
downloaded to my kindle. The book is called A Creative Minority: Influencing
Culture through Redemptive Participation. Turns out, it is such a great complement to the Colossians study.
The question the book addresses is, how
should the church engage our culture? The author says when we look to the Scriptures
we see that Jesus offers a compelling and alternative vision to what is not
working today. We should be a city on a hill where people can see our good
deeds and glorify God. And it isn’t dependent on the laws on the books, the
rulings of the courts, or the leaders in power. Jesus’ heart was that we would influence
culture through redemptive participation, being not just faithful, but also
fruitful. It paints a picture of the way the church is called to participate in
these challenging and demanding times – seeking neither to control nor abandon
the world, but to LOVE it to new life
through redemptive participation.
The author starts the book
with a look at the culture during Jesus’ time…
“During
Jesus’ time on earth, the people of God faced a complex and challenging religious
milieu. The Jewish people were angry and frustrated at the overwhelming power
of Rome and its blatant paganism. Sincere followers of God were wrestling
deeply with how to be faithful and fruitful in a place where their values were
no longer welcome. Many of those subgroups responded in ways that are eerily
similar to our cultural sects today.”
He goes on to describe how
the Sadducees made deals with the Romans, wanting power, influence and control.
They sold out to the empire. The Pharisees were separatists, functioning as a
cultural police and lamenting the decline of morality and faithfulness. They wanted
to return to the former days of influence and glory. The Essenes were appalled
at the godlessness of their culture and retreated into the wilderness to escape
the pagan world and corrupt systems. The Zealots sought violence to seize
control.
Jesus enters the scene with a different approach and message. Paul doesn’t want the church to
forget or stray from it. He constantly steers them back to the gospel, back to
truth, and back to love woven through it all.
We are exactly where Paul
was 2,000+ years ago. We fall so easily for the lies of the culture and embrace
false teachings. We don’t live like Jesus taught us and instead fall back into
the same patterns as the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other religious sects of the
day, focusing on political influence or legalism or separating ourselves
entirely. We are a church that has lost
its unique power, its unique form of influence and transformation with a
message of redemption and freedom, its unique secret ingredient…love.
I’m challenged today to think
about what it means to really live and love like a Christ follower. To not miss
out on “the riches
of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is
Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge” for myself or those around me.
And in
all, to weave love.
***
A great read...
***
If we talk about God nonstop and have the 10 commandments posted
in every public space and bring back prayer in schools, but have not love, we are a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if
we have a Republican president, Christians in leadership roles, a conservative
supreme court, Sunday church attendance growth, packed Bible studies, assured
beliefs, but have not love, we are
nothing. If we feed the homeless, have the freedom to not serve a gay
wedding, keep our country safe from terror, defund Planned Parenthood, serve every chance we get, but have not love, we gain nothing.
2017 1 Cor 13:1-3
No comments:
Post a Comment