Love Forgotten
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7
“It’s not what you say that people remember, it’s how you make them feel.”
I heard this statement in a sermon I was listening to as I rode in the car today. I know it’s true but it is a sobering thought for someone who teaches and speaks. My words are not as powerful as the way I treat each individual who hears them.
The sermon was given by a man named Paul M. Raymond and was called “The Folly of Contention in the Church.” You can find it here if you have a free 55 minutes to listen. (It was worth the time.)
This was fascinating teaching about how we should deal with contention (or “strife” in the ESV) between believers. The truth is that there should not be contention or strife within the church, but it is a huge problem.
One of the points Dr. Raymond was making was that we have forgotten God’s command that we are to love one another. It is a primary truth of the Christian faith, we are to love, especially within the church. One of the reasons for the contention we now experience in our churches is that we have failed to think about others, we have failed to love. Jesus said that others would know we are His disciples by the way we love one another.
When I came to know the Lord it was somewhat late in life; I still had many friends who were not Christians. I remember how infuriated I was by this teaching that I was to consider my Christians friends as a higher priority than the unbelieving friends. To my very immature Christianity this seemed wrong, how would others hear of Christ if I abandoned them for Christian friends? Why did I suddenly have to give up people who had been so important?
Of course, as I grew in understanding I realized that God was not requiring that I give up old friends. Over time I came to see that Christian friends wanted to glorify God, they could see my circumstances from an eternal perspective, and they were supportive of my new faith and values. Non-Christian friends were not interested in my spiritual growth, they were concerned about what had happened to me and how it would affect them. As in all of God’s laws, it would be better for me if I were to prioritize my Christian friends.
As I was listening to the words of this sermon on contention in the church I realized that even I, though I am not feeling contentious, have lost sight of the need to love others in the church, especially my own local congregation. I heard as I was driving that prioritizing Christian friends is one way that I can show others the love of Christ. He, too, prioritizes the believer. He promises to hear our prayers, He does not promise to hear the prayers of unbelievers. He has promised us the hope of heaven, this is not a hope the one who has no faith in Christ can look forward to. He promises us the Holy Spirit and is pretty clear that He will come to help and teach those who belong to Jesus as He reminds us of what Jesus has said (John 14:26).
I was also reminded that it was Jesus who said that we should love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34). He also said that if we love Him we will obey His commands. One of those is to love one another.
This definitely brought me to the point of asking myself if I love Jesus enough to do what He says. Am I so focused on teaching God’s Word that I forget to obey it?
Though I understand the need to be well-studied and prepared to teach biblical truth, I can see that the Truth has to be delivered in love, with true concern for my sisters in Christ. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (I Corinthians 13:1)