HOW TO LOVE OUR CHURCH

HOW TO LOVE My CHURCH

John 15:13 (KJV)

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

We have all heard people say the words, “I love the Lord.” But anyone who knows them can tell you that what they mean by those words is completely different than what I mean, for instance, when I say those words.

I think it would be a good idea then, before we actually look at how to love our church, that we look at a couple of ways not to love our church.

I. THERE IS A KIND OF LOVE THAT – ISN’T

Luke 6:32 (KJV)

For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

This world completely misunderstands love.

Most of the time what the world thinks is love is nothing more than lust.

What most people mean when they say “love” is really “need” or “want.” 

I want to tell you, I do need my wife and I do want my wife.

I remember just after I met her. She lived about 15 miles from where I worked, on the Columbia River Gorge. I would spend countless blocks of time staring down the Columbia River, imagining Anita at the school where she worked.

·   I could not wait to get the day over so I could visit her

·   My stomach would be sick for desire to see her

·   I wasted my boss’s time and money pining over her

When we got engaged my partner at work, we called him Butterscotch, told me to promise Anita that he would keep me alive on the job until after the wedding (I was about useless at work) but then after that, it was up to her.

But none of that is really love.

“Lovesick” isn’t love.

There are two very negative forms of false love

A. The kind that shows no interest 

The guy who says he loves his wife, but never spends any time with her is lying to himself, his wife and others.

·   If he has no interest in speaking to her

·   If he has no interest in listening to her

·   If he has no interest in being with her

He does not love her.

·   If he does not want to know what she likes

·   If he does not care what she doesn’t like

·   If he has no interest in what interests her

He does not love her.

May I say that would be true of loving the Lord and loving the church too?

To say, “I love the Lord” but 

·   never read the Bible, 

·   never pray, and 

·   never visit His house, 

is to declare louder than words that you do not love the Lord.

Then there is a person who only comes to church when something has really gone badly for them.

·   They are in trouble with the law or

·   They are in trouble in their marriage or

·   They are having trouble with their kids or

·   They are afraid they are going to die

So they start reading the Bible, praying and attending church.

That’s called needy, not love.

The second negative “false love” is,

B. The kind that is abusive

This is the guy who loves his wife, or maybe his children, so much that he is over protective.

·   Jealous

·   Controlling

·   Domineering

Sometimes it can take on unhealthy levels where he (or she) refuse the object of his feigned sense of love

·   To get a job

·   To have other friends

·   To visit with family

This isn’t love – this is the epitome of selfishness.

·   They think they have to protect them because they love them. In fact they control them so no one but they can have them.

So too there are those who claim to love their church but they are in fact abusive and controlling in the church.

I am glad to say that I have dealt with these sorts of people only seldom:

·   The person who tries to control the church with their offerings

·   The person who tries to dominate the church through an office[2]

·   The person who pretends to search the Scriptures of critique the pastor’s messages

I have had a couple of people who believed that I had to get their approval before I could invite a guest preacher in the pulpit before.

But I have heard terror stories of church splitting over

·   The color of the paint

·   The color of the carpets and

·   The color of the toilet paper

An evangelist I know very well used to tell about a church where the people disagreed about the carpet so they carpeted one half of the auditorium in one color and the other half in the other color so people could sit on the side with the color they preferred.

It seems a bit unbelievable, but I can see it:

·   Someone believes they should have control of such things and

·   Someone believes that everyone else should quit before they do

I don’t believe anyone needs to quit church over such silliness. I just think they need to love their church enough to let those who God has called to lead the church do the leading.[3]

Let me move on to

II. THE KIND OF LOVE GOD TEACHES

Over the years I have heard a lot of teaching/preaching about love that uses the definitions of the three most common Greek words translated love

·   Agape - affection

·   Phileo – to be a friend and

·   Eros[4]- erotic

to describe how to love.[5]

What I would like to do right now is address the Biblical teaching 

·   How Jesus wanted to be loved and

·   How God wants to be loved

A. Jesus said if you me keep my commandments 

Ephesians 6:24 (KJV)

Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. 

I notice that the Ephesians passage speaks of loving Jesus, not in mere words, but in sincerity.

·   Loving Him for real

·   Loving Him the way he would want to be loved.

We know exactly how that would be,

John 14:15 (KJV)

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

In fact it is repeated and rephrased a number of times in the New Testament.

John 14:21 (KJV)

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 15:10 (KJV)

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

1 John 2:3-5 (KJV)

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

A person can say they love the Lord all they want, but until that person is obeying the commands of the Lord, they are lying to themselves.

And by the way, these are the commandments the Word of God gives us and not the commandments we think Jesus should have given.

Look at the Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

We are to learn to observe “all things whatsoever [He has] commanded…”

Can you see that you don’t really love Him unless you are progressively learning to observe or obey those all things?

1 John 5:3 (KJV)

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

The one who loves the Lord loves learning and obeying His commandments.

And then

B. John said loving Gods means loving the Brethren

1 John 4:20 (KJV)

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Having then that passage as a foundation, consider these verses as well,

1 John 4:7 (KJV)

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1 John 3:14 (KJV)

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1 John 3:16 (KJV)

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.

And tying this with our first about keeping His commandments,

1 John 4:21 (KJV)

And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

God specifically, emphatically, and unapologeticallytells us that we express love for Him by loving our brothers in Christ.

He then takes it from the negative point of view and says to say we love God and yet hate our brothers in Christ is to lie.

Don’t say you love God if you don't obey the Biblical command to love your brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Having said all of that then

III. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE OUR CHURCH?

Doesn’t it have to mean that we would love the church like Christ loved the church?

Ephesians 5:25-27 (KJV)

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

A. He was dedicated to it

Gave Himself for it

B. He served it

By the Word

C.  He sought to build it

A glorious church

Years ago I did a series of messages on 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (KJV)

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

The word charity is related to the Greek word, agape.

It is a peculiar form of it, "agapeo." 

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says that this is found in no other Greek writing before Paul used it in 1 Corinthians.

They say Paul coined this form of agape to describe the kind of love a Christian has for his or her church.

I published all of those messages in a book I call, “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” 

The passage lists 16 marks of a Christian’s love for his church:

Charity.

·   Suffereth long

·   Is kind

·   Envieth not

·   Vaunteth not itself

·   Is not puffed up

·   Doth not behave itself unseemly

·   Seeketh not her own

·   Is not easily provoked

·   Thinketh no evil

·   Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but 

·   Rejoiceth in the truth

·   Beareth all things

·   Believeth all things

·   Hopeth all things

·   Endureth all things.

“Charity never faileth.”

I put together four practical applications I have drawn from these passages,

·   To give for its abundance

·   To serve in its ministries

·   To help in its activities

·   To bring others to its services

Conclusion

Do you love your church?

·   I don’t mean like some people say they love the Lord but you couldn’t prove it by their testimony.

·   I don’t mean like some people say they love their wife but would rather hang out with the boys at the bar.

·   I don’t mean the way some people say they love their mate but control them to the point of abusing them.

I mean do you love your church

·   The way Jesus loves the church? and

·   The way Paul taught us to love it?

·   Do you love your church enough to support it financially?

·   Do you love your church enough to attend it faithfully?

·Do you love your church enough to serve in it fervently?And

·   Do you love your church enough to invite others to come here friendily?

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[1]I mean it was a wet one. Everything in me wanted to wipe my face but I knew that would just get a bigger laugh from him.

[2]Like a deacon, or an SS teacher who refuses to teach the supplied materials

[3]That will be the pastor and whomever he appoints to help him in the specific work.

[4]This Greek word is not found in the Bible.

[5]A fourth Greek word, storgos, is only found once, in Romans 12:10. It refers to parental love.