Stay Connected!

As soon as I emerged from sleep, I thought about Phil, an elder in our church, who is scheduled for surgery today. I prayed for Mindy and for him. Then, more people from my circle of friends and acquaintances marched through my mind as I thought about their needs and lifted them up to the Lord. These prayers have nothing to do with pastoral duty. I love these people with whom I share life and that love is reciprocated. Last Sunday, as people made their way into church, one man saw me standing at the door greeting those who were arriving. Empathizing with my present circumstances, he pulled me into a bear hug and whispered in my ear, "We love you!" Such show of caring and affection might strike some as strange, but that should be the norm for Believers.

And, I've heard from various members of the Assembly's "Foundations Experience," a small group for newer Believers at the church, who tell me how much they look forward to that hour every Sunday morning when they come together to talk about their faith, their lives, to pray for each other. They stay in touch all week, too. One remarked to me, "It's going to be hard to break up this group at the end of the course!"

Are you attempting to go through life as a Lone Ranger?

Have you been disappointed by someone, by a church, or by a Pastor and concluded that you will live the Christian life in a way that makes it about "just Jesus and me?" If so, you are making a huge mistake, robbing yourself of joy and reducing your potential for effectiveness in the work of God. I will be the first to acknowledge that people can be difficult. It's not always easy to get along with me, either. (I heard that Amen!) Relationships can go sour. Expectations may be missed by a mile. The more deeply we are willing to love the greater the possibility of being deeply hurt! And still, I love God's people. He commands us to do so. "Above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'" (1 Peter 4:8, NKJV) The rewards of love so far outweigh the disappointments, we forget about them, forgive them, and grow in love. Well, we will do that if our love is genuine and inspired by God's love for us.

The model for the way we love is the self-sacrificial, radical love of God that was shown in His gift of salvation. When we love people in the way that God loves us, we make Him visible to the world! Indeed, nothing compels others to consider the Truth of Christ and His Kingdom like Believers who genuinely love other people! "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:10-12, NIV)

Don't expect that love will 'make nice' all the time! That's as silly as thinking that love in marriage is based on diamonds and roses! There is nothing wrong with romance, but the stuff of real love has little to do with flowers and jewelry. It's about caring enough to adapt to the idiosyncrasies of our spouse, stepping up to be a part of their life, changing diapers, listening to their complaints, enduring their moods, and celebrating their successes. Loving other Believers will involve conflict, hard work, disappointment. But that's not the whole story for there will also be moments of incredible tenderness, joy, and shared mission. We are called to carry each other to the finish line of life!


Get connected in a local church body. Ask God where He wants you to be planted, then put down roots and stay! Reach out to care. "But my church is so unloving," you say. Perhaps it is. Then become a catalyst of caring, a person who sows the seeds of love in that church. Do it, for God's sake! It may take a year or two for change to begin, but you will be a partner with God in spiritual transformation. Isn't that an exciting mission? And, stay connected with people in your world who are still in need of Christ. It is so easy, so inviting, to move into a church circle where our only friends are those who share our faith but if we allow ourselves to do that, who will demonstrate the love of God to those who need Him most?

Jesus said, "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples-when they see the love you have for each other." (John 13:34-35, The Message)