Throughout these past weeks, in my church, we have been studying the four Gospels by reading one chapter per day. Then, on Sunday the pastor would discuss the highlights of those seven chapters we read corresponding to that week. The deal is to read the four Gospels in 90 days and understand the concept that “Jesus Has Left the Building,” the name for these sermons’ series. This series of sermons have been an eye opener to me and I have even found things in the Gospels that I was unaware of or that I previously overlooked.
This idea of “Jesus has left the building” is basically to illustrate that we, as followers of Jesus, are Jesus’ hands and feet; that Jesus is not confined to a structure; thus, we shouldn’t be living “double” lives—being one thing one day of the week and another thing the rest of the week. In a general sense, we—the church—should be a reflection of Jesus. If we are following Jesus and ask ourselves “what would Jesus do?” in a particular situation, we first need to know “what Jesus did.” Therefore, through these sermon series we are going through the Gospels to know Jesus, back to basics, back to our first love. Here’s this quote from Henry Blackaby that I find very revealing:
“God's commands are designed to guide you to life's very best. You will not obey Him, if you do not believe Him and trust Him. You cannot believe Him, if you do not love Him. You cannot love Him unless you know Him.”
If we are having a difficult time obeying God or following Him, let’s invest more time getting to know Him better to be able to love Him and trust Him. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians 3:16-19, tells us about the need to be strengthened into our inner being so that so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
“16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)
To taste the riches of the Lord’s blessings, we need to love Jesus passionately.And not only that, but the verses above go further stating that we need to be rooted and established in love. This way wehave power, together with all the Lord’s holy people—that is, us as the body, the church who need to reflect Christ in this world—to grasp how vast is the love of Christ so that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
We cannot be filled with the measure of all the fullness of God, if we don’t have love in our hearts—love for Him, love for one another.
It is interesting that in the book of Revelations the first message to the churches start with a church which has distanced herself from her first love:
“But I have one thing against you, that you have left your first love.”(Revelations 2:4)
You see, in the same way that faith alone without good fruits is not enough; then good works alone without love are not enough.
Understand that nothing but love, can keep us in proper relationship with the Lord. We learn from His love and by that same love we act and conduct ourselves. Through His love we are moved to share love and the immense gift of redemption with others. Through His love we come to know Him better, and we are moved to serve each other.
Only through Him, we are perfected in love.
It is sad enough to see a church focusing into religiousness than in the real food for the soul. It is sad to me seeing brethren furiously debating between one another, and causing divisions and stumbling for others, instead of engaging in prayer to listen and seek daily nourishment. The leaving of the first love—passionately loving and following the Lord with all our might—is the source of the degradation of the church.
We belong to one another. We were made for a meaningful relationship with Father. We need to portray that relationship to the world. Instead of engaging ourselves in arguments, let’s just share with love the Hope we have…the hope we should reflect.
So the question to ask ourselves is: “Am I contributing to the mess, or do I want instead to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of the Lord by having Him dwell in my heart—through faith, through love—every day that I am given?”
When reading the Gospels we see Jesus working in the community. Therefore, this concept of us being Jesus’ hands and feet indicates that we—as the church— shall be working together as a community in the community. Let’s go back to one of Jesus prayers:
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, arein Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-23)
Oh Lord. Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done.