Servants, Rights, and Responsibilities: The Law of Love

1 Corinthians 8:7-13

But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are so accustomed to idolatry that when they eat food that has been offered to an idol, their conscience becomes contaminated because it is weak. However, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat food that has been offered to an idol, and no better off if we do. But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol’s temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won’t he? In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah died is ruined by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak consciences, you are sinning against the Messiah. Therefore, if food that I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, in order to keep my brother from stumbling.

I've continued to think about unity, our responsibility to those around us, and what we can do to cultivate unity within the gathering. Not to long ago, I had some people tell me that if I drink a beer, I would be living a life style that was against God. My first reaction was one of frustration because I didn't see biblically or morally an issue with it. After all, it was something I felt was what I did no different than a coffee or pop. My reaction was a result of an action of others to declare a law of restriction, but also a lack of understanding what it meant to live by love. I asked myself, "How dare they produce a law over my life! This is who I am and I'm not hurting anyone!"

Recently, I have come across this scripture and asked myself, "What is Paul's saying?" We typically look at a person doing what seems wrong to be the weaker brother. Should he say that the person eating the idol meat as the weaker person? I heard a Pastor recently speak on this scripture and he taught it well. He said that the weaker brother is a brother attempting to live a life under the law of restriction and not fully understanding the law of freedom in Christ.

But as we see here, Paul speaks very clearly that there is a law greater.....The Law of Love.

But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak.

As a believer in Christ, I do have the right and freedom to drink a beer because I wasn't abusing that right by becoming drunk which is sin, but in declaring my rights when others around me either lived currently in a struggle with alcoholism or without a clear understanding of those freedoms we have. I was in effect sinning against them by not living by the law of love where they come before me. I am called to be a servant to all as Jesus was!

This scripture shows it best,

Philippians 2:4-8
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus by right of being God also had the right to come as he pleased, but instead knowing our weakness, he came as a man giving up his rights. Even to the point of death!

We recognize that in any circumstance, we will find a weaker brother or sister in Christ that either:

1. Doesn't understand the freedom they possess
Or
2. They are in the process of finding the victory over something

We aren't meant to declare our rights in those moments. We are called to the Law of Love and become the servant of them recognizing their conscience over our rights.

This could mean how we dress, what we eat or drink, how we speak, or many other things. The first question shouldn't be why can't I live out my freedoms, but how can I live like Christ and his law of love?

The greatest revelation for me was when I realized each of us in different circumstances ARE the weaker brother! None of us has come to perfection...

So we should live as servants seeking to encourage one another and being less about the rights we demand and more about what following Christ demands of us for the uplifting of those we lead....sometimes without even knowing they are following.

- Posted in the moment

Servant leaders lead by serving

Matthew 20:25-28
But Jesus called the disciples and said, “You know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them. That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That’s the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Are we servants when we come to satisfy our own needs and desires as leaders of others? When we make decisions that satisfy ourselves with out regard for those around us, are we being servants? I wonder sometimes if God was to say to me tomorrow, "For the next 3 months you will play only hymns with piano." or "I want you to only wear a white shirt and black slacks because those you are leading need it.", would I comply? If these things would better serve those I lead in worship, would I chose to be a true servant separate from my desires?
It's easy to be a positional leader because the only responsibility is to the position. Being a servant leader demands a responsibility to those you are leading before and above any positional self awareness or personal desires.
Are you placing those those you serve above any personal desire?
- Posted in the moment

Continuing to look at unity

2 Chronicles 5:13-14

"The trumpeters and musicians played in union, praising and giving thanks to the Lord. They praised the Lord loudly and sang, “He is good, and his gracious love is eternal,” accompanied by the trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments.) As they did this, a cloud filled the Temple, that is, the Lord’s Temple, and the priests were unable to complete their duties because of the cloud, since the glory of the Lord had filled God’s Temple."

Acts 2:1-4

"When the day of Pentecost was being celebrated, all of them were together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the roar of a mighty windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated, and one rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them that ability."

Unity is something God responds to so powerfully. Lately, I have been inundated with this idea of unity and what God does when we come to Him in that way. It's something we talk about often in church circles and at a base level desire, but don't always achieve.

What does it take to be unified? Is it about us and our actions? Is it about something God does? I think this is another wonderful example of YES to both! Gods Holy Spirit ultimately is who brings unity as we see here:

1 Corinthians 12:13

"For by one Spirit all of us—Jews and Greeks, slaves and free—were baptized into one body and were all privileged to drink from one Spirit."

If we are to be unified, we all first start with this beautiful realization that it doesn't start with us. Unity first comes by way of what God did through Jesus and is worked out by the Spirit within the Body of believers. How wonderful it would be if we started every gathering with some recognition of that work. Before we sing, teach, give testimony, or any other action. We would give recognition to the living God as a congregation for this wonderful work He has done in this world.

Maybe that was the attempt of the ancient church in their liturgical rituals and doxologies that over time lost its meaning and became action without understanding. As a modern church without an educated view of History, we just threw it aside because we have lost the awe of what was being proclaimed for an interaction of little recognition for what the Gospels means in the grand sense of Missio Dei or this God in mission to save a lost creation. I'm not writing this as a condemnation of how we do church, but a strong belief that what church is can be so much more.

So unity is something that first starts with the work of the Holy Spirit, but this doesn't leave us off the hook. We also carry a responsibility in seeing a unified body of believers!

Psalm 133

"Look how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil on the head, descending to the beard— even to Aaron’s beard— and flowing down to the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon falling on Zion’s mountains. For there the Lord commanded his blessing — life everlasting."

Ephesians 4:1-3

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called, demonstrating all expressions of humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another in love. Do your best to maintain the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace."

Philippians 2:1-5

"Therefore, if there is any encouragement in the Messiah, if there is any comfort of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if there is any compassion and sympathy, then fill me with joy by having the same attitude, sharing the same love, being united in spirit, and keeping one purpose in mind. Do not act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but with humility think of others as being better than yourselves. Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others. Have the same attitude among yourselves that was also in the Messiah Jesus."

Colossians 3:12-14

"Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Be tolerant of one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, you also should forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which ties everything together in unity."

Over and over again, Paul reminds those of ancient times and us today that we are an active chooser in if we will live together in the unity of the Spirit at work in us. Some words he uses are humility, gentleness, patience, acceptance, love, peace, compassion, sympathy, joy, kindness, meekness, tolerance, and forgiveness.

Do we actively choose these actions when we gather? Sometimes, but how wonderful to see all these working in concert together in the gathering of believers. We have been given such an amazing task to encourage one another in unity with His Spirit as the bonding agent. That excites me to just think about it!

Be an encourager, a lover, and humble servant to others this Sunday as you gather for the purpose of Worshiping God in unity and see the Glory of God come!

Amen :-)

- Posted in the moment

Unity

1 Corinthians 1:9-18
"Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his son Jesus the Messiah, our Lord. Brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, I urge all of you to be in agreement and not to have divisions among you, so that you may be perfectly united in your understanding and opinions. My brothers, some members of Chloe's family have made it clear to me that there are quarrels among you. This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to the Messiah." Is the Messiah divided? Paul wasn't crucified for you, was he? You weren't baptized in Paul's name, were you? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Oh yes, I also baptized the family of Stephanus. Beyond that, I'm not sure whether I baptized anyone else.) For the Messiah did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with eloquent wisdom, so the cross of the Messiah won't be emptied of its power. For the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God's power to us who are being saved."

This year I think God has grown me up. Like children, we seek our own way in this world. We are idealistic and refuse the status quo out of sheer need to find who we are outside of the covering and boundaries of those older (and wiser) than us, but I don't discount this because we have to know that we know that we know what we believe is rooted in us apart from what is demanded of us.

Like Paul going away for years after the Damascus road, I have come back to the council of elders understanding 4 things:

-I respect their long view and consistency
-I recognize the power and anointing of coming under the corporate vision
-I have a calling that at times will buck the status quo
-In those cases, God will make the way and I don't need too

Some would say that should have been dealt with before I found my way into different places, but I don't believe I would have learned what I have without it. The Church is a complicated and at times messy place filled with people at different levels of hurt and spiritual discipline. I see now why I have heard the horror stories of people going through seminary only to quit after there first pastoral ministry position. I needed the cellophane to be taken off the box, so I could see what was inside and make a decision if that was truly what I was willing to accept in answering Gods call.

It's been a challenging journey this far and I haven't even really began in a sense, but this is what I have come to this year......

Our Pastor has for some time been speaking of a vision based on the statement "Kingdom Community". In this, we see a call to the people of our church to begin to see the beauty of the Body of Christ as one. We see the unity that comes when the people of God recognize the authority, beauty, and commission of the head of that body which is Jesus.
We are called much like the Corinthians are here by Paul to be in agreement or say the same things. I think there is wisdom in this not because he is calling us or them to conform and become monotone in our expression of faith, but through the Holy Spirit he understood that a people speaking the same goals and seeing the same picture of the mission would be a people in movement. When we have our own personal mission that doesn't connect with the central vision we see a core being split from factions pulling outward instead of forward.
As the worship director of Portland Mount Hope, I have been given a vision for our team this year and it is at its core, "Congregational Unity in Worship." As I check and recheck this vision against both my Pastors God given vision (the leader of this local body) and the God given mission of Jesus (the head of the universal body), I am confident in what God has given me and excited to see the corporate anointing that comes with a corporate unity.
We are at a time of great choices.

-Are we a people pointing back to the core vision of Kingdom Community?

-Are speaking that Kingdom Community vision into each other?

-Are we prepared for the sacrificing of things we hold to dearly that are a Good calling, but for this season not a God calling?

In worship where I am called at this time, you will continue to hear me speak with a repetitious consistency of a refocus every time we gather to this core conviction of Kingdom Community. As a team, a core conviction tied to both the mission of Jesus and vision of our Pastor of Corporate Unity in Worship for the glory of God and the empowerment and encouragement of His people for the days ahead.




- Posted in the moment