How to spot a true disciple of Jesus...

Jesus is sharing what is commonly called the "Upper Room Discourse" in this portion of John 13-17 and He introduces what I believe to be a neglected truth with his disciples in John 13:34,35.

 "A new command I give you, Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

There are three critical things for me in these verses that impact my concern about how others are impacted by my Christian testimony as a follower of Christ.

1.  This is NOT a new command, that they love one another.

2.  There is, however a new characteristic of this love--"as I have loved you."  It would be instructive to see just how Jesus has loved them--from calling Matthew, loathed by the people as a tax collector, to Peter, an uncultured fisherman with a sense of impulsive bravado.  Jesus has loved them unconditionally and He will love them sacrificially.

3.  The culmination of this happening is that ALL men will know that these men are His disciples, true followers of Christ.

I am grieved by these words for they are not a picture of how we operate within the body of Christ.  How is it painfully possible that someone could disparagingly observe, "The church is the only army that shoots its wounded." Whether it is denomination vs. denomination, faction vs. faction, board vs. pastor, the church vs. the world, one member vs. another,etc.--it is clear that the picture painted of the church today is not one reflective of Christ's design of body life wherein when one part of the body suffers we all suffer, and when one part rejoices, we all rejoice together (see I Corinthians 12:26).  There is the often-ignored idea that as believers we "belong to one another".

This is not about whether or not we should cry out against heresy that diminishes the authority of the Word of God or the deity of Christ; rather, it is about how we treat other believers with whom we may disagree, or from whom we feel estranged.  

The world is confused.  What they see as they view the church is something unfortunately different than what we are commanded by Jesus to do.  His example is one for us to remember, especially when we contemplate His unconditional and sacrificial love for us.

I want ALL who know me to know that I am a true disciple of Christ.  Here's the way I can do it, by God's grace--"simply" love my brother disciple as Jesus loves me.

Living in a Post-Christian World

The recent Supreme Court decision to seek to normalize same sex marriage is a wake-up call for me.  That, coupled with an excellent message from my pastor yesterday (see Graceslo.org for a copy of the 7-5-15 message entitled, "What Does the Bible Say about Living in a Post-Christian Culture?"), has reminded me of several important scriptural truths from l Peter 2:13-25 in guiding how I engage the culture today.  Remember the context--Peter is writing to the fledgling first century church living under the tyranny of the Roman government,

1.  It is God's will that "by doing right" we may "silence the ignorance of foolish men".  Here the emphasis is on "right" behavior, verse 15.

2.  If for the "sake of conscience towards God" I endure suffering in doing this, this "finds favor" with God, verse 19.

3.  I have been "called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for me leaving me an example for me to follow in His steps", verse 21.

Here is the critical point of this passage for me as a disciple seeking to "follow in His steps"; how did Christ, then, model the behavior that I should embrace that is "right"?  Verses 22,23 instruct me.

1.  There must be no "deceit in my mouth"--not a lack of credibility in what I say--that being the measure of my intent and the verifiable connection between what I say and what I do.

2.  I must nor "revile" those who revile me--not threatening naysayers--or seeking to vilify those who criticize or seek to humiliate me.

3.  I must continually "entrust myself to Him who judges righteously", knowing that He is "the Shepherd and Guardian of my soul".  There is an undeniable safety and security in this.

God's Word is clear about the design and sanctity of marriage.  It is so sacred in His sight that He uses it to characterize the mystery of the relationship that exists between Christ and His church.  Though the Supreme Court has acted it has not served to redefine marriage or to normalize same sex marriages.  They remain outside of God's design and purpose for marriage. (See THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE, Tim Keller)

For this changeless truth of God's Word, seeking to model the behavior of Jesus (by grace alone), I will continue in this sadly post-Christian culture, to "speak the truth in love".  I hope you will join me.