Loving God includes loving people
I’ve grown to appreciate Eugene Peterson’s translation and interpretation in The Message. I ran across this passage yesterday, I think he captures what John wrote:
If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from God is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both. (1 John 4)
Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both. So, if we’re not loving people…
stories: Serving the homeless in Phoenix despite struggles
This post is part of my “stories” series. In this series, I share stories of how people live their lives in response to the gospel and as a demonstration of God’s love in order to teach us and to provide an example to provoke us to love and good works. (See “stories: A New Series” for more information about this series.)
This story was sent to me by a reader named George. What happens when a group of people begin serving the homeless in their city? Ups and downs, organization and disorganization, politics and struggles… and those who care about the homeless continue to serve them through all the mess.
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Many years ago a man attending a well to do suburban bible church decided he needed to help the homeless. He cooked lunch for them once a month and served it to them, using volunteers from the church, in a municipal garage in downtown Phoenix. After a while the man passed the baton to others, and the ministry continued, moving from the garage – which was scheduled for demolition – to an overpass in an industrial area on the outskirts of downtown. (Note that no one now connected with the ministry recalls the man’s name, but we are confident that the One Who matters has it written down.)
Originally the man collected donations on the church patio in a coffee can. The church preferred that donations flow thru it, tho off-budget. People could write checks made to the church and indicated for the homeless ministry, and the church would disburse them at a rate of X dollars per month. In practice, the church made up shortfalls and accumulated overages, but the ministry was not a part of the official budget.
After one leadership change in the ministry, some people decided that the group deserved to be an official ministry of the church. About the same time, the new associate pastor responsible for the church’s outreach decided that the reason homelessness existed was because of rich suburbanites’ sucking the money out of the inner city, and efforts by them to alleviate homelessness was just self-indulgence. And the city decided that public, on-street feeding of the homeless simply attracted more homeless into the downtown area, which scared away shoppers and tourists. So the city passed an ordinance strictly limiting public serving.
First there was a confrontation with police. Now, the confrontation was made by a couple of women not from the church but who were regular participants. But it did make the newspaper, which the church’s senior pastor read. Then the ministry’s leaders – some of them, anyway, confronted the church about being on-budget. It wasn’t long before the church leadership decided the ministry should be dis-associated from the church, although it would be allowed to continue to solicit volunteers and in-kind donations on Sundays. But no more pulpit announcements, and no more storage space, and no more financial assistance. Any donations made thru the church would be kept by the church. The associate pastor suggested that, in keeping with the church’s motto of “come, grow, and go,†it was time for the ministry to go. Away.
All of this sounds very political. And it is. But this is not the real story.
There were among the ministry people who wanted to live out, at least some of the time, Jesus’ teaching to love one another and to support those who cannot repay. Those people looked for ways to improve the monthly meals – chicken BBQs, stroganoff, Mexican – and to ensure with music, bibles, and prayer that the guests knew Jesus was the motivation of the ministry. Politics and recognition, in themselves, were unimportant. What mattered was maintaining a connection to volunteers.
The ministry was only partly one of serving the homeless. Another part of the ministry was connecting suburbanite Christians with opportunities to follow Christ outside of their normal environments. So, while the ministry has never “ended homelessness,†it has succeeded in facilitating Christians in serving in ways they would not have done without the infrastructure provided by the ministry.
One “poster child†for the ministry was a former church secretary. While she’d administered church outreach programs, she’d never participated. Then one Saturday she decided to attend and at least watch what the group did. She quickly saw that she could fit in, that she could reach out to non-suburbanites, that she could share Christ’s love with them in tangible ways. She today attributes this experience to her move to a mission field in Alaska.
When the ministry was booted from its home church, the advice given was to disband and join an established ministry. After some attempts, the group was unable to find a group that shared its enthusiasm for making meals special. So the group formed its own non-profit corporation and volunteered its monthly meal service to existing homeless shelters that relied on donations. That was in 2000.
Today, the ministry has grown and stabilized at a monthly outreach to 570 homeless people in five overnight and transitional shelters. Including core volunteers, each month about 50 Christians serve as Christ has called them. In addition to building a solid relationship with another suburban church, fellowship with the original church has been restored. The disruptive people from all sides have moved on. While politics is ever-present, the Spirit typically wins the day.
Just as the ministry cannot claim to have overcome poverty, neither can its members claim to be like Mother Teresa, either. It is, after all, a once a month ministry. Even so, it is a very special mechanism for moving and connecting Christians in a special way for the service of our Lord.
Loving our neighbors
Today is Valentine’s Day. We’re going to the neighborhood and the nursing home where we’ve been spending time for almost a year now. We’re taking hand-made cards and flowers to the residents that we know. We do not expect these cards and flowers to convince them that we love them. Instead, we’ve shared their lives for the last nine months because we love them. Instead, we hope the cards and flowers are a reminder of our love. And, most importantly, we are praying that our love is a reminder to them that God loves them through Jesus Christ.
Who have you loved recently?
I asked the church this question earlier in the week. I thought it would be an appropriate question to ask here as well: Who have you loved recently?
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40 ESV)
So, who have you loved recently?
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV)
Who have you loved recently?
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV)
Who have you loved recently?
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:20-21 ESV)
So, who have you loved recently?
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God… (1 Peter 1:22-23 ESV)
Who have you loved recently?
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:1-3 ESV)
Who have you loved recently?
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18 ESV)
So, who have you loved recently?
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)
Who have you loved recently?
stories: Bill was hungry
This post is part of my “stories” series. In this series, I share stories of how people live their lives in response to the gospel and as a demonstration of God’s love in order to teach us and to provide an example to provoke us to love and good works. (See “stories: A New Series” for more information about this series.)
Last month, on a Sunday, as we were getting ready to eat lunch together, one of our brothers walked in with a young man named Bill. Bill was riding his bicycle in the sleet, looking for food for himself and his sister. Bill told me that he was sixteen – I’m not sure how old his sister is. He told me that his mother was a drug addict and had left the house looking for drugs. Bill didn’t have any food for himself or his sister.
I talked to Bill for few minutes, then I fixed him some lunch – a meatball hoagie and some chips. It wasn’t much, but he was very appreciative. We asked if we could give him anything else, and he said, “No.” We asked him if we could give him a ride somewhere, and he said, “No.” We invited him to come have lunch with us anytime he wants to.
Since we’ve been meeting together as the church in the downtown area, I’ve been surprised at how many people we have run across who said they were hungry. We have always had enough food to share with them. Sometimes, the people will eat with us, and we are able to talk with them more – get to know them – find out about them and their situation – learn how we can serve them better. Sometimes, the people take the food we offer them and leave. For the most part, the people have always been appreciative.
I don’t know if Bill really needed food. I don’t know if his sister was really at home asleep. I don’t know if his mother was really a drug addict who had left her children alone in order to find drugs.
What do I know? I know that Bill (and others) told us that they were hungry. I know that we had food available. I know that we met their needs as we were able. I know that we offered to help them more.
Can we solve the world’s hunger problem? No. Can we help people who are hungry? Yes.
stories: Dallas Homeless
This post is part of my “stories” series. In this series, I share stories of how people live their lives in response to the gospel and as a demonstration of God’s love in order to teach us and to provide an example to provoke us to love and good works. (See “stories: A New Series” for more information about this series.)
This story was submitted by Lionel, one of my readers, who blogs at “The Gospel in 3-D“.
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On the Saturday before Christmas a group of independent believers decided they wanted to find a unique way to share the love of Christ with the homeless. But it actually started way before then. I got the idea by praying for a creative way to serve the community abroad. As I was walking through the mall the Spirit gave me a clear revelation. Steve and Barrys was having a going out of business sale where their shoes and coats would be 40-60% off. The store has really good quality clothing at a really low price so I thought “why not buy a bunch of clothes and coats and take them down to the homeless”. Well I decided to talk to a few friends of mine and a couple of them were interested.
My brother Ced decided to forward to the pastor of a house church he has been attending and they took the idea even further. They added water, sandwiches, fresh fruit and also decided to buy even more clothes, coats, and shoes. This was a blessing indeed since I really didn’t want to go there alone and due to the fact that the Lord impressed upon my heart to ask others in order to give them an opportunity to serve. Well I decided from there to post the outreach on my blog www.blackandreformedministries.com [Lionel has since started blogging at www.gospelin3d.com] and I found that a sister named Javetta who visited the blog was actually in the area and wanted to do what she could do. Javetta who blogs at regeneratedmusings.blogspot.com decided to bring some shirts and socks.
Well we started out over Brian’s house, they were making sandwiches, fellowshipping, and getting ready for the outreach. It was nice to meet other believers. Not worrying about doctrinal stuff, not talking theology, but living out theology in the way that Christ did. As we finished up and the kids came down, we noticed one problem. We really didn’t know any direct place to go. So we set out to one location, talked to a few people and ended up at a docking station. There we found hundreds of homeless men and women and all type of people from all walks of life. It was fun to laugh with them, share with them, and not try to proselytize them. No “how to get out of hell today” cards, just loving talking about Jesus and when the opportunity arose, sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.
At the end this was a success! Not because the media was there, not because our church had checked off one more thing on the list, not because there was some program. It was a success because we only wanted to do what Jesus wanted us to. Quite a few people were excited and gave us hugs and “God bless”‘s.
I did want to highlight something. We ran out of shoes early and there was a woman in her mid 40’s or so who had on a new pair of industrial work shoes/boots, but they looked rather small for her stature. Well after talking with her for awhile she shared her disappointment about her inability to retain a pair of shoes. She said someone had given her the ones she had on but they were about a size or so too small. Our sister Javetta kindly and without a second thought, took her designer boots (not designer as in 100’s of dollars but very stylish and hip) and gave them too her. She told us a story about how she searched for those boots a couple of months and had finally found the right size, but that she was listening to a song about how God gave away what cost Him and decided that she wanted to be like God. Wow!
Well we won’t stop there. This month we will partner up with my good friend Shannon Neffendorf who owns and operates www.oakcliffcoffee.com . We will go out the next time to share some coffee and the love of Christ. We want to trust the Spirit to give us creative ways to minister to people. I don’t know what we will be doing in February. Maybe giving some roses or something like. Just want to love folks as Jesus commanded us.
There is one thing I learned. That is, we love people in spite of the responses we get back. I remember a place in Luke where Jesus heals 10 blind men. Of the 10 only one returns and Jesus asks “where are the others”. Jesus being fully divine knew and understood before He ever healed them that they wouldn’t thank Him. That they would celebrate their gift of eyesight and ignore the gift giver. However, that did not hinder Jesus from loving them by healing them. And even though many people never told Jesus “thank you” and many who were healed by Him maybe yelled “crucify Him”, his love was the determining factor not others’ response. And that is where I am today. Regardless of the appreciation, regardless of the praise or the pats on the back, I want to serve others as my Master would serve them. The entire work of redemption is a work of service on undeserving creatures – myself included – and Jesus boasts “the son of man did not come to be served but to serve”. This is not conditioned on human response but flows for His love for humanity.
Christ = The Least?
Beth at “Coffee Klatch” wrote an excellent post last week called “There Goes Christ“. She questions the wisdom and the meaning behind a phrase like “There, but by the grace of God, go I”. Here are some of her comments about this phrase:
[It] doesn’t connect people. It divides them. Even though it seems to acknowledge our similarities it says that by the grace of God that person is less than me and thanks God that I am not like him. Maybe instead of saying “There, but by the grace of God, go I.” We should say simply “There go I.” And remember that the needy brother or sister at our side is no different than us and we are no different than them. Or maybe instead we should say, “There goes Christ.” Remembering that whatever we do to the least of these we do unto Christ himself.
Last week, I saw a 16 yr old boy who was trying to take care of himself as well as his younger brother and sister. Last weekend, a man in a wheelchair interrupted our lunch asking for food. Did I see them as myself? Did I see them as less than myself? Did I see them as Christ?
Walking through difficulty… together
I wrote a post called “Walking through difficulty… together” about a year and a half ago. It was originally published on a group blog called “Life in the Journey“. Unfortunately, like many group blogs, that one didn’t work out, although there are some very good posts there. In this post, I examined one of the many benefits of true fellowship and relationships which occurs when believers live through difficult times in community with one another.
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Walking through difficulty… together
I almost did not write this post. Honestly, compared to many people and the struggles that they are going through, it is hard for me to call my struggles “difficulties”. But, there are difficulties in my life. Everyone goes through difficulties, trials, struggles, whatever we want to call them.
Lately, our difficulties have included spiritual struggles, health problems, financial strains, and emotional trials. We’ve had relationship problems without our family and with those outside our family.
Struggles are universal. Comparatively, some have more difficult lives; some have less difficult lives. But, every life comes with its share of problems. Every person suffers in some way.
There is a difference for us though: we are not suffering alone. For some reason, explainable only as the grace of God, we have been surrounded by people who have helped us walk through difficulties. Only in the last few weeks, God has used (in no particular order) Maël and Cindy, Dan and Kate, Stan and Renata, Theron and Cheryl, Lew, Gary, Glenn, Dusty, Rodney and Denise, Jim and Kirstie, Anthony, and many, many other people to speak words of encouragement, to lend helping hands, to ask difficult questions, to offer support, to pray, to listen, to teach.
Recently, I was talking with a good friend who spent some time in another country. This time was difficult for him and his family. But, he also recognized how God provided certain people at just the right time to help them through these struggles.
Talking to my friend reminded me of how often I take these fellow travellers for granted. We are all walking in the journey. God allows us to cross path with many people. Sometimes, we cross paths with people so that we can help them. Sometimes, we cross paths with people so that they can help us. Sometimes, we cross paths because we need one another. Whatever the reason, I never want to take for granted the children of God that he chooses to bring into my life. Many times I find that God gives me the strength to make it through trials through these fellow travellers who humbly and gently choose to walk through difficulties with us. Sometimes, it is through these fellow travellers that God demonstrates his love, mercy, grace, and justice.
I thank God for the brothers and sisters that he regularly sends to walk with us through difficulty. I thank my brothers and sisters for giving so generously of yourselves, your time, your resources, and your energy.
Perhaps you would like to thank God for some people who are walking or have walked through difficulty together with you.
stories: The kind of friends we all need
This post is part of my “stories” series. In this series, I share stories of how people live their lives in response to the gospel and as a demonstration of God’s love in order to teach us and to provide an example to provoke us to love and good works. (See “stories: A New Series” for more information about this series.)
Last month, my father-in-law had quadruple bypass surgery. As you can imagine, this was a tense time for our family.
While he was in surgery and we were all in the waiting room, several friends of my in-laws joined us. One set of visitors surprised us. I’ll call them Mr. and Mrs. B. Since we lived in the same city as my in-laws until about 10 years ago, I know this family, but I didn’t know they were good friends with my in-laws.
They sat in the waiting room with us during the surgery, and rejoiced with us when we heard that the surgery went well. They didn’t just sit quietly though; they struck up conversations with many of the family members, both with those they knew (like us) and with family member that they had never met before.
After surgery, when they were leaving the hospital, I heard Mrs. B say that she was going to work at the local crisis center that afternoon. The crisis center provides food and clothing to families that are in need. The food and clothing are provided by people from the various churches in the county, and are distributed by volunteers to people who come by the center. So, besides giving up their morning spending time comforting our family, they were giving up their afternoon serving others in need – mostly people that they did not know.
At dinner that night, I asked my mother-in-law about this family. I said, “I didn’t realize you were good friends with Mr. and Mrs. B.” She said, “We’re not. We’re in the same Sunday School class with them, but we don’t do anything else with them.”
Then, my mother-in-law said the following: “But, that’s just the way they are. They are always the first people to visit whenever someone is in the hospital. When Frank (my father-in-law) was taking chemo treatments for his prostate cancer, they were the only ones who brought us food. We didn’t ask for it; they just brought it on their own.”
I said something like, “Well, those are the kind of friends we all need.” And, its true! Not only that, but that’s the kind of friend we all need to be to others.
Mr. and Mrs. B do not wait for others to ask for help before they being serving. And, they do not only serve those with whom they are close friends. When they see a need, they meet that need if its in their ability. They are willing to give up time and resources for people that they do not know, and who cannot pay them back or serve them back.
By the way, this family is part of a very traditional church organization. They have probably never heard the word “missional”. But, they know how to share their lives with others, both within the structure of the church organization and outside that structure.
This is a great demonstration of love – the love of Christ! This is an example that we can all follow, regardless of our giftedness, talents, resources, or lack thereof. God loved us by giving. We can only respond to his love by giving of ourselves to others.
The third greatest commandment
I’m sure that most of my readers are familiar with Jesus’ declaration of the greatest commandment(s):
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-40 ESV)
So, a lawyer asks Jesus which is the “great commandment”. Jesus replied with two: 1) Love God and 2) Love your neighbor. But, Jesus said that the second was like the first. Also, Jesus said that “all the Law and the Prophets” depend on “these two commandments”, not on one or the other, but on both.
As I was thinking about this recently, I wondered why Jesus gave the man two commandments. I mean, the man only asked for one, but Jesus gave him two. Why didn’t Jesus just give him one? Or, why didn’t Jesus give him three? What would have been the “third greatest commandment” according to Jesus?
When I read what people are saying about Jesus or about Christianity, it often seems that they think “the third greatest commandment” is more important than the first two that Jesus mentioned. What do I mean? Well, in books and teachings and blog posts and other means, people are often telling Christians what they must do to follow Jesus’ teachings. And, love is very rarely at the top of the list. Instead, it seems people like to focus on what they must consider to be Jesus’ “third greatest commandment”. You know, things like:
Have faith!
Study the Bible!
Join the church!
Give your money!
Homeschool your children!
Be baptized!
Sign this covenant/confession!
Make disciples!
Speak in tongues!
Pray!
Sing worship songs!
Be involved in the programs of the church!
Read the right books!
Of course, there are others who prefer to focus on Jesus’ “third greatest commandment” as a prohibition or negative command:
Do not drink!
Do not curse!
Do not join THAT church!
Do not send your kids to public schools!
Do not speak in tongues!
Do not hang out with THOSE people!
Do not read THOSE books!
I guess I could go on and on. Now, some of these are very good things. But, Jesus didn’t list these among his great commandment list. Instead, Jesus stopped at two: 1) Love God and 2) Love your neighbor.
Why would Jesus stop with these two? Why did he not include other commands in his list? Are we wrong if we place alot of emphasis on love? Are we wrong if we don’t place alot emphasis on love?