Connections: I love pointing them out in places where they don’t seem very obvious. My teaching style runs along that line and I have always referred to it as connecting the dots. I recently helped a group see some of those connections between love and leadership. They are found in Philippians 2.
Connections: Philippians
Paul began with: Therefore… Because of all that is written in chapter 1 we are to give attention to what is about to be said. That includes the comments he made about being granted the opportunity to suffer for Christ.
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose, Philippians 2:1-2.
He is imploring his flock to loving conduct. That conduct will make his joy complete. His encouragement to them is instructional to us. We will make the joy of our leaders complete when we conduct ourselves in the manner Paul describes.
Some obvious questions would flow from that. The first is: Does our day-to-day conduct match what Paul describes? We are to be of one mind and we are to be in agreement. Unity in mind and purpose can exist without uniformity in thought and action. We can understand with singleness of thought what we are to do but we may express that understanding in myriad ways.
Connections In Common
Christians have forgiveness and salvation in common. That is the basis for unity in the body. God loves each of us in more ways than we can know. While it’s good and necessary to know His love and study the depths of it, we are sometimes in need of something tangible.
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We are like the child who was told how much God loved her. She said she didn’t feel loved. Her mom explained that God loved her through the Holy Spirit. Her response was, I want to be loved by somebody with skin on! (Out of the mouths of babes…)
Paul’s next words describe how we are to be loved:
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.
Now, turn on your imagination and view a church in which everyone regarded YOU as more important than themselves. WOW! Everyone there loves you, looks out for you, wants to hear what you have to say, and everyone there wants to know if there is anything they can do to help you.
How often would you want to be around people like that? It’s safe to say you wouldn’t want to be disconnected from a group like that! And that observation is the why behind the Holy Spirit inspiring New Testament writers with things like love one another, prefer one another, pray for one another, serve one another and all of the one another commands.
World-changing Attitude
So what does it take to turn our world into one that looks like that? Paul’s next instruction holds the answer:
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
It takes commitment and determination to be the one, for my Father’s sake, who treats everyone like that. My passion is supposed to be living as an embodiment of my Father’s love. I will be love with skin on. We can easily imagine and eagerly desire a church that ministers and exhibits love in the way Paul described.
Connect with us!
So what’s the problem? Few people want to live with that kind of commitment to the Father and others. We trust a little bit, but not enough to completely give ourselves up to the Lord’s instructions. But when and if we will do that, we will find our needs are met by our Father. Our task, our life orientation, is to be God’s love for others with skin on.
All ABout Me?
Have you ever really contemplated the fact that the marvelous love of God for those around you is to be dispensed by you? And can you imagine the joy in the hearts of God’s called-out leaders if the flock lived like this? These things don’t have to be wistful desires; they can be reality.
And just one more of these connections: Lord, let it begin in me. The Church has to be led to this kind of living. They need a very visible example from their leaders. Will you ask the Lord to love through you to serve Him and others? That is definitely part of Equipping For Life!
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