“Love One Another” –Jesus
Every Christian knows that Jesus told His disciples to love one another, but how do we do this on a practical level, in the every day grind of life?
“But I don’t need to write to you about the Christian love that should be shown among God’s people. For God himself has taught you to love one another. Indeed, your love is already strong toward all the Christians… Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we beg you to love them more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10).
We can never love each other too much. Earlier Paul said, “…may the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows toward you” (3:12). One paraphrase puts it this way: “And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you…” (MSG).
Part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in this New Covenant is to teach us to love one another, “For God himself has taught you to love one another” (4:9).
Loving other Christians is one of the identifying marks of an authentic disciple of Jesus.
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35).
The world will recognize that we’re really followers of Jesus when they see us loving one another.
“I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. And here is how to measure it—the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are my friends if you obey me. I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn’t confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. I command you to love each other” (John 15:12-17).
Notice that Jesus uses the word command. He commands us twice in these six verses to love one another. The writer of Hebrews also exhorts, “Continue to love each other with true Christian love” (Hebrews 13:1).
This love we have for other Christians is evidence that we are born again, “We know that we have passed [permanently passed] out of death into life, because we love [habitually] the brethren. He who does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14, AMP).
Let’s look at 3 practical ways we can put our love into practice. We can show our love by: Caring, Covering, and Confronting.
“But I don’t need to write to you about the Christian love that should be shown among God’s people. For God himself has taught you to love one another… This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we commanded you before” (1 Thessalonians 4:9,11).
Paul is saying that one of the ways we show our love is by caring for other Christians. We care enough to help other believers and we care enough not to burden other believers by working to support ourselves. As we work, or prepare ourselves for a career someday, we are not only taking care or our own needs, but also we will have something to share with others.
In Ephesians 4:28 Paul said, “Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need” (NASB). Caring for those among us who have material needs of food, clothing, or housing shows the authentic love of Christ.
“Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them” (1 Timothy 6:17-18).
Let’s pause and ask ourselves these questions: Who do I know that needs financial help? Will the career choices I am making be pleasing to God? Am I ready to share? Am I prone to take advantage of other believers’ generosity?
The second way that we can show our love for each other is by covering our mouths.
“…lead a quiet life and attend to your own business…” (1 Thessalonians 4:11, NASB).
Paul is saying, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and mind your own business!” Leading a quiet life means that you are not a busybody.
This means we muzzle our mouth, we tame our tongues, we’re careful about who and what we talk about—even to other believers.
Morgan Blake writes in the Atlanta Journal: “I am more deadly than the screaming shell from the howitzer. I win without killing. I tear down homes, break hearts, and wreck lives. I travel on the wings of the wind. No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity pure enough to daunt me. I have no regard for truth, no respect for justice, no mercy for the defenseless. My victims are as numerous as the sands of the sea, and often as innocent. I never forget and seldom forgive. My name is Gossip.”
One of the funny things I’ve noticed over the years is that I’ve never met a gossip who considered that he or she was a gossip.
“And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things that are contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people” (Romans 16:17-18).
There are times when we show our love for each other by confronting wrong-doing or false-teaching. This is not pleasant, but love without boundaries isn’t love at all. Maintaining unity in the church is critical to keep the enemy at bay.
People who attack other Christians or Christian ministries are walking in the flesh at best and may not even be saved. People who cause divisions show that they love themselves, their opinions, and even their cause more than they love the Body of Christ. God hates this: “There are six things the LORD hates—no, seven things he detests: …a person who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16; 19b).
Years ago, the May 1987 edition of National Geographic included an article about the arctic wolf. Author L. David Mech described how a seven-member pack had targeted several musk-oxen calves who were guarded by eleven adults. As the wolves approached their potential victims, the musk-oxen would gather in an impenetrable semicircle, their deadly rear hooves facing out. All the calves remained safe during a long stand-off with the enemy.
But then a single ox broke rank, and the rest of the herd scattered into nervous little groups. A skirmish ensued, and the adults finally fled in panic, leaving the calves to the mercy of the predators. Not a single calf survived.
In Acts 20 the apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders that vicious wolves would come and not spare the flock. Though the wolves continue to attack the church today, they cannot penetrate and destroy when unity is maintained.
We need to be careful to maintain the unity of the saints within the church, both Calvary and the Church as a whole. If we love one another this will take care of itself.
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Pastor Mark Martin
Calvary Community Church
