HOW ONE CHURCH LOVES A NEIGHBOR CHURCH
This is a follow up on a previous blog about loving your neighbor-church. We know that one of Jesus’ fundamental commands to his disciples was that they should love one another even as Jesus loved them. We often reflect on that as a form of admonition to reach out to strangers or at least individuals who are different from us. How often do we consider our neighbor churches to be the neighbor churches that Jesus commands us to love?
We live in a society that is filled with the results of splits within the Body of Christ. yes, many of the issues that led to the splits are important issues, but how often did Jesus split from his disciples when they acted in ways that were contrary to what he taught and how he acted.
WHEN A CHURCH LET’S YOU DOWN
How should you respond when either individuals within a church or the whole congregation lets you down. If we are to love another as Jesus loved us, then are those experiences an opportunity to deepen our own spirituality, precisely because it is difficult. Are these not opportunities to learn in a deeper way what it means to live by the spirit rather than by the flesh.
HOW DO CHURCHES LIVE BY THE SPIRIT?
Paul provides us a set of criteria to measure how we live by the Spirit. Consider a church intentionally setting out to live by the Spirit in relation to other churches. Picture choosing to act in relation to your neighbor churches with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
When you consider the current state of the church, consider Paul’s statement in Galatians 5:14-15. “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ If however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”
HOW DOES ONE CHURCH LOVE ANOTHER CHURCH?
Let me suggest a few ideas.
- Write a letter expressing appreciation for their ministry. If they have a website, you might do some research and actually identify some specific ministries that they offer.
- Make a spontaneous contribution to be used in support of their ministry.
- Invite their congregation to share in a joint meal together.
- Announce that on a given Sunday several of your members (maybe 20 or more) will visit and worship with them.
- Offer to have a number of members participate with them in a joint clean up day.
- Praise the pastor or member for some public act of ministry.
- If you live in a cold climate, offer some of your deacons to come and shovel snow from their sidewalks for three Sundays in a row.
- Invite them to have choir and/or pulpit exchange.
- Announce that you will be publicly praying both in support and thanksgiving for them on three successive Sundays.
- What other ways can you identify.
IMAGINE THE RESPONSE IF THOSE BEHAVIORS OCCURRED IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
MAYBE OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY MIGHT INDEED SEE THAT YOU ARE A CHURCH MADE UP OF DISCIPLES OF JESUS AS HE SUGGESTED.
