A
KINGDOM BUILT ON RELATIONSHIP
by
Shawn O’Hearn
It's becoming so very clear to me now
just how much God desires true relationship with Him. I don't know that I have
ever been consumed with relating any message, other than Jesus Christ as Savior
and Lord, than I have this one. Building relationships in the Body of Christ has
become a passion. It's a must! It's the last thing the Lord Jesus prayed in the
garden the night He died. It's who He is returning for. How many brides do you
know that weren't in relationship with the groom before the wedding? Not many
I'll bet.
I Thess. 2:8 says, "We were
well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives,
because you had become dear to us." Do you get a sense of family there?
That's exactly what God wants. The Bible speaks more on being united as one than
it does heaven or hell! It's time we get together as the Body of Christ and
start building the Kingdom of God. It's time to work hand in hand to reach the
lost.
What type of bride is the Father
preparing for His Son? She is radiant with His character, full of love, with no
division in her heart. She does not quarrel over her rights or set boundaries
for her service. She willingly offers herself for the sake of the Bridegroom. I
believe now more than ever the most important thing on this earth to the Father
is His church, His bride. Unity among the believer is not an option, but our
responsibility to the Lord and to each other. Nothing should be allowed to
prevent it! Not traditions, not misunderstanding or any offense! There is too
much at stake: souls. We need each other more than ever. Let's get rid of the
hindrances and move on. The last time I checked we are all still under
construction!
Take a look at what Col. 3:14 says, "And
above all these (put on) love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness
(which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony.)" Amp.
The Body of Christ must display that
same kind of love that Jesus displayed for us on Calvary, love that chooses to
reach out even when wronged. As we choose to love, we are allowing God to deal
with our wounds and heal our past. We cannot live our lives fully when we are
affected by our past. We must choose to !et go and move forward, reaching out in
love to others, Is it easy? No. Can it be done? Yes? It must be done. God has no
plan "B." We are the first and the only plan. Psalm 133 says that, "There
(unity) the Lord command the blessing." Want a blessing? Then let's all
get unified!
Cultivating Community
I like what the Message Bible says
about community. James 3:18 says it this way, "You can develop a
healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only
if you do the work of getting along with each other, treating each other with
dignity and honor." I believe the focus here is the word work. So,
community requires work. Community requires commitment. Only the Holy Spirit can
create real fellowship between believers, but He cultivates it with choices and
commitments we make. Paul says in Eph 4:3, "You are joined
together in this way." It takes two things for this to happen, God's
power and our effort. When we are "born again" we are born into the
family of God. The Word is full of teaching on living in unity and harmony,
preferring one another, helping one another, honoring one another, keeping Jesus
as our first example.
Cultivating community takes honesty.
You will have to care enough to lovingly speak the truth, even when it would be
easier to gloss over a problem or ignore an issue. Many times it is easier to
remain silent when others around us are harming themselves or others with sinful
behavior, but it is not the loving thing to do. Most people don't have someone
who will tell them the truth, even when it hurts. So they are left to their pain
and sometimes their destruction. Fear stops us from lovingly telling then the
truth. How will they receive it? Or what will other people think of me? The
Bible tells us to "speak the truth in love." Speaking the truth
takes courage. We cannot have community without candor. Solomon said,
"An honest answer is a sign of true friendshtp."
Cultivating community takes humility.
Self importance and stubborn pride destroy fellowship faster than anything else.
Pride builds walls between people; humility builds bridges! The Bible says, "Clothe
yourselves with humility toward one another." Pride blocks God's grace.
We must have God's grace to grow in our relationships; grace to grow together.
Cultivating community takes courtesy.
We need to respect our differences. Be considerate of each others feelings and
be patient with each other.
Cultivating community takes
confidentiality. We need a safe environment of trust and acceptance. God hates
gossip. Proverbs 16:28 says, "Gossip is spread by wicked people; they
stir up trouble and break up friendships." Gossip always destroys
fellowship and God says to confront those who cause division among you. Some
people will leave a church or fellowship when confronted about such things, but
the fellowship of the church is more important than the individual.
Cultivating community takes frequency.
Fellowship takes time. To build community we must frequently put our time into
relationships. This needs to become a priority in the Christian community. We
need to listen to each other, not just one person. Community is not built on
convenience, but on conviction that we all need spiritual health. It's very
important if we want the relationships that God, in His Word, tells us we can
have and need. It comes down to this, we need each other. The whole of God's
Word is about relationship and community. God is definitely in love with His
church and wants it living in harmony with each other. Real fellowship is rare
today and we need to fix that. Let's get real fellowship back in our own lives
and back in the church today.
We are Family!!
"You are joined
together with peace through the Spirit, so make every effort to continue
together in this way." Ephesians
4:3 (NCV)
"Most of all, let
love guide your life, then the whole church will stay together in perfect
harmony." Col 3:14 (LB)
These two scriptures make a strong
point We belong to God and we are family! God requires unity in His family. The
most valuable thing on this planet to our Father is His Church. We have the job
to protect it with unity. Unity is so important that the New Testament gives it
more attention than heaven or hell. God has a deep desire for His
"family" to experience oneness and harmony with each other. Unity is
the soul of fellowship. The fellowship I am talking about is the spiritual kind,
not the get together after a "meeting" kind. Our supreme model is the
Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are completely unified as one. Unity
was so important to Jesus that in John's Gospel, 17:20-21, he prayed a prayer in
the garden, for all believers. "I do not pray for these alone, but also
for those who will believe in Me through their word; that all may be as one, as
You Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the
world may believe that You sent Me." (NKJV)
If you are part of God's family you
have the responsibility to protect the unity where you fellowship. You are
commissioned by Jesus Christ to do everything possible to preserve the unity,
protect the fellowship, and promote harmony in your church family and among all
believers. As believers we share one Lord, one body, one purpose, one Father,
one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love. We share the same
salvation, the same life and the same future. These things are far more
important than any differences that we may have. God made us who we are; people
of different colors, backgrounds and personalities. God wants and requires unity
in His church, not uniformity! Jesus loves us. Let's all remember that the
"family," God's church, is made up of people, not perfect people, real
people who have sinned and who are looking for real answers. We must
passionately love the church in spite of its imperfections.
I
think every church ought to have a sign at the front door that says,
"No perfect people need to enter. This place is only for those who admit
they are sinners, need grace, and want to grow." Let's all choose to
encourage instead of criticize. Let's just continue to let the devil, not the
believer, be the "accuser of our brothers." Remember it's our
responsibility to protect the unity of our church. People are looking for a
place to belong. Everyone wants and needs to be loved, and when people find a
church where people really love and care for each other, you will have to lock
the doors to keep them away! (sohearn@cfaith.com)