Author Archives: reveds

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About reveds

Occupation: Pastor, Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Lennox, SD Education: BS - Christian Education, Sterling College; MDiv. - Princeton Theological Seminary Family: Married, with Four children. Hobbies: Running (will someday run a marathon), Sci-Fi (especially Doctor Who and Sherlock), Theater, and anything else my kids will let me do.

Genuine Love

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“Let love be genuine…”
(Rom 12:9)

The song “Elijah” by Rich Mullins has been coming up frequently as of late on my Running Playlist, and this particular line has stuck in my head:

There’s people been friendly, but they’d never be your friends
Sometimes this has bent me to the ground

Sadly, I think we all know too well what this verse means.  There are those who will be nice to your face, but would never be your friend. You’ve got hundreds of “Friends” on Facebook, but not one person who calls to check in, or stops by for a visit. There is no pain quite like that of a betrayal of someone once considered a friend.  The more “connected” we try to get with Social-Media, or throwing ourselves into our kid’s school and extracurricular activities, the more isolated and alone we feel.  We hear “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24), and we ask, “Where is that brother for me?” We long for genuine friendship, for connection, for belonging.

When Paul addressed the Church in Rome about their life together as “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1), he began with this notion of genuine love.  The word “genuine” here is “anypokritos” in the Greek, literally meaning, “without hypocrisy.” Historically, the word “hypocrite” is a theatrical term, referring to those who wore a mask in order to assume or pretend to be someone or something which they are not. So Paul is saying, “Don’t be a false friend, don’t be a poser!”  Donald Barnhouse once wrote, “True love must leave the stage and walk the paths of real life.”  There is no room in the Christian life for pretend love, because that is an empty love, it isn’t really love at all.

This is demonstrated throughout the New Testament:

  • When Peter was forgiven and restored, the question was not, “Do you believe in me?” but “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-19).
  • The parable of the Good Samaritan was told as an illustration of what loving your neighbor looks like (Luke 10:27-37).
  • Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another, even as he has love us, in laying down our lives for one another (John 13:34).
  • There is no greater love than a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).
  • Love for Christ is demonstrated in obedience to His commands (John 14:23-24).
  • And perhaps hitting the nail directly on its head: “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 3:17–18).

The love that is characteristic of the Christian life and community is not an empty sentimentality; it is not a mere profession of love without an affection to support it. No, it is a genuine love that is modeled on the sacrificial love of Christ Jesus our Lord. You cannot say you love God and the church unless you are willing to back it up with genuine love. Get real, because the world doesn’t need another pretender, another false friend and empty demonstration of love.

  • The love that marks the Christian’s life is a love that is slow to anger and quick to forgive the offenses of others, even before they seek forgiveness.
  • The love that marks the Christian’s life is a love that puts other’s needs before your own, and cares for and visits those in need.
  • The love that marks the Christian’s life is a love that bears the burdens of others and earnestly prays for each other.
  • The love that marks the Christian’s life is a love that puts in overtime at work in order to help pay your neighbor’s electric bill.
  • The love that marks the Christian’s life is a love that turns from sin and wickedness and cherishes godliness in the practice of righteousness.

This love is not a façade or an act. There are no “5 Easy Steps” to having Genuine Christian Love. No, this love is born from a new heart, a heart that is filled with and by the love of God for us in Jesus Christ – “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).  This love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit working righteousness in us. It is the outward demonstration of the inward working of God’s love for us.

The greatest commandment, the highest calling, is to love the Lord your God will all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31).  So let your love be genuine and sincere.

SDG

Hold Fast to the Truth

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We live in a strange time of absolute relativism.

In this brave new world there is no meaning except that which you give to something. Your experience is what determines and defines your reality, and outside of that experience there is no such thing as Truth or Right and Wrong. You can’t tell someone they are wrong today, just that their opinion of reality is different than your own. To insist upon one perceived truth over another is an aggression against a person’s individuality and is not allowed. To claim to be right is the only thing that is wrong.

This all started small. I remember when math teachers were proposing that 2+2 might not always equal 5. Now you can’t make judgements about someone’s life choices without being labeled close minded and bigoted. This video from the Family Policy Institute of Washington is revealing:

We are so confused today that we can’t even tell someone today which bathroom they are supposed to use.

As much as people consider this as avant-guard thinking, the reality is, as Ecclesiastes says, “there is nothing new under the sun.”

Durning Jesus’ trial, Pilate asks him, “What is truth?” Paul warned young Timothy that there would come a time when “people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Timothy dealt with this in the Church, as we still do today.

Today, if you preach that God is loving and gracious and forgiving, well that’s fine. But don’t tell me that I might be sinning in my dating relationships, or that my career and bank account have become idols, or that I have profaned the sabbath under the excuse of “quality family time at the lake”. That’s going too far. We are all too ready and eager to go shopping for a Church and a Preacher that will love the things we love, hate the things we hate, and never criticize our personal choices.

So how are we supposed to live in the midst of all of this? God’s Word to us from 2 Timothy is a strong foundation in this world of shifting sand. Here are a few points of application:

Recognize our own Tendency to Compromise
When reading 2 Timothy 4, it is easy to say that this applies only to those who are on the other end of the political/moral pendulum than me. They’re the ones who have itching ears, who wander from the truth, who find teachers who tickle their ears. In truth, we all gravitate toward likeminded people, and we resist those who will challenge and confront us. If we love the truth, then we must continue to put ourselves in the position where we will be corrected and reproofed by the truth. We must come to the realization that when the Scriptures address sin and call us to repentance, when the Preacher rebukes and exhorts, its not always about the other person; often times, its about you.

Be sober minded
I think a modern interpretation of this phrase might read, “Don’t flip out,” or “Don’t lose your head.” Being sober minded is being grounded in the truth. Yes, we live in a world of lies, and people love and and accept the lie more than they love the truth. There is a veil over their eyes, and they have been blinded to the truth. This is the state of affairs in a broken and sinful world.

So keep your head about you. At times it will seem as though the Truth is advancing, other times its seems as though the inmates are running the asylum. But this is not the end. Christ our Redeemer has overcome all things, including the lies and deception of the evil one. Love and hold fast to the truth, suffering for it, as you certainly will, with patience and compassion for those who are sadly deceived.

Do the Work of the Evangelist
The evangelist is one who proclaims good news in troubled times. In the midst of the lies, Christ came as the Way, the Truth, and the Life; He is the light in the midst of darkness, He is the truth that sets us free. In Him there is a resounding “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, but there is also a glorious “Yes!” godly living (Titus 2:11-14).

As followers of Christ, we are called to proclaim, to those who do not know the truth, and to those who are being swayed by the lies, to live out the truth in word and deed. With truth and love we are to proclaim Christ, calling all to repent and believe. We are to “have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh” (Jude 22-23).

So as I say each week at then end of worship, “Go out into the world in peace, be of good courage, hold fast to that which is good, return no one evil for evil, but help the suffering, strengthen the fainthearted, support the weak, honor and serve all people, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit!”

Grace and peace,
SDG