Sometimes you do not know what people are doing for you at the moment of the deed. Years ago on the mission field some students wished to honor me. With the casual gathering [it was a secret surprise], the spirit of the occasion [as viewed by this American] was one of informal fun. There was a lot of laughing, teasing, and good humor. The students dressed me in what appeared to me to be a ridiculous outfit and made some amused, giggling requests of me that seemed even more ridiculous. At the end of this hilarious occasion [and it was!], they gave me an African name. A year later by an accidental circumstance, I realized the incredible honor they gave me!

We often are surprised by a kindness that we did not perceive to be a kindness at the moment it was extended. Those are the moments we are likely to embarrass ourselves.

When Jesus told his disciples that he was giving them a new commandment to love each other as he had loved them, they had little idea of how much he loved them. The thought of a Jew loving another Jew was in no way new to them (Matthew 22:34-40). That thought was as old as Moses' instructions (Leviticus 19:18). The commandment for Jews to love other Jews was an old commandment! The "new" part was the focus on Jesus' love for them.

The thought of the responsibility to love other Jews was not at all shocking. That responsibility had been stressed for centuries in the Jewish community. The newness of Jesus' stress was not on the responsibility to love, but on the quality of the love.

There is a special bond that is to exist among those who place their primary confidence in Jesus Christ! If your response is, "I know that!" ask yourself the question, "Do I really know that?" It is easy to "know that" until people we do not care for place their faith in Jesus Christ. Then, suddenly, "proving themselves" to meet our satisfaction becomes more important to us than loving them for trusting the Savior we trust.

The faith in Jesus Christ that produces a whole-life commitment to him must produce a special bond among those with such faith. It is easy for that bond to become severely stressed or nonexistent when considerations other than a whole-life commitment to Christ in faith become priorities.

It is an old problem. As long as all Christians were Jews, it was acceptable to love others. However, when people who were not Jews began to become Christians, loving others became a huge problem [for glimpses of that problem, see Acts 15:1-21 and 21:17-26].

This problem was very much a real issue when Jewish Christians were challenged to love gentile Christians and gentile Christians were challenged to love Jewish Christians. The reaction of the Jewish community that was not Christian often placed Jewish Christians in an extremely awkward situation.

That same problem is alive today among Christians. It is much simpler to love Christians who are "just like us" than it is to love Christians who are extremely different to us.

The same problem is often evident today when, in the same society, Christians are challenged just to respect Christians who are obviously different in a religious position or in social practices.

Current examples. (1) Consider our internal divisions. These are the divisions that exist within the church among believing, repenting, baptized believers who place their faith in Jesus Christ. We speak of sincere converts to Jesus Christ, not of those who continue to be unconcerned or moderately concerned about spiritual things because they knowingly choose to be more concerned about physical priorities than spiritual priorities. If "outside" forces will leave us alone, we seem determined to turn on each other and internally tear ourselves to shreds. If "you" do not come to the same conclusions "I" do regarding "my" concerns, then "you" are not a faithful Christian regardless of how deep and genuine your faith in Jesus Christ is. How can we love each other as Jesus Christ loves us if we can resent deeply Christians who disagree with us?

Be certain to stress we are talking about people who believe, repent, and are baptized into Christ. The desire for God's people to internally attack ourselves is as old as ancient Israel. Too often we are our own worst enemies. Observations from the outside on the way we attack each other on the inside discredits God and destroys our credibility. If we cannot respect each other, why should those who are not a part of us respect us?

(2) Consider the fear of "losing control" of "our" congregation. Should we convert people from the inner city? Absolutely! How many should we convert? If "they" stay "down there," convert all that it is possible to convert. If "they" are coming "here with us," most of the time we do not wish to convert enough to be a majority. Should we convert people who speak only Spanish [or some other language besides English]? Are not the concerns basically the same? Discuss any lines of separation we wish--social, economic, racial, linguist, style of worship, etc. Are not the issues similar?

The "control" issue is a huge matter in many congregations of the Church of Christ. We are very territorial about what we built and what we maintain. While control is often an important matter to us, it is rarely mentioned in the New Testament. There seems to be a strong link between possessing material things and control. Since congregations of the first century did not vest themselves in things, the "control" issue is much more an issue of today than an issue when Christianity began. They were much more likely to be concerned about "control" issues in regard to Jew-gentile association distinctions than in possession considerations.

In theory, we place a high priority on bringing people to Christ. In actuality, we want to remain in control by furthering relationships of dependency. [Certainly, it is a complex problem containing many real questions that must be addressed.] The point is not to suggest a simple solution exists. The point is not to suggest that multiple congregations with differing priorities in some way defies scripture. The point is that the fear of "losing control" opposes loving other Christians as Jesus loved his disciples.

It is relatively simple to submit to converting people to Christ if the people are far from us. It is much more demanding to convert people in our own community. It is possible to maintain a paternalistic attitude toward people "out there" and to create relationships of grateful dependence if "those" people are physically separated from us. It is much more difficult to maintain an attitude of respect and a bond of closeness when such people are on the "inside."

(3) Consider the conviction that God loves American Christians more than He loves Christians in other countries. Among the congregations of the Church of Christ, there are more Christians in Nigeria, West Africa, than there are in the U.S.A. There are likely more Christians in India than in either Nigeria or the U.S.A. [if there is not, such soon will be true]. We in the U.S.A. have not been the majority for years. Does God rejoice in the conversion of a person who is not an American as much as He rejoices in the conversion of an American? Does your heart say the same thing your head says?

We have developed the attitude that our knowledge and our financial success grant us a status of appreciation and acceptance before God that is not available to less accomplished societies. Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and James 2:1-9. For many of us, it comes as a shock to realize that we, as a spiritual movement in Christ in this society, do not even rank as # 2 in the number of believers when compared to some other countries.

Certainly, we could add to these illustrations. However, for a moment, consider how much Jesus loved his disciples. Paul, who was not one of the twelve, said Jesus loved enough to sacrifice everything. Read Philippians 2:5-8. Jesus not only sacrificed everything. He became what he helped make and died. Jesus himself said, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). He loved people enough to trust God to resurrect him and restore him to his pre-birth position (see John 17). He loved people enough to be their way to God (John 14:6; Hebrews 1:1,2; 7:25-8:6; 10:19,20). He loved us enough to make us children of God (1 John 3:1-3). Everything, including resurrection, reconciliation, sanctification, forgiveness, hope, mercy, grace, prayer, etc. depends on Jesus' love for us. Without his love for us we would be helpless before God in Whom there is no sin.

Stress how much Jesus sacrificed in order to come to this world to benefit us. The mere fact that Jesus came is evidence of the enormous love God and Jesus Christ has for us.

Jesus wants those who follow him to bond with each other in selflessness just as he bonded with his disciples. The extent of that bonding is reflected in Galatians 6:1,2 and 1 John 3:13-24. Much more is involved than being an acquaintance or coming to the same building each week. The evidence that we belong to the God who cares about people is found in our caring about people. When we refuse to care about people, we cannot belong to the God Who sent Jesus because He cared about people (see Jonah 4:9-11 and John 3:16-21).

Committing to Jesus Christ to receive God's salvation through him is not to be compared to a commitment to a civic organization or compared to an obligation to "something we should do." It is a love response to the highest form of affection we will ever know or experience. Stress this fact: we cannot belong to a God Who loves people unless we are committed to developing our love for people.

For Thought and Discussion

1. Why would Jesus' emphasis on the importance of loving each other not sound strange to his disciples?
   1. They did not yet comprehend how much Jesus loved them.

   2. The importance of Jews loving fellow Jews had been stressed for centuries.

2. On what did the "new" focus?

   It focused on Jesus' love for them.

3. Where is a special bond to exist?

   A special bond is to exist among those who place their primary confidence in Jesus Christ.

4. When does it become difficult for Christians to have that kind of love?

   It becomes difficult when people we do not "care for" place their faith in Jesus Christ.

5. This challenge is an old problem. Explain the difficulty it created for many of the first Christians.

   The first Christians were all Jews. There was not an unusual challenge involved in Jewish Christians loving Jewish Christians. The problem came when gentiles [any person who was not a Jew or a proselyte] began accepting Jesus Christ. Devout Jews [especially Jews in their homeland] at that time were strongly taught not to associate socially with people who were not Jews or who had not converted to Judaism.

6. Give three current examples of the same problem being "alive" among Christians today.
   1. Internal division.

   2. "Losing control" of "our" congregation.

   3. The conviction that God loves American Christians more than Christians in other countries.

7. How much did (does) Jesus love his disciples?

   He sacrificed everything to come to earth. He became what he helped create and died. He trusted God to resurrect and restore him to his pre-birth position. He made it possible for us to be God's children. He made a good resurrection, reconciliation with God, sanctification, forgiveness, hope, mercy, grace, prayer, etc. possible for us. He destroyed our helplessness before a sinless God.

Link to Student Guide Lesson 1

Copyright © 2007
David Chadwell & West-Ark Church of Christ

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