Showing God's love
All of us know the song They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love, but I wonder if we understand the significance of what it says.
The Scriptures indicate that the early church grew because people outside the church saw the love they had for one another and wanted to be a part. I have been involved in Virginia Baptist life since birth and 25 years serving as a pastor. I have been a part of the denominational struggles that continue to smear the witness of Christ. I have seen churches fight over music styles, color of the carpet, which Bible to use and who should serve in the church. I ask myself why anyone would want to join a church. Churches spend so much energy fighting and competing with each other that there is very little left to reach a lost and lonely world.
Instead of loving one another as Christ commanded, we use people for our own benefit. As long as someone agrees with us or is useful to us, he or she can fellowship; but when we disagree, we attempt to destroy the person or group.
We are the body of Christ; the representatives of God to the world. Non-believers look at the church in order to catch a glimpse of the love of God. No wonder so many churches are declining.
When churches lose their love for others the church becomes a social club or religious institution that exists for the sake of the institution. The love of Christ means we sacrifice what we want for the benefit of others without compromising the demands of the gospel.
The real issue in the church today is not the style of music or theology. The real issue is the absence of God's transforming power. The body of Christ is no longer seen as an expression of God's love as demonstrated on the cross of Calvary. Without love we become a “clanging cymbal.” If they know we are Christians by our love, then we can understand why our churches are empty.
David Upshaw, Farmville