I have three kids ages 5 through 14. That means I have had a lot of different toys in my home for 14 years. That means there have been a lot of broken toys in my home for 14 years. That means I have heard this question a
lot over 14 years, “daddy will you fix
this?” Of course there have been more than one occasion where “fixing this” was not within my set of
particular skills. But, often, after studying the damage of what needs
“fixing”, I would begin my search for the Kray Glue. For those of us that remember the eighties,
you may remember the commercial of the guy hanging there with his construction
hat glued to the beam. The commercial
then goes into a list of things Krazy Glue can fix, “a plastic knob, a rubber
boot, a fishing rod, a model train, a model plain, a door knob screw…..” etc.
IT FIXES EVERYTHING! So, I would find
the Krazy Glue, carefully apply and BOOM! Toy fixed.
KRAZY GLUE, the perfect bond for broken things so that they
can accomplish the purpose they were created for.
We have a purpose as the church given to us by Jesus in
Matthew 28:19-20, “Go and make disciples
of all nations.” What an amazingly
large mission that none of us can accomplish alone. After all, we are selfish broken people, who
when left to ourselves will just keep living selfish and broken lives, not
fulfilling the mission given to us. So, that leads us to a question.
What is the bond that keeps us together? What is the “KRAZY GLUE” that holds us
together to fulfill our purpose?
Listen to what Jesus and Paul said.
“By this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one
another.” John 13:35
“This is my command: Love one another as I have
loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his
life for his friends.” John 15:12-13
“You
did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go
and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my
name, he
will give you. This is what I command you: Love one another.” John 15:16-17
“I am in them and you are in me, so that they
may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have
loved them as you have loved me.” John 17:23
“Above all, put on love, which is the perfect
bond of unity.” Col. 3:14
The
answer, Love.
Do you see
that phrase, “the perfect bond”? That means that there is NOTHING that keeps
us together and on mission, living our purpose as well as love does. Love is perfect. Strategies aren’t perfect.
Catchy phrases aren’t perfect. Events aren’t perfect. Love is perfect in its
unifying, gospel spreading power.
I remember
one of my first experiences of seeing the reality of this. About 15 years ago I was a part of a house
church in Boston. There was young man we
met who was a student at Harvard. He was not a Christ follower
but for some reason he kept hanging around with us. Honestly, I was a little
intimidated by him, worried that he would ask me something I couldn’t answer or
that I wouldn’t be intelligent enough to relate to him. As it went, he ended up becoming a follower of
Jesus and it was amazing! Shortly after that we were eating lunch and I asked
him, “What was it that led you to make
the final step of faith?” His answer
was short and powerful. He said, “It was your love for each other. I had never seen anything like that before.”
Love among
those in our little house church was the vehicle for the good news of Jesus.
When those
who don’t know Jesus see a group of messed up, broken people, joyfully and
sacrificially loving one another, then they see Jesus.
If we are
going to accomplish the mission of God to make disciples, we must be a church
marked by people who joyfully lay down our lives for one another. This makes the church different.
The world
says “accomplish at all costs.”
God says
“love at all costs.”
The world
says “do whatever it takes to win.”
God say
“do whatever it takes to love.”
The world
says “look out for number 1.”
God says
“lay down your life for anyone.”
If we will
pursue to love one another well, then we will be more unified and more
effective in accomplishing the mission of God. Love, in the way Jesus loved, is
the KRAZY GLUE! (I know that’s cheesy….)
Here is
what I do with that:
1 1. I ask God
to examine my heart to see if I am more concerned about getting great things
done or loving like Jesus.
2 2. I ask God
to help me slow down to be more attentive to opportunities to listen and love.
3 3. I look for
ways that my small group and other Christian friendships can love each other
and then I try to initiate that love.
Need some “Krazy
Glue”?...... then love well.
0 comments:
Post a Comment