Broadway Christian Church ? Columbia, Missouri

Morning Worship ? April 06, 2008

Third Sunday of Easter

Prayer of the Day

God of Love, take hold of us, we pray, in this hour of worship, and do not let us go until we have been blessed by a vision of love, infinitely generous, gentle, and forgiving: simple, wholesome, mysterious, profound, in which all are accepted and none are rejected; a love that never ends! Amen.

Scripture

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Message

Live Lovingly

Rick Frost

Good morning again to all of you who are here today. We’re delighted to have you. If you’re a first-time visitor with us, we are especially glad to have you with us today. We believe you’ve walked into a good church that is becoming a great church. It’s becoming a great church, because the people of this church are growing toward a great commitment to the Great Commandments and the Great Commission. We’re going to talk about that in a few minutes. 

You’re mingling with Easter people: people who are growing in the Easter way, the Easter truth, and the Easter life. Why? Because… “Christ is risen!”

[Congregation:]  “He is risen, indeed!” 

This is the Easter season. Our focus is going to be on the Easter life today, because I want to submit to you that I believe the Easter lifestyle is the ultimate lifestyle. Today we’re going to begin a series on the Easter lifestyle. Easter is not just a day. It’s not just a season. It’s a way of life for us. 

Without a doubt, it’s most important core value is, of course, love. The Bible says that without love, nothing else in this world really matters. With love, that’s the way we show we really know God. The Bible also says love is our number one responsibility. Did you know that? “Faith, hope, and love; these three abide, but the greatest of these is love.”

So what is it? What is this thing we talk about called love? Now you know this. It’s one of the most abused, misused, and overused terms in all of the English language. 

I love to cook, but I love dining even more. I love fishing, and I love God, and I love this church, and I love Jesus, and I love my kids, and I love our friends, and I love my wife, and not necessarily in that order. It depends on what service I’m in. Right? 

When most of us talk about love, the point being is we are usually talking about all kinds of different things. There are two common misconceptions. 

Number One:  Many people think that love is a feeling. They say things like, “You know… I feel all tingly all over.  I have a knot in my stomach. I must be in love.”

Not necessarily. It may be just be a piece of bad pizza. You don’t know. Folks, here’s what I want you to hear. Love creates feelings. Yes! But love is not a feeling. Did you know that? Love creates feelings, but it is not a feeling. 

How many of you husbands, besides me, always feel loving towards your wives? Hands? These are the smart husbands in the house. How many of you kids always feel loving towards your parents? Oh, I saw one hand. That’s good. How many of you parents always feel loving towards your children? There’s a few. Good, good. Now, we don’t always feel loving. I think that’s what we want to say. That’s a misconception, simply because love is not a feeling.

Misconception Number Two: Love is not controllable. There’s this incredible delusion out there that, somehow, love, if it’s really love, is not controllable. Folks, we talk about falling in love as if we were just sort of walking along, and we tripped. We stumbled into, we fell head over heels in love, like it was some kind of accident or something. You know what I mean? We didn’t mean it to happen. The pheromones just took over, and it was uncontrollable. We had to have what we had to have. 

That’s not love. That’s lust. I looked it up. “Lust: an overwhelming, passionate desire for something.” Not love; lust. Now lust can be a good thing. It can be a God thing. An overwhelming, passionate desire for something? That can be good, but as you know, it can also get you into a heap of trouble. The point is lust is not love.

Biblical insight into love is this: number one, love – real love – is a choice.

Colossians 3 says, “Put on love.”  

It’s like when you wake up in the morning. You have a choice. Don’t you? I have a choice. What am I going to put on today? This shirt, these slacks, this dress, those shoes. (I don’t usually choose the dress, except on Sundays. Children wander around me, and they say, “Who is this person that wears the black dress?”) Anyway, I have a choice. That’s the point. The Bible says, “Put on love,” because love is a choice.

Back in my other life, my best friend Tom was really struggling with his relationship with his teenage son. The boy lived with his mother in California, and Tom lived with us in Colorado.  Tom was very caring and loving towards his son. He always paid his child support on time. There was never any argument about that. He arranged visits as often as possible. He sent gifts. He called his boy every Sunday night. 

One day we were talking, and Tom shared with me, “Rick, the truth is, I am ashamed to say it, but I just don’t love him anymore.” 

I said, “What do you mean?” 

He said, “I mean I don’t feel loving toward my boy, and I don’t feel anything from him. I mean, there’s no love between us.” 

I said, “Not true; it’s not true, Tom.  The reason that’s not true is because love is not a feeling, you see. Love is a choice. You may not like your boy. Your boy may not like you. Your boy may be angry, upset, and have issues with you, but you have a choice. You can choose to love him even if his behavior is unlovely.”

Love, biblical love, is always a choice. 

Number Two: Love, biblical love, is an action. 

First John 3:18 says, “Dear people let us not love with words alone but with actions.” 

You know this. In the Bible, the word love is a verb. It’s something we do. It’s not just something we feel or something we think. It’s an action. Sixteen times in the New Testament, it says, “Love one another.” 

It’s a command. When Jesus was asked to summarize the entire Scriptures, he said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength and soul, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  

That’s it. That’s the summation of all the Scriptures. 

The question today: That’s wonderful. But how? How? How do you develop a loving lifestyle? There are lots of ways. I want to name six of them for you today.

Accept Others Unconditionally. 

Romans 15:7 says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ has accepted you.” 

Everybody needs acceptance. We all have our faults, our weaknesses. Nobody’s perfect. We all know that. But here’s what I want you to see in the Scriptures. Notice the basis for acceptance. We are not to accept people just because they are nice, or because they are good, or because they’re better than we are, or they might be a benefit to us or to our community. We have a reason, in Scripture, to accept unconditionally. Do you know what it is? Because Christ has accepted us. That’s the reason. 

Folks, Jesus accepted us in spite of our problems. It doesn’t mean he approves of what we have done, but he has accepted us as persons. That acceptance is unconditional. 

The Bible says Jesus was a friend of sinners. Now that doesn’t seem to be too big a deal today. We don’t even use the word sinners anymore in our culture. Back in those days it was huge. It was a big thing. If Jesus were here today, I believe he would hang out with people that most of us would just as soon stay away from. It doesn’t mean he accepted their behavior. It doesn’t mean he approved what they did. But he accepted them as persons of God, unconditionally. 

As Christians, you and I have no other choice. That’s what we do.  

Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  

Don’t you love that phrase? It’s my favorite phrase in the Bible: “If it depends on you.”  Folks, there are some people you just can’t live at peace with. You know who I’m talking about? They are the manipulator, the violator, the irritator, the enabler, and so it goes. The persons who deserve love, and attention, and acceptance the least are always the people who need it the most. Just remember, accepting them as persons does not mean you accept what they think. It doesn’t mean you accept what they value, or what they believe, or what they do. Love is not feeling, it is a choice, and it is a choice that every single one of us have control over.

Commit Yourself Personally. 

Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly/sisterly love.” 

Folks, commitment is a lost value in our culture. We don’t like it. We’re afraid of it. We avoid it. Many, many people you and I know – maybe some of us right here today – don’t want to be committed really to anything. Not to any person, not to any program, not to any career. We don’t want to be committed to any group, or any organization, or any nation. We don’t want to be committed to any leader, or any church. We are afraid of commitment. We are afraid of commitment, because somewhere along the line, generally, our people got burned. Those who were supposed to be committed to them weren’t. Now, here’s the catch: There’s no such thing as love without commitment. It’s “Catch 22”. 

Romans 12:5 says, “In Christ, we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others.” 

Circle the word belongs. Folks, if you are a believer, you belong to everyone else who believes. Did you know that? That’s the deal. 

People ask, “What’s the big deal about membership?” Membership means very simply: commitment. It doesn’t mean really anything else other than commitment. It’s the difference between living together and getting married. OK? When you commit your life to Christ, you become a Christian. When you become a Christian, you commit yourself to be a member of some local community of faith, a church. 

Now, all of us hope that those of you who are still thinking about that will commit yourself to Broadway. But, if not, I want to be very clear. We encourage you to find some place that you can become committed to. That’s how important it is.

Encourage Others Continually. 

First Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”   

Build each other up. There are two facts of life. 

Number One: Everybody has a hurt. It may be hidden. Everybody in this room has a hurt. Everybody you know has a hurt. Some of us have it so incredibly well hidden, and others of us don’t. It doesn’t matter; everybody’s got one. 

Number Two:  Everybody needs encouragement. There’s an old saying, if you remember this one that says, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” 

Let me say that again. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Not just some; everyone. Everybody needs a lift. You can count on it. Wherever you are, whoever you are around, be a Barnabas. Remember the guy in the New Testament who was the Encourager. He was a disciple. His gift was encouragement. Be an encourager. 

First Corinthians 13:7 says, “If you love someone… you will always believe in them and always expect the best of them” (The Living Bible). 

Folks, expect the best in others, because we tend to live up to the expectations of others. We just do. That’s the way it works. In your home, do you have more compliments or more complaints for your spouse? In your home, do you have more compliments or complaints for your children? In your home, children, do you have more compliments or complaints for your parents? We’re talking about the Easter lifestyle here. Encourage each other continuously.

Serve People cheerfully. 

First Peter 4:10 says, “Each person should use whatever gifts they have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 

God has given you - every single one of you – gifts, talents and abilities. There is no exception.  Every single Christian has at least one gift. Most have many. The Bible says God gave you those gifts not for your benefit. God gave you those gifts for the benefit of others. Did you know that? 

I believe God has somehow blessed me to be somewhat of a teacher, not to bless me, but hopefully to bless you. I believe God has given you gifts, not to bless you, but to bless me and to bless others. That’s the way it works. Our gifts are for each other. God does that, I believe, so we will depend on each other. When we depend on each other we build and grow in love. That’s the way it works. Easter people use their gifts to serve others. 

Romans 12:13 says, “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” 

What does that mean? It means simply this: If you see a need, fill it. Some of you were trained in that. You just do it automatically; it happens for you. Others have not yet. Regardless, that’s what it means. We do that cheerfully. 

Hundreds of you are going to spend part of this week working in the Habitat for Humanity sale. We are going to raise, this weekend, thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars that are going to help build an affordable home for one of God’s people who has a need. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to do it cheerfully, because there’s nothing more fun than getting together with a group of people who are trying to make a difference in somebody’s life. It’s just a blast!    

Hundreds of us, this month, are going to make a financial pledge to God through this community of faith for the work that Ed talked about earlier this morning. We’re going to commit a portion of what we earn to the ministry needs of God’s people in this church. We’re going to share with God’s people who are in need. 

Our Stephen Ministers are doing a great job of caring. They’re wonderful, caring Christian friends, and they’re offering that to God’s people who have a need. 

Our Mission and Outreach people are helping folks you do not know a thing about. There’s stuff going on behind the scenes that you have no clue about. We’re not going to make announcements about it. Nothing is going to be in the newsletter about it, but we are helping people who have housing, food, financial, medical, and transportation challenges. They are God’s people who have a need. 

Our Disciple Volunteers are needed down in Mississippi, I understand, the last weekend in April. There are God’s people in need. We’re going to send some people down there. Share with one another. That’s what Easter love is all about.

This next one is the hard one for me. It doesn’t sound that way. 

Forgive Others Freely. 

Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”   

That’s what Easter people do; not once, and not just on occasion.  They give and they forgive. It’s what we do. It’s a lifestyle. 

Now, why is that important? It’s important because it’s really hard. Indeed, they say it’s impossible to love another person, even just one other person, while being resentful of another person. In fact, they say it’s impossible to love a person fully if you’re carrying a resentment around in your heart. 

Now, the bad stuff here is bitterness divides the heart. This has an incredible power to choke the love right out of your system. What I want you to hear today is the source of that bitterness comes from our past. Resentment against somebody that we’ve not let go of, that we’ve never forgiven… It may be a parent. It may be a brother, a sister. It may be a former mate. It may be a relative. It may be an employer, an employee. It may be a colleague, a neighbor, a teacher. It could even be a preacher. It could be anybody. 

The point is that bitterness builds up in the heart, and the result of that is we can not fully love the person who is right there in front of us, and that is not fair to them. Got it? You know what I’m talking about? Sure you do. 

I read recently something that was very shocking to me. You may already know this. One in every three women and one in every seven men will be abused in their lifetime in the United States of America. That means, simply, massive heartache. 

Now, some of us are still holding on to our past. We’re still allowing people from yesterday to hurt us, and to cut us off, and to close us up, with one of the most powerful tools in existence. That is our memories. And that’s not good.  

Here’s the good news: It’s also not necessary. It’s not necessary because, you see, they can’t hurt us anymore unless we let them. The key to letting go of the past so that we can become a good lover today is forgiveness. Forgiveness is the only way you’re ever going to get your heart back. That’s the truth. 

Our love life at any level, folks, is not going to improve until we get forgiveness or offer forgiveness for our past. Now the good news today is that if we will do that, we will be released to experience rivers of love in our lives. We must learn to forgive freely. It’s what the Easter people do.

Share the Love of Christ Verbally. 

First Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do it with gentleness and respect.” 

Key words here: gentleness and respect. Why? Because no matter what a person has done, no matter what their lifestyle is or has been, that person is a human being whom God created. Never, ever, ever forget that. God loves that person even if you don’t, very, very much. It’s not about deserving.  It’s not about what makes sense. Wow! 

Speak to people, talk to people, and share privately. I’m going to get a chance to do that later today. The most loving thing you can do to a person is tell them about the love of Christ. 

Second Corinthians 5:14 says, “Christ’s love compels us…” 

Key word: compels. That’s what motivates us. We have to care. The only reason we have to is because Christ cares. God never made a human being, any human being, not one single human being on this earth that God does not love. I don’t understand that, because there are some really bad people around. Regardless of how bitter, how sinful, how destructive, how evil that person becomes, for whatever reason, God loves them just as God loves every single one of you sitting right here today. Again, I cannot fathom that. But it’s the truth. 

Second Peter 3:9 says, “God is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 

That’s my dream for Broadway. My dream is that some day the people out there are going to say, “Broadway, yeah, that’s the church where they are committed, they are compelled to share the love of Christ with everybody in Columbia.” 

Not a few, not just our niche, not just our market….everybody in Columbia.  If that’s not our vision, we have something we have to take care of. That’s why those folks exist out there. That’s why they continue to grow. That’s why they give sacrificially, because the love of Christ compels them. 

Let it be, Lord, let it be. 

And all the people say… “Amen.”         

Benediction

Author of Love, thank you for holding us close and surrounding us in your love. Let us rise in the fullness of this gift, that all will come to know you through the love we bear to one another. Amen.