"The Love of Jesus"

"Till we all come to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:" (Ephesians 4:13) This little verse really packs a punch, and it has within it some of the fundamental issues within our churches today, and most likely Paul's day also. In verses 1-12, Paul was sharing about the workings of those in ministry, and the need to be united as one, and to walk in love. This is a really good concept, but not real practical when it comes to groups of people; especially gifted people who believe they not only have a gift, but also know how God wants them to use it, or at least think that they do. Am I saying people should not do what God has told them to do? No, not at all. But what I am saying, is that the unity of the church comes first, and if you, setting out to perform your calling, goes against the unity of the church, then that calling needs to be put on hold. God will put things on our hearts for a reason, and sometimes for a special time; but in the moment, that desire to do what He has called us to do must never disrupt the unity of the church. Having said that, I also believe that there are times when a calling is meant to awaken the church; much like a gift of healing would do, where people are stirred by the working of God's Spirit; but that type of action causes unity, as it should. This is one of the basic lessons we must take from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; that His love for the Father and His love for the church were the same Love; in other words, they were unable to be separated, because they were for the same purpose. When I said yesterday that our love for others was a reflective love, I meant that it is reflective off of our love for God; it is a reflection of that love. Much like the love Jesus had towards the Father was reflected in the love He had for the church, why? Because it was the Father's Love being manifested through Him towards man. As Paul begins to list his passionate plea for unity within the church, he begins with who he was in Christ, which is also who we are in Christ; because although we may feel called to do this or do that, we are limited by Spirit of God and wherever God has us serving... "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3)