Title: Relationship of Love (John 13:34-35)
Contents
This is a story from Stephen Covey's 'Today is the Best Day of My Life'. On the island of Kiniwata in the South Pacific, there was a man named Johnny Ringo. He was a good person who was appreciated by those around him for his sincerity. But at the same time, he was also a person who got a little ridicule from people. Johnny Ringo recently got married because he gave his father-in-law eight cows. On this island, it was customary for a man to pay the woman's father a cow when he married. Usually, a pretty woman will give you about 4 cows. And if it's a little less attractive, I'll give you 3 cows. Of course, if you are a difficult woman who cannot live without prayer, you can give her a cow. But Johnny Ringo's wife, Sarita, wasn't that pretty. In the Pacific, mostly fat women were popular, but Sarita was skinny and poor with hunched shoulders. Still, he gave me 8 cows, so he deserved the ridicule of those around him.
A missionary visited Johnny Ringo's home. The missionary was surprised when he saw Sarita, the wife of Johnny Ringo. Contrary to the rumors, there was a woman standing there with a very beautiful appearance. In particular, she was a wonderful woman with a beautiful chin and dazzling eyes. The missionary asked Johnny Ringo. "Why is your wife's appearance so different from the rumors?" Johnny Ringo said. “Before we got married, I heard women gathering together. When one woman says she is married to four cows, the other woman brags that she is married to five cows. The woman who is married to one cow bows her head and says, No. I had no intention of hurting my wife Sarita's pride, so I gave her 8 cows to be proud of her and married her."
Johnny Ringo wanted a wife worth eight cows. So he gave the father-in-law eight cows. Then, his wife, Sarita, who seemed to be lacking, was reborn as a wonderful woman worthy of eight cows. People behave differently depending on their environment. In particular, in an environment where you value yourself and expect it, you will be transformed into a beautiful figure. Some people think of themselves as about four cows. But if you treat him like two cows, he gets angry. A wise person appreciates the value of others. If you treat a person who thinks he has four cows as six cows, he is thrilled. And it will be transformed into an existence that meets those expectations and evaluations.
Love changes people. The eyes that look at you with value and the warm heart that evaluates you generously change people. It is a very instructive story to reflect on in an era when criticizing and condemning is mistaken for self-righteousness. You must love and live. Today, among the eight qualitative characteristics of a healthy church, I would like to share with you the last eighth characteristic of a “love relationship”.
On average, growing churches have a significantly higher “love index” than stagnant or declining churches. The church is not about IQ. The church becomes the love index. How often do the members of the church live in fellowship with the saints during a week? Do you eat together, share tea, interact with each other by phone, mail, or other means? The degree to which we share love like this will be the love index. In the end, it is possible for the church life to be full of laughter when the members increase the love index through the fellowship of the members. And there is an important relationship between the church life full of laughter and the qualitative and quantitative growth of the church. A church with a high love index has a lot of laughter in the church and is generous in praising each other. There is a lot of laughter during worship and a lot of laughter in small groups. A church with a lot of love must grow healthy. On the other hand, a church that lacks love is not healthy and it is difficult to grow.
A study of successful people who graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology in the United States found that they consistently found that "professional knowledge or skills only contributed 15% to success, and relationships were the other 85%." When we look at the successful people around us, we see that we have built good relationships with many people. Good human relationships make the world happy like this. When do you feel like, "Life is hard. Your shoulders are weak and life isn't fun"? It is definitely a time when human relationships are broken. It is the most unbearable thing for anyone to experience conflict in human relationships. Even if you are a little hungry, if you have love and are at peace, the world is worth living.
And although the relationship of love between the members is important, it should be a church that loves new members and visitors more. We must remember that the growth of the church is determined by how open we are to outsiders who are new to the church and how much we love them. The fact that love for outsiders changes the world and brings about revival of the church is also testified by the early church. After receiving the filling of the Holy Spirit, the early church members shared their material with those in need around them. We did not just pray and pursue the image of falling into ecstasy, but we proved the fullness of the Holy Spirit through change through life sharing. This appearance was praised by the people around it, and it was naturally connected to the growth and revival of the church.
Verse 35 says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” That's right. The early church fully accepted this very word of the Lord and fulfilled it. They were indeed Christians.
Rodney Stark, a famous American sociologist for religion, empirically analyzes how the early church grew rapidly in his book The Rise of Christianity. He wondered how the Christian Church, which began in a corner of a Roman colony, grew so quickly that it became the state religion of Rome. How was that possible?
Rodney Stark discovered the cause of the growth of the early church in this way. “The early disciples of Jesus were more compassionate than the others around them. They loved others profusely and served them devoutly.” Rodney Stark gives an example of the spread of an epidemic. In AD 165, a plague spread quickly throughout the Roman Empire. It was a catastrophe that killed 1/12 of the entire population of the Empire in 15 years. Another plague struck in AD 251, leaving the city empty. At a time when epidemics were taking people's lives, non-Christians tried to avoid contact with infectious diseases and only preserve their own lives. But Christians did the exact opposite.
They sacrificed themselves and dedicated themselves to healing people outside the church. Without fear of danger, he looked after all the needs of the sick. The plague spread to them as well, and they died, but they passed away happily and peacefully. The people around them were greatly moved by seeing Christians dying fiercely while practicing love without fear of death. And many converted to Christianity. This was the driving force that made the Roman Empire an entirely Christian state.
But that doesn't mean they don't love them. Rather, it was because he loved himself very much. You must love yourself. In modern society, there are many people who have lost their identity and are falling into self-disillusionment. Such people can never love others. So, in the end, anger, hatred, distrust, complaints, or resentment towards others is because there is no love towards oneself. Because there is a root of bitterness deep in his heart, and there are strong camps around him.
I must realize that I am worthy of God's honor and love to the extent that Christ, the only begotten Son of God, died for me. God gave His only begotten Son to save us. God has given us the best that heaven can give. In the same way, God loved us, and he still loves us. Imitating God who gave the best, we must now live a life of giving rather than a life of receiving.
The first inventor of anesthetics was a gynecologist named James Simpson (1811-1870). While thinking about how he could relieve the pain suffered by the patients undergoing surgery, in Genesis 2:21-22, "The Lord God put Adam into a deep sleep, and he fell asleep, and he took one of his ribs." Invents the anesthetic for chloroform.
He was the first Scottish descent to receive the title of Sir by the British Imperial Family. His later disciples asked, "Of your many discoveries, what was your greatest discovery?" Simpson said. “My greatest discovery is that I am a sinner and that Jesus is my Savior who has forgiven my sins. My greatest discovery, my greatest worth, is Jesus,” he said. After experiencing God's love, if his heart becomes healthy, he is bound to share that love. I can't stand the desire to share. It is to evangelize with that love, pray with that love, worship with that love, and work with that love. Love is not a program. Love is the life itself of healthy people and the lifestyle of healthy people. do you believe
Those who love themselves will love their neighbors. Only those who love themselves can love their neighbors. How can a person who hates and resents himself love his neighbor? To love your neighbor, you must first know yourself and understand your neighbor. To do that, you need to love yourself and have a positive outlook on life.
Love loves the soul without thinking, talking, talking or doing nonsense. Rather than spending time chatting with the members of the church saying, "Who said what was wrong?", pray together in every nook and corner with love for the soul. You have to look and try to help. He said to love not only in word and in tongue, but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). True, practical love is more effective than any program that is mostly just word of mouth because it has the power of a magnet from God. I believe that people don't want to hear stories about love, they want to experience how the love of Christ works.
True love is service and sharing. Love is not just a feeling or emotion. Making love a responsible act. Feelings or emotions change and hurt quickly. It is unbelievable.
After the fierce battle, the soldiers were thirsty. None of the soldiers had water left in their canteens. A wounded soldier groaned and complained of thirst. The medic saw this and handed him an emergency water bottle. The wounded took the canteen to his mouth. The soldiers stared at the canteen he was holding with a burning thirst. The wounded soldier apologized and recommended a canteen to the platoon commander. The platoon commander hesitated, then put his mouth on the canteen and drank the water. Then he handed the canteen back to the wounded. The wounded soldier was surprised to find that the water in the canteen had not gone down. The platoon commander was only pretending to drink water. The wounded soldier pretended to drink water and handed the canteen to another comrade. The former platooner took a canteen and drank water, but there was still water in the canteen. But they were not thirsty. All you have to do is love each other. If we love each other, there is nothing lacking.