Charity versus "the right hand of fellowship" -- a Sunday Afternoon Special
[from Mr. Chambers]
“Be therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
Our Lord’s exhortation in these verses is to be generous in our behaviour to all men. In the spiritual life beware of walking according to our natural affinities (attractions, like-feelings). Everyone has natural affinities; some people we like and others we do not like. We must never let those likes and dislikes rule in our Christian life. “If we walk in the light as God is in the light,”(1 John 1:7) God will give us communion with people for whom we have no natural affinity.
. . .". . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." . . . simply show to the other man what God has shown to you. . . Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God’s interests in other people. Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).
The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God. . .
(Oswald Chambers, “The Divine Rule of life”; my emphasis and clarification added in bold, edited for brevity)
For me, the first paragraph rings true even at my home church (and in Sunday School). It is true that my church is not loaded with people for whom I have a “natural affinity.” I often do not feel an attraction to my so-called peers at church in the way of shared interests outside of Jesus. This impasse is only mildly averted through my own effort to “like” the people with whom I share a pew.
God’s love, demonstrated through the sacrifice of Jesus, shows no partiality. Jesus never said I should surround myself with the people I like; in fact, his example is to dive into the midst of the weird and annoying with a hug and a smile. What makes me uncomfortable anyway? There are certainly times when discernment is in order: I am not sure I want my wife going the extra mile in the company of someone she feels threatened by, for example. But I tend to think the occasions are rare.
I have to ask myself: is there any legitimacy to my feelings of discomfort around Person X? Is my ignorance holding me back? Is it my deeply held prejudices (of which I may be only mildly aware)?
I wonder how often I miss an opportunity to fulfill God’s will by checking myself with prejudice . . . and this both in the church in and out.
In fact, it seems easier to show charity (that is, blind love in action) to those in the back streets than to those in the back pew. Is it because I feel that once they’ve walked the aisle they are on their own? Or perhaps I fear that I may appear self-righteous or hypocritical when behind my help lays a basket full of my own issues?
When it comes to the sharing of an emotional burden of my fellow believer, I am only as good to him or her as I am willing to be open and honest in my offering. Could my hesitance come from the fact that opening up at church leaves me vulnerable to gossip and criticism? Being “real” in the midst of my church friends sometimes requires more faith and courage than it takes to reach out to those with whom I share a mere human connection.
Isn’t my duty of Christian love and charity due first to my brothers and sisters in Christ? Is not one of the primary purposes of meeting together each week to grow in love and understanding of one another only that we might join together in the reaching out to the unlovable?
...the altar is open...do you hear Him calling? I know I do.
“Be therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
Our Lord’s exhortation in these verses is to be generous in our behaviour to all men. In the spiritual life beware of walking according to our natural affinities (attractions, like-feelings). Everyone has natural affinities; some people we like and others we do not like. We must never let those likes and dislikes rule in our Christian life. “If we walk in the light as God is in the light,”(1 John 1:7) God will give us communion with people for whom we have no natural affinity.
. . .". . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." . . . simply show to the other man what God has shown to you. . . Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God’s interests in other people. Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).
The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God. . .
(Oswald Chambers, “The Divine Rule of life”; my emphasis and clarification added in bold, edited for brevity)
For me, the first paragraph rings true even at my home church (and in Sunday School). It is true that my church is not loaded with people for whom I have a “natural affinity.” I often do not feel an attraction to my so-called peers at church in the way of shared interests outside of Jesus. This impasse is only mildly averted through my own effort to “like” the people with whom I share a pew.
God’s love, demonstrated through the sacrifice of Jesus, shows no partiality. Jesus never said I should surround myself with the people I like; in fact, his example is to dive into the midst of the weird and annoying with a hug and a smile. What makes me uncomfortable anyway? There are certainly times when discernment is in order: I am not sure I want my wife going the extra mile in the company of someone she feels threatened by, for example. But I tend to think the occasions are rare.
I have to ask myself: is there any legitimacy to my feelings of discomfort around Person X? Is my ignorance holding me back? Is it my deeply held prejudices (of which I may be only mildly aware)?
I wonder how often I miss an opportunity to fulfill God’s will by checking myself with prejudice . . . and this both in the church in and out.
In fact, it seems easier to show charity (that is, blind love in action) to those in the back streets than to those in the back pew. Is it because I feel that once they’ve walked the aisle they are on their own? Or perhaps I fear that I may appear self-righteous or hypocritical when behind my help lays a basket full of my own issues?
When it comes to the sharing of an emotional burden of my fellow believer, I am only as good to him or her as I am willing to be open and honest in my offering. Could my hesitance come from the fact that opening up at church leaves me vulnerable to gossip and criticism? Being “real” in the midst of my church friends sometimes requires more faith and courage than it takes to reach out to those with whom I share a mere human connection.
Isn’t my duty of Christian love and charity due first to my brothers and sisters in Christ? Is not one of the primary purposes of meeting together each week to grow in love and understanding of one another only that we might join together in the reaching out to the unlovable?
...the altar is open...do you hear Him calling? I know I do.
posted by geronimo @ 6:27 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I had to take a moment to adjust to how this site was set up but I think I got the hang of it. Some jokes I don't get only because you're old and I'm not. :)
Just wanted to say I enjoyed this posting and I can't help but wonder who you were thinking about or what inspired such a posting. Thanks for sharing. I'll catch you later.
Love you both
Good to see you Becka!!!
As for the "Person X", I can say that I am not sure that it was directed at any particular person. But I know that I do not always feel the "affinity" for my fellow church member, and even more important and tragic to me, my fellow Sunday School member.
I often feel like I have to work to feel the love for them...or to connect with them...
I don't know if it's just self-protection that keeps us from breaking the ice and removing the veil, but something keeps me from really, deeply befriending the large majority of those at church. I have a problem with the idea that we Christians are still able to pick and choose those with whom we share our lives. It seems that we ought to be breaking down those superficialities and loving each other where we are.
wait just a minute, little one...I forgot to comment on your "because you're old" jab....
first of all, I am not sure which jokes you are referring to otherwise I would take a moment to remove the "scales" from your eyes
second, yes, I am older than you...so respect your elders, youngin' (chuckle, chuckle)
but anyway, if it's the ones surrounding the photo of the old guy, those are quotes from Lonesome Dove
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