The Church and Agape love
In the last decade, I have been privileged to serve on a mission field and became involved in various outreach ministries. The joy of making a difference in someone's life has been phenomenal. I guess the question one would have to ask after repeatedly doing something for that long is, "why am I doing it?"Repeatedly doing something can easily become a legality that one ends up doing as routine instead of in devotion to the Lord. The Church at Ephesus had been doing good deeds and was working hard especially in keeping the Church free from heresy. In the process however, they fell into the trap of being legalistic and had lost the love they had at first, for God and the people -- Agape love. Agape love is the love that God showed us, that while we were still sinners God loved us and gave His only Son to save us (John 3:16). Born again believers have God abiding in them through His Spirit and anyone who has the Spirit has the love of God in them and ought to love others (1 John 4:11).
Definitely, the Church must condemn evil. Conversely, when we begin to hate the person committing the evil deed, we have departed from the redeeming Agape love of God in Christ. The Church is also called to do good deeds. However, when we work so hard in keeping our ministries and programmes running, that we lose our devotion to Christ, we risk doing it, not out love for Christ, but as a self-satisfying duty.
Every church should desire to have Agape love if it is to be a healthy Church. The sin of forsaking Agape love carries with it a consequence. Christ calls the Ephesus Church to repent immediately and allow Agape love to flow through them once more or risk being cut-off. If they do not repent they will be like salt that has lost its saltiness, "what good does it still have except to be thrown away and be trampled on by people." (Matthew 5:13)
The earlier question was; "why am I doing it?" When we serve because Agape love flows through us, we will be fulfilling the purpose of creation -- we glorify God and enjoy serving Him out of the understanding of why we were created in the first place.
There is the danger though of Christians becoming such experts in the ministry that they serve with lack of devotion to Christ. There is a need to always maintain a proper balance between serving others and your intimate relationship with God.
| To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 2 I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place---unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.' (Revelation2:1-7) |
Elisha Gobvu an elder at Highlands Presbyterian church in Harare, Zimbabwe coordinating Mission and Outreach ministries. Married to Sandra and have been blessed with a daughter Priscilla and two sons Brendan and Bradley
