(continuation of meditation 65)
It is great when a local church has received from God’s Spirit a vision of Christlike love for our triune God. And what a privilege if that church also has leaders, enabled by God’s Spirit, to lead the church into such communal transformation! (see meditations 64 and 65)
Yet, there are many factors which can hinder the Holy Spirit to produce such a transformation. We mentioned some major factors in earlier meditations:
• Our western culture. (see meditations 48 and 51)
• The lack of sound Bible teaching regarding the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. (see meditations 49 and 51)
• The lack of Christlike leaders in the church.
(see meditation 51)
• Spiritual pride. (see meditations 49 and 51)
• The lack of mutual love and genuine care amongst the church members. (see meditation 52)
• The lack of guidance and control by God’s Spirit.
(see meditation 52)
• When manifestations of God’s Spirit are ‘extinguished’ in the local church. (see meditation 53)
• When the local church has some resemblance to the churches in the book of Revelation. (see meditations 54 and 55)
Now that we have highlighted some possible obstructions for our churches to grow into Christlike love for God, we need to return to our starting point and ask ourselves the questions with which we began(see meditations 63 and 64):
--- How does God’s Spirit develop my local church as the ‘Body of Christ’ to grow into mature Christlike love for God?
--- How does He accomplish that in such a way that my church fulfills God’s first and greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37)
First of all we need to repeat that every reborn church member is at a different stage of transformation in mature Christlike love for God. That is a major factor in the process of communal transfor-
mation. (see meditations 56 to 62)
Yet, we also realised that in God’s eyes the role and significance of my local church is so different from that of me as an individual Christian. In God’s view my church is ‘a corporate personality’ with its own life, its own function and its own dynamics.
(see meditation 63)
Even so, many expressions of one’s personal sacrificial love for God the Father and for His Son Jesus Christ will be ‘magnified’ in the communal expressions of Christlike love for our triune God.
Here we need to remind ourselves again that the following aspects of Christlike love is only a characterisation! It is not a series of commands to obey. My local church could never do so by itself. Only God’s Spirit is able to empower my church to such love which resembles the way Jesus lived on earth.
Remember that the apostle John states in his first letter: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.”
(1 John 2:6). That is meant for individual followers of Jesus as well as for every local church.
So, how could we describe that Spirit-given sacrificial love of my church for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ which fulfills the first commandment?
Here are some possible indications:
a.) To love God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ whole-
heartedly as a church, means to be unconditionally and persistently devoted to them in prayer.
The evangelist Luke writes in the book of Acts about the first followers of Jesus. He tells us that “they devoted themselves to ..... prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
The Greek word, that Luke uses here indicates a single-minded, firm determination of the will. Luke shows us that Jesus’ first followers gave a constant and unabated attention to prayer.
That was a powerful work of God’s Spirit in their community.
Obviously, the early church followed the example of its Master. We read of Him: “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” (Luke 6:12)
Through the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, Jesus taught His first disciples already about the importance of persistent prayer: “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.” (Luke 18:1)
Likewise, the apostle Paul encourages the church in Colosse to give constant and sacrificial attention to prayer: “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” (Colossians 4:2)
And Paul urges the church in Rome to be “... faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
Why is it that Jesus and the apostles put such an emphasis on prayer? It is Jesus Himself who answers this question. He stresses the fact that He is personally present wherever His followers turn to Him in prayer: “I also tell you this: ... where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:19-20)
In earlier meditations we saw that the risen Lord returned to His Father in heaven. Yet, He lives within His disciples and dwells in their midst through His Spirit. (See meditations 6, 8, 27-34, 37,
44-45, 47-55)
That’s why the apostle Paul stimulates the church in Ephesus: “Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 6:18). The New International Version translates: “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions...”
Surely, Paul does not urge the church to indulge in mystical exercises. Neither does the apostle promote formal and ceremonial prayer rituals.
On the contrary, the apostle Paul declares joyfully when he writes to the church in Ephesus: “Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles [non-Jews], may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.” (Ephesians 2:18)
The early church saw the importance of meeting regularly with God: “They worshiped together at the Temple each day.” (Acts 2:46). It might not have meant that every member of the church was always present at those worship meetings. Yet, those who were present, represented the entire church.
Jude writes in his short letter about the importance of being guided by God’s Spirit as the local church meets persistently with their Lord in prayer: “But you, dear friends ... continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit.” (Jude 1:20)
The evangelist Luke gives in the book of Acts two examples of ‘executive meetings’ between the Lord Jesus and the leaders of His church, through the intermediate presence of God’s Spirit:
In Acts 6:4 the twelve apostles tell the church in Jerusalem that they will persistently commit themselves to prayer in order to seek the Lord’s direction for His church: “... we will give ourselves continually to prayer...” (Acts 6:4)
In Acts 13:1-2 we read about another ‘executive meeting’ between the Lord and the leaders of His church in Antioch.
Luke writes: “Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called "the black man"), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul.
One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work I have for them.” (Acts 13:1-2)
This persistent and sacrificial devotion to the Lord Jesus in prayer under the direction of the Holy Spirit is characteristic for a healthy, local church.
Such a personal encounter with the risen Lord through the intermediate presence of God’s Spirit is distinctive for prayer meetings of the entire church as well as for ‘executive meetings’ of the church leadership.
Is my church and its leadership persistently devoted to personal meetings with the risen Lord?
(to be continued)
Matthew 22:37, Acts 2:42, Luke 6:12and Romans 12:12 are quotes of the New International Version. Acts 6:4 is a quote of the New King James Version. The other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
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