God pours love into what He makes. Can you imagine that moment, Adam opened his eyes and saw God, the loving look of the Creator. God, personally handmade his friend. The gratefulness, the communion, the love…that we can’t even comprehend! How about that moment Eve was created for Adam… He woke up and said— Wowzers!
He loves the church He makes. As with Adam and Eve— He wants communion with His churches. He wants to walk with them in the garden. He wants to be close. 1 Corinthians 16.15 says– “I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,” It’s an obsession really, an addiction. Reminds me of what David said in Psalm 63.1— “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is”.He basically said—‘I’m in a dry land, I’m about to dehydrate and die, but I’m with you. That’s where I wanna be!’ The same is said of Moses in Exodus 33—‘If you’re not going with us, I’d rather stay here in this desert!’ Do you feel the same way?
Although we’ll bounce around a bit, let’s focus in Ephesians chapters 4-5. Ephesians 4.11-12 states— “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” The relationship between a Pastor and Jesus’ church is made by God Himself. God calls the two into a special relationship. This is the thing folks… God Himself gave you your Pastors. They are human. They are a real-live person just like you. They have problems, hangups, make mistakes, and they are struggling with real-life issues like you. The office of a Pastor is made by God, and according to this passage, He is a gift. As all of God’s gifts, they are a gift with a purpose. The Under-shepherd each member of a church has isn’t a gift ornament for the church; He isn’t a utility gift to be used by the church; And he isn’t a gift you put away until you want to regift it to another… he is a gift for a purpose. Ephesians 4.11-12 tells us that this particular gift is for the purpose of: 1) “the perfecting of the saints”—to help you grow spiritually; 2) “the work of the ministry”—to help you do what you’re called to do; 3) “the edifying of the body of Christ”—to help build you up together.
This text goes on into the next chapter. There is much more to unpack in chapters 4 and 5, but for this time, it’s mainly this— love what God has made. And He has made His church and it’s pastor. Hopefully you are a functioning, faithful member of the church God has planted you in. Hopefully your pastor is a functioning faithful shepherd as well. This is quite frankly one of the greatest gifts you could ever give your Pastor: Love the church Jesus put you in. That’s it! Love what Jesus loves. We read about the obsession of David in Psalm 27.4— “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.” ‘This is all I want. He said. ‘This is all I care for.’ Do we have that same feeling in and about church?Should I not love what He loves? The Bible is full of believers consumed with His presence, they can’t get enough of Him. Who does not want/need help with that? To be deeper, more longing, closer? God has given you a series of gifts for that very purpose. He provided a gift to help you in that: your church and your pastor.
Advance with me to: Ephesians 5.22-33— “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. The focus here is twofold, because it is a comparison. Paul said this relationship of Jesus and His churches is a profoundmystery, that has now been revealed to us in writing. But do we count it as valued as He does? Do we pay attention to how much attention He’s put to this? Have we forgotten that it is profound? Just how profound? Two verses later in Ephesians 5.25 we read— “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it.” Jesus died for the church, not sports, not government… His churches. It says— “He GAVE Himself for it.” Do we give ourselves for it? Church has to become essential again. The “church” as a covenant body, must come back to a high priority in the lives of the church members. It’s God’s heritage and possession; and we must honor it as that.
I love His church. If for no other reason, because He loves His church. Notice with me verse 27-30— “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” I’m blown away by the fact that He would nourish and cherish us! And that He would care for us like you would care for a part of your own body! I’m also amazed that we are: “members of his body, his flesh, his bones” he said. Incredible! Ephesians 3.21 says– “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” He is to be glorified by us, together, His church!
Those people that say that they have seen God physically, ‘…yeah man, just before breakfast’. Just tell them no you didn’t! Say it with confidence too, because the Bible says that God dwells in an inapproachable light. So there is absolutely no way. It would actually be an understatement to say that you stood on the sun this morning before breakfast. Because there is absolutely no way you did that. But I can tell you where you can see Him… “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4.12). We forget the absolute majesty, glory, and power that we are entering into when we meet together with our church family. When we love one another—which is loving His church. It’s glorious because it’s His; and He’s with us.
Did you know that there are 19 verses in the New Testament alone that says “Love one another.” The word love in each of these is: “agape”. Meaning it’s self-sacrificing, unconditional, and always an action word. It’s not just an emotion, it’s an action that’s emotional. Loving, loving on, in action, to and for each other, in your church. That is Jesus’ will for you:
- John 13.34— “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
- John 13.35— “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
- John 15.12— “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
- John 15.17— “These things I command you, that ye love one another.”
- Romans 12.10— “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;”
- Romans 13.8— “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”
- 1 Thessalonians 3.12— “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:”
- 1 Thessalonians 4.9— “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”
- Hebrews 10.24— “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:”
- 1 Peter 1.22— “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:”
- 1 Peter 3.8— “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:”
- 1 John 3.11— “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
- 1 John 3.23— “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”
- 1 John 4.7— “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”
- 1 John 4.11— “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
- 2 John 5— “And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.”
I have had two pastors in my life. They were both special to me, and by God’s grace I was allowed to serve them as they served Christ. In Joshua 1.1 God tells Joshua— “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister…” Serving them as they served Christ was the greatest privilege I have had in relation to church, until God positioned me into the same. Both of those men have gone on to their reward. They served God’s flocks faithfully and are now with their Shepherd and Bishop today. If only I had 5 minutes with them, to tell them how much I loved them. To thank them for all that they did for me. To rewind the clock and serve them and help them more. They were used of God to change my life.
Love your church. Love your pastor. They are gifts to you from God. Cherish them.