Disciples and Disciple-making (21)
“And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22.39
We conclude our consideration of Aelred of Rievaulx’s view of spiritual friendship. We can probably not quite imagine what it must have been like to live in a monastery in the 12th century. The many contacts and collaborations with others might have taxed our love for them. Perhaps we might even have felt that we were being short-changed in the love transaction?
But true friendship—the kind of friendship that cares for our souls—practices a kind of self-love that spreads the love of God even to those who might seem unlovable.
Aelred challenged us to think of it this way: “Behold, here is the reflection of love: Do you love yourself? Yes, indeed, if you love God, and surely if you are the sort of person I describe as worthy to be chosen for friendship. But do you think that you should give yourself some reward for this love of yourself? Not at all: Everyone holds himself dear. Therefore, unless you transfer this affection for yourself to another, and love your friend freely, because your friend is dear to you simply because of who he is, you will not be able to enjoy the pleasures of true friendship.”
It’s not wrong to love ourselves. It is wrong to love ourselves too much. We love ourselves too much when love for ourselves overrides love for God and others. But if we keep love for God pure, and founded on His Word and grace, then we can learn to love others in the way that we love ourselves. And that’s what the Lord intends.
Healthy self-love should translate into healthy love for others if we are to fulfill everything that is written in the Law and the prophets. Only God can enable us to love like this.
To learn more about the role of friendship in discipleship and making disciples, download our free brochure on soul friends by clicking here.
Teaching and learning as disciples
My conversations with Mike McQueen on the work of disciple-making continue with this issue. You can listen in by clicking the link or the audio bar at the top of each issue of Pastor to Pastor.
Resources for ShepherdsFor the local church to be light, salt, and leaven in its community, it must be always about the work of Jesus, beginning with destroying the works of the devil. And that work must be undertaken with prayer. Here’s a prayer we might use to carry on this spiritual endeavor:
Lord Jesus, make us light, salt, and leaven
in our community! Sanctify us, Jesus,
that we might be more like You
in all we do, at all times, with all the people
in our Personal Mission Field.
Give us a vision of our community
freed of the lies, deceit, hatred, and violence
of the devil to know more of
the righteousness, peace, and joy
of Your Kingdom.
Show us each day
how You would use us and our church
to bring Jesus to this community.
This series on “Pray for Your Church” will conclude on Friday. Next Monday we begin a new ReVision study, “The Kingdom Economy”. Update your Subscriptions to add ReVision and follow this and other series every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (scroll to the bottom of any page at the website, www.ailbe.org).
Our fall Men’s Bible Study will be on The Ongoing Work of Christ: The Book of Acts and Beyond. You can download a free PDF of this study. Share it with some friends and start a study group of your own. Watch these pages for a complete listing of our fall reading and study opportunities.
And watch here also for a new reading and study series to begin this fall: Christian Classics for Discipleship. Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, and many others all wrote to help us grow closer to the Lord and to improve in our walk with and work for Him. Beginning in September, we’ll begin looking at some of their best works with a view to how they can grow us as disciples in what we are planning as an ongoing series of studies. Watch these pages to register for this free study group.
From the Celtic Revival
Brendan—called The Navigator—was one of the great saints of the Celtic Revival. He lived in the middle of the 6th century, and his story is one of the most popular tales from the medieval period. Sorting out the history from the fantasy can be a challenge, but we’re giving it our best shot:
After this, at the end of his five years, Brendan studied with Bishop Erc; and to Ita the time seemed long without him. Then he learned his psalms…One day Bishop Erc went to preach the word of God, and Brendan went with him in the chariot; he was then ten years old. Brendan was left alone in the chariot, while the cleric went to the preaching. He was seated in the chariot reciting his psalms by himself.
– Life of Brendan of Clonfert (16th century, from earlier manuscripts)
That seems historical enough. Historical and challenging. Brendan was only six years old when he took up the study of the psalms. By age ten he was reciting them aloud. Here’s a link to the first installment in our series on Brendan of Clonfert. Why not join us for the rest of his exciting and instructive life?
In our bookstore you can find many additional free resources to help you in understanding the Celtic Revival. Check them out for yourself. Start a study group on the Celtic Revival by sharing what you download with some friends.
You can sign up to receive Crosfigell in your email box every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 am (Eastern US). Just use the subscription button to update your subscriptions (scroll to the bottom of the home page).
T. M. Moore
If you have found this issue of Pastor to Pastor helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: We continue reading excerpts from the book, Revived! in our Read Moore column. Why not listen in? Do you ever wonder about what God’s will for you is? Patrick—echoing Paul—makes it clear, as you can see in last week’s Crosfigell. Our current ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, teaches us how to pray for the ministries of our church, beginning with worship. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
Support for Pastor to Pastor comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
