Kingdom Practice (4)

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13.35

Neighbor love
Love is the greatest of all the virtues, the defining practice of all who have made the Kingdom turn. God commands us to love Him and our neighbors, and we have seen that loving God takes some fairly specific forms. We can be sure that we’re increasing in love for God when the various indicators of that love begin to be more in evidence in our lives.

But what about loving our neighbors? What does love “look like” as we extend it to the people around us – in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, communities, churches, and so forth?

Just as there are indicators which can guide us into greater love for God, so there are indicators which will help us to know when we’re loving our neighbors as we should, and that can guide us to grow in this Kingdom practice. Let me mention five. In each of these areas we may consider whether we really love our neighbors as we love ourselves, or whether we need help growing in some aspect of that “greatest of these” virtues.

Indicators of neighbor love
First, we love our neighbors when, like Jesus, we seek them out to love them (cf. Lk. 19.1-10).

Jesus did not wait for lost or hurting people to find their way to Him. He went looking for them. He learned the names of many of them, and used their names freely. He took the initiative in making certain contacts, some of which He repeated many times during His earthly sojourn. Jesus started conversations with people and was doubtless a good listener. And He prayed often for others, seeking their wellbeing before the Father.

We can know that we love our neighbors when, like Jesus, we go seeking them, in order to touch them with His love.

We also love our neighbors as ourselves when we make ourselves available to serve them in various ways (Jn. 13.1-15).

Here we must learn to be alert to the needs of others, to be ready with an appropriate word or helpful deed, as the situation may require. And if we lack skills to serve others, we will become equipped and will persevere in reaching out to others every way we can, especially by bringing them the Good News of the Kingdom or urging them on in their life in the Lord. Above all we will point them to Jesus by our lives and words, in the hope that they might find in Him all the precious and very great promises of God (2 Cor. 1.20).

Third, the various “one another” passages in the New Testament suggest that one expression of neighbor love involves our “shepherding” others in their walk with the Lord. By building strong relationships, living and sharing from our own walk with the Lord, giving up some of our time and interests to care for others, defending them against false teaching and temptations, and helping them to grow in the Lord’s salvation we fulfill the shepherding role that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, declared He had come to perform (cf. Jn. 10). We can’t shepherd everyone it’s true, and appropriate channels for shepherding are outlined in the New Testament. Nevertheless, we must all work to improve our “one-another” skills as members together in the Body of Christ.

Fourth, we love our neighbors when we encourage and instruct them in the Word of God. After all, here is where they, too, can learn to love with the love of God. We want our neighbors to hear the Gospel, to become immersed in the study of Scripture, to be able to drink from the living waters of the well of God’s Word so that they are daily refreshed and renewed in Him.

Finally, we love others when we are being a good steward of our time, treasure, talents, and attention in helping them to know the love of Christ. By praying for people, planning the time we will have with them, staying alert to others while we’re with them, seeking the Kingdom of God no matter the context, and maintaining an active watch over our own souls, we may hope to increase in love for our neighbors and, thus, to enrich the treasury of our souls with the love of God.

Grow in love
Just as we can grow in love for the Lord, so we must also strive to grow in love for our neighbors. Love is not merely a sentiment or feeling; it is an active virtue. As Jesus came amongst us to seek and love us, so we must go among the people around us, determined to help them know the love of God which surpasses knowledge.

Next steps: How would you describe the state of neighbor-love in your life at this time? Share your thoughts with your Christian friends and ask them to join you in praying that you might increase in love for your neighbors.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Kingdom Practice, is the final installment of an eight-part series on The Kingdom Turn, and is available as a free download. T. M. has written two books to complement this eight-part series. You can order The Kingship of Jesus by clicking here, and The Gospel of the Kingdom by clicking here.

In tomorrow’s CrosfigellPatrick reports on his calling from God as a “Gospel Gossip.” Sign-up for this thrice-weekly podcast/newsletter at the website, www.ailbe.org.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.