Keep Growing In Corporate Love

“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you
yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you
are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do
this more and more…" (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10)

Beloved Kinney,

So often when we think about the importance of love, we think of it in an individualist
way—meaning, “How can I grow in love?” or “How can this or that person be more
loving?” But I was reading through a book called Love or Die by Alexander Strauch, and
he gave some helpful and convicting diagnostic questions on the corporate love of a
local church…

…we must ask, when people visit your church, do they find a warm,
friendly, and welcoming atmosphere that demonstrates love for all people?
Do they sense Christlike compassion and the kind of loving family
community envisioned by the New Testament writers?...Or does your
church seem more like an impersonal gathering of people than a spiritual
family? Do visitors sense unfriendliness and indifference? Do they see a
proud, critical spirit, or an angry, contentious group of people?

I think I know how most of us would answer these questions about our church: we are,
by God’s grace, a friendly, welcoming, loving church community who genuinely cares for
one another and visitors. I would agree!

And that’s why I say, along with the apostle Paul, “But we urge you, brothers and
sisters, to do this more and more…” (1 Thess. 4:10). It’s fascinating that Paul would
urge the Thessalonian church to keep loving each other and keep growing in love, after
he just commended them on how well they love each other! Why?

Surely the answer is twofold. First, there’s always room for growth. We can always love
better. We can always love more. Perhaps you’re one who needs to be more proactive
in loving the body. What are ways you can grow? Start with Sundays. What would it look
like for you to grow in loving members and visitors on Sunday mornings? Maybe instead
of talking to the same people you’re comfortable talking to, greet folks you don’t know. If
someone is sitting by themselves, talk to them, or better yet, sit with them! Consider
ways you can grow in love because there’s always room for growth.

Second, it is easy to become complacent in love. Paul urges the Thessalonians to keep
growing because it’s easy to take steps backwards, or even plateau in love. So consider
how you might keep pushing yourself to grow in love for one another.

In his book Love or Die, Strauch told a story of a friend who was on the hunt for a new
church, and this friend grew discouraged in his search, not because he couldn’t find
biblically faithful and doctrinally sound churches. He was discouraged because many
churches he visited were much like the church in Ephesus mentioned in the book of
Revelation 2. It was a doctrinally sound church that “lost its first love” (Rev. 2:4).
Strauch’s friend had a difficult time finding a church with an atmosphere of genuine,
sacrificial, caring, warm, intentional love.

May that never be said of our church! Praise God it is not said of our church; rather,
what is said is the opposite! But…there’s always room to grow and there’s always a
temptation to plateau. So let us “do this more and more”!

Love,
Pastor Josh