I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death repeatedly. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NLT
No one in history except Jesus likely knows more about pain and hurt than the apostle Paul. As a leader in the early church, he suffered much despite his deep love and faithfulness. In his testimony to the church at Corinth, he details his physical issues and attacks from unbelievers and then concludes with this: “Then, I have the burden of my concern for all of the churches.”
The Church is intended to be a community of people united by God’s Spirit, loving like Jesus. While this is what it is supposed to be, sometimes churches have problems. Pride, gossip, and slander can all come in and harm the Church, the community Jesus calls His bride. Paul was facing that regularly. The church in Corinth was a mess relationally, and in that church alone there was quarreling, cliques forming, sexual sin, wealthier people feeling superior to poor people, and spiritual gifts being turned into acts of pride. Paul was constantly putting out fires. Unfortunately, that is still the case today.
If you read the letters to the Corinthians, you will see that Paul leads the Corinthian Christians to this one solution; this one principle they are to live by. They are to learn the way of love like Jesus and live their lives in that love. Paul’s plea is that if they will love right, everything else will fall into its proper place. It will make the Church of Jesus an attractive and powerful force in the world. In every problem inside the Church, the question is are all parties seeking to love each other as we are called to love by Jesus? Church, we HAVE to get love right. Jesus did say it was to be our identifying mark: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35 NIV). When we get love right, we will see amazing things happen in our lives and in the lives of those around us. In everything, let’s choose to love like Jesus every single time.
- Jesus, help me recognize what will derail me from love and then respond wisely.