Love in action - movement
Love God, love people, love in action
This week we turn to love in action. Love is meant to give rise to action, deed, movement.
Officials at Yantai Park in Shandong province, China, have devised a way to stop loiterers hogging park benches: "We have to make sure that the facilities are shared evenly and this seems like a fair way to stop people grabbing the bench at dawn and staying there all day."
If a visitor stays for too long without feeding a coin operated meter, dozens of spikes shoot up through the seat. Lo and behold, movement.
We started with Love God: an invitation and a challenge. An invitation into a relationship and a challenge to sacrifice your life. Last week we talked about the phrase “love people”. We are commanded to offer a radical welcome.
Even more than loving God and loving people, love in action implies movement. I am not proposing to put spikes in your chairs but the phrase itself describes the verb, “to love”. It is about action, doing something.
I read recently about a guy called Matt Frerking. Matt suffers from a condition that is a combination of the sleeping disorder narcolepsy and cataplexy, which is a sudden weakening of the muscles which renders the person temporarily immobile but still aware of their surroundings and able to hear. As soon as he feels warm emotions he slumps into a state of paralysis. He is still awake but his eyes close and he can’t move his limbs. Apparently there is a switch in our brains that flips when we go to sleep and stops us from sleep walking. In Matt’s case, this is turned on by love. When he senses that warm, fuzzy feeling he tries to stop it by thinking about his neuroscience research, otherwise he collapses.
This is not the way love is meant to be. I want to be able to put my arm around Alison without falling over. You want to be able to enjoy the company of a good friend without dropping your head into your cappuccino.
Sometimes people demonstrate a similar illness when “love in action” comes on the agenda. Often, when a housegroup moves outside of the house to do something in the community one week; the attendance mysteriously drops. Why is it that we resist moving, taking action?
3 issues to address:
- Obstacles and objections
- How can we get into action?
- What are we doing?
Obstacles & objections to love in action
1. I don’t need to
Why should this be on our agenda? Because it follows naturally from the proposition that we love God and love people. The person who follows Jesus and who experiences His love is a person who will be moved to love people. In fact, this all started because Jesus loves you. If He loves you then the least you can do is to love others. And loving others involves doing something.
Oddly it seems that God has chosen to use me and you to change the world. The last two things Jesus said before He ascended to heaven were commissioning instructions to copy what he had done and go into action.
“Go and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
And how was this expressed in the very first days of the church? The early followers showed love in action, “they had everything in common … they gave to anyone as he had need”. Acts 2:45.
Acts goes onto tell story after story of preaching the good news, healing the sick, feeding the hungry. And through us Jesus is doing that today, 2000 years later.
If you love God & experience His love, you will love people. If you love people you will put love into action. There will be movement.
2. There’s no point
What difference can I make? It’s not important. God doesn’t need me.
Well in a way God doesn’t need you or me. He is God, He doesn’t need anything. However, He has chosen you and me to do this. Paul describes it like this:
1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it”.
And then He goes on to explain about how He has given gifts and abilities so that we can be the hands and feet and mouth of God on this earth.
James 2:14-17 (you can exchange faith for love) forcibly reminds us,
What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you will; keep warm and well fed” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Sometimes we think it is not worth it because we don’t understand the economy of the Kingdom. We want visible, powerful results now. God works on a different timetable and is sometimes seeking different results. Your obedience to speak to a homeless guy and buy him a coffee may reveal no great Kingdom results to you but you have no way of knowing the full story of the way that God is reaching out to him. Your gift of £10 to STEPS may not seem a useful amount to you but God can use that £10 in ways beyond your understanding – both in STEPS and in you. You just need to do your bit of love in action.
“Freely you have received, freely give” is what Jesus said. Matthew 10:8
3. Someone else will do it
Well yes, they might.
When someone says this to me, that their £10 isn’t important, perhaps they are thinking that it is simply about getting some task done on God’s behalf. Ticking a box. Paying a penance. That’s not it at all. It isn’t that God needs you or your money to do anything. Of course not, He is God and can do very well on His own. He did create the universe after all.
In fact the bible tells us that we have a part to play too,
Ephesians 2:10, For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The point is that He wants you to do it. In a mysterious way, putting love into action is not about the action - it is about you. The process of listening to what God is saying, re-organizing your life to follow Him, putting love into action in some way and working through all the associated difficulties will change you, will make you more like the person Jesus calls you to be.
For some the challenge is an extreme one; think of a young Eastern European woman called Agnes. She loved God deeply and that love plucked her out of a normal existence and transported her into the slums of Calcutta where, as Mother Theresa, she transformed the lives of thousands directly and millions indirectly.
That’s rare, and for you it may simply be choosing to care for that neighbour or business colleague who makes everyone else’s life a nightmare.
My friend David told me about a difficult situation at work where a senior person was making life very unpleasant for the team over a period of months, despite interventions by other managers. It was very stressful and David asked his housegroup to pray one Wednesday evening. The next day David took some advice at work and contacted this man's manager, pointing out a pastoral concern that might have been behind the behaviour. Within a week the situation was totally transformed, and it has stayed that way for the past couple of months.
The Kingdom of God, love in action; in Calcutta and in the meetings at BT. For the Jesus follower a huge life change was required in one circumstance and in the other it was a simple prayer and action. Both were good works.
4. I can’t – I’m not able to do anything
There are many things you think might disqualify you:
- I am shy, scared, I might look a fool or let God down.
- I am unwell, housebound, can’t get out much.
- I suffer from depression, I can’t think about other people.
- I am too poor, I have no money.
- I am too busy. I have too much to do. I don’t have time.
- I don’t have the skills or gifts or confidence. I don’t know what to do.
- I need to sort out my problems first, my addictions, my relationships, my marriage.
- I can’t make up my mind.
- I can’t be a missionary.
But don’t disqualify yourself.
Anne Frank said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world”.
Let me be clear, I am not saying that we are all to avoid our daily responsibilities. Or that we should all go off to Mexico as a missionary or take time off to deliver furniture to a needy family. I am not saying you have to pray for every person you meet on the Headrow who looks ill. Or that you should live on the breadline and give all your money away. Although you may do anything of those things.
We do have God-given responsibilities right in front of us: caring for our own, honouring our commitments, and dealing with our own issues. But what I am saying is that each of us has a part to play in the extending of God’s kingdom. There is something for you to do, something that you can do. You are qualified. And as you put love into action you will grow, receive healing and discover His compassion rising in you. Here are some ideas.
How do I get moving? How do I put love into action?
1. You can do things personally
There are many ways you can demonstrate love in action. Ask Jesus to show you how - in the course of your day-to-day life. Whether it be with your family or neighbour or work colleague or a stranger on the bus.
Previously we have talked about just walking across the room to leave our circle of comfort and enter the zone of the unknown - where you can bring friendship, prayer and good news to people around you. (Evangelism on web site).
Differently; you can learn to deal with the things in your life that stop you from being the loving person you are called to be – you could refer back to the
“one anothers” I distributed last week. They are linked to the talk on the website should you want to download the document.
2. You can do things as a housegroup
A great way to get moving is to do something with your housegroup.
Interview: Chris & Dawn and Jason & Gwen.
· How did you first start putting love into action in your life?
· What is your housegroup up to these days?
3. You can join in with some of the main Reach Out events
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The next 6 Reach Out opportunities provide a range of activities you can do with other people (check out the website under “opportunities). 1. On the Streets – every Saturday morning
2. Ooooh, I know that tune, fund raising music quiz
3. No trick, our treat
4. Bonfire night doughnut giveaway
5. Christmas present auction
6. You drop, you shop
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4. Look out for Bridge Building opportunities
6 months ago we gave money for STEPS which this time round was to, amongst other things, establish two major Bridges: a debt advice centre and a contact centre. As these get going there will be a number of things that you can do to put love into action.
On Friday evening I was sitting in the prayer room at the Vineyard Centre and was forcefully reminded of other Bridge Building activities – FNP, in full, raucous swing underneath. That is building bridges with young people from outside our community. Earlier in the day Belly Buttons was building a bridge for parents of babies and toddlers. Opportunities.
Ask your housegroup leader, there are loads of ways to show love in action. You don’t have to do it on your own. We can train and equip you. You can join in with others who have more experience.
What are we doing? What’s the big picture?
Once when The Times asked several prominent authors to write essays on the subject "What's Wrong with the World?" G K Chesterton answered succinctly: “Dear Sirs, I am, Yours faithfully”.
Are you happy with what you see and experience out there? Do you want to see a better world? Of course you do. You burn with indignation at injustice and corruption, your heart breaks when you see hunger and suffering, you long to see the lost and lonely befriended, and if only everyone could be restored into a right relationship with Jesus to know forgiveness, hope and a future with God.
I know you aren’t happy with the status quo, I’m not. When we pray, “Your kingdom come” this is what we mean. We long to see God’s Kingdom come and justice, righteousness and peace established on earth and in Leeds.
It starts with you, and me. Yes it does. I believe God has given you a part to play in the establishing of His Kingdom here on earth.
You don’t have to be Prime Minister, we can only have one of those at a time.
You don’t have to be Nicky Gumbel, he is doing a fine job on his own.
You don’t have to be a multi-billionaire, there are plenty of those doing good things with their money.
But without action I will go stale; tough & tasteless.
Without movement we will become a mausoleum. We will be irrelevant. God protect us from that.
I want us to be people who love God, love people (each other) and who put love into action. We don’t just talk about it, we do it. Filled with God’s compassion we will make a difference, we will see God’s Kingdom come.
This week we have been fasting and praying, which is a great thing to do … and then we need to turn to action. Isaiah speaks of this challenge and describes the coming of the Kingdom when we act.
Isaiah 58:5-12.
Prayer is essential, fasting is helpful to get in the right place before God. But you can move too. Yes you can. The Lord has made you to do good works. You can play your part in changing the world. Yes you can. Don’t leave it to the others, the noisy ones, the confident ones, those with obvious gifts.
Find out what he has given you to do. Play your part in the Kingdom of God. And together we will see the light break forth like the dawn. We will know the goodness of God, His justice and mercy, healing and restoration, joy and peace. We will see broken walls rebuilt, God’s Kingdom restored little by little in the lives of those around us and those far away.
100 people in this room each taking one action a week means over 5000 actions a year – and we can do much more than that. Little things and big things but all adding up to the Kingdom of God on the move. The world changing, the people of the Vineyard doing their bit to transform our community.
Let us pray, let us serve, let us give. Let us confront injustice, feed the hungry, heal the sick, give people good news. Then when we are called to give account we can happily say, “Yes Lord, we did not stand still, we moved, we put love into action and we saw your Kingdom come”.
Love God, love people, love in action
- We Love God, responding to his invitation into relationship and a challenge to sacrifice our lives.
- We love people, extending a radical welcome and learning to love one another.
- We move, putting love into action.
David Flowers, 19/09/2010