Faith, Hope & Charity

The Church contains the highest expression of Christianity possible. Simply put, the greatest command of Jesus was to love other Christians and the local church is the place where we prove our ability to fulfill this command. Before Jesus died He spoke to his followers and gave them the same continuing task that we struggle with today. Jesus said: I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. John 15:9-12 (NLT) Of course, it is not possible to love other believers properly until we learn to follow the Spirit in our everyday life. Remember, in Heaven we will be judged on how much love we have shown for the believers that are members of our local church. It is our job to learn how to relate to other believers who are different. What a majestic challenge!

Christianity is not about a church somewhere that we cannot be held responsible for.  Paul wrote his letters to local churches who were learning to get along with each other. Even as he attempted to settle many of their issues, the message of Christian unity was always his mind. His letters tried to lift people up into the correct spiritual life in order to prepare them to meet God while they were living here on earth. Our spiritual view may be cloudy at times but we can see the foundations where the church is being built by the Spirit. For example Paul said there were: Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13 (NLT) These three words are not just to print on coffee cups. They are the foundations that Jesus gave for His church. We must “own these things together” and make them more than the motto or slogan of our local church. These three ideas are what God gave us to make the Church strong and everlasting. Jesus said; I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Matt 16:18-19 (NLT) These are three of the keys that make the local church what it should be.

Faith is something that most of us think about as a personal trait. This is natural because this was how we began our walk with the Lord. The truth is that faith is something beautiful that we hold in common with all other Christians. The Bible says: You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people. Heb 12:22-24 (NLT) This common faith is the magnet that brings God’s children together to form a church in the first place. Our churches must use their common faith to reach out to the lost and tell them about the salvation plan. Jesus said this was our purpose here on earth: Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. Matt 28:19-20 (NLT) Our faith is “not” just for ourselves.

In order to refine our faith the Lord allows testing to take place. Not only are we tested individually but our church will be tested. We will not go to Heaven alone so it is important that we are part of a body that is helping its members. Remember, we will live as one unit for all of eternity. The Spirit can build us into the body of Christ if we yield to His leading. Soon Jesus will come for His Church and it will be one united body, not a body that is disjointed or disconnected. Faith is always our answer: And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. 1 Peter 1:5-7 (NLT) Any subject that we study in the Scriptures will eventually lead us back to our need for faith. Whether it is individual faith or the group faith, the salvation of mankind depends on our trusting God. We understand that our creator certainly knows how to redeem any person.

Hope is another of these everlasting ideas that God has given to us. Christians are encouraged to keep all the members on “the straight and narrow” by reminding one other what is waiting for us in Heaven. Without hope we could not continue on when things in our life are terrible. Paul had many hardships but his hope just became stronger. In one of his letters he said: We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. Romans 8:23-26 (NLT) There are many wonderful new things waiting for us in that huge new City which will be located on a brand new earth. Paul only mentions two things in this passage which he looks forward to. One is his new body and the other is a wonderful new adopted Heavenly family with many benefits. While on earth we are being tested to see if we can be a functioning part of God’s eternal family.

The Lord wants to help us become part of His family. He has appointed leaders in our church who can encourage us with “hope”. It is true that they have other jobs but the Bible says: Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. Heb 13:17 (NLT) Looking out for us does cover many things but it certainly includes helping us have hope. To see a brother or sister without hope should alert every one of us to help them quickly. The body of the Lord is equipped with people who can share hope in many different ways. God gave us hope when we were saved but we must keep it up to date as we wait for the return of our Savior. Everyone can contribute something to the hope of a church. It can be as small as good behavior toward others. In our church we must:  Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Eph 4:2,3 Every Christian should be contributing to the unity of a local church.

“One for all and all for one” is the motto of a group of fighting men. Because our church is being built into one body for our Savior we should feel this way about all its members. Living as one with others is difficult but Jesus gave His life for this very thing. It is our prescribed goal and we must ask the Lord to help us find this kind of life while we are still here on this earth. Paul wrote this: We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Eph 4:15-16 (NLT) Our church is successful and growing when it has faith, hope and love. Each Christian should be working in the fields of our master. If we want to please the Lord it will be done when we contribute these three everlasting attributes to our local church. The greatest of all is LOVE.

Faith, hope and love are the life blood of a Christian. Here is a final word from Paul about the most important command of God: Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “…You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. Romans 13:8-12 (NLT)  We must get ready to meet the Lord as a group that is working together in faith, hope and charity.

About the Higher Order

The average person usually describes the Church as a collection of local assemblies. Some educated people like to explain various concepts of a community. All of this is true when we describe the local church in earthly terms. However, the Church is much more than an assembly of people. This organization has something no other group has; the authorization of the Almighty sanctioning its operation. We may have trouble describing the Spirit of God in our Church but He must be there. Because of the Spirit, our local church is much more than any other group. When our church contains the Holy Spirit it is a “higher order”. This divine center is so potent that everything done in a church will be about Jesus or it is of no consequence. There is no reward in Heaven for work which has not benefited the Church. Paul was very aware of His authorization; Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. 2 Cor 3:5-6 (NLT) The new covenant is with the Church. Some people today still think that the Church is about a bunch of laws. No; the Church is a higher order because it follows the leading of the Spirit.

It follows then, that when we join our local church it amounts to much more than the joining of any other organization. This may seem a little “out there”, but when we “join” it is similar to a marriage between Christ and a believer. We have a responsibility to be the best spouse possible. In Romans when Paul is explaining the laws of the old covenant versus the Spirit in the modern Church, he makes this comparison: For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her… So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united (married) with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. Romans 7:2-4 (NLT) Our point is a little different than Paul’s but the love and concern we should have for the Church is similar to that of a spouse. A marriage is a commitment to delight in each other as well as to mourn together. We have agreed to make each other’s problems our own and to work through any situation together. This describes the Higher Order that we are a part of.

Both the marriage and the Church have a problem in common today. Their troubles are caused by the selfishness that plagues our American society. If only we could become concerned about other people the way we should, what a difference it would make. Paul explained God’s way for the Church: So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Cor 12:24-27 When the Bible says “parts that have less dignity” it is referring to the body metaphor used by Paul. It is actually talking about people that have some “lack” in their life. For example, some people need a job or maybe they don’t have appropriate food or clothing. Other members may be persecuted or destitute. Maybe they are simply too young to take care of themselves or old and frail. The point is that caring for others in the local church promotes harmony among the members. When we deal with our selfishness the higher order of the Church will be peaceful and happy.

When the Bible refers to the members of a church it usually calls them by more descriptive names. Sometimes we are called “co-workers” indicating that we are in this thing together. At other times we are called “fellow laborers” pointing out that we are working towards a goal. This goal is only to please God in our lives as we work together. We might also be called disciples, testifiers, partakers, imitator, conformer, witness, sympathizers, etc. We are never called a member who sits on a pew for one hour at a time. When Paul was explaining some activities of the Church members, he said this: There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 1 Cor 12:4-7 (NLT) When we were united with Christ the Lord gave us something to do that was needed by our group. Every Christian should know what it is by trial and error, even if we didn’t hear a Great Voice speak. Using our gifts to benefit other people is the result of belonging to God’s family.

The power that a local church prospers with is love. Paul went so far as to say, if: I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Cor 13:2-7 (NLT) Loving other people through the Savior is what every good pastor is asking people to do. Christians can understand how this kind of love contains great power. But getting involved seems to be a problem. Starting small may be the answer. If we all set one thing aside in our “self-life” and begin to give it to other people maybe the Lord will give us bigger things to do. There is nothing better than being part of this Higher Order.