John the apostle says in his first epistle "By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). This is usually interpreted to mean that we ought to give our lives for the brethren if we are required to do so.But it does not say that we ought to give our lives for the brethren if we are required to do so. It says we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. So here's the question: have you laid down your life for the brethren?
Selwyn Hughes writes that in Pusan, Korea, he came across the only church in all his travels where a commitment was made by every member to place the interests of the other members before their own.[1] The atmosphere in that church, he said, was the most wonderful he had ever experienced in over 40 years of ministry.
The minister there told him that whenever someone joined that church, either through conversion or moving into the community from elsewhere, all the other members gathered round the new member and together recited these words:
We covenant to love you with the love of the Lord Jesus Christ - the love that puts your interests as a priority. Nothing you do will stop us loving you. If your actions dishonour Christ, we will tell you so, but in a spirit of love. We will pray for you daily by name. Anything we have is at your disposal. We will honestly tell you how we feel about the level of your spiritual maturity from time to time. If this means pain for each of us, we will trust our relationship enough to take that risk, realising that in "speaking the truth in love we grow up in every way into Christ who is the head." We are committed to you because of what God has designed us to be in His loving creation.
Isn't that beautiful?
[1] Selwyn Hughes. Every Day with Jesus, January/February 2009. Farnham, Surrey: CWR, 2008.
