The Sunday Morning Missionary Part 3

Love, Show Hospitality, Serve

In the passage from 1 Peter 4, Peter gives us 3 things to do as the church to complete our vital role. Because this role is so important, we need to understand exactly what he is telling to do. 

Love

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8 (ESV)

In the Greek language, there is more than one word that translates to love. In this instance, Peter used the word agape. Unfortunately, since our culture views love as an emotion, it loses some of its weight. But, agape is so much more than an emotion. This is the love that was defined by God the Father sending Jesus the Son (John 3:16). It is the love Jesus loved us with when He purposefully and sacrificially gave His life so that we could gain our life (1 John 3:16). This kind of love moves beyond emotion to action. It is a choice to act sacrificially in another’s best interest.

Peter is telling us to love one another, like Jesus has loved us. In spite of sins towards one another and in general, he is calling us to act for the good of each other even if it costs us something to do it. Paul captured this idea in Philippians 2 when he encouraged the church to consider others more significant than themselves and to not just think of their own interests but other’s as well.  John wrote that we shouldn’t just love one another in word but also in deed (1 John 3:18)

As we put these together, it is undeniable that Wal-Mart-like attendance is not acceptable under Biblical perspectives. This begs the question, are we making room in our lives to love others as Jesus has loved us? Is this active sacrificial love evident every time we get together, even on Sunday mornings?

If we are going to adopt the attitude of missionaries, it begins not by looking outward at the world but together loving each other. Peter’s first point of reference is not outside the church but to those in the church. He doesn’t say to love everybody else first, and then love one another. But rather, makes our love for one another the responsibility of each individual member. Because, we have been loved like this, we can love like this; we just have to make up our minds to do it.

Did you know that there are 5 teams functioning to make our Sunday morning gathering happen? These all function with the good of others in mind. They all come at a cost to those working in them. Some of them require extra nights a week; some require that people show up early. But isn’t that exactly what love is all about. There is no real reward, no one is getting paid, and they likely aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. But these team members continue to show up and give of themselves for the good of others, loving others just like Jesus loved.

But, Sunday Morning Missionaries don’t just serve in these teams. They say show appreciation for what they have received. They listen closely to their friends, offer words of encouragement, and even stop to pray for them in the moment, rather than putting it off until later. Sunday Morning Missionaries know that the most important moments of this intentional gathering will likely happen between the first and last note of music. So, rather than thinking of themselves, they love others by doing their part to remove barriers to and distractions from taking part in corporate worship and hearing the preaching of God’s Word.

Their efforts may not earn them a pat on the back, but they never go unnoticed by the One, whose opinion matters most, and whose glory motivates their actions.

Imagine the environment created, when not just a dozen people are doing this, but when virtually everyone who gathers loves like this. Imagine the insecurities and fears that most of us struggle with being swallowed up by this active sacrificial powerful love for and from others. Imagine the tangible offering of God’s grace we would have to offer every person that walked through the door if this word agape (love) encapsulated all of our actions and interactions. Imagine the effect this would have beyond the scope of that hour to two hours on Sunday morning as we each leave having experienced Jesus’ love tangibly.

This only becomes a reality when each of us take on the role as missionaries to love one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.