Relationships Based in the Cross

One of our endeavors as a local church is to have God-honoring relationships with each other. I was given the opportunity to speak on this in a joint Sunday School Class yesterday. How easy (and powerless) it would be to put together a list of commands about one another relationships and then simply say, "Do these!" Thankfully, the gospel speaks to such an endeavor.

For example, when we look at the command of Ephesians 4:32 we see that our responsibility to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another” is actually rooted in what Jesus did. The verse goes on to say: “…as God in Christ forgave you.” So ministering to one another in kindness, with a tender heart, by forgiving each other…these things are demonstrated for us in the cross. God showed us the most profound kindness in sending Jesus to be emptied out for us. God was tender to us when we deserved nothing of the kind. He handled us gently. And then of course He forgave us. He pardoned us. He diverted the wrath that had been stored up for us because of our sin. He did all of these things—kindness, tenderness and forgiveness—through the work of His Son. So our behaving in this manner reflects the gospel. It bolsters what we believe. Our acting in this way is empowered by our meditating on God having done them first and in a deeper more extraordinary way.

Similarly, when we are told to “[bear] with one another in love” (in Eph. 4:2) it follows Paul’s exposition of what Christ has already done for us in the first three chapters of Ephesians. The command follows Paul's transition in 4:1, “I therefore . . . urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” So again, we see that God’s desire for the way we treat each other is based in the calling of us to Himself through the work of Jesus. So our manner of ministering to each other is either worthy of the gospel (because it reflects Jesus’ attitude or actions) or is unworthy of the gospel (because it is against the attitude or actions of Jesus) and thus hinders its power in our lives. Cf. Philippians 1:27.

This idea of our attitude or action either furthering or hindering the gospel is exactly what I've asked Fred Froman, Don Magee & Bob Johnson to speak to in the elective break-out sessions of the Fellowship in the Gospel Conference. Pray for effective, powerful teaching in those teaching times. There is an inherent power in our finding our identity in Jesus and His cross and then our desiring to act in a manner consistent with Him. It’s when we forget our calling--the cost of our calling--when we act contrary to the gospel. This is why we need to be reminded again and again of who we are and base how we live in what Jesus has already done for us. This is the goal of the conference. It is why we gave the conference the name that we have. It's why I close conference promotions with the phrase: "Come join us on May 1-2, 2009 and fellowship in the gospel."