www.cthompson.org.uk/colin.html
Yet
Another Open Letter to the Church in Gateshead. Hi again in the name of our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ. I do hope you are well and enjoying the company of our
Friend, Jesus Christ. A merry Christmas
and a happy New Year to you. This is now the third letter
written to all the members of the church in Gateshead whose addresses I have. If by now anyone
is becoming annoyed or irritated by receiving these letters I do apologise and
ask that they let me know and I’ll see that they get no more. I am continuing
to write on the basis that it is good to talk (or write, where talk is not
possible.) As ever, anyone wishing to be included in the directory of the
church in Gateshead and to receive a copy of the same need only get in touch. I’m very much
exercised with the twin injunction we have to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and to love the brethren. In John’s first
letter, chapter 4, 23 we are told;’ This is his commandment, that we should believe
in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he
commanded.’ In Paul’s letter
to the saints at Colosse he writes, chapter 1 verse 4;”since we heard of your
faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope
which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of
truth of the gospel.” Also in John’s
first letter, chapter 3, verse 14; “We
know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.
He who doesn't love his brother remains in death. 3:15Whoever
hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life
remaining in him. 3:16By this
we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down
our lives for the brothers. 3:17But whoever has the world's
goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against
him, how does the love of God remain in him? 3:18My little
children, let's not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed
and truth. 3:19And by this we know that we are of the truth, and persuade our
hearts before him.” We may have the impression that
Christ’s commandment to all who follow Him to love one another, as He loved us,
is ..….nice. By that I mean, something a bit idealistic, like belonging to the
hippy era of the late 1960’s. We may think it would be nice – if only everyone
else would play along. However, if we look at John’s
gospel chapter 13, verse 33 to 35, we can see that Jesus was dead serious about
this matter; “Where I am going, you can't come,
so now I tell you. 13:34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just
like I have loved you; that you also love one another. 13:35By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another." As Christ was leaving them, and
would not be there to love them in the way he had up till then, He instructs
them to love one another, on His behalf. If there is one commandment that goes
with ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ’; surely it is this one, that we love
one another. Paul writes to the saints at
Colosse, chapter 2, verse 1, “For I desire to have you know how greatly I struggle for you, and
for those at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 2:2that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in
love.” My earnest desire for the church in
Gateshead is that we may be knit together in Christ’s love. Not in words but in
deeds. After the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ has been laid, our being
built together in love into a holy house for His dwelling place is absolutely
essential. Will you pray that we may be knit
together in love? The last thing I am looking for is
for us to manufacture some kind of community between us. But we can have a
tangible demonstration of the love of God poured abroad in our spirits if we
just get out more and get in touch with our local brothers and sisters. In what
sort of natural family don’t the members communicate with each other? How will
we encourage one another, exhort one another, support one another if we never
see one another? I find it
helps to try and see the church as Christ sees it. There is a church in
Sunderland and one in Newcastle just as there is a church in Gateshead. They
are each local, temporal expressions of His Universal Bride. While we may
have no problems with the Universal, we sure may have difficulties with the
local, here and now church that we are a part of. Those who
are believing upon Christ are commanded to 'love one another, as I have loved
you'. I reckon this helps define the church we are a part of. When Paul
wrote to the saints at Colosse 'that you may be knit together in love' he meant
the saints at Colosse. Being
knit together in love does not depend on whether or not we have the same
'norms' or expectations of behaviour, teaching or forms of service. It
depends purely upon the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts by the
Spirit and our obedience to the rule of the Spirit. I don't
care what my fellow saints in Gateshead believe about head coverings, women's
roles, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Roman Catholics, speaking in tongues,
healing, apostles, prophets, total abstinence, divorce, re-marriage after
divorce, falling down, laughing, crying, versions of scripture, modes of
baptism, ..... I'm running out of possible areas of disagreement but I'm sure
someone will think of something. If they
are Christ's then I have to love them, learn to ‘wash their feet’ and try to
break bread with them in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ as He also
commanded us. If we do
this we have some chance of something like 'normal' church life. If we
don't do this, then we may fool ourselves but........ If we seek to be obedient in the matter of loving
one another, we will seek out one another, He will lead us to one another and
we will find our ‘one anothers’. We will also find that there is great joy in
serving Jesus in the way He talked about in Matthew’s gospel, 25; 37; "Then the righteous will answer him,
saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give
you a drink? 25:38When did we see you as a stranger,
and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? 25:39When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?' 25:40"The King will answer them,
'Most assuredly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these
my brothers you did it to me.' Surely this was the same thing that James
was thinking off when he wrote, “faith without works is dead.” So I’ve written to encourage us all to pray
that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Gateshead may be truly knit
together in love. I believe it is what we all desire, we know it is what the
Head of the church desires. Anything less would be a tragedy. Will we
settle for anything less? It’s good to talk. Please feel free to contact me in person or
by post, phone or at colin@cthompson.org.uk All the best, Colin Thompson.