February 2016

LOVE AS ONE OF THE VALUES OF THE UPCSA

In the month of January, we buried the first moderator of the UPCSA, the Rev Clifford Leeuw whose favourite hymn was 184 in the Xhosa hymnal: Singabazalwana, lusapholweNkosienkulu. Singe sithandana, awukhoumonaphezulu(We are brethren, family of the Great Lord. May we love another, there is no envy/jealous in heaven). The greatest thing that Clifford bequeathed to us is the gift of LOVE.
LOVE is listed as the first of the six UPCSA values. We requested that all of us in the UPCSA should, in the month of February, expose the value – LOVE. In this issue, we have messages from the Moderator of the UPCSA General Assembly and from Rev Theo Groeneveld on this value – LOVE.

MESSAGE FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE UPCSA GENERAL ASSEMBLY, THE RT REV ME RAMULONDI

THE IMPORTANCE OF LOVE: I CORINTHIANS 13: 1-13

INTRODUCTION

The letter of Paul to the Corinthians can be classified as a casebook of pastoral theology. The writing of the letter has been prompted by disturbing reports about the ugly behaviours of the members of church in Corinth. Their behaviours included competition, conflicts, division and many others. The life and work of the church has been seriously affected in the city of Corinth. The relationships among church members were seriously damaged.

Church members seemed to have been caring about what is best for them even if what is done does not glorify God. There has been more focus on Spiritual gifts without being inspired by love.

In this chapter Paul was writing a rebuke to a dysfunctional church for the abuse of spiritual gifts. In this chapter, Paul is emphasizing that love is an action not feeling. Love is to be demonstrated and experienced. A warning is raised here that believers should be careful not to worship spiritual gifts and honour personal feeling above everything, including loving one another with the love of God.

Paul is seen to be discouraging believers in Corinth not to honour the use of spiritual gifts that is not inspired by the love of God. Paul then invites the believers to more excellent way, which is the way of love. He does this by providing three distinctions of love.

THE MORE EXCELENT WAY

Six spiritual gifts were taking prominence in the Corinthian church. The gifts were tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith, giving and martyrdom. Paul invites the church to the more excellent way that is more godly and holy than to compete with each other in the use of spiritual gifts. Paul’s emphasis is that even if we may possess all these spiritual gifts and be able to perform the highest of miracles to the level of changing the whole outlook of the earth through the miracle-working of faith and have no love, we are but nothing. Paul is saying that without love all we do is but nothing. The excellent way is the way of love. Spiritual gifts without the expression of love cannot be used as a measure for one to be more honourable than the others. The absence of love in whatever we do in the church and among each other is absenting God in all our activities. Being the best and popular preacher without the expression of love is not a measure for one to be more spiritual. All noble actions without the expression of love are nothing before God.

Without love as the virtue to inspire my very being what I say and do is nothing. Without love in all my actions and activities I gain nothing. Paul is challenging the church in Corinth to ask themselves if they do what they do out of genuine love for each other rather than doing what they do out of a sense of entitlement and obligation. He is challenging them to review their motive in all their activities. He invites them to the more excellent way – the way of love. That love must have eyes, ears, hands and feet. Love is action

LOVE EXPRESSED IN ACTIONS

Paul continues to challenge the church in Corinth that love is defined in terms of action, attitude and behaviour. There are 15 portraits of love that Paul enlisted here. These 15 portraits are verbs that have love as their subject. In this we can see that love acts. So love by nature is unselfish. Love is patience (long-suffering). Love does not lose its temper easily. It is prepared to tolerate the shortcomings of others. Paul expects believers to exercise patience to one another.

Love is kind. Kindness is a positive reaction of goodness towards others. Love is not jealous. Love is pleased with the success of others. The point here is that love and jealous cannot share the same space at the same time. Love does not boast. Love is not proud but humble; it is not big- headed but big- hearted.

Love is not arrogant. Love does not push itself above others. It does not use or despise other for personal gains, instead it helps others to succeed sometimes at own personal loss. It is not rude. Love rejoices in the truth. Truth and love are great companions. The two are inseparable. Those who possess both truth and love do not rejoice in witnessing situations that rob others of peace and joy. Love bears all things. It offers safety and security for all against a hostile environment. Love ensures that in every situation there is no damage and destruction. Paul was challenging believers in Corinth they should see to it that all are safe and secured. Despite all the differences they should make sure that all are safe and that evil is not allowed to reign supreme. Love does not rejoice in exposing others of their mistakes but help them improve and correct their lifestyle. It does not celebrate on the failures of others but always ready to make them prosper. It does not take joy in every evil of any kind. Love believes all things. Love gives the other person a room for improvement. It does not write-off those who fail. It gives all the benefit of the doubt. Love does not feed itself on the suspicion and mistrust of others. It chooses to give another person enough time to realize that it is good to look on the other side of the story. Even in the situation where one is accused of wrong doing love is willing to wait for evidence to come out.

Jesus believed in the life of many who would have been condemned by the public. He encouraged the doubling Thomas to put his finger on his side. After resurrection he followed up on Peter who denied him three times. To the woman who was caught in adultery he said “neither do I condemn you.” It is all about believing the best out of each and every circumstance. Love hopes all things. Love does not give up in any situation. It does not throw in the towel. Even if the situation looks ugly and makes all of us feel tired, love does not give up on those who appear to be hard and difficult. Love never stops believing on others that something good will come out of an ugly situation.

Love endures all things. Paul challenges believers here that we are in a battle. In the battle we hold on our position at all costs, even to the end of it. The soldier fights to the bitter end. This is seen on what God did in Jesus Christ; he so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. The power of love has been seen in the life of Jesus, he endures to the very end. Love holds fast to those it loves. Love does not give up on anyone. It does not stop loving even in point of rejection and persecution. It looks beyond the present circumstance and hopes for the good of a better future. The beauties of the future gives love the strength to keep on keeping on. This kind of love is the one that has its source in God.

THE ETERNAL NATURE OF LOVE

After painting the portraits of love Paul moves on to show that love is eternal and spiritual gifts are temporary. “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease, if there is knowledge, it will be done away.’’ What we see here is that spiritual gifts and natural abilities have a life span but love never ends. Love is perfect and when the perfect comes only love will remain. Love is above all attributes of God for whatever God does it is because of his unending love.

LOVE THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL.

Here Paul reveals the beautiful picture of the future. In the future state of perfection there will be three attributes that will prevail; faith, hope and love. In the perfect future we will not cease to believe in the goodness and care of God. God will forever be kind and providing for our needs. In that perfect future, we will continue to trust (hope) in God that he is faithful and that God will never change. God will continue to be gracious to us. In the perfect future God will continue to love us. God is love. In that perfect future we will see God who is love.

CONCLUSION

The letter of Paul to the church in Corinth is still relevant to us today. There are many of us who seem to elevate spiritual gifts and natural abilities than love. Believers may never bother to continue to live in continuous conflicts and exercising spiritual gifts whereas there is a lot of pain in the body of Christ. Many believers have moved churches in search of spiritual gifts and spend a lot of resources in pursuing spiritual gifts.

May the Lord help us to realize that in the perfect future all the spiritual gifts and natural abilities will come to an end, but faith, hope and love will remain. Gifts are good and they help us to live a better Christian life but they cannot be elevated above love because god is love and God is eternal. We will be with God without end. In the presence of God there will be no more need for spiritual gifts.

Love is all about relationships, relationship of person to person and person to God. We cannot become loving individuals we desire to be apart from having a living relationship with God. We must love those God loves. As believers we should learn to have a living relationship with all in the body of Christ. The church is of God; Jesus prayed and died for it. He died for us all; therefore we should love one another as children of God. Jesus has called all of us to love one another and by this will all the people know that we are his disciples by the love we have for each other. Jesus prayed for a church that should always be characterized by love and unity. This is the more excellent way of the Christian life; the way of love.

MESSAGE FROM THE REV THEO GROENEVELD

What is love?

Most people, when you ask them to reflect on what the Bible says about love, turn to 1Corinthians13. While this is a beautiful chapter that explains the nature of love, I think there is a passage that is even more helpful in that it explains the Source and Strategy of Love.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. [1 John 4:7-10]
God is the Source of love. This is an ongoing theme in John's first letter. Without God we can't love; if we don't love, we don't know God and when God is in our lives we will love those around us. It is out of love that God created us. It is out of love that He called us. It is out of love that He saved us. And it is because God is love.
If God is love and we, in His image, are called to love and serve our neighbours, then what is love and what is its Strategy?
John's definition of love is simple:
1. When God saw our need, He took the initiative.
2. Jesus stepped into our circumstances through the Incarnation,
3 .Then He paid the price of atonement when He shed His blood.
(Love is Jesus: stepped into our humanity, giving Himself on the cross.)
So, for us, Love is when we
1. See the need and take the initiative, (John twice-repeats the idea of Jesus being sent)
2. Step into the situation.
3. and sacrificially give of ourselves to bring people back to God and each other.
Although this looks simple - it is actually very profound.
The enemies of love are fear and self-centredness.
And the more we reach out in love, the more these get pushed aside. A little later in the same chapter (v.18) John writes: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear"
May we begin to practice this kind of love.

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