Joseph Stowell
February 5, 2001
7:15 pm
A New Command - A New Community
Message Summary
Even with the amazing differences among those who would trust in Him, Christ commanded his disciples to love one another in John 13:34-35. MBI President Joseph Stowell emphasized that believers can only create a true biblical community through selflessly loving one another. He said, "God knows we love him by how we treat people."
Stowell began his message by posing a simple question, "Can you describe the church in one word?" After posing a number of inadequate terms, he proposed that Christ would describe the church as a "community." Unfortunately, several distractions keep many believers from truly attaining community in their churches, as issues like self-consumption and insufficient love prevent individuals from loving others.
Stowell focused on the vast socio-economic differences among Christ's 12 disciples. From the burly, loquacious Peter to the rebellious Simon to the emotive John, only one bond could solidify such a diverse group: love. The command that Jesus gave to those disciples just before he offered the ultimate gift of his own love still compels Christians today.
In order to fulfill this imperative, Stowell noted that believers must forsake the ingrained notion that "life is basically about 'me.'" Stowell used the example of the implosion of Seattle's Kingdome, noting that the body of Christ too frequently acts in a similar manner, destroying itself from within. This implosion occurs as Christians fail to exercise a cleansing love that covers the sins of other believers.
Stowell closed by asking if believers could find anyone to serve. He queried, "Is church about you? Or about someone else and their interests?"
Student Response
An encounter with Jesus changes people. Seeing Christ minister to the doubting, the outcasts and the sinful necessitates self-reflection. Jesus' heart burned for people. His overwhelming passion was offering spiritual healing to people, thus pleasing his Father. Unfortunately, in a world that preaches that people inhibit success, those whom Christ loved can become unnecessary disturbances or usable commodities that further self-promotion. Therefore, I must continually re-evaluate my level of passion for people. I must make sure that truly loving them, not using or discarding them, remains my top priority. God's love changed my life, and that love must be shared with others.
—Dale Harris, Junior, Pastoral Studies major