Where is the Love of Christ in His Church?">Where is the Love of Christ in His Church?

One of my favorite passages in Scripture is in John 21 when Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. If you know your Greek then you know that Jesus begins with the word agape, and ends up with the word meaning friendship. I have always found this fascinating because Jesus could have asked Peter anything during this time that is often known as Peter’s reinstatement, and yet Jesus asks him if he loves him.

The Lord begins by asking Pete if he unconditionally loves him and ends by asking him if he simply loves him as a friend. Then the Lord accepts Pete’s answer and still gives him leadership and authority over His church. Don’t you think this is interesting?

Think about it, Jesus wanted to know if Peter loved him unconditionally – wholeheartedly, without reservation and with no hinderance. Peter knew the Law where it was written that we should “love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, body, soul and strength ” and he admits right there that he hasn’t kept the law. In fact nowhere in the law does it say that we need to love the Lord our God as a friend. But the cool thing is that under the new law Jesus allows us to love Him that way. He told the disciples earlier in John 15 that there is no greater love than the one who would lay down his life for his friends, but he never negates the love of us who do not do that.

In the end, we know that Peter’s love for Christ was unconditional because he did die for Christ. But I wonder where the love of Christ is in the current day church today, especially in America. How many of us would truly die for our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. If someone where to put a gun to your head and threaten to pull the trigger unless you renounced your faith and trust in Christ would you live or die?

A commitment to Jesus Christ is a serious thing. Walking out a faith in a God who desires our very lives is nothing to be taken lightly. He requires our all, and desires our full commitment. He has told us to pick up His cross and follow him and we do that by denying ourselves. Sadly, most American churches are anything but about denying ourselves. We whine when the music we like isn’t played, or they serve lousy food at potlucks. We whine when the sermon goes over two minutes and when someone takes our prefered seat. Is that real love for Christ?

Where is the love of Christ in His church? When you sing I Surrender All what does that mean to you? Are you surrending all for that two minute song, or will you be prepared to surrender all for Christ until your final breath on this earth.

Given the opportunity to have Jesus ask you do you love me unconditionally what would you say…and why?