Who Do You Love?

If I insulted your mother would you call me your friend? What about if someone else insulted your mother---PUBLICLY---and I laughed about it---PUBLICLY---would I be your friend since I had become an party to such a “crime” against your dear mom’s character? Stop and think about it. Most of us take family seriously. Most people, with few exceptions, tend to honor, or even venerate, their moms. Why is this? It’s because our mom’s loved us, cared for us, and even sacrificed for us. Therefore, we loyally love our dear sweet mothers.

When I was a younger, unsaved man, a wrong comment about my mom could get you a bloody nose and end a friendship as “blood is thicker than water” and the relationship between a young man and his mom was “sacred.” His mother, my mother for instance, was nothing to be mocked or laughed at.  Even today most people will tell you that you cannot expect to make fun of a person’s mother and get away with it. And anyone who witnessed and joined in the fun (the ancient equivalent of today’s text speak “lol”) could expect treatment equal to that visited upon the offending party. Mom’s are special. Stop and think about it.

What’s my point? I have to confess, my point has nothing to do about moms—mine, yours, or anyone else’s. It has to do with your loyal love for Christ, the Savior, who loved you so much that He suffered the agonies you deserved, dying for your sin (and mine) at Calvary’s cross and with His resurrection provided for you what you could not (and would not) provide for yourself. He cared for you and cares for you in ways no mother can. His loving sacrifice demands our loyalty---His deity commands our worship. The problem is that all too often Christians, particularly younger ones, value their relationship with others more than they do the good name of their God, Christ Jesus. As they come to Christ and they and their friends begin to serve different gods, they allow their friends to mock their God, blaspheme their Savior, in ways they would never tolerate if such friends did anything remotely resembling this to their moms.

Why is this? Well, there could be a number of reasons, none of which are good. First, it could be they love their moms and friends more than they love Jesus. What would Jesus’ response be to such a sentiment? Jesus, making similar analogies say this: ²⁶ "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple”. (Luke 14:26-27 NAU) Second, it could be that they are embarrassed to confront their friend’s blasphemous behavior. They don’t want to bring the word of God to bear upon their friend’s life. To such an excuse, we look to the Scriptures to understand how Jesus would view such embarrassment: “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38 NAU) A third reason might be that they don’t want to lose a friend. They want to keep their friend. What would Jesus say to this kind of thinking? He might say this:

³⁶ "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ "For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸ "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:36-38 NAU)

Make no mistake about it, I’m not implying that these complacent Christians will lose their soul by worshipping a friendship. I’m just implying they ought to stop and think. Many might object to what I am saying and reply, “Well, they are perhaps trying to keep the door open for evangelism! They are engaging in relationship evangelism.” This is an excuse often given in situations where the believer is more concerned about the relationship with their worldly friend than evangelism. Usually, if not always, there’s a great deal of relationship going on but very little if any evangelism. Besides, friendships with mockers and scorners is offensive to God. James writes that friendship with the world is hostility with God. And so I ask them, “who do you love?”

We can be friendly to the unsaved. But we cannot be their friends and confidants. We cannot bind ourselves together with them. We cannot be bound together with them.

¹⁴ Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵ Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. ¹⁷ "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. ¹⁸ "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty. (2Co 6:14-18 NAU)

This doubly applies to those who mock your Christ. So, who do you love? How could a Christian tolerate someone mocking their Savior, when most would not put up with someone mocking their Lord, whom they say they love? What triggered these thoughts? The picture below was posted and enjoyed by two apostates who used to attend my church participated in this mockery of Christ. And after a little stormy weather, their Christian friends continued the friendship.How? This is worse than insulting mom!

Now, it’s not my job to be the “friendship police.” It is my place to ask out loud, “Who do you love?” There are some relationships that a person cannot afford to have.

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Loyalties, Priorities, and Idolatry--Rethinking Your Life and Mine

Where do your loyalties lie? As Christians, our loyalties should be with Christ. Paul writing to the church at Ephesus on two separate occasions provides us with sufficient reasons to reexamine our lives and our priorities. In Ephesians 2:8-10, the Holy Spirit speaking through the pen of Paul tells us that God saved us not because of what we did (i.e. good deeds, good thoughts; good intentions)  because of what He wanted to accomplish through us.

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Eph 2:8-10)

Our salvation was (is) a gift bestowed on us. We didn’t deserve it. We couldn’t earn it. We didn’t earn it. He chose to forgive and redeem us not because of any merit of our own. You might say, we were “saved to serve.” In fact, that’s exactly why, as believers, we were given the gift of eternal life. God wanted to employ the unworthy for His worthy service. He opened our eyes to the truth; we surrendered; we received eternal life. We received better than we deserve and our reasonable response is loyal service to Him who did for us what we could not and would not do for ourselves.

So, how are you doing? I mean what is the quality and quantity of your reasonable service? Writing on another occasion to the church (and pastor) at Ephesus, Paul, challenges them and us saying:

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the daily affairs of life so that he might please the one who enlisted him (2 Timothy 2:4).

Here Paul tells Timothy, the church at Ephesus, and you as well as me, to serve God loyally, single mindedly, and faithfully.  The war time analogy is appropriate because as believers we are constantly at war with temptation, a hostile culture, and our own selfish tendencies. Soldiers on the battlefield have little time for distraction. With the enemy before them and bullets whizzing about them, they really cannot afford to take their eyes off of the front. Paul is writing to Timothy during a time of intense persecution under the Roman emperor Nero. We, at least for now, do not face such persecution. However, we do face great distraction. We do not face the adversities of the early church as it struggled for its very life. Nevertheless, we do struggle with complacency as we live life.

There are so many distractions. There are so many distractions in fact that quite often serving God becomes an extra-curricular activity---an afterthought. We pursue our careers, we take our kids to soccer games, music lessons, and the like. We watch football, go hunting, and generally want our families to have “what we didn’t have.” Church becomes the stuff of the “weekend warrior” and we are as out of spiritual shape as the middle aged man who plays touch-footfall on the weekend with his pals.

Jesus Christ, after His resurrection, gave His disciples (all His disciples for all time) three simple commands, a short list of their purposes): go make disciples (tell people about Me); baptizing them (those who are saved); teaching them to do all that I commanded you (teaching them the word of God by precept and example). This is the “Great Commission” found in Matthew 28:19-20. This is not the pastor’s job---this is everybody’s job. This is your calling as much as it is my calling. You were saved to serve. How are you doing? Are you loyally fulfilling the Great Commission? What’s getting in the way?

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the daily affairs of life so that he might please the one who enlisted him (2 Timothy 2:4).

I call your attention to the last verb in 2 Timothy 2:4---“enlisted (him).” This verb, “enlisted,” ties in nicely with Ephesians 2:8-10. A alternative translation would be “drafted (him).” You see, God drafted you into His service. He didn’t choose you for your abilities. And you certainly did not choose Him on your own. More than likely He chose you for your disabilities so that He could use the weak things of the world to glorify Himself and demonstrate His power, mercy, and grace. You have been drafted. You were saved to serve. You are to go and tell people about Christ, seeing them baptized when they are saved and then do your part to teach them all that Christ commanded. I’m reminded in verse 18 of Matthew 28 includes the statement “all authority has been given Me.” That’s pertinent because you and I have been drafted. Christ is our authority. We have our marching orders (i.e. the Great Commission). We have our purpose (saved to serve).  The question is, “how are we doing?”

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the daily affairs of life so that he might please the one who enlisted him (2 Timothy 2:4).

Are there other priorities getting in the way of your life’s purpose? Stop a moment. Close your eyes and bring to mind all the matters that are at the forefront of your life and mind right now.  Have you relegated Christ and serving Him to the end of that list? Whatever the first thought that popped into your mind was (car, career, kids, boyfriend, girlfriend, test, exam, spouse, etc…) is your god. Think about it. You’re reading an essay about God and your loyal service and you’re still thinking about something else? Think about this: “You shall have no other gods before me… you shall not bow down to them or worship them or serve them…” The first two commandments are about having priorities (or idols) in your life that take the place of God. What or whom are you worshipping?

Let me encourage you to inventory your priorities and jettison anything that is coming between you and Christ and or keeping you from serving Him faithfully. Think eternally, think biblically, and ask yourself, “where do my loyalties lie?”

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the daily affairs of life so that he might please the one who enlisted him (2 Timothy 2:4).

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