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Love, Acceptance & Forgiveness |
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| How did it all begin? | It's a commitment to you! | |
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We have three banners hanging on our south wall in the sanctuary. They read: “Love”, “Acceptance”, and “Forgiveness” with some Scriptures included. People who come to visit the Church see them and probably think, “How charming. How decorative. How pretty.” But they don’t realize that those three banners TRULY ARE the “Banners” of the Church at Spring Hill. Some years ago we made a commitment to this body ~ whoever they were ~ that we would love them no matter what, accept them in their walk [wherever that was] and forgive them always of everything. We have been severely tested over the years. Sometimes we’ve failed the test, but the times that we’ve “passed” it, we’ve become stronger in our commitment. The goal is not only to walk in it ourselves, but to teach the rest of the body to follow our example. Hopefully, it is a commitment that you as a congregation will walk in also. We believe it is Scriptural. What does it mean to love like Jesus loves? I
Cor. 13 describes God’s Agape kind of love. It is patient, kind, not
envious, or proud. It is not rude, self-seeking or easily angered. It
keeps no record of wrongs. It doesn’t delight in evil, but rejoices
with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres. And that kind of love never fails. It is unconditional. That kind of love is the EVIDENCE that we are
God’s children! [I John 3:14; I John 2:5] How do I know I’m behaving like one of God’s
beloved children? [Or His disciples] Because I can walk boldly into His
throne room and make my demands? No, BECAUSE I LOVE. “By THIS shall
all men know that you are My disciples, that you love one another.” We dare to make that commitment to you. Agape love GIVES without expecting
compensation. God so loved He gave….[John 3:16; I John 16-18] A loving church is a force for God – [I John
4:19-21] A Church walking in this kind of unconditional love
is an awesome threat to the devil. We watch as he thrashes about –
anxious and paranoid ~ doing everything possible to bring us down. Often
we’ve questioned, “Why is the devil so mad at this little church?
What is it about the Church at Spring Hill that keeps him on the
attack?” Our pastor has said many times that we are not in
competition with any other church. We are not in a popularity contest.
But we do seem to be at odds with the religious community because we
have made war with the religious, pharisaical spirit! A good example of
that was last Sunday when little Tiffany (age 11) served communion in
her shorts. Death to the religious spirit!! It cannot live here!! If we dare to reject those who are already in
despair, we are no longer part of the healing process, we are instead,
part of the problem. When we accept someone, that does not mean we
approve of their behavior. We must learn to separate the sin from the
person. Remember, we war with the enemy, and love the saints.
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Jesus accepts us as we are even though many
things about us must surely offend His holiness. [Romans 5:17] We
MUST accept one another if we’re following Jesus as our example. [John
14:12] says we WILL do the things He did. One of those is accepting the
unlovable, loving the undesirable, forgiving the most despicable sinner. Eph 4:32 – We must forgive the way Jesus
forgives – over and over and over and over again for the same thing if
necessary. IF WE DON’T ~ HE WON’T. Luke 6:37 – Don’t judge ~ no matter what! We have to remember that when we dare to make
the kind of commitment Dan and I have made to this body - GOD
HOLDS US TO IT!!! “It is better not to vow a vow to the Lord than to
vow a vow and not pay it.” We often ask, “Why do we get “all the
hard cases?” What happens when we DARE to do things God’s way? HE DARES TO TRUST US ~ BY SENDING US THE ONES
WHO NEED IT MOST. The rejected dare us, “Will you still love me if I do this?” “Will you still love me if I behave this way?” “Will you still love me if I talk behind your back, calling you names and showing you no respect?” Compared to “loving unconditionally,”
walking on water is a snap. But when God calls us to this awesome walk of
Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness, IT FIRST BREAKS US. The pride in us has to go. The need for
retaliation must end. The “nursing and rehearsing” has to stop. Our pastor refuses to turn on the siren. He does
not run from fire to fire. He does not have an ounce of what we have
called, “Fire engine mentality.” He is strong enough to stand up to
the enemy’s advances. His word: “Oh! It’s just the devil!” The pastor is not an ambulance chaser. He is a
facilitator. He is not responsible to meet everyone’s needs. He IS
however, responsible to see that everyone’s needs are met.
[Ephesians 4:11-13] Every Church has its own call, its own
personality, if you will. And as such, each is responsible to fulfill
that call. The Church at Spring Hill is unique in that it tries,
attempts, strives, to do things God’s way. That call is to the Church – and “the
church” is more than the pastor. It is the whole of the fellowship –
all those who feel a commitment to this body and this work. As EACH
OF US DARES TO WALK THIS WALK, THIS CHURCH WILL BECOME A MIGHTY FORCE
FOR GOD IN THIS COMMUNITY. But we must work together. When people come to this Church with obvious
needs…. Our responsibility is to welcome them AS THEY ARE and
love them to change..the way the Lord loves us into change…. And just
keep on forgiving them. Over and over……
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the
Church at Spring Hill
~ Teachings