John 13:
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (v.34-35)
Jesus gave this commandment to His disciples that they should love other disciples. This is not about loving those who don't yet follow Jesus. And Jesus did say this is a commandment so that means I need to strive to love those who are following Christ even if I disagree with them. That does not mean that I accept sin or heresy in the body of Christ but I do not find fault with someone who doesn't agree with me, especially on personal preference things, but also on interpretation of Scripture.
Public bickering is the worst and is not a good testimony of the love of Christ. Too often these disagreements are power struggles better suited for the boardrooms of corporate America than for God's house.
James MacDonald hosted a meeting yesterday called Elephant Room that my pastor participated in. The link to the summary post is here. Video will be available later but this was a discussion among pastors on various topics and they often disagreed but with grace and love. This is how the commandment to love one another should be lived out.
Mark 13:
"Therefore stay awake - for you do not know when the master of the house will come..." (v.35) The disciples were marveling at the temple but Jesus said it would be destroyed. The disciples asked when and Jesus gave some signs of the times.
He told them specifically to be on guard because false christs and false prophets will come along to deceive people. How do I prevent being deceived? By knowing what God says and who Jesus Christ really is. How do I do that? By reading my Bible daily, sitting under biblical teaching, asking God for wisdom and discernment. If something is a blatant error it is easy to spot but when a touch of truth is mixed in, it can be hard for even the elect to recognize the deception.
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