Sermon Tone Analysis

A Holy Kiss

1 Thessalonians 5:26

 

Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

| R |

eferring to this verse a fellow tersely commented that if a brother should greet him with a holy kiss he will respond with a *holy punch in the mouth*.

It is a cultural taboo for Canadian men to greet other men with a kiss.

Although kissing members of the opposite sex appears to be catching on in society, it is nevertheless unwise in some instances to greet members of the opposite sex with a kiss.

An elderly woman in a former church, having been deeply moved by the message delivered that particular morning, asked if she could kiss me.

I responded by saying that I never kissed anyone over six or under sixty.

Times have changed, I am drawing ever nearer the age of sixty and today I am cautious about making any comment concerning kissing members of the congregation.

Nevertheless, the underlying message of our text is that of all people in the earth, Christians are to know one another and to exhibit courtesy and love toward one another according to Paul’s admonition.

Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

The equivalent text for this brief passage, and perhaps a statement more readily understood in our present culture, is that which is given by the aged Apostle of Love, John, who instructed us to Greet the friends … by name [*3 John 14b*].

Christians should rejoice to meet fellow believers and always endeavour to welcome one another.

We should know our fellow worshippers and warmly receive them whenever they join us for worship or fellowship.

The practise of greeting with a kiss depends in no small measure upon culture, and even this custom as practised by the apostolic church appears to have mostly died out shortly after the first century.

Greet one another with a holy kiss, Paul admonished the Corinthians in each letter [*1 Corinthians 16:20*; *2 Corinthians 13:12*].

Peter also taught the saints to Greet one another with a kiss of love [*1 Peter 5:14*].

The holy kiss was a social gesture which by the time of Justin Martyr, the middle of the second century, had been relegated to a liturgical practise during Communion.

As a boy my family attended a church a General Baptist church.

Among those churches are numbered a fellowship of German saints established by John Winebrenner and known as the Churches of God General Conference.

These churches are, with but few differences, akin to what are technically referred to as Regular Baptist.

The majority of Baptists in our world today are counted as Regular Baptists, but there remain a significant number of the General Baptist Churches, especially in the United States.

Among the differences separating the two groups is the practise of washing one another’s feet as an ordinance of the Lord together with baptism and communion.

In that ecclesiastical milieu in which I grew up I observed men kissing men and women kissing women, at the conclusion of having humbled themselves to wash one another’s feet.

While I do not believe that particular practise is to be accepted as an ordinance, I nevertheless have respect for the sincerity of the belief and I do possess some knowledge of what must result when we treat one another as familiar friends.

That is where I ask us to focus our attention during this brief time together today.

The Responsibility for Christians to Know One Another — Almost unconsciously, we adopt a consumer mentality concerning our worship.

By this statement I mean that we approach worship more often with a view of what we can get out of the activity than seeking what we can contribute to worship.

We are so focused on our own fulfilment that we fail to honour God.

We really don’t want to let others know too much about us, nor are we particularly eager to know too much about others.

If they know too much about us we fear that they might not really like us, and we if know too much about others we fear that we will be responsible to care about them in their struggles.

Christians are not supposed to be remote from one another.

Instead, we are to know one another.

We are to practise koinwniva.

Let me speak to this issue for a brief moment.

The manner in which I will speak to this point is to appeal to Scripture itself.

Remember that the church is known as the fellowship [*Acts 2:42*].

The reason for this is that the members of the Body are responsible to share their lives in an intimate fashion.

As the churches of Macedonia and Ache responded to the need to relieve the suffering of the impoverished saints in Jerusalem during a time of famine, their contribution was seen as a fellowship [cf.

Greek *Romans 15:26*; see also *2 Corinthians 8:4* and *9:13* and *Hebrews 13:16*].

We are called into fellowship with Christ Jesus [*1 Corinthians 1:9*].

Whenever we observe the ordinance of the Lord’s Table we fellowship in the blood and in the body of Christ [see Greek *1 Corinthians 10:16*].

As Christians we have no fellowship with darkness [*2 Corinthians 6:14*].

Instead, together with all the saints of God we are called to enjoy the fellowship of the Holy Spirit [*2 Corinthians 13:14 *and* Philippians 2:1*].

A neglected teaching is that we are able to know the fellowship of sharing in the sufferings of Christ, becoming like Him in His death [*Philippians 3:10*].

In receiving the message of Christ the Lord we fellowship with God the Father and with the Son of God together with the Apostles [*1 John 1:3*].

As we walk in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin [*1 John 1:7*].

If we will actually be the fellowship, we will know what is happening in the lives of our fellow members.

This implies much more than having a superficial knowledge of situations which our fellow members may confront from time-to-time.

This thought speaks of sensitivity to one another to realise the spiritual and emotional situations we confront.

In this context there are responsibilities on each of us to live transparently so that we are open and honest about our lives, but there are also responsibilities imposed on each Christian to seek the benefit of others and to care for their welfare.

Let me briefly address each of these responsibilities in their turn.

First, there is a responsibility for each Christian to live transparently.

I don’t mean by this that we are to practise a sort of spiritual nudity in which we spill out every sordid detail of our lives before we came to faith in Christ; but neither do I imply that any Christian has the right to pry into the life of another.

It is mandatory that I raise these particular caveats because sadly churches today are infested with worldly people who consider gossip to be a spiritual gift.

The most wicked statement any Christian can utter may well be, “We need to pray for our brother (or sister).”

It is a pious way to slander another; it should never be tolerated within the Body of Christ.

When I say that Christians are to live transparently I mean that we are to so live that we have no regrets.

This is the essential truth behind James’ words in *James 5:16*.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other… The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

We are to keep short accounts with God.

When the Spirit of God convicts you of sin, deal with that sin through confessing it before God and releasing it so that it has no power over you.

If you are unable to obtain release from that particular sin, ask the people of God to pray with you that you might have freedom and that they may hold you accountable.

Whenever a fellow Christian is open and honest within the assembly of the saints, that trust should be treated as sacred.

We should recognise that our fellow believer is struggling against sin and seeking the same victory which we will ourselves shortly seek in some other area of life.

There is no room for treating such requests as anything less than an opportunity in which we may all glorify God through uniting for victory.

In fact, we who are spiritual are responsible to take the initiative in these matters.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.

But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Each one should test his own actions.

Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load [*Galatians 6:1-5*].

Don’t begin to think that you are above such struggles.

Listen to the warning of the Apostle.

If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall [*1 Corinthians 10:12*]!

If we will be a fellowship in truth, we must learn to seek the benefit and welfare of our fellow Christians.

The words of Paul must assuredly apply in this context.

Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others [*1 Corinthians 10:24*].

You will no doubt recall how that particular passage is concluded.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way.

For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ [*1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1*].

Paul writes such a powerful command in *Philippians 2:1-4*.

I suggest that we would do well to memorise this particular passage of Scripture and make it an intimate part of our Christian life and practise.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This particular passage is akin to the apostolic teaching presented in Romans.

You who think yourselves to be mature in Christ will do well to apply this to yourselves.

You who reject this teaching need to understand that you reveal your immaturity and your worldliness.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

Each of us should please his neighbour for his good, to build him up [*Romans 15:1,2*].

Only when we have learned to trust one another as God’s holy people may we expect to discover the beauty of honesty.

Until such trust is practised without deceit we can only play at being Christians.

Until we are able to be honest with one another our worship is a mere charade.

So long as tongues hinged in the middle and flapping loosely at either end are found in the mouths of those sharing the services of the Body honesty and openness will never be witnessed among us.

Only when we work at accepting one another and work at openness and honesty and work at becoming transparent will we discover true freedom and true fellowship within the Body of Christ.