Craving Brotherhood

What is it that you crave above all things? What do you have an intense desire for? I know for myself it has been a desire for people to understand who I am, but first I had to understand who I was. When I was in college I took a class called Personality and Christian Spirituality. I didn’t know what to expect from the class, but it came to be one of the most significant classes for me. It helped me understand my identity: who I am, why I do what I do and most important to be comfortable in my own skin.

I remember coming to tears after one particular class because everything suddenly made sense that I was who I was for God’s reasons. My search for understanding about myself and my identity was finally unravelling. Everything I had experienced in my life, upto that point, had a purpose; and everything going forward would have a purpose too…all for the glory of God.

For years know, I have always taken a particular interest in identity studies: to understand who I am, and what makes me tick (not to mention others aswell). About 10 years ago I came by a tool called the Flag Page through Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage, by Life Discoveries. It works with the Myers-Briggs personality types identify strengths, talents, the country we operate from and the country we like to travel to as well as a description as to how one functions and succeeds in life. Ultimately it is a description as to how one loves God, and others in this world, and how we bring God glory. It is a road map of understanding how God has wired us. It is a form of identification, like your drivers license, showing who you are and how you love God.

Question: Who are you and how do you glorify God as your best self? How do you love God best? How do you love others best? How do you love well?

The Apostle Peter’s main concern in writing to his hearers is: How do you love God, and love others, well living during the time that they/we do? We discovered last week that Peter re-iterated God’s call to “be holy, because God is holy” (v.16), meaning be devoted to God as God is devoted to HImself. This devotion leads to purity, righteousness and being a seperate and distinct people…the people of God. This call to be devoted to God, as God is devoted to Himself, leads to the ability to love one another earnestly from a heart of purity.

1 Peter 1:22–23 HCSB

By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again —not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.

1 Peter 1:24–25 HCSB

For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you.

1 Peter 2:1–3 HCSB

So rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good.

How many of you ever watched The Lone Ranger as a kid, or adult? It was during the days of black and white television. The Lone Ranger was a cowboy with a big white hat, a simple mask around his eyes, two six-guns and a horse named Silver, who would arrive on the scene, every week, to save town folk from being swindled or taken advantage of by bad guys, in the days of the western settlement. Boys wanted to be him, girls wanted to know him. The Lone Ranger always saved the day and got the girl at the end of the show.

The curious thing about The Lone Ranger was that he was not alone. He had a sidekick named Tonto, who saved The Lone Ranger many a time. How many men today, and women, emulate ‘The Lone Ranger’? To be able to live on your own, to not be dictated to by another man, or society is seen as being strong. To need others is to be seen as week. The Lone Ranger mentality is to see oneself as independent, strong and in no need of anyone or anything, the role model of self-sufficiency and strength. Todays equivilent would be Batman or James Bond. But still…The Lone Ranger had Tonto, Batman has Robin and Bond has M, Moneypenny and Q.

Is it possible to live life as a lone ranger? Yes, but really not because at some point one will needs help, a companion, a friend(s) and/or saving. Is it advisable to live life as a lone ranger? I would think not because even God is a relational God, three in one, one in three and man was made in God’s image, and made woman as a helpmate, companion, friend and lover, as God tells us in the book of Genesis (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:18, 21-25). Man was made to live in and experience community with others, married or not (remember Paul was not married, but still had friends and companions).

Men and women were also made to love one another, just as God the Father loves the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now when we say “love one another” we are not just talking about the action of physical love, that is one kind of love called “Eros” and involves extreme passion. Our world has taken Eros love and made it common instead of special between a man and a woman as God says in the Bible. Agape love is sacrificial love and is the most noble and powerful type of love because it is an act of the will to love sacrificially (it costs you something). Jesus is the greatest and ultimate example of agape love when He gave Himself up to be put to death on the cross for our sin (wrong doings). Philo, or philadelphia, is brotherly love or an earthly love found in friendships, marriages and family ties, including the church. We can give and experience each of these loves in our lives, at anytime, with anyone. The question is: are we able to love as Jesus loves?

Philadelphia…Brotherly Love

Peter’s encouragment is to love one another earnestly from a pure heart. Peter is talking about Philo love, or brotherly (sisterly) love in the community of Christ believers and followers; those having been “born again” (v.23). Being “born again” are people who have believed upon Jesus, in who He claims to be, Lord and Savior, and what He has done, repaired the relationship between God and man by His sacrifice on the cross and rising from the dead for humanities sins. Brotherly love, as God defines it, is only possible through obedience to “the truth”, the Gospel of the Kingdom, which Jesus preached and lived out while on the earth. Being born again is a person who has believed the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is God, who became a man, born as a babe, by the virgin Mary, lived as a man, experiencing everything that man has, does, without sin, who preached God’s love and forgiveness of man’s sin, redeemed through belief and Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection to the Father, who awaits His appointed second coming to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, once again, with His followers. The truth is believe in Jesus, love God and live love as Jesus lived and loves you.

To love a brother or sister properly, and earnestly, from a pure heart, is only possible if I obey the truth of Jesus…His Gospel. Without living in obedience, submission or devotion to Jesus’ instructions, I cannot love my brother or sister properly, with a pure or right heart. Brotherly love is a love of mutual concern for mutual benefit in the context of Christians in community with one another. It is the picture of Acts 2:42-45 where the followers of Jesus (the disciples) were devoted to:

Jesus’ teaching (v.42)

believer’s baptism (v.41)

the fellowship (the Church) (v.42)

the breaking of bread (Communion) (v.42)

to prayers (God’s guidence, edification & intercession) (v.42)

to mutual concern for each others well being and need (v.44-45)

gathering together at the temple every day (v.46)

breaking bread together (fellowship) in one another’s homes (v.46)

What was the result of this ‘brotherly love’?

Respect and honor of God, and one another (v.43)

Signs and wonders (v.43)

Unity (v.44)

Things held in common (v.44)

Charity (v.45)

Needs met (v.45)

a joyful and humble attitude (v.46)

praise of God (v.47)

favor with all people (v.47)

people saved and added to the Kingdom (v.47)

Tell me, is this our experience today? If so, great! If not, why not? What’s missing? What do we need to work on? Is all of Jesus’ teaching being followed today in our lives? Or am I picking and choosing what I will or will not follow? Am I honoring my fellow brother or sister? Do I give respect? Am I genuinely concerned for my brother or sister’s well-being? Do they matter to me? Do I meet needs or is it all about me? Am I gathering together to praise God and love one another? Is my home open to my brother or sister for fellowship? Have I invited others over?

In order to love God and others properly, I need to be sanctified by the word of God, I need to obey God’s teachings (v.22). Peter says, “by obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers.” Obeying the Gospel call of Jesus to live and love as He did is to enable earnest sincere love for my brothers and sisters. How can I expect God to come near to me, if I am double-minded about obeying His word (James 4:8)? The Apostle Paul encourages all believers to:

Romans 12:10 HCSB

Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Let me ask this: can you show or feel brotherly affection through Zoom or online? Are we able to meet one another’s needs online? Does fellowship online really meet our needs? Do you feel united or distant? Why is there seemingly a lack of earnest sincere brotherly love today? Because their is a lack of devotion to God and to His word. How in love with God and His word are we really? Or are we being a lone ranger? Lone rangers fail to love well because the word of God and love of God is not the priority in their lives. Brotherly love is community or communal love, it is church love. It is a love of harmony and mutual concern. It is a love implanted by God, by the Spirit, via the truth, the Gospel, the word of God. If one does not love and live in community, have I really been born again?

Peter would say the thing that inhibits this love in a community is our old desires and wants, the old sin nature, which is perishable seed (v.23). Peter says,

1 Peter 2:1–3 HCSB

So rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Brotherly love is a difficult goal to achieve if everyone is looking out for their own interests. If people are talking behind one another’s backs, living double lives and casting stones at one another. This is not the way of Jesus Peter is saying, but desiring to live by the truth, “pure spiritual milk”, the word of God, is. The word of God grows us in devotion and purity (or sanctification). Without the thirst for the word of God and to live out that word, a community cannot experience brotherly love. All a church merely becomes is a religious institution of empty rituals and tradtions with no living god. We are sanctified by our concern for our brother. We are to be unwavering in our family devotion to one another, despite the pressures or trials experienced.

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, says this in his book, The Book of Mysteries,

If you’ve been loved, you must love. And if you’ve been loved without having deserved that love, then you must love those who don’t deserve your love. -Cahn, Book of Mysteries, p.1195

Have you been loved? Then you and I have a responsibility to love. Obedience to Jesus, makes wholehearted love of brothers and sisters of our Christian community possible. The question is: will I obey? To become a fully mature follower of Christ, one must crave the world and obey the Word of God. Vices put a wedge in a community of brotherly love. Is our goal to become the radient bride of Christ? Do I desire to become a fully mature devote follower of God? Through the imperishable seed of Jesus Christ, this is possible.

Why Do We Study the Word of God?

Do we study the word of God to be knowledgable? Is it just a source of information to prove one right or wrong? Or is the word of God contain the power to change us into the people God wants us to be? Is it the Holy Spirit’s vehicle of transformation? The power of the Word is designed to change us more so than to change our circumstances. Theologian Dennis R. Edwards says this about the Word of God:

The basic truth we must follow is that the Holy Spirit is God’s provision to convert our souls and work in us to bring about what is good, and the Spirit uses the written word of God to help accomplish His goals. -Dennis R. Edwards, The Story of God Bible Commentary, p.81

Do I allow the Word of God to be the vehicle of God’s Spirit authority in my life? If I really want God to change my life, I will be in the word and obey His word.

Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, writes,

Note that the central purpose [of the study of Scripture] is not doctrinal purity (though that is no doubt involved0 but inner transformation. We come to Scripture to be changed, not to amass information. - Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, p.69

The more we study and meditate upon the word of God, the harder it will be to dislike or hate fellow believers and disengage from one another. Unity will be preserved, mutual concern will prevail and fellowship will grow both corporately and in homes. Being dedicated to God’s word frees the Spirit to abide and pull a community together, not apart. How is my devotion to God and His word? Do I crave to be washed by the Word of God? Why not?

Their was a advertising campaign promoted by the milk industry years ago to increase the publics consumption of milk. The catch phrase was “Milk, does a body good.” Simply, the Word does the body good. How is your consumption? Lacking brotherly love? Be sanctified by the Word, devote yourself to reading, studying and meditating on it and practicing it. There is 24 hours in a day. We all have the time. We tend to make time for what is a priority. Is God? His Word? Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you (James 4:8).

Amen