“It can be complicated to make something simple, but very simple to make something complicated.”
That can be true of so many areas of life. We often make things that are actually pretty simple, complicated, especially in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven culture. Maybe it’s complicated because we tend to overthink things or because of a lack of knowledge. When you are learning something new, it can often seem overwhelmingly complicated.
This is true of our relationship with Jesus. I think we tend to overcomplicate something that God never intended to be complicated. You might think to yourself, surely, understanding the intricacies and mind of someone who is so powerful that He spoke the universe into existence is a complicated process that only the most dedicated person could hope to achieve.
But when I read scripture, which shows us God’s heart and character, I consistently see one thing God asks of us. There is a single thing that God repeatedly brings us back to.
If you have been in church for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard this joke. Pastors love to tell this joke:
A man is interviewed by a church board to be the next pastor of their church. A part of the interview involves the man preaching a sermon to the congregation. So the man comes and preaches a beautiful, inspiring message on loving one another. The board is so impressed that they offer the man the job. On his first Sunday in the pulpit, the man preaches, but it is the same message on loving one another that he preached the first time he came to speak. The board brushes it off, thinking that the move into a new job kept him so occupied that he didn’t have time to prepare a new message. But the next Sunday comes, and he once again preaches the same message about loving one another. So a couple of the board members approach the pastor and say, “We appreciate the inspiring message on loving one another, but when are you going to preach something new?” The pastor replies, “When you all figure out how to love one another, I’ll move on to the next message.”
We often complicate the gospel message instead of focusing on this one principle, this one guiding star, that will lead us into a life that God is pleased with—a life that is a reflection of Jesus’ life.
Of course, that one guiding principle and guiding star is Love. God calls us to love.
At the end of the book of Matthew, before He ascends back into heaven, Jesus charges the disciples, and us, with a mission. The mission is to go into the world and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything Jesus taught. That is why one of our values on the wall in the hallway is Mission.
Teaching everything Jesus taught may seem really complicated because Jesus taught a lot of things. However, Jesus said all of those things can be summed up in one statement.
Mk 12:28-31 (CSB)—One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself., There is no other command greater than these.”
We are to love God and love people. In other words, if what you are doing is not motivated by love for God or love for people, you’re overcomplicating things.
We often refer to the mission Jesus gave us as The Great Commission and His instruction to love God and love people as The Great Commandment. These are the two things a follower of Jesus should be occupied with.
The Great Commission and The Great Commandment are not even that different. I could boil it down to a single, simple statement that might read like this: We are to show Jesus to the world by loving God and loving people.
These two simple statements go together. You cannot have one without the other.
Paul says in Romans 12 that doing this requires transforming and renewing our minds. Loving God and loving people is our spiritual act of worship.
What does that look like? Paul continues in Romans 12 and 13 and tells us. As the beautiful gospel message begins to work in us to change us, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to love God and love people. What does that look like?
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Starting in Rom 12, Paul details some of the Actions of Love towards two groups of people, those who are a part of God’s family, and those who are not.
He begins with our actions toward those who are a part of God’s family.
Romans 12:9-10 (CSB)—Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.
Paul says this love should not be reflected only in our words but in our hearts and actions. It should be without hypocrisy.
Of course, the religious leaders in Jesus’ day are an easy target here:
Matt 15:7-8 (CSB)—Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
The Pharisees wanted to appear holy. They wanted people to think one thing about them, but what they appeared to be on the outside wasn’t true.
Paul tells the Romans to truly love people and do so with integrity. That means detesting what is evil and clinging to what is good.
In his commentary on Romans, Jon Courson says: “The Greek rendering of this verse is: Treat evil as you would treat a cow pie.”
Evil in all its expressions and forms, at its root, devalues people. It treats people like they are expendable objects only useful for meeting our selfish needs.
Don’t tolerate evil; instead, embrace what is good. Focus on goodness as the Bible defines it, and you will do the opposite of what evil does. You will lift people up. You will value people, and you will honor people.
Paul says, outdo one another in showing honor. Take the lead, go above and beyond. Put the needs of others ahead of your own needs.
The world says I’ll show you the same kindness that you show me. I’ll show you the same level of respect and honor that you show me. But Paul says, show deference to others, whether you think they deserve it or not.
Rom 12:11-13 (CSB)—Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.
Literally, Paul says don’t be lazy in doing these things, but be fervent in the Spirit. Don’t be lazy about putting your spiritual gifts to work, but instead be “set on fire by the Spirit.” That is a better translation of these words.
When things get hard, remember the hope we have because of Jesus. This reminds me of what Peter says in his first letter.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (CSB)—You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Don’t give up when loving people seems impossible. Take your requests to the foot of the cross and remember the one who hears and answers those prayers.
Loving people also means meeting needs. That’s why we have a fellowship fund here at New Hope, to help meet the physical needs of the saints (that’s you by the way). Then Paul says to pursue hospitality. Look again at Jon Courson’s commentary on this topic. I love the way he describes what Paul is saying here.
“What does “hospitality” mean? It means to be a “hospital” for the hurting, lonely people who come your way.
- Entertaining says, “I want to impress you with my home, my decorating, my cooking.”
- Hospitality says, “This house is simply a gift from my Master. I use it however and whenever He desires.”
- Entertaining needs to impress.
- Hospitality aims to serve.
- Entertaining puts things before people, saying, “As soon as I get the house clean, I’ll start inviting people over.”
- Hospitality puts people first, saying, “No furniture? No problem. We’ll picnic on the floor.”
- Entertaining subtly declares, “This house is mine—an expression of my personality, and my ingenuity.”
- Hospitality whispers, “What’s mine is yours. Enjoy it anytime.”
Truly, hospitality is practical Christianity.”
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Paul then switches gears and tells us what loving those outside the family of God looks like. If we are going to fulfill the Great Commission, we must learn to love people even if they have not yet chosen to give their lives to Christ.
Rom 12:14-20 (CSB)—Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Fulfilling the Great Commission and the Great Commandment requires that we view people differently from how the world views people. Our natural, carnal reaction to people who hurt us is to hurt them back. Instead, Paul says to bless them.
This comes directly from Jesus’ words to His disciples in Luke 6.
Luke 6:27-28 (CSB)—“But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Loving people this way is the opposite of our natural response. But this act of denying our natural reaction and instead doing the hard thing makes this an act of love.
Luke 6:32-33 (CSB)—If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.
In Rom 12:18 Paul tells us, “ If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Peace is not always possible, I understand that, but Paul tells us that as best you are able, as far as it depends on you, do your part to bring peace. Here is where this gets hard for me. Sometimes someone does something to you and by all accounts they deserve punishment. They deserve a harsh response, they deserve violence, they deserve to be sued, whatever. But at no time are we reflecting the love of God more, than when instead of a harsh word or a lawsuit, we give grace.
Again, peace is not always possible, but as far as it is up to us we are to live at peace. Let God who knows all, be the one who decides who gets vengeance and who does not.
Paul finishes this thought by saying this by quoting Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.”
I always wonderd about this statement. It’s like Jesus is saying, “If you really want to punish them, be nice to them. Then they’ll feel really guilty. That’ll show ‘em.”
But I don’t know that is the idea that Jesus is trying to convey.
In Paul’s day, when a fire went out in a home, it was difficult to reignite it. They didn’t just grab the butane fire starter. Instead, if someone’s fire went out, the women would carry live coals in clay jars on their heads to share with the person who had no fire.
The implication here was not of burning one’s enemy, but of warming him in order to ultimately win him to the kingdom.
Which brings us back to God’s simple desire and simple plan for our lives: To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. I said it was simple, but I didn’t say it was easy. On our own we are unable to overcome our old nature to live arrogant, self-centered lives. It is only by the power of the gospel through the presence of the Holy Spirit in us that we can do this.
We are to love God and love people. In other words,
If what you are doing is not motivated by love for God and love for people, you’re overcomplicating things.
It requires daily submission to the Holy Spirit and submission to God’s desires for us. And on the days you don’t do this very well, remember God’s patient, enduring love for you, demonstrated by the sending of His only Son. And as we daily remember His sacrificial love for us, may it mold our lives so that they are a reflection of that same love to the people around us, both the members of God’s family and those who are not yet a part of God’s family.
Pray …
- God, help me to be your hands and feet by loving the people around me.
- Pray for the people you are having a hard time loving by name.
- Is there something standing in the way of you loving the people around you, such as anger, arrogance, addiction, or something else that is keeping you from God’s best? Bring it to the foot of the cross and ask God to help confront and deal with that thing.
Chris Hankel 
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