'Badge of Discipleship'

John chapter 13 is called 'holy ground' in scripture. John 13:34-35 is a text within a context.You should read and know the entire chapter in order to grasp this statement. All clubs, religions and organizations in our world look to have a "badge." 

They want something to identify them from others. In religion some build temples or wear distinctive clothing with the 'stained glass look and the holy whine' on their faces. Jesus condemns this sort of outward show. The only badge of Christianity is that of brotherly love.

We are called to be servants. This is the subject of John 13. In a nutshell, Christian leadership is a towel in hand. Only servants can practice John 13:34-35.

Matthew, Mark and Luke emphasize the Lord's Supper without the towel. John emphasizes the towel without The Lord's Supper. John remembers Christ personally being a servant on His knees washing their feet. The One who called the universe into existence bowed low to serve those He loved.

Historically, it was the lowest servant who was called to wash filthy feet. The disciples, you recall, were moments ago arguing over which of them was the greatest. Consequently they washed no feet at all. They seemed to have proud minds in the presence of Him Who is Supreme. Yet their own feet were dirty and needed washed.

Only those who are secure in Christ can and will stoop to serve in this way. Peter could have washed The Lord's feet yet he refused to be washed. The Church of Christ must grasp the royalty of service. The church must humble itself like Christ if we are to become more Christ-like. The purpose of the true church is to serve. It is not to impress others with whom or what we have become.

In verse 34 Jesus gives them a command to love. However, love was not the new command. Love was already known from their knowledge of the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! (5) "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." (NKJV)

Read also Matthew 22:36-40; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 7:12.

Understand that the entire O.T. law was founded on love. Romans 13 tells us loves fulfills the law. There is really nothing new in love itself. But Jesus made it significant when He said in verse 34, "As I haved loved you." This is the new dimension to love (Isaiah 53; John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8; 1 John 4:7-11). Christ "loved them to the utmost."

In John 13 we notice that Jesus washed the feet of those He knew would betray Him, deny Him and even forsake Him! This Jesus died for those who are unworthy. The love of God revealed at the cross is the very peek of this love. The "gospel" is what God did for man, not what man does for God. We misunderstand evangelism quite often as we leave the assembly of the saints.

Evangelism is not some new method or strategy of thinking to get others to 'finally see'. Evangelism and the making of disciples is the preaching and teaching and, yes, living out daily the gospel love as seen in the life of Christ. We are to humble ourselves and serve those who have 'dirty feet' even if they have personally trampled us.
Jesus continued to love those who failed Him and trampled Him. 

He loved them when you and I would think they need to be gossiped about, shunned, destroyed or ignored as they sit in that other pew across the way. If many reading this were honest we would admit that we often think this way in our worship assemblies as we sing praises to The God of love. We love God but can't stand that other person. God's Word tells us we are only fooling ourselves! (1 John 4:20)

Christ's love is the same kind of love we must have in the church for all who have a soul in need of salvation no matter what they may have done to us.

When we love this way, what are the results? Romans 5:5 "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (NKJV)

It is the love of God that floods our hearts by His Holy Spirit. It is not the love our flesh wants to deliver to the 'likes of those people' who hurt me. We get love wrong when we get in God's way of loving as Christ loved even 'the likes of me'.

There are two John 3:16's. We know the one by heart. But do we know the other? 1 John 3:16 says, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (NKJV)

Only Jesus can love like that. But He can love like that today as He lives in us Spiritually. May His love conquer us. May His love control us. May His love compel and constrain us every day we wake in service to Him as we serve others.

God Bless and serve Him as you serve others.

"Christ's Church...NOT MAN'S!"

The New Testament is the only place to turn to learn about the church that Christ built. We should remember that the church is described in Ephesians 3:9-11 as 'the eternal purpose of God.'

'The Church' in every generation is obviously very important. It is absolutely necessary that we are educated by the New Testament and not by the ideas of men no matter how many degrees they may have.

The New Testament teaches us what 'The Church' is and what 'The Church' should be, according to God.
First of all The New Testament teaches that 'The Church' was built and purchased by Christ. (Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28)

No one has the right to start a church as a divinely approved institution (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Only Christ, the Son of God, is qualified, and He has already established His church. Read Ephesians 4:4 and chapter 1:22-23.

After religious division became real in the church at Corinth, Paul asked some very probing questions in 1 Corinthians 1:13; "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"

'The Church' belongs to Christ on the basis of these gospel truths. He died for it. He built it. He lays down requirements that allow us to belong to Him. 'The Church' belongs to Christ. He is the head of 'The Church.' (Col. 1:18) On that basis, only HE can add others to it. (Acts 2)

Second, 'The Church' that belongs to Christ began on the day of Pentecost as we see in Acts chapter 2. Religious groups originated in Rome, Zurich, London, or any other place but Jerusalem, are ones that started in the wrong places.
'The Lord's Church' was founded by Christ through the preaching of the apostles in Jerusalem, as spoken by Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah 2:2-4).

When the gospel was preached by Paul and other preachers as well, there were no different denominations as we know them today.

Whenever the pure gospel of Christ was taught, just as it was preached for the first time in Jerusalem, the result was simply Christians who belonged to Christ; collectively the church of Christ as people obeyed God through the gospel.

If there was no congregation of 'The Lord's Church' in your hometown, and you started to simply teach others about the death of Christ, the benefits of His death, and the requirements of the New Testament to have the forgiveness of sins and God's Holy Spirit, you would not be setting up a denomination.

Rather, you would be following the New Testament pattern, and those who obey the gospel would be added by Christ as members of 'The Lord's Church.'
'The Church' of Christ would then exist in your hometown, and the New Testament alone would be its guide for worship and teaching others.

Third, only divinely appointed names were worn by the church. Names like Church of Christ (Romans 16:16) and Church of God (1 Corinthians 1:2) are biblical names that describe 'The Church' as belonging to Christ and God.

'The Church' of Christ is not a denominational title that describes a religious institution established by men. Rather, it is the reference of God concerning those who follow the New Testament teaching when it comes to 'The Church.'

Fourth, being saved in accordance to God's Word is the way to be added to 'The Lord's Church' (Acts 2:47). There should be no mistake as to the method by which salvation happens.
According to Christ, a person must have faith in Jesus as the Son of God (John 20:30-31; John: 8:24).

They must repent of sin (Acts 17:30), confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9,10), and be baptized (immersed in a watery grave) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Colossians 2 tells us we are at this point trusting in God's power to remove sin and not in man's wisdom.

When a person is saved according to the Lord's instructions found in the New Testament, when that person is "baptized into Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27), he becomes a member of 'Christ's Church' or His body. (Ephesians 5:23)
The Lord Himself does the adding, not man. "And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).

Fifth, 'The Lord's Church' honors the authority of Christ. From the beginning, 'The Church' respected the Lord as the head of 'The Church', because we read "...they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42)

'The Church' has a divinely appointed mission (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16). In submitting to the authority of Christ as found in His Holy Word, Christians should desire to assemble and worship according to the New Testament (John 4:24; Colossians 3:16-17).

In subjecting to Christ as The Head of the body, congregations of 'The Lord's Church' will govern themselves according to all that the New Testament teaches.

If Christ is the head of 'The Church', we can not implement our own worship styles or leadership preferences. Christ is mindful of what goes on in His congregations. He will discipline them, and He will consider them apostate if they persist in unbiblical practices (Revelation 2:5; 2 John 9).

The New Testament gives a clear picture of what 'The Church' was under the leadership of the Lord's apostles. The origin of 'The Church' was divine; it continues to subject itself to the authority of Christ as found in His Word. It should be the same today, simply, 'The Church of Christ.'