selflessness – Kanisa la Christadelphian huko Anderlecht

A house with fertile soil full of plants of love

juin 15, 2024juin 14, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Behaviour or attitude towards others, Christadelphian, Thought for today

When we come together, be it in a house, hall, temple or kingdom hall, and intend to exchange our thoughts in community about God, His word and commandments, our attitude towards each other must be according to the standards of God.

The ecclesia is a house of God and there is no room for jealousy, envy or jealousy, but there must be mutual love for each other.

Those who gather to attend a service for God are committed to delving into the Word of God, but also into the love of God. Thus they study the character of the Most High and see the character of His sent son. It does not escape their attention that Jesus had an unselfish love. He had a love that « doesn’t envy ». In front of us we see a man who radiated a love that was generous. So must our love be, so that we may see others flourish and rejoice in their prosperity, even if our own affairs are not so prosperous for a while.

It may be safe that we experience difficult days. Days we can even hate. But these must not undermine us. They must not drag us into the depths. Above all the inconveniences and difficulties, we must have such confidence in God that we rise above these difficulties and continue to act as a peacemaker who wants to share his love with many.

The love of and imitator of Christ is one of generosity, the reverse of jealousy and envy, which arise from a perverse nature. This world is overflowing with people who want to reflect on others. Social media is excellent proof of this, how people even go so far as to no longer be themselves towards others. All around us we see people looking forward with jealousy to what others have already achieved or are envious of what they already have and they do not. There, we clearly see the roots of envy, which is selfishness. We must realise that envy will not grow on the root of love.

And to build a good ecclesia we need to plough a fertile soil and sow good seeds on it, choosing to raise only loving plants. In this way, we will keep our thoughts open to warmly welcome everyone who comes by, and have a taste of our hospitality. In doing so, our love will rejoice with those who rejoice, in the prosperity of every good word and work, and in the progress in Christian grace and in the divine service of all who are driven by the divine Spirit.

Additional reading

Love in the ecclesia

juin 8, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Behaviour or attitude towards others, Christadelphian, Faith, Thought for today

All over the world there are believers who set themselves up as brothers and sisters for each other. They have submitted to each other and to Christ Jesus. It is also important for them to come together regularly to share the love of Christ.

We who come together in Anderlecht have also decided to help each other grow up in the faith. By reading and studying the Bible together, we can grow in our knowledge of the word of God. By seriously studying that word of God, everyone can see how God has continued to show His love throughout the ages. That love comes to us too.

As we immerse ourselves in the word of God, we come to know him better and we also come to see more how His love is continuously revealed. The Divine Word shows not only the miraculous works of God, which prove that « God’s Way Is Love. »

They show us how man regularly faced God in a less pleasant way, and how we look at God better as God-loving people and address Him with love and affection. In this way we also open the way for God to approach us. Through this you will see what blessings God‘s arrangement has in store for faithful humanity. Only Jehovah God, is the true Source of life and disposition. He is the One who can rekindle or cultivate pure love in the heart of man. He himself shows us by his example what love is, so that those who have now devoted themselves to Him can rightly say:

« We love him because he first loved us » (1 Jn. 4:19).

He does not expect us to be surprisingly wise; he does not expect us to be physically strong and powerful; he does not expect us in our imperfection to accurately meet the requirements of justice and never sin. Therefore, we should not demand such things from others in our community.

We must accept everyone as he or she is. We must recognise that everyone can contribute to the community. Each link is important to form a good ecclesia. God expects us to love with a pure heart and to be open to those around us. This is of the utmost importance if we are to prove ourselves fit for eternal life in his righteous new world.

When we speak of love in the ecclesia We speak of the « perfect expression of unselfishness« . Love must certainly be unselfish and, furthermore, it must contain something positive. In the community of brothers and sisters, that love must be expressed. We must not put our own gain first, but reach out to all who want to be part of our community.

Although love selflessly seeks nothing for itself, it must still actively seek the glorification of God, The Creator, and the eternal well-being of his other creatures.
So let us open our hearts to the love of God so that it may flow out of us again to inspire and grow others. Let us also show others outside our community that we want to live up to Jesus ‘ call to show love to the world.

Preceding