"It's All About Love! ...Revisiting and Reconsidering Jesus' Great Co-Mission." (aka "Reformations of a Campus Missionary..." ) <>< Photo of Francisco & Treasure Island as seen under the left arm of the cross; Golden Gate Bridge & Berkeley under the right arm). -taken March 21st, 2008.So, I took a ½ day with the Lord in the Berkeley Hills on Good Friday with 2 of my favorite Berkeley students. I found a fallen tree to lean against while they found spots "a stones throw away" from each other and me. It's amazing what 2 hours alone with Jesus can do for your soul.
With a million dollar view of SF Bay I spread out my sack lunch and I began re-reading the introduction and conclusion to "The Great Omission" by Dallas Willard. Soon I found myself reflecting on Matthew 28:16-20 and was once again surprised when Jesus began convicting me of being lax in teaching my students and family to “love the Lord with all their hearts” & to “love their neighbors as themselves”. This conviction has been coming at me with increasing clarity and intensity each time I think about my life and discipleship.
I went to work looking for "root" causes of the problem in Jesus “organic” teachings about loving Him and "one another" in John 15. I stayed there a long, long, time. Asked myself lots of questions about “vines” and “branches” and “abiding” and “obedience” and Jesus’ “new commandment” about “lov[ing] one another”, ...and asking myself the question why will "all men will know" we are Jesus' disciples if we have "love for one another"?
Then things got really personal, ...I stumbled into Ephesians 5 and Jesus schooled me good on “husbands love your wives” by relating this teaching back to what He says are the two "greatest commandments" and by integrating it with His "new commandment". This passage has stumped and humbled me for over 20 years. God knows I love Margee and try to love her as Jesus does, ...but I'm still perplexed about what it takes to love as "Christ loves the Church". Then, there in my little chapel 2 feet away from a cross I'd crafted & stuck my log, ...Jesus began to crack the code on this passage for me, ...for the very first time!!! I saw it's logic and literary richness. I saw it's sources and connectedness with what Jesus taught, commanded and lived. I felt like I was part of the Agape Genome Project, very awesome and quite humbling.
I felt excited, embarrassed, and blessed all at the same time. It was wonderful, renewing and a wee bit terrifying to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn about love from Him directly. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart through the Word and broke through. All my worries and troubles and faded into the background of my mind. Love walked onto center stage and stayed there. As I approach the rest of April, I'll be stealing away often to quiet places to put myself in His Presence on this topic. I want more of this. I've found a "treasure in a field". I'm pooling my funds and I'm gonna buy this field! Round-trip cost of gas to Berkeley $8. Coffee & tea at Cafe Strada with Lucky & Anthony $6. Simple sack lunch $2. Sitting at Jesus' feet for 2 hours and letting Him school me on love -priceless!
That afternoon 2 things came clear:
#1) I can’t love my neighbor or my wife very well IF I don’t love myself; nor can I love myself very well unless I love God, and let God love me first
#2) When it all comes down to it in the final analysis, ...it's truly all about love!
Feeling Excited, Embarrassed, Blessed & Revived, Brother Daniel
PS After "Good Friday Chapel" I came home and surveyed the entire NT about "love", ...see for yourself: http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=26 At first pass I've found 7 different kinds of unique commands to love, ...contact me if you find more! This is all very exciting to me (like discovering fire). Below are 7 embers I want to fan into flame:
Love MyGod
Love MyNeighbor
Love MySelf
Love OneAnother
Love MyWife
Love That Which is Good
Love MyEnemies
