15. Freeing love…
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery… For in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Galatians 5:1,6
Rules and regulations are nothing new amongst God’s people. Paul raises the topic of freedom and slavery in his letter to the Galatians and it would be worth having a read through the whole letter written to the fledgling church at Galatia (just 6 short chapters). The letter outlines clearly the freedom that we receive when we ask Jesus to be Lord over our lives.
Unfortunately, people in leadership then and now have worked hard to take away that freedom and re-introduce us to a new form of slavery. On a visit to New York, whilst on holiday, I visited a church and experienced something of this spirit when, because I was deemed a tourist, I was only allowed to sit in a particular area a long way distant from regular worshippers even though I had previously contacted the church and been “warmly” invited to worship with them. I felt ineligible to worship and had to fight hard to overcome this spirit of oppression.
I have been in churches where children were not permitted to take communion; where dancing and drinking alcohol were not permitted; where incomes had to be declared and tithing regulated; where hands were not to be raised in worship. We all have these rules that we believe are from God and his word but in fact come from a desire to control the behaviour of others, to avoid messiness.
Paul tells us that churches are to be places of freedom, places where our faith expresses itself fully through love of its people. Agreed, this could be a bit messy and more difficult to manage but it would mean that all could feel welcomed to “come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters” (Isaiah 55:1).
So, take stock – are you demonstrating your love through actions and words that free people to the life God wants them to live? Or are you restraining them with rules and regulations that give you control over their lives?
Prayer: Lord, may the love I have for my fellow Christians, especially those new in their faith be expressed in a warm and welcoming way that showers them with a new kind of freedom to be who you desire them to be. Help me to relinquish my desire to restrain people, control them with petty rules and regulations that are not from you.
Amen
Action: Today, take time to check how you express your love – is it demonstrated in every interaction by allowing others to be free in Christ and not bound to an alternative form of slavery? Repeat the words of Paul as you go into each conversation – It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Journal your thoughts…
