“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and you remember that your brother has something against you; Leave your gift before the altar, and go and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift 1. So goes one of the most commonly quoted passages used for Holy Communion (Eucharist) and forbearance.
Through all the teachings, parables and prayers of Jesus, the thread of love weaves all other Biblical truths into a tapestry. Love is expressed as obedience in the passage above. In His upper room discourse 2, Jesus shared with his disciples that He and His Father would dwell with those who obey His commands.
How do we do this, practically speaking?
We want God to dwell in our hearts. By extension, in our cities. But that level of obedience is much easier to talk about than to live out.
Because the quality of our interpersonal relationships matters to God, it should matter far more to us. Working hard and well at resolving strained relationships is the central qualifier for receiving God’s blessing. We can ramp up all kinds of plans and projects. But if we are not dwelling together in unity 3, we’ll miss the blessing from above.
The heap of unresolved hurts and offences in the church must grieve God deeply. Doesn’t this at least partially explain why many churches and cities do not see Jesus “disclosing” Himself in greater measure?
The Challenge To Work At Healthy Relationships
The challenge to work at healthy relationships is always relevant to our nuclear families and our church or mission organizations.
We are called to “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Overall, we are called to put on the virtues of love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”4
When you are next preparing to take the Lord’s supper, take a few moments to pray for and consider the communion and forbearance with all those that we have struggled with in our recent history. Then, when you are ready take the bread.
It doesn’t always work. There are no perfect Christian communities. In many cases, the Lord deals with people’s hearts over time, convicting, softening and preparing them to resolve issues. As members of the body of Christ, we must make the admonition of Romans 12:18 our ceaseless aim: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” It entails a great deal of emotional work. But committed we must be. We must extend the longsuffering forbearance to one another over the long haul.
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1. Matt. 5: 23-24
2. Jn. 14:21, 23
3. Ps 133
4. Col. 3:13,14
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