Free Lovers Love

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Free Lovers Love

It is not hard to fall into this trap of thinking because I can articulate the tenets of freedom that I have learned how to live relationally in these freedoms with God and man. After awhile we'll get anesthetized from these truths if they haven't affected the way we relate to our world. We'll become the grace police. Grace and identity are not theological positions to club others down with any more than joy and delight are various styles of mustard. Yes, there is a theological shift that must take place, a taking off of a moralistic filter from our eyes. But for those who have done such, they're much more intent on getting freed to love, freed to protect others who do not yet have their freedom of conscience on matters of conscience. The other is just cheap self-entitlement. "Hey, look at me! I can do this, and I get to do that and, look at me, I'm doing this. I'm not tied up in the religious rules anymore!" Great. Go dancing, play poker until dawn, have a beer, wear the same shirt twice, wear shorts to a funeral...and then get over it. The free, they eventually don't even talk about freedom, grace or identity much with their closest friends. They're too busy building up the body, not judging others who are weak in their conscience. The Pharisee will always be in the corner, scribbling down notes at our party. But love is most concerned about limiting its own freedoms, for the sake of the weaker brother, until God has time to free their hearts to join you in your behavior...or not. We are free to see ourselves in Christ-alive, free and without condemnation. We are free to see ourselves as righteous. We are free to know the endless love of the Father and to see ourselves as adored, even on our worst day. We are free to love and be loved beyond measure. The one thing we are not, is free to ignore those who are freaked out by their heroes cavalierly flaunting behaviors that their God-given conscience has not yet given them permission to do. It can cripple them. It can undermine the beautiful process of faith between a human and their God.

Free lovers, love. And they are the most free of all.

John-one of the three amigos, part of the ever-increasing tribe of grace.

Posted on Tue, June 5, 2012 by John Lynch

10 comments (Add your own)

1. wrote:
Thanks John! That just started out my day beautifully! What a great message. I truly needed to hear that as I get ready to speak to a crowd of people today - totally out of my comfort zone - but I can go there with love for these people and know that it's not even about me.

Tue, June 5, 2012 @ 1:53 AM

2. Joan Christy wrote:
Once again...and, as usual, thanks John. With your great very often and also simplistic verbage, you have delivered a message that speaks to me; and, it says it honestly to tell me to "get a grip, take a breath, it will be all right." I just need to keep loving and loving and loving and.... I need to hear you, dear son in the Kingdom. Continue to challenge us! Nana Joan (from Morningside) :)

Tue, June 5, 2012 @ 3:45 AM

3. Marie wrote:
Ouch! and Amen! Wow in such a short article, been meditating on this as I have observed my own process. Freedom to do crazy, the same freedom ended up disgusting me, true freedom is what I want and what I'm coming into with my pampers on :) Thanks older brother :)))

Tue, June 5, 2012 @ 5:10 AM

4. Kurt wrote:
Amen and Amen. Freedom should never be self-possessing, it should be free! To hold onto it and mold it into a self elation of some kind is not loving.

Tue, June 5, 2012 @ 5:58 AM

5. Carla wrote:
John...thanks for this. I struggled with this very idea on Sunday, sitting with my folks, listening to a "if you experience personal revival, you will do ...." long list, including 3x week service attendance. I thought "What am I supposed to be doing here, God?" He nudged me to remember good advice from Wendell, that this time is about my parents and being present with them in this season. Then my frustration changed to sadness for the preacher. And yet I spent time judging him, and squirming in my seat, and that too was not love. Thanks for helping me to see that.

Tue, June 5, 2012 @ 8:11 AM

6. John Lynch wrote:
Carla-you carry the beautiful heart of a new creation. And you have in your hip pocket one of the truly loving big brothers a person can get in this lifetime...our common dear friend Wendell.

Tue, June 5, 2012 @ 8:59 AM

7. Mark Munsey wrote:
John,

"But love is most concerned about limiting its own freedoms,..." interesting phrasing - for me it's provocative. This is what God has done, eh? (You've got to here that as a Canadian would say it.) Ala Phillipians, we talk about this a good bit, but I've been chewing on this in terms of the Father. A quick example: He made Adam & Eve then gave to us the ability/responsibility for making more humans. Collossians reminds us that in Him all things are held together, so is it us or Him doing the baby making? Ahh, mystery - or is it miracle? Yes to all of the above.

Without Him, we can't; without us, He won't...

Tue, June 5, 2012 @ 2:34 PM

8. wrote:
Truefaced finally allowed me to put definition to what had for years frustrated me about church. But I have managed to fall into the “grace cop” position several times. This is just as bad as good intention. “Getting it” when it comes to the room of Grace doesn’t automatically mean that the Love is there. But, in exchange for posturing, we can honestly implore the Lord to work those fruits out in us. I guess it’s human nature to be frustrated when they won’t listen, don’t want to hear it, and dismiss the Room of Grace. I’m reminded that frustration is not love either The Truefaced experience is not to be used to judge others, it’s to be used to examine ourselves.. Thanks John for the gentle reminder.

Wed, June 6, 2012 @ 3:14 PM

9. Patricia Conley wrote:
...or not. That is where I live. Thank God for the next twelve words in that sentence.
Nuff said.

Thu, June 7, 2012 @ 8:00 AM

10. Dan wrote:
Beautiful!

Fri, June 8, 2012 @ 6:21 AM

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