Why church? -part 8 vertical and horizontal?
I want to warn you and the disclaimer.
What I am going to write to you is an analogy and do not make a theology of it.
Read Mark 12:30-31
Two commandments.
There is none other commandment greater than these.
- Love your God.
- Love your neighbor as yourself.
The vertical and the horizontal.
Do you see a cross, what do you see?
Two lines. A vertical line pointing to sky and the horizontal line pointing side ways.
Now the 2 commandments.
- The line pointing upwards is relationship with God.
- The lines pointing sideways are the relationship with people.
Simple for you remember. Right!
Now, to all the engineers in you, does the horizontal line support the vertical? Or the vertical line support the horizontal?
It is the vertical line that supports the horizontal bar.
Everyone of you would say ‘yes’.
What is the implication?
Love thy neighbor (fellowship) can only be supported by the vertical relationship with God.
Church somehow thinks that the horizontal line can support the vertical. And it can, the horizontal line has to be at the bottom. And you will get a inverted cross. And it is this inverted cross symbol you will see as you google the symbol of peace. And you will see the vertical line held by horizontal line bend downwards. The world is the opposite of the Word. (Not all that seems good is of God. The wisdom of this world can not recongize God and the thinks of God are foolishness unto them.)
Sad to say, the church thinks that way too.
Why do I say that?
There is so much of emphasis on the horizontal, fellowship.
But horizontal without the vertical is very humanistic view of the world.
I am not against the horizontal. I am saying, horizontal is held and is the result of the vertical relationship.
I ask you children. If your personal vertical relationship is rooted and grounded in Christ (the Word), when you grow, then you are ready to support the horizontal fellowship.
Do not be deceived that the horizontal can build and hold the vertical. Please take heart, think on it.
Only and I say again. Only go to a fellowship only after you have read the Bible.
Jesus is the vine and you are the branch. It is not the branches that holds the vine. It is the vine that holds the branches.
You can not drink from a fellow branch. You need to get your source, your food from vine. And Jesus said He is the vine and He said drink from HIM , not from pastors.
Please children, follow the first commandment, build relationship with the Word and you will see loving your neighbor is easy and flows out of you, effortlessly.
Look at a tree, it grows vertical and then branches out. The Word is the seed, let the Word take root, grow vertical. Meditate, wait and then you can branch out horizontal.
Do not take my word for it. My opnions are nothing. Read your Bible.
Start with Mathew. Start with just 4 gospels. Mathew, Mark, Luke and John.
Just, everyday wakeup 20 minutes early. Make a coffee, read just one chapter a day.
Go sequentially. Will you do that?
Do that. Have a wonderful sunday. Be rooted in the Word, in Jesus Christ.
Amen