Listening is an act of love

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Stephen.A

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By a social God, (who is both three and one), we are created into social beings with social needs.
One of our strongest social needs is that we as human beings want to be recognized. We want to be seen and we want to be listened to.
When we therefore listen to another human being, it is something we do not just for our own sake; to receive information we believe may be of interest to us. When we listen, we are meeting another person's needs. It is an act that results in someone feeling seen and recognized. It is an act of love.
But it seems to me that in our Christian congregations we do not consider this act of love to have anything to do with the commandment, “to love one's neighbor as oneself.” Despite what Jesus said to us, that it was precisely our love for one another that would make Him credible to the people of this world.
But a change is within reach. If we want to.
Welcome to visit the site, Listening and Christian love, www.listeningandchristianlove.com God bless you. Stephen.A.
 
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Hidden In Him

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By a social God, (who is both three and one), we are created into social beings with social needs.
One of our strongest social needs is that we as human beings want to be recognized. We want to be seen and we want to be listened to.
When we therefore listen to another human being, it is something we do not just for our own sake; to receive information we believe may be of interest to us. When we listen, we are meeting another person's needs. It is an act that results in someone feeling seen and recognized. It is an act of love.
But it seems to me that in our Christian congregations we do not consider this act of love to have anything to do with the commandment, “to love one's neighbor as oneself.” Despite what Jesus said to us, that it was precisely our love for one another that would make Him credible to the people of this world.
But a change is within reach. A change that will transform ourselves and our congrations into something we have never experienced before...
Welcome to visit the site, Listening and Christian love, www.listeningandchristianlove.com (At the moment, the best readability will be on a computer) God bless you. Stephen.A.

The link was too long for me to have time to read it, but I agree with the premise of your OP. Nicely put.

God bless, and I wish you the best in encouraging believers to lend one another a listening ear.
Hidden
 
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GTW27

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By a social God, (who is both three and one), we are created into social beings with social needs.
One of our strongest social needs is that we as human beings want to be recognized. We want to be seen and we want to be listened to.
When we therefore listen to another human being, it is something we do not just for our own sake; to receive information we believe may be of interest to us. When we listen, we are meeting another person's needs. It is an act that results in someone feeling seen and recognized. It is an act of love.
But it seems to me that in our Christian congregations we do not consider this act of love to have anything to do with the commandment, “to love one's neighbor as oneself.” Despite what Jesus said to us, that it was precisely our love for one another that would make Him credible to the people of this world.
But a change is within reach. A change that will transform ourselves and our congrations into something we have never experienced before...
Welcome to visit the site, Listening and Christian love, www.listeningandchristianlove.com (At the moment, the best readability will be on a computer) God bless you. Stephen.A.

Or in His words, "There is a time to be the ear and a time to be the tongue." Love can not help but do this.
 

Nancy

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By a social God, (who is both three and one), we are created into social beings with social needs.
One of our strongest social needs is that we as human beings want to be recognized. We want to be seen and we want to be listened to.
When we therefore listen to another human being, it is something we do not just for our own sake; to receive information we believe may be of interest to us. When we listen, we are meeting another person's needs. It is an act that results in someone feeling seen and recognized. It is an act of love.
But it seems to me that in our Christian congregations we do not consider this act of love to have anything to do with the commandment, “to love one's neighbor as oneself.” Despite what Jesus said to us, that it was precisely our love for one another that would make Him credible to the people of this world.
But a change is within reach. If we want to.
Welcome to visit the site, Listening and Christian love, www.listeningandchristianlove.com (At the moment, the best readability will be on a computer) God bless you. Stephen.A.

Hi Stephen and, welcome to the forums :)
Your post resonated with me as, being recognized within the body of Christ as a brother or sister is paramount to fellowship. But, there are many who shun others. And, that is a form of abuse! And it is a far cry from what we are to be living. I find it very difficult, to impossible to find any true fellowship.
I will check out your site.
In Him,
Nancy
 
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Nancy

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Hi @Stephen.A
Yes, there would be great change...we do need one another for strength and a sense of community together.
His Blessings brother!
nancy
 
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Nancy

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Hi Stephen and, welcome to the forums :)
Your post resonated with me as, being recognized within the body of Christ as a brother or sister is paramount to fellowship. But, there are many who shun others. And, that is a form of abuse! And it is a far cry from what we are to be living. I find it very difficult, to impossible to find any true fellowship.
I will check out your site.
In Him,
Nancy


Hello @Stephen.A
I did read what you had written in https://www.listeningandchristianlove.com/

So very good, ty :)

Many have been placed on the bad end of the stick with many congregants, so to speak. And I call it "shunning". Kind of like the Amish do. This is a form of abuse! And how in the world is that obeying His command to love one another? It's like, wow...let me join you please.. not!
You can walk into most church's today and almost feel the spirit of the place and the people. I do love my church which is non denom...basically a denom. in itself really.

Listening. Acknowledging. Caring = loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. Ignoring, shunning, not caring or even calling about the last 2 surgeries I had with zero help . Wow. It hurt yet, I wasn't surprised. To me, that is direct disobedience. BTW- it was a Reformed Baptist church-Calvinistic.

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
John 13:35 :) <---I mean, c'mon, really??! Don't they ever read this verse. They did not consider a part of their body I think, because after a while going there I made and appt with the pastor ad, that is when he told me he was a 5 pointer. This could go on but, I digress :O

So then....

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"
Ephesians 4:13 KJV

Makes me wonder WHEN this fullness of unity is to take place as...for the huge part...it is NOT in the mainline evangelical church's today.
There will only be a remnant as "few" will take the narrow road and sufer for Him and with Him.

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
Ephesians 4:2

I do see this in my church yet, I still have such a hard time finding REAL fellowship. Not just a Sunday lunch after services but, throughout the week as well...to become a part of the same family of God. And we know God already has good works for us to walk right into as He has prepared beforehand. Obedience is so much better than sacrifice! LOVE = obeying those commands, 1st with God The Father and then for our brothers and sisters. Oh yeah, He will not give us something to do unless we are willing and equipped (IMHO).

Anyhow, Stephen. Good word!
His blessings,
nancy
 
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Stephen.A

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I think I understand what you say Nancy about shunning. From some people in our congregations there are unfortunately a lot of shunning going on. But I think much of this derives from some kind of unsecurity. I mean, a church is a very special place to go to. As Christians we go there because we want to. But also, I think, because we are supposed to. And we come to a place were there are more people surrounding us than we can get to know. Devouted Christians adimittedly, but nevertheless more people than we can get to know and become personals friends with.
And I think this kind of very special social situation makes people unsecure about themselves and about their relation to the people surrounding them. An unsecurity, and you may also say, a low self-esteem that makes us feel the need to safeguard our own image.
To focus on what impression we give on those surrounding us. Which can make some persons talking a lot about themselves and showing little interest in others. Anxious about their own status in the group they belong to and shunning them outside this group.
I have grown up in the pentecostal church and I think the social situation in a church, the way we talk to one another differs a great deal from other human encounters. We are supposed to be one big family in Jesus Christ, but we only know a few in this big family. So in some way, we are still strangers to one another. Therefore I think, these are things we have to talk about. Talk about the way we treat one another in our congregations. About our need of being acknowledged and recognized. And most of all, if we want this need to be fulfilled, if we seek other peoples attention, we also have to give this attention to others.
 
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Nancy

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I think I understand what you say Nancy about shunning. From some people in our congregations there are unfortunately a lot of shunning going on. But I think much of this derives from some kind of unsecurity. I mean, a church is a very special place to go to. As Christians we go there because we want to. But also, I think, because we are supposed to. And we come to a place were there are more people surrounding us than we can get to know. Devouted Christians adimittedly, but nevertheless more people than we can get to know and become personals friends with.
And I think this kind of very special social situation makes people unsecure about themselves and about their relation to the people surrounding them. An unsecurity, and you may also say, a low self-esteem that makes us feel the need to safeguard our own image.
To focus on what impression we give on those surrounding us. Which can make some persons talking a lot about themselves and showing little interest in others. Anxious about their own status in the group they belong to and shunning them outside this group.
I have grown up in the pentecostal church and I think the social situation in a church, the way we talk to one another differs a great deal from other human encounters. We are supposed to be one big family in Jesus Christ, but we only know a few in this big family. So in some way, we are still strangers to one another. Therefore I think, these are things we have to talk about. Talk about the way we treat one another in our congregations. About our need of being acknowledged and recognized. And most of all, if we want this need to be fulfilled, if we seek other peoples attention, we also have to give this attention to others.
Amen, and...It's the listening :)
Also..."the love of many shall wax cold"...speaking of Christians! I want to live by my signature :)
His blessings abundant!
nancy
 
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