Explain what it means to love the body of Christ.

What it means to love the body of Christ is this:

To love the body of Christ is to, first and foremost, treat the body as Christ would. After all, we are commanded in Ephesians 5:1-3, 1 Peter 2:21, John 13:34, and numerous other places in the Bible to walk in love and live out our lives imitating Christ. With this we would first need to identify where and how Christ treated humanity and the body in the Bible. One of the first examples that comes to mind is Jesus laying down his life for our sins. This is the greatest act of love that exists in the Bible and is even supported in John 15:13, as Jesus says there is no greater love than sacrificing our lives for our friends. 1 John 3:16 even supports the idea of sacrificing for others as well. The basics of sacrificing for others and what it looks like is to consider one another as equal to ourselves and to serve others, as said in Galatians 5:13-14, and even more important than yourself, as said in Philippians 2:3.  Even more in depth, love covers all offenses, i.e. is forgiving (Proverbs 10:12), is patient, kind, rejoices in truth, always trusts, always hopes, and can endure anything (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Lastly, love always never stops and is covenantal and not contractual. Romans 8:38-39 says that nothing in this world can separate us from God’s love, and Proverbs 17:17 says that a friend loves through trial and adversity.

What it does NOT mean to love the body of Christ is this:

The opposite of acting in love for the body of Christ is to “love” as the world does. The world’s version of love tends to be based on infatuation, self focus, and feeling. In essence, if feeling remains, then “love” remains and if not, then “love” dies. In other words, people outside of the body of Christ tend to be self serving and not sacrificial. Philippians 12:13 says that we should do nothing out of selfishness and conceitedness. Galatians 5:13-14 calls it indulging in the flesh, which means pandering to our bodies feelings and desires. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 goes further on to clarify that selfish “love” is jealous, arrogant, braggy, disgraceful acting, self seeking, easily provoked, unforgiving, or rejoices in unrighteousness. Finally, Proverbs 10:12 adds that love is not something that seeks to cause conflict.

In summary, loving the body means not focusing on self, but being self sacrificial as Jesus was, demonstrating the characteristics of God to others, and helping others to know God better, as we are made in God’s image and were designed to do.

How would you add to the Eldership Team and overall benefit of the team for ABF?

After God’s Own Heart

I am a man after God’s own heart. The first of the Ten  Commandments is to love God above all else. In support of this, Mark 12:29-31 says that there is no greater commandment than to love God with all of your mind, soul, and strength. Proverbs 3:5-6 commands to lean on God’s understanding and not our own and to do his will in all things. I believe firmly in obeying this command. As a result of that, my life and choices are guided by God. In furtherance of this, I am a servant at heart. In Matthew 20:26-28, Jesus explains that the greatest of people will be the one that has served the most. As I am a Christian, my deepest desire is to glorify, know, and serve God in all areas of life to the best of my abilities and to help complete his work in my life and the lives of both those around me and under my direct care. I am not perfect in any way, but we can trust that God, who created this universe and all of us image bearers, will be able to perfect the work that I do and will use it the way he desires.

Reprovability

Wise people listen to the advice of others. The Bible speaks plenty on this topic. Proverbs 12:15 says the wise person listens to advice, but the fool thinks he is right. James 1:19-20 tells us that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Proverbs 2:2 says to make our ears attentive to wisdom and incline our hearts to understanding. Again, in no way am I perfect in this area. In fact, I have a lot of struggles in this area. I tend to believe that I am right in my own eyes as a fool would. In this present moment, I would admit that I do act foolishly, but as stated above, my heart belongs to God and my utmost desire is to follow his will in all that I do, so I promise that I will grow in this area and am actively trying to listen to the advice of those around me with discerning ears. I have grown tremendously already, but I know God’s intent is to help me grow even more and be even more reprovable.

Heart to Teach

I have often been called a good teacher when it comes to things I understand well. An elder ought to be a good teacher, if not in words, then in action. I believe that I am working my best to be an image bearer of God and demonstrating the characteristics of God in action, but I also have a heart to teach others through words. Deep in my heart, well before I was a Christian, I had sought to teach others things that they were lacking and help to lead them to where they needed to go. Now, as a Christian, I have an even deeper desire in my heart to teach others about Christ.

Ability to See Things Differently

I am deeply analytical, so I may see things that others do not with situations and people. As an elder, I’d offer a different perspective and an inventive, think outside of the box, brain that may be able to contribute new ideas and solutions to the problems that Aletheia Bible Fellowship and its members face and other ways for our community to glorify God.

Honesty

Additionally, I am honest about my thoughts, feelings, and struggles as much as possible. These, most of the time are clearly visible to the body. This can be encouraging to the body as well when others see God help me through those struggles and overcome them as it proves God is sovereign and good. Through this, it is possible to demonstrate to them that they can overcome difficulties in their own lives and find joy in it. It might also encourage others to be honest and vulnerable about their own struggles and difficulties and will enable the eldership to minister to people’s needs easier and more effectively.

Encouragement

I believe that my gifting is encouragement. Aletheia currently doesn’t have any other male encouragers. By being on board with the eldership, when I properly hone and have control over this gifting, if we get other male encouragers down the road, I’d be able to relate really well with them and be able to help them with their struggles in controlling their gifting. Not only that, but I’d be able to encourage the body when needed. This isn’t something currently present in the eldership, so it’d be a new useful tool in the toolbelt of the leadership.

Endurance

God has been gifting me many trials since coming to Aletheia. There have been a lot of hardships, but there has also been a lot of growth as well. James 1:2-4 explains that when troubles of all kinds come into our lives, we are to consider them to be joyful experiences. God uses our trials to test our faith and grow our endurance. When endurance grows, God is perfecting us. He is strengthening our weaknesses when it comes to trusting in him and is enabling us to handle more difficult trials in the future. As an elder, there are many difficulties that I’d be facing such as time management, needing tons of self discipline, being able to counsel others effectively, etc. The fact that God is strengthening me in all areas of my life right now and building up endurance will be necessary if I am to take the elders path, so it seems as though God is preparing me for that. On a related note, having endurance as an elder would make me reliable and dependable and not collapse if responsibilities are put on my shoulders. As an elder, you have a lot of weight to carry. I believe I will be strong enough to do that by God’s grace

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-pESJnid4x2wCLZqHRuulNo507FIaD_Wqz4Bfa0Mkmw/edit?usp=sharing