SPRING FROM LOVE
God is love and the church has to reflect that nature. It is love that the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts; without love, there is neither church nor ministry. Failure to love lies at the root of the failure in the church's ministry. Where there is no love, the Spirit of God is not at work; the church may work all day and all night, and yet it may catch nothing (John 21:3). Sociologically it may be growing, in numbers, wealth and institutions; but it is all hay and stubble that the fire will destroy. . .
Actions, words and institutions are legitimate instruments of the church's ministry. But they should spring from love, for God is love. . . God's love was what Christ manifested in his incarnate ministry. The church's ministry is to continue that manifestation.
H.E. Metropolitan Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios of New Delhi (d 1996) The Meaning and Nature of Diakonia WCC Publications 1988
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