In explaining authentic brotherly love, the first evocative word
we examined was “kiss.” I hope I have given the understanding that the word has
to do with a friendship of the soul. Related to this is a frightening sense of vulnerability. Unless these
connections are made, the
call to deny myself the “enjoyment” of some freedoms for my brother’s
sake loses its punch.
When you assure someone they are your brother and they are on your
radar as a loved friend, you are verbally committing to obey Jesus’ brotherly-love
command in real time and not in theory. You are giving your brother the
"kiss" of loyalty. You are telling him he can trust you.
He, now, must choose whether you can be trusted.
Vulnerability exists in any level of friendship. Trust
takes time to develop. We all start as strangers. In fact, even in our
Christian walk, Jesus was a stranger when we first met. Having been saved once-for-allby faith in his Redeeming work on Calvary, we spend our days learning to trusthim in his Master/Friend relationship while also showing ourselves trustworthy.
This vulnerability is viscerally
serious. It is, in fact, the
hallmark of the “fellowship”of a local church. Therefore, it is important
that you and your friend be confident you are offering and entering fields
of authentic friendship, and not a dark alley cluttered with opportunities for ambush.
There are at least six gut issues in this
vulnerability.
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