The Greatest Priority

To pay homage to the impact of our print publication and the contributions of our past editors and content contributors, we’ve decided to re-publish a select number of articles from the archives. In this issue, we discuss the impact and importance of Gary Krehbiel within the position of FEBC Ministries Coordinator. While Gary has had significant and invaluable interactions with the churches within our Fellowship, he has also been a contributor of thought-provoking pieces like the one below, originally published in the 2020 Sept/Oct issue of Fellowship Focus.​

“You have to do the first thing before you do the second.” It
can’t get much more basic than that. It may have been the most
common thing I heard as a distracted child. “Do your chores
before you go play.” “Do your homework before you watch
TV.” “Clear your plate before you get dessert.” Priorities.
Sometimes even a good priority can prevent us focusing
on one that is more important. It is often a struggle to keep
our priorities because we are easily distracted, often selfish
and occasionally overwhelmed. With the pandemic and political
unrest that has become a common part of our lives, we
need to remember that God has told us what our priority is.
Years ago when people were asked what the most commonly
known verse in the Bible was, they usually responded
that it was John 3:16. The message of the gospel. Now the
most commonly quoted verse in the Bible is likely Matthew
7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” And if it’s
not that, it might be, “Love your neighbor as yourself ”
(Matt. 22:39 niv). Both of those verses represent the
priority of the culture: non-judgmental acceptance.
That cultural priority has had an impact among
churches and those who claim to be followers of Jesus. The
cultural definition of love has begun to shape the way the
church attempts to demonstrate the love of Christ to the
world around us. Love becomes defined by the culture.
But should it be?
We are known by our love for one another. We are
supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves. God is love.
Jesus loved sinners. But how do Christians love the way
Christ loves?
The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your
God with all your heart, soul and mind (Matt. 22:37). As
important as it is to love others, the greatest commandment
sets everything else in order. The priority is to love God --
fully and wholeheartedly. An emphasis on the command to
love your neighbor misses the priority. We have to do the first
thing in order to do the second.
We cannot disregard the other implications of that
commandment. We are to love God with complete commitment
and trust. It means that He receives our full loyalty
and devotion. His priorities have to be ours. To fully love
God demands that we love the things that God loves and
the things that proceed from the character of God. We love
people because God is love. We love justice because God is
just. We love holiness because God is holy.
Too often people and churches emphasize the second
commandment without prioritizing the first. I thought about
this as a friend described her conversation with someone about
gender. They discussed someone they knew who is transitioning
their gender. The other person suggested that everyone
needed to be supportive of the person transitioning so that
they would feel loved and accepted. My friend pointed out that
the emphasis on acceptance doesn’t acknowledge that God can
and does use difficulty and brokenness to bring people to Himself.
Attempting to draw someone to God by trying to make
Him fit their perceived needs places the second commandment
ahead of the first. To truly love God is to love who He is and
what He loves. We cannot compromise any of that and remain
faithful to the first commandment, the first priority.
In Matthew 22, Jesus answers the question of what is the
greatest commandment. The religious leaders of the day were
trying to undermine Jesus’ credibility and authority before
the crowds. They pressured Him to align Himself with a
political movement, tried to draw Him into a theological
conflict, and attempted to force Him into a virtue dispute.
They tried to force Him into taking a ‘with us’ or ‘against us’
position. Each time, he stepped out of the trap. In summarizing
the greatest commandment, He prioritized all allegiances
and obligations.
Our culture attempts to force us to make declarations
and alliances so that people will know which side we are on.
The pressure to signal our virtue by agreeing with the morality
of the day can lead Christians to take positions that ignore
our first priority.
If the church focuses on the second great commandment,
we are always at risk of defining love by the response
of the culture we live in. When we focus on the greatest
commandment, God orders our hearts and minds so that
we reflect His character without the need to conform to
the world.
Ancient church buildings and cathedrals were often
built with towering ceilings and spires to direct worshippers’
eyes upward and remind them of the supremacy and majesty
of God. As our culture and events draw our eyes downward
to the needs around us we must maintain our first priority
in order to truly be agents of reconciliation and hope to the world around us. 

In preparation for taking on the role as editor, I read through the majority of our published articles between 2019 and 2023. Many of Gary’s contributions really hit home for me, but the article below struck a special chord. The message is beautifully crafted and speaks to the heart of so many issues we face even today. Although I didn’t help edit or publish this article, it continued to come to mind while I reflected on what I wanted to share with you. I hope you find Gary’s words as comforting as they are convicting.” - Rebecca Boyd, Present Editor

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

​Bringing a wealth of ministry experience and a long history with the FEBC, Gary provides resources, support and encouragement to the churches and pastors of our fellowship.