LOVE OF GOD:
For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3. 16)
I was preaching on love one Sunday morning and I read the above verse. A church member said it is the most memorized verse in the Bible. I said that may be true but many people have it in the mouths than in their hearts. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”(Matt. 22: 37-40)
Types of Love:
What is Eros, and Phileo, Storge and Agape? These are the different kinds of love in Greek vocabulary. Agape deals with God directly and the rest with people. God is exalted when all forms of love is expressed properly. There are people who may express love in different forms who are not Christians or led by the Spirit of Christ. We can see that in good marriages, friendships and families of people of some cultures, races and religions. The Greeks had four words for the English word Love – Eros, Phileo, Storge and Agape. Let us examine each one of these love types as this will help in our message.
Eros: Eros is the physical, sensual love in a relationship between a husband and a wife. It expresses sexual, romantic attraction. The Greek word does not appear in the Bible. However, Eros or erotic love is best described in the Old Testament book: The Song of Solomon celebrates the romantic aspects of Eros in poetry. The Songs have often been interpreted by Jews as a picture of the relationship between God and his people and by Christians as a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church.
Marriage was instituted in the Garden of Eden when God created man and woman. Sex is used for emotional and spiritual bonding and for reproduction within marriage. The Apostle Paul stated that it is wise for people to marry to fulfill their Godly desire for this type of love:
“Now to the unmarried and the widows I say, it is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” (1 Corinthians 7:8-9)
Eros can be misused as we read in (1 Cor.5:1-5). A man who committed incest with his father’s wife. God’s word forbids sex outside of marriage. Jesus Christ who came to fulfill the Law said this about adultery which is misuse of Eros: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt 5:27-28). Erotic Love is honorable in all when it is not misused, and the bed is undefiled in marriage. It is obvious that Eros is not excluded when the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:25 that Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it. This love is further expressed in other texts.
“The wife hath no power of his own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife: Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourself to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.” (1 Cor.7:4-5)
Phileo. Phileo (Love) is friendship based. It is intellectual and emotional feeling and not necessary from the heart. it is also called Brotherly Love. Jesus called his disciples friends. He came to the world in the likeness of man and can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. When Jesus saw the tomb of Lazarus and the Jews weeping, He wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how He loved him. cf. John 11:32-36) The word love used here is phileo in Greek. It denotes friendship. It shows us the deep affection Jesus had for Lazarus.
Storge: Storge (love) is not very common among Bible scholars. However, some believe the word is used in Greek. Storge Love is familial love. The kind of love one has for his family (sister, brother, mother, father, etc). It refers to natural or instinctual affection.
Agape: The last but not the least is Agape. Agape (Ancient Greek) is a Greco-Christian term referring to “love: the highest form of love, charity”, and “the love of God for man and of man for God” – Wikipedia.
It is a selfless love of one person for another and spiritual in nature. Agape is God’s love and the expression of it is word based and not on feelings. The Greek word, Agape is applied both to the love that God has for humanity and humanity for God.
a) Agape: The Love of God for Man.
Remember that God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
God demonstrated His love for us even before we became Christians. “For God so love the world that He sent His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”. (John 3:16). God’s love for man is expressed in many scriptures in the Bible. But God’s love is not only revealed in scriptures, it is visible in the world. The Lord’s divine love gives rain upon the just and the unjust. God is a Spirit and God is love.
How I become a Christian is all through the flow of divine love. I was no better than the thief at the cross. It is amazing how He took me out from the pit and brought me into the light of His word. I was just busy doing my own things and the most important thing of knowing God was neglected. Many times I deceived myself that I am a Christian because I was going to church but having little or no understanding of God’s word. It would have appeared to me that the Lord is good indeed if He had allowed me to have all the things I had desired to have in this life. It would have appeared to me the Lord is good indeed if He allowed me to go scot-free in my sins. Now I know better. Yes, my experience has been painful but if I have to see where God has placed me in Christ Jesus, I truly understand how divine love works. The things I wanted were for vain glory but what He has given me is for His glory and of course important for my life in glory.
There were times I cried and cried as I thought there is no end to my sorrow and pain. It was like passing through a tunnel that has no end, or feeling like a bird in a cage looking at his friends flying in the sky. I had reached a certain point in life, where it was considered a success to get there considering where I was before. But everything vanished and I had to come back to square one or even below. It is at this point Satan gets into people and tells them to curse God as Job’s wife told him to do. But as Martin Luther said “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands that I still possess.” God’s love is divine and to understand His love we need His Spirit because divine love is spiritual in nature.
“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). We are talking of greater love which is agape. The death of Christ brought forth the gospel which is the power of God to unto salvation to everyone that believes. He laid the foundation and the Apostles built on it. His love brings lamentation to one and psalmody to another but it is the same Love. When we study and understand His word we can truly understand His love. He does not want anyone to perish and that is why His love has provided us the Gospel. He chastises those that He loves. When we love people we want to make them happy, make them succeed in this life but God want us to succeed through this life and be the happiest people. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9)
For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” (Rom. 15:3)
Jesus Christ lived every word and the father was well pleased with Him. The love relationship between and Father and Son is demonstrated in obedience. When the time came for the Son to suffer, He prayed to the Father and humbly asked Him to take the cup away if it is possible– the bitter cup of suffering and death by crucifixion. Did the Father felt good seeing the distress of His Son and the agony He will go through?
God is a Spirit and is obligated to keep His word even if it means the death of His Son. The death of His Son was already prophesied and the scripture has to be fulfilled.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Gen. 3:15)
Doesn’t it tell us all beyond words God’s unconditional love and how He keeps His word? God is long suffering and does not want anyone to perish. His love is divine and it is for everyone irrespective of race, appearance or whether you are poor or rich, good or evil. Divine(Agape) love differs from natural love of man with which he was endowed when created by God. It is the Love that flows from God. It is a perfect love and governed by the law of the spirit of life.
We have seen or heard of situations where people set laws but they are biased when applying them. The common man will suffer and receive the full penalty of the law while the rich and famous may go scot-free though guilty of the same offence. It is not so with God who had to send His own son as the propitiation of the sins of the world because it was prophesied in the word. He cannot go against His own law.
People expect God to provide a flowery bed of roses even when they do wrong things. But God chastises those that He loves and that do not contradict his loving nature. Love is corrective. His ultimate goal is to see His children saved. His love is constant and His hands always wide open to receive a prodigal son. “Have you forgotten the encouraging words which God speaks to you as his sons and daughters? ‘My child, pays attention when the Lord corrects you, and do not be discouraged when he rebukes you. Because the Lord corrects everyone he accepts as his child.’” (Heb.12:5-6) God’s spirit shall not always strive with man, for he is flesh but He is full of compassion. All of the trials that Israel faced are typical of the struggles and difficulties that the New Testament church, must face and learn from. 1 Corinthians 10:11 reminds us that all these things happened to them and are written down in scripture for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Jesus loves everybody but no everyone is His friend. You have to accept His love and love Him to be His friend also. He also called His disciples friends. Of course the bride of Christ has a love affair with Christ and the love is very intimate as typified in the Songs of Solomon.
God also had a very intimate relationship with Israel and called her His wife. However, we know of the rebuke, discipline and even judgments God meted upon the children of Israel. Did that stop the flow of Agape (love) to the rebellious nation? God’s intention for the punishment of His people was to make them know Him and live. Agape is divine in nature and is not a temporary love affair. It flows to a person even if the other does not respond. Agape love still flows and speaks to the heart of the person even if the person doesn’t reciprocate it. God wanted to save the children of Israel and didn’t want them to be condemned with the rest of the world. Is it not better to be corrected now for the transgressor to mend his ways? Even when we are being punished for our wrongs is Agape love.
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuke of him” (Hebrews 12:5) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall in to divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. (James 1:2-3)
It didn’t matter how long the children of Israel cry, jump, tore their clothes when they suffered oppression from their enemies because of idolatry. They had to make things right with God according to His word. But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are bastards, and not sons: (Hebrews 12:8) If you are not punished, as all his children are, it means you are not a real child, but a bastard. Agape can also come with Chastisement to keep us in the way of the Lord. I have heard, read and seen some sacrifices people do to save others. It ranges from rescuing a drowning person, stepping in front of a bullet to save a child, giving a kidney to a dying patient for him to live and I respect warriors like these but these cannot be compared to the protection and care we receive daily from the snares of the devil in this path to heaven we journey because of God’s love. We cannot claim to love someone when we are not truthful to the person. True love requires truth. We may express other forms of love to touch peoples’ lives positively but God’s true love(Agape) prepares us to live eternally.
b) Agape: The Love of Man for God
God had something against the Church at Ephesus. It was because she had left her First love. (Eph. 2:4) If we read the book of Ephesus we see how the gentile nation was awakened from sleep and from darkness unto light as the Apostle Paul, the messenger to the Gentiles preached the Gospel. It changed the lives of those who heard it and believed. God was put first in the daily lives of these people. However, there were many distractions in the city and everywhere around Ephesus that could not only be attributed to the worship of the great Diana of Ephesus but also to worldliness. The love for other things started to prevail and the love for God started to occupy different positions. The Lord who sees the heart was not pleased about it and had to warn the Church. If we love God, we should put His word above all other things. The Lord is a jealous God and will tolerate no rival. God’s righteousness is revealed in his faithfulness to his covenant. Man’s unrighteousness is revealed in his unfaithfulness to the covenant. Although man cannot reciprocate God’s perfect love for mankind there are believers who truly love(Agape) God and there is nothing that can separate them from Him.
God asked Satan the question, “have you considered my servant job?” Satan had traveled to and fro the earth looking for those to accuse. There was nothing he could accuse Job of and God was proud of Job. But Satan gave reasons why Job was faithful and told God the situation will be different if everything is taken from him. Then, God allowed Satan to torment Job and this is how it started. Please, read Job 1:14-22.
Is God proud of you? Can He say to Satan, have you considered my son or daughter…? If you know he can, then your name is in the dots. We are the ones to always give God praise but how will anyone feel if God has to praise him? Let us try to measure our love for God with the following scripture:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. (Romans 8:35-39)
Wow! Brother Paul did Agapeo God but though he wrote the verses the scripture is saying us. It was not for himself alone but to all those who will Agapeo God. God wants us to love our families and friends. However, let the love not compromise our love for God. His love must come first. In other words, all the other kinds of love must bow down to Agape.
Lessons to be learned.
We can learn a lesson from the story of King Saul. God had made him king over Israel. The Prophet Samuel had anointed him and instructed him to hearken unto the voice of the words of the Lord. The Lord remembered the evil which the Amalekites did to Israel. The children of Israel faced too many hardships as they traveled through the wilderness. Although the Amalekites and the Israelites were relatives, the Amalekites hated the Israelites and took them for an enemy. Who is Amalek? Amalek is referred to in Genesis 36:12. There, the descendants of Esau are listed. And we are told there that Amalek was the son of Eliphaz, who was a son of Esau. Therefore, Amalek was the grandson of Esau and his descendants were the Amalekites. We can see how closely related they were to the children of Israel. But they had to attack the Israelites regardless of all the hardship they were going through in their journey.
God remembered this evil and told Prophet Samuel to tell King Saul to go and utterly destroy the Amalekites and to take no spoils. But the people took the fattest of the sheep and oxen which should have been destroyed and King Saul also brought with him the King of the Amalekites – king Agag. He decided to show love to the King of the Amalekites than to love God by keeping his word and that cost him dearly. He was rejected as King of Israel.
A man committed incest with his father’s wife and the church in Corinth was trying to cover it up. (cf.1 Cor.5:1-6) The church must have thought they were showing love to the person by not exposing him. Maybe his was a big guy too in the Church, famous and had many friends. But when the Apostle Paul came to know about it, he was angry and pronounced his judgment according to the word: It was to deliver the person to Satan for the destruction of his soul, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now tell me who truly loved this man, the Church at Corinth or the Apostle Paul? It is obvious that the way the church was trying to handle the situation; the man could never have had any chance for eternal life. God will have to test everyone to prove our love for Him. We cannot be a false witness because the offender is a relative or a friend. He may escape the law but he will not be able to escape God’s judgment. But when truth prevails God is glorified and the person is pardoned and blessed. The Love of God is eternal and can never fail. It is the kind of Love that can help us love our enemies. It is true love. It is Agape.
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As long as the truth of God is not the basis of fellowship, whatever and however Love is fostered, God is not in their midst. Only God’s truth can produce the TRUE LOVE (Agapao – 1 John 4:16; 2 John 1:2). Otherwise it is only human emotion. Because God is TRUTH, He cannot be in the people unless they have the WORD. God is in His word, for God and His word are ONE (John 1:1). He is obligated only to His WORD. Where there is no WORD, there is no TRUTH (John. 17:17) And where there is no TRUTH, God is not there. [Rev. Richard Gan]
There are two main reasons why people lie. Fear and Pride. But if one truly loves God, he will tell the truth no matter how painful or shameful. When someone humbles himself to obey the word of God no matter what, God is glorified and the person is blessed. He may be looked down upon or despise by the world but his approval rating in heaven is High.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.” (Lam 3:22). God is a Spirit. It is the spirit that gives life through His word. It means when we believe the word of God then He will give us His Spirit. It shall lead us in to all TRUTH and we will be able to understand what true Love is. There are people who go on calling the name of God without given a thought for His word. But one cannot separate God’s love from His word. Jesus said if any one loves me, he will keep my words. (cf.14:23) “In the beginning was the word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) God even honors His word more than His name. “For you have magnified thy word above thy name.” (Psalms 138:2) God promised the revelation of Himself through the Word. Therefore, if we truly love Him, we should study and understand His word. True love requires us to be true to His word.
“I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.
I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains – but if I have no love, I am nothing.
I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned – but if I have no love, this does me no good.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
God wants us to know His word and that is why He gave gifts unto men. Through this men, we can have an understanding what true love is because they can rightly divide the word of Truth (cf. 2 Tim 2:15) The reason why I am speaking a lot about the word is because to deal with our enemies we will need most or all of it. Agape love can only flow if we understand the word of God.
“Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass.
For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial;
But when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear.
When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways.
What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete – as complete as God’s knowledge of me.
Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)
When I read the history of the church, I read how many Christians were burn to the stake. Many willingly gave their lives for the sake of the Love of Christ and His word. It was a painful sacrifice; however, it is a burn offering that gives a sweet smelling savor to God. They loved the word and could count on it. It can never fail but man’s word can fail. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever (Cf. Psalm 52:8) Agape is the highest form of love. Add virtue to your faith and climb up the scriptural staircase to Agape. “For this very reason do your best to add goodness to your faith; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness; to your godliness add Christian affection; and to your Christian affection add love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)
Do we display this kind of love in our Christian walk? When we arrive to this Love, we will find it expressing itself as described in the following scripture.
“Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; Love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth”. (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)
But how many Christians are just angry with Bible truth today? I remember I sent a circular letter to some ministers about the mystery of water baptism. Why Peter told the believers to Baptize in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 2:38). But they were told by Jesus to go and baptize in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). A certain minister sent a circular letter calling me all kinds of names and I kept wondering what wrong I have done to the man. I wanted to write back but stopped. The bible says the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. I just prayed and committed everything to the Lord. He is the one to fight our battles. Jesus called His disciples friends and He loved them. He expressed His love to people in different ways but always according to the word and died for the sins of the world expressing the highest form of love. Agape.
The Greatest Commandment:
The Ten Commandments is summarized in love. In love hangs the law and the prophets.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with your mind. This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 13:2236-39).
I was talking to a police man one day and appreciating the services they do to maintain law and order in the country. The man is a Buddhist. I told him I am a Christian and we also have our laws. He looked at me with curiosity and asked me what the laws are? I told him, it is written, “love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; love your neighbor as yourself.” He looked at me and laughed and said, “Is that all the laws”. I said, “yes.” He kept laughing and shaking his head. I know the government have many laws and there are many laws too in Buddhism. He could not understand why our laws are so simple and few. God commands us to love. But are they really simple? How many Christians love God with all their hearts and their neighbors as themselves? “If a man says, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loves God love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21)
God is love and the bible repeatedly tells us to love one another. Doesn’t the Bible tell us that if your Brother sin against you, you should go and tell him his fault? But you may be surprise that many Christians don’t do that and instead keep things in the heart. Have you encounter a situation where you see a certain Brother or sister starts to change his attitude towards you? Oh, yes I have. You may just be wondering what is happening. You send emails, you don’t receive a reply and when you even write to inquire about something the conversation that used to be warm has become cold. But still the person will not tell you what the matter is. It is very easy to change a person’s perspective through idle babblings. Please don’t be a whisperer. “A whisperer separates the best of friends” (Proverbs 16:28). It will not profit you anything if you speak evil about a Sister behind her back to another Christian and the Christian believes your word to be true and start to hate the sister. Love does not backbite. This is how a poet describes the power of Love:
“The power of Love is a curious thing. It makes one-man weep, and another sing. It can change a hawk to a little white dove. Bring inanimate objects to life. It might just save your life. It makes people want to give up personal freedom to belong to each other. Don’t you dare mock it; it’s more than a feeling, that’s the power of Love, even more than The Power of Friendship.”
There is no fear in love. My! If one can have love so much that there is no fear in him then what can defeat him. The Israelites were so afraid of Goliath. Each time he will appear in the battle field they all vamoosed. Oh, My! He was a giant and the philistines were making fun of God’s people because they had a powerful man on their side. But when David came to the Battlefield and saw what was happening what did he say? “Who is this uncircumcised philistine profaning the name of the Lord?” David made his mistakes but he loved God. The Bible tells us he is a man according to God’s own heart. Look at all the songs and prayers in the book of psalms he wrote. Just a shepherd boy, he recalled the many victories the Lord had given him over wild animals that came to attack his sheep. His love for the Lord conquered all fear and there he was in front of Goliath and we know how the fight ended. Agape(Love) is the greatest of all. It is so great that fear cannot stand in its presence. Fear is defeated in Love.
Christians are told to put on the amour of God for our ware-fare is not carnal. Didn’t the Apostle Paul say he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him? He did not say certain things but all things. Nothing could separate him from the Love of God and that is where he had his strength. I have always wanted to be powerful but I was looking at strength from the wrong direction. We live in a world where people want power; Power to protect yourself and your family, Power to give orders to others, power to fight and defeat the enemy, power to lead, etc. The greatest and the most powerful man who lived on earth was Jesus Christ but the description of Him doesn’t give any physical resemblance to a heavy weight champion. He was the word made flesh and by the word of God the world was framed.
Jesus Christ had no weakness, all strengths because He was the word made flesh. Some may disagree and say, He wept. Sympathy is not weakness. He was hungry but could still stay without food for 40 days. It took strength to tell the wind to calm down, it took strength to resist the devil in every form and live a sinless life, it took strength to defeat the devil through death by crucifixion. He could have denied the Father three times or compromise and become a Pharisee to avoid death like a lukewarm Christian converting to Islam in front of Isis. This Holy Ghost gospel is streaming with blood. Think of all the Martyrs. The power is not only in death but to live as well. The Lord fights your battles if you love His word. And if the Lord is for you who can be against you? He that is in you is greater than He that is in the world. My! Do you know the things that are in the world? There is Jealousy, greed, hatred, poverty, wealth, creeds, religions, lust and all kinds of temptations, etc. We need strength to overcome all these but not our strength. We need love – the greatest commandment and power ever known.
Ramoth Gilead was a portion of land that belonged to Israel but it was given to the Syrians, Israel’s powerful enemy. King Ahab wanted the piece of land back but considering the strength of the enemy, he thought it wise to have reinforcement before attacking and therefore, had a meeting with King Jehoshaphat. Judah was no better militarily but at least two is better than one. The army was already fragmented and King Sennacherib the King of Assyria had once made fun of it that he could provide two thousand horses for the nation(Judah) if there were enough men there to ride them. Therefore, King Jehoshaphat counseling to consult God first in Ahab’s proposal was wise. He knew Israel’s battles have been warned not by chariots they had but by the Love of God for His people. It is unfortunate, that Israel will lose the battle against the Assyrians. God loves Israel but Israel did not love God and killed the prophets.
The Agape (Love) of God is a powerful weapon. You can never be tired and always victorious if you wait upon the Lord: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”(Isaiah 40:31) “It is finished”. Jesus’ last words before dying on the cross was agape love unspeakable that bruise the head of the Serpent and defeat of Satan. We can be victorious in every battle with Love – the Greatest of All the commandments.
Is the command to love your enemies troubling you?
Drink Agape.
I started to win when I stopped fighting. Can you see the irony of it all? I didn’t have to struggle at all to win any spiritual battle. My Love for the Lord did it all for me. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with your mind. The greatest commandment is Agape.
Jesus is coming to rapture a Love Church? Yes sir! But make no mistake it is not going to be your Phileo, Erotic, Storge love but Agape. Agape is believing all of God’s word and applying it. It is this love that will rapture the bride of Christ and therefore, how seriously should we consider it. You can call it faithful love or faith full of love; The Love that goes with faith. Remember faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (cf.10:17) There are people who think that to love your enemy you have to make him your friend. While progress can be made for enemies to become friends, God’s love does not require us to become friends with people before loving them.
Jesus Christ called His disciples friends but He has Love for the world and that includes everybody. Can you tell your enemy that you love him? You would be thinking in your heart that will be hypocrisy. But you can say you love him if you have Godly love for him. You don’t want to see him lost. You pray for him. You help him if and when you can. To love your enemy doesn’t mean you invite him for dinner. Why would you want to invite someone for dinner who may be dangerous or you are not comfortable with? The bible says, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute you. Therefore, you love your enemies if you do good to them and pray for them from the heart. Doing good does not mean you partake in evil to help anyone but be corrective. When you do this you are manifesting God’s love and it will not be hypocrisy if you say you love your enemy. You love the person according to God’s word and you don’t have to invite the person to dinner but progress can be made for this to happen. Agape is not based on emotions and feelings but on the word of God. However, this love will not come by our own will. Many times when people think what someone may have done before becoming an enemy, you are tempted to get even. Or if the person doesn’t want to get even, the heart to pray for the enemy or to do good to him could be far-fetched. This is because we cannot truly love in our own strength. We can love with God’s love which is Agape.
By nature, man is evil. He wants to manifest the works of the flesh. (Gal. 5:19-21) But God has poured out His love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us and Love is the fruit of the Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit God gives us a nature that seeks to please God. We have been saved through faith. We believe the word and the Spirit guides us into all truth. When a born again Christian demonstrates God’s love, faith is within. By nature, people are selfish and impatient. Born telling lies, proud, greedy, envious and even boastful. We are jealous, opinionated, rude and unforgiving. We hate truth and lack humility. We are easily hurt and easily hurt others. The weaknesses of man are many. We could never love God and others the way God loves us. But we can love if we drink Agape. It will then not be a matter of pleasing yourself but God. The Spirit of God is given to you, the word of God is revealed to you and life here becomes vanity.
The Father has life in Himself and has given to the Son to have life in Himself. (John 5:26) The father is a spirit and having life in himself means He has been existing all through eternity and therefore, has no beginning. We all have a beginning and the life we have was given to us. If we just have to think of creation and how we became living beings, it should motivate our love for God. What about the ultimate sacrifice of His son? Christians have shared many testimonies of the many wonderful things the Lord is doing and you may have your own testimony. Meditating on these things should help our love for Him to grow. And if we can love God, that will help us to help love others. Many times people don’t reflect or know little about our common ancestry from the three sons of Noah. We are all equal before God and should love others as God loves us.
Is the command to love your enemies troubling you? Drink Agape. Who are our enemies?
According Merriam Webster Dictionary, an enemy is defined as “One that is antagonistic to another, something harmful or deadly, or a hostile unit or force.” Enemies don’t necessarily have to be only those who are out to kill us physically. It could be a backbiting neighbor who wants to ruin your reputation or someone who wants to hinder your progress in any form. However, the goal of an enemy is to destroy the person and even if it is not physical, it is obvious that tampering with a person’s career can affect his financial situation, or gossiping about a neighbor may ruin her business and family happiness. All these can course an emotional, financial and spiritual problem that affects the body physically.
What I mean by to drink Agape is to absorb and assimilate the whole concept of (Agape) Love. When we do this we will be able to love with a genuine love. Remember, God is love. We normally want to take some kind of medication when we don’t feel well in the body. There are things we can do too when we don’t feel well in the spirit. The word of God should comfort us. I have been confronted by different kinds of problems in my life. I even know who my enemies are who come to steal, kill and destroy. But I consider myself blessed by the Lord because of His word. Many times people do things because they don’t truly understand the word and are not in the Body of Christ. They need us to pray for them for not being in the Light. The fact that they behave the way they do, doesn’t make us righteous if we have to consider what we would have been without Christ. It is all about the measure of God’s grace upon us. Whether, somebody treats me good or bad everyone is going to have his reward. Pray for your friends and enemies alike.
But why should we pray for our enemies? It is because Bible recommends us to do so. Jesus told His disciples to pray for their enemies. Please, read Matt. 5:43-48. It helps to mold our character to be like Jesus. He wants us to be perfect even as the heavenly father is perfect. Praying for our enemies comes with the wonderful spirit of forgiveness. We all know what forgiveness does to a Christian. Vengeance is the Lord’s. When we do good to our enemies we heap coals of fire on their heads. (cf. Rom. 12:19-21) It is always advisable to use biblical approach in dealing with issues because it will always bring the best result. We should learn to apply the word in every aspect of our daily living and this is Agape. People always want to appear right even if they are wrong but can we not accept a little wrong even if we are right? (cf.1 Cor. 6:7) When you take the word of God and mix it with faith, you come up with the real genuine love. Yes, sir! This is what is expected of the Church of living God to get herself ready for the capstone. Understanding the Agape of God will enable us love our Enemies! It is obvious that when we please God, we have joy and it is worth doing everything to please Him. The reward for obeying God is great! Don’t let an enemy still your joy. Drink Agape! “But now Faith, hope, Love abide these three, but the greatest of these is Love.” (1 Cor. 13:13)
It is clear that by our own standard we cannot love unconditionally. But we can do all things through Christ. When we have Faith in Jesus, we can Hope for Love. Here again we read of Love being the greatest. It is always conquering everything else and it is actually the capstone of all the virtues. Greatest would include a lot of things like goodness, glorious, skillful or wise, noble, powerful, etc. Yes, Love is the greatest power ever known. Love that is based on God’s word is very powerful because God is in His word. Jesus told the disciples that, if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Go from here to there!’ and it will go. (cf. Matthew 17:20.)
The Love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. I was very upset with someone and wanted to play the talk- to – me – first pride game. But the love of God caused me to change course. Agape love is not about pleasing yourself but pleasing God. It is about loving God’s word and living for it.
A Church leader once said there is no such thing as Love of God. But take look at the following scripture and there are others like it. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13:14) I know the man must be thinking that all love comes from God and Satan has no place in love. But there are many instances even in modern day living where people exercise love in the wrong ways. It is very common for people to want to stand for their friends and families even when they understand it is against God’s word. There are many reasons why people love people:
It could be because he is biological brother or sister or from the same family.
It could be because he is spouse.
It could be because he is your friend.
There are many reasons why people make or have friends.
It could be because the person is of the same social class as you.
It could be because the person is kind to you.
It could be because you live close to each other.
It could be because the person understands you better.
It could be because the person is fun to be with.
It could be because the person looks good.
It could be because the person is smart.
It could be because of many other reasons similar to these already mentioned. All these provide a relationship that is based on some intellectual and emotional factors. But the Agape of God doesn’t share with those feelings. It is obligated to one thing only. God’s word. We are to love people because God demands us to love. It doesn’t matter if the person is a thieve, a murderer, a liar, a gossip, a failure, ugly, poor, an enemy or what you would considered in plain terms bad person. God require us to pray for them, help them when in need. In everything we do, let us do it for the Lord. It will not only make us happy, it will keep us safe, make us victorious as we journey through this world. It has become a pain for many to love their enemies and I can understand that by our human nature. But the mountain can be taken away though faith in God’s word as we Agape the Lord. You can begin your day with this little song:
Fill my way every day with love,
As I walk with the heavenly Dove;
Let me go all the while, with a song and a smile.
Fill my way every day with love.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love[agape], joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness: against such there is no law. (Gal. 5:22-23)
