Episodes
Monday Sep 11, 2017
Loving Well: Love as Central: Various texts
Monday Sep 11, 2017
Monday Sep 11, 2017
Loving Well: Love as Central
Various Texts
The Centrality of Love
- At the heart of the Gospel message is love (John 3:16)
- Which is true because love is one of the fundamental characteristics of God Himself (1 John 4:8, 16)
- As followers of Christ, we are called to be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1)
- And thus, should be known for our love as well (John 13:34-35)
- However, how do we love like Jesus?
What is Love?
- Biblically, love is NOT an emotion
- God never commands us to feel a certain way
- Love is NOT condoning the sinful actions of another (Rom. 12:9; Jude 1:21-23)
- Love is a choice
- To treat others as we would like to be treated (Luke 6:31)
- To put the needs of others before our own desires (1 Cor. 13:4-8a)
- Love is telling each other the truth (Eph. 4:15)
How Do We Love Well?
- We must understand that our concept of love must be informed by God’s character and truth (1 John 4:19; 2 Cor. 5:14)
- We must learn to love in a way that meets people as they are
- This is how God treats us
- Because God knows us fully (1 Cor. 13:12)
- Deeper knowledge à deeper love
- Including loving ourselves as an extension of knowing God’s great love for us (Mark 12:31)
- We are to love others in ways that fit who they are
- ) "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov. 22:6)
- Literally, “Train up a child in his way”: a way that fits that child
- Which means loving in a way that the receiver can understand
- It is about speaking their language
- ) "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov. 22:6)
- This is how God treats us
Love Languages
- There are 5 love languages that are generally recognized
- “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman
- Words of Affirmation
- Quality Time
- Gifts
- Acts of Service
- Physical Touch
- 6th language?
- We all give and receive love in each of these ways
- However, some forms are more effective for certain individuals than others
- The key is to know the languages that best speak to you and to others to love well
- A word on “dialects”
So What?
- We will spend the next 6 weeks looking at each of these languages so that we might understand:
- How God shows love to us in each way
- How we can love one another in each way
- And how we can love our community in each way
- Are we ready to learn how to love well?
Meditation Verse: John 13:34-35
Version: 20230822
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