“The Lord is my Shepherd…” “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” – Psalm 23
“So
now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have
loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will
prove to the world that you are my disciples.” – John 13:34-35
“…a way of life that is best,” 1 Corinthians 12:31
“…if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:3
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13
“Let love be your highest goal!” – 1 Corinthians 14:1
Agape Love: priority motive value system decision action lifestyle filter by which we discern standard by which we align …as seen in Jesus
How does Jesus build His church? Love.
Receive the love of Jesus. Share the love of Jesus.
Would you describe your interactions with your church family as patient, kind….?
What is one thing that God is asking you to change this week?
Pray Plan Take a Step
What do we learn? (including the previous three weeks)
God is intentional about relationship with us.
Jesus Christ our Savior is who we follow and base our lives on.
Jesus is building His church with people who find & follow Him.
The church has identity, value, and purpose.
Jesus followers are a spiritual family, equal and unique.
Jesus calls his followers to love and respect each other.
God adds people to the church with purpose.
God places us in the church for intentional relationships of mutual benefit.
God has a plan and a purpose for our individual lives and his church.
What should we do?
1. Receive the love of Jesus, choosing to find and follow Jesus.
2. Pray for your church family.
3. Ask God to help you see what you can do to grow in sharing love.
4. Take action to show love.
If we see God answer these prayer requests then the church will look victorious (like Matthew 16:18) fully devoted & overflowing with love (like Acts 2:42-47) and unified so that people will know Jesus as the Messiah (as in Ephesians 4:4-6, John 17:20-23, John 13:34-35).