Church Strong - Strong Realtionships

Last week at Easter, we looked at what makes Christianity different from religions. That difference is that Christianity is a relationship where God reached to mankind. Man can never reach God on his own. So God reached down to us by sending Jesus to die for us. His blood washed away our sin and restored our relationship with God. In order to be Church Strong, we must nurture strong relationships both with God and with others. That’s our topic for today. Strong Relationships!

Mark 12:28–34 NIV

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Jesus Said The Greatest Commandment is Based on Relationships!

The Greatest Commandment, love God with every part of our being, our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength! That means we are constantly and consistently building our relationship with God. After all, if it wasn’t for God’s love for us, we wouldn’t have a real life that is everlasting.

The second commandment that is like it deals with our relationship with our neighbors. We love them like we love ourselves. These two commandments deal with a series of high level relationships!

John 13:34–35 AMP

34 I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. 35 By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

The “New” Commandment is About Relationship!

We’ve looked at this passage before but it’s interesting that the new commandment didn’t come into play until God sent Jesus to restore our relationship with God. Then the New Commandment came into existence.

1 Thessalonians 4:9–10 NLT

9 But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another. 10 Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.

We Must Keep Nurturing Relationships!

Real relationships take time to develop. It doesn’t happen overnight and it takes discipline to be able to do so. Look at what this scripture says, to those they have shown love to, do it even more! We keep nurturing relationships and building them even stronger as time goes on.

1 John 4:7–21 NIV

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Relationships God’s Way Is Based on Love!

We love because God is love. In the Old Testament it was about obeying commands without a relationship because the price for sin was not paid for yet. But in the New Testament, Jesus fulfilled the requirement of the law and taught us a new way to live based on love and relationship with Him and others. Jesus is not only our Lord and Savior, He is our friend! We are in relationship with the living God and therefore, we build relationships with others. We cannot say we love God and not love people. We do both and relationships are built. Church Strong - Strong Relationships!