Love-Oriented

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Why?

While you might laugh at that because we all know that it is a “good thing” to love, it’s a good question!

Why?

Why would I choose to love like that?

No one deserves a love like that all of the time, not even the BEST person you could think of? Why in the WORLD would I choose to love anyone like that? Why would i love all of my coworkers like that, they make my life and my job so difficult?!

Why should I choose to love my brother like that? He was a good brother, he was there for me when I needed it. but man he could be MEAN when I was young like gOLLY! I’m supposed to love him like THIS *point to the Bible*, even when he’s acting like THAT?!

Let’s go deeper -

Why should I choose to love the old friends i trusted, who never cared about me? Who just used me for some laughs and my parents house to hang out at? Who shared everything i ever told them to other people to embarrass me? What about them? After all, I have scars from them, I lost every bit of value for myself from that, why should i love them?

Why should I choose to love my ex-sister-in-law, who seemed to have snapped out of nowhere and divorced my brother against his wishes and put him through hell for the past 8 months? The world says to hate her, to tell her to screw off, to go to hell? why should i love her?

Why should I love myself? After everything i have watched myself do? For all of the people that I have hurt, or worse, for the people that i could have helped and didn’t?

In Genesis 1, God tells us that He created man in His own image, and in His likeness. Each person, from unborn in the womb, to 102 in the nursing home bears the mark of God, which is consciousness, a reasoning mind, and active emotion. That means, that behind every arrogant exterior, behind every wandering eye, behind every sharp tongue, there is a flicker of the Divine.

Jesus tells us that whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done to me… Why? Because every person is a reflection of Jesus Himself. Paul goes on to say that love, unlike other things, love will never pass away. That we see in part now, and understand in part now, as “through a mirror dimly”. Maybe their exterior is dim, and muddy. Maybe there are smudges, shoot, maybe you can hardly see anything move in that glass at all, but Jesus saw something in YOU worth saving, why not them?

So no, that isn’t a hoe, that is someone Jesus knitted together with His scarred hands. No, that isn’t a d-bag, that is someone God took the time to design and breathe life into. They are just smudged, and thank GOD i know Someone who can clean them off.

So we ask why? Because when I was broken down and dirty, when I couldn’t stop going to that website, when i couldn’t tell the truth if my life depended on it, when I looked at myself in the mirror and was upset at God for not making me different, when i watched my friend go down a path of destruction and said nothing up until his death at 19 years old, the Lord Jesus saw something in me that I couldn’t see, and He loved me before I ever loved Him. I don’t know about you, but i am so thankful to know a God who pursues even when there is NO GOOD REASON, not one that i can see. I should have died in my sin, but by HIS GRACE i was kept alive, His Grace is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, why would i not, HOW could i not share that with someone else bearing His beautiful mark?

Who?

Who am I, to be loved like that? Through all of my dirt, who am I?

Some of you know me, and i know some of you! You’re *name some of them*. You live in Indiana, you have some hobbies, maybe school, maybe a job. But no, who are you? Ask yourself. With everything stripped away. With no mask to hide behind. With no phone to turn to when you finally have a moment to think. With no loud group of friends drowning out your own thoughts and the voice of God. “Who am I?”

I am who God says I am.

“-you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Pe 2:9–10.

Now tell me, did Peter specify who he was talking to? Was that written to seminary graduates or pastors only? Or was that written to you?! or was it written to all of you, those who bear the very likeness of God?

Some of you, your biggest struggle is not just loving others biblically. your biggest struggle is accepting that someone, ANYONE could love you the way Paul describes. After all, who could ever deserve that kind of love? Who is worthy of that?

There has only been one, and He died for you, that you might become the righteousness of God 2 Corinthians 5:21.

“Do you know who what i’ve done?” No but i know that God is waiting with a ring and a robe for you.

“Do you know the how dirty i am, how my innocence has been taken from me?” No, but i know that anyone clothed in the blood of Christ is called righteous.

Cast your anxiety on Him, tell Him, cry to Him, run to Him, He cares for you. Let Him be your security. Let Him heal you, and when you are healed, let Him heal through you.

God doesn’t love you because you’re worthy of it, He loves you because He chooses to. The closer you are to accepting that, the closer you are to being able to love others who are unworthy of it.

So who are you? You are the object of God’s affection, His chosen tool to carry His Glory to the ends of the earth. And guess what, so is everyone else. Isn’t it beautiful?

What?

What now? So what? What’s next? What do we do? What the heck? All valid questions.

We GO and make disciples of all nations (these are groups around you: coworkers, close friends, friends on social media), we teach them to observe all that Jesus has taught you (up to this current moment, it doesn’t have to be the whole Bible, what has Jesus taught you personally), and we do all of these things in love, with gentleness and respect.

We fill ourselves with the things of God. Luke 6:45 “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” How could we be learning anything from God, how could we be drawing close to Him if we are not being filled with Him? We are consuming so much! Hours of social media, movies, tv shows, music, endless entertainment. You are being so filled with the world, so that is all you can talk about. To be a disciple of Jesus, to see fruit in your own life, you must abide in Him John 15:4-11.

Start slow, start listening to worship music while you drive. Say a 10 minute prayer every day, maybe even split it up. Tell God that you want to be close with Him, ask Him how if you aren’t sure how that works. Read a chapter of the Bible every day. If you are going to be on youtube, watch some Christian content. Devote some time to Him. If we do not spend time with God, then we will not know Him. if we don’t know Him, how could we point others to Him? If we don’t know Him, our ability to love will be severely handicapped.

Where and When?

Anywhere and all the time.

Jesus said “Go, and make disciples of all nations”. That is code for “everywhere you are, everywhere you enter, grocery stores, movie theaters, family thanksgiving, CHURCHES, in every conversation or interaction, be an example of me”. There is no inappropriate place to share the Gospel by your words and by your actions.

This is your witness, your living testimony, the way your life and your mouth and actions testify of the Lord.

My life radically changed when i was confronted by the Holy Spirit about my witness at CFA. Were people being pointed to Christ through me? Or was i just a smiling face? Were people on their way to sharing the joy i am so blessed to hold to, or were they just thinking i had a better childhood than them and that’s why i was joyful?

I began to cry out in prayer, and confess my sin to God. I began to hate that i would only talk about Jesus if i was prompted or asked about Him. I was so scared of bringing Him up, i thought that if i did i would be viewed as the weird kid, that this person i had built would be lost in the rubble. I was my own god, my image was my idol.

Slowly, but surely, the Holy Spirit began to transform me. I began to step out and have conversations, i began to ask people about what they believed and have open dialogue. Did every conversation go perfectly? Of course not. Was it awkward sometimes? Most of the time, actually. Did i feel unqualified, did i feel unworthy to share this wonderful message? Day in and day out. But i am a part of a royal priesthood, a chosen generation, i am not being judged on my perfection, or my efficiency, but on my faithfulness. I did the best i could with what i knew, and that is what is asked of all of us.

And trust me, i know.

“I don’t know enough about the Bible though!”

“I’m not good at having those kinds of conversations!”

“I get so nervous i might mess something up.”

This is as simple as i can make it, you ready?

If someone asks you a question you don’t know, say that you don’t know, but you will research it to find them an answer. The only non-negotiable in spreading the Good News of Jesus is having a heart and a compassion for them. You don’t have to be a street preacher, just a friend over a cup of coffee. Should you study the Bible, even just the Gospels at first to know the foundations of your faith? I would recommend it, but your study doesn’t have to feel like homework. Ask a pastor at your church, ask a friend who knows the Bible, ask your small group or youth group, watch youtube videos. This isn’t for a grade, this is for a gracious and empathetic God.

Then have the kind of conversation you are good at. Maybe starting a cold conversation about Jesus isn’t your strong-suit, play to your strengths. How about starting with just pointing to Jesus. Someone compliments you, “praise God, He is so good”. Do that enough times, they’ll start to ask. Maybe you are someone who people come to when they are struggling, offer to pray with them. Offer them the comfort of a hug or just your presence. Do all things for His Glory, and He will be there.

Which leads to the third answer. I promise, if you genuinely want to see people come to Jesus for themselves, you are not going to mess it up. Not because you are secretly some genius about the Bible, or you are a walking prayer team, NO because His Grace is sufficient for you, and His power is made perfect in weakness. SO BOAST in your nervousness, so that the power of Christ may be displayed in you! If you are afraid to talk, ask Him to talk through you and open your mouth. You might be shocked at what comes out.

How?

How can I love someone like that? Not impatiently, never remembering anyone’s wrongs, and whatever else. It seems impossible right?

Well, it is! Except all things are possible with God, so it’s not… what it IS is confusing.

Let me just tell you this, God will NEVER, NEVER EVER EVER, ask you to do something and not help you get there. God does not have a God complex, He isn’t giving you impossible tasks just to flex that He can do them and you can’t. He wants to help you, to guide your hands and your feet into place as the hands and feet of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is the power of God on the inside of us (Acts 1:8) both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). God wants you to love like this, and not only that, He gives you the ABILITY to love like this.

The Holy Spirit is not some spook, He is not a mystical little mist, with pixies and fairies, He is the Third Person in the Trinitarian God we serve. Jesus tells us that it is actually BETTER for us that He leaves in John 16:7 because He will send us the Holy Spirit. Why is it better? Because the Holy Spirit molds us into people more like Jesus, into His Hands, and His Feet. Jesus doesn’t have a God complex either, he did not consider equality with God worth grasping but instead He humbled Himself. He was one man on earth, but now that we have the Holy Spirit, God can make an impact anywhere there is a Disciple of Jesus.

So how do we love the way that Paul described? We pray. Which requires an actual prayer life HELLO. We pray for ourselves, to be the light of the world, to be given a heart after God’s, to reconcile differences, to forgive quickly and completely, to tell the truth with gentleness and respect. And then, with faith that we have received the ability, we do all of those things without expecting anything in return.

We pray for others, and thank God for His wonderful creation in them, we pray that their hearts might be soft, to not only receive love but to ask why its being given so freely, that they can have someone in their life who shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.

We pray for the spread of This Gospel. in a nutshell, the Gospel is that Jesus became a man, came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died a sacrificial death by nailing your sin to the cross. You could be the best public speaker or poet in the world. You could preach that left and right and up and down until hell freezes over and someone won’t see the perfection of that wonderful paragraph. The only way that someone will receive that, is if God softens their heart and the message is coming from someone they can tell really loves them.

So when we pray that the Gospel would spread, and that some of that spread might come through us, we aren’t praying for information for someone to know, we are praying that through our love someone’s heart might be changed forever.

Back to “Why?”.

Because He is worthy of everything you could ever offer Him. He is Holy. He is beautiful. He is Merciful. He is Gracious. He is Good. He is Worthy.

We love everyone, we spread this Gospel, we pray for others, we rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn, because Jesus is worthy. We check our nervousness and discomfort at the door because by His wounds we are healed.

Is this hard? Yes, of course it is. But Hebrews 4:16 says this-

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

So draw near. Scripture says to draw near to Him and He will draw near to you, so go to His throne. Cozy up next to Him, let Him help you. Step out of your comfort zone for Him, and don’t be afraid, He is there.

You want to see God move in your life, invite Him into more parts of it. Include Him. So you want another reason for why you should be vocal in your love? To see God move through you. There is no greater honor, and no greater joy than that.

Altar/Prayer

For some of you, all of this might seem so out of reach because you are disconnected from Jesus. Maybe your faith has never been your own