Love and Growth in Spirit

Last 3 weeks - Discipleship

Great Commission . In Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

How would you know a disciple - By their Fruits.

What Fruits does a disciple tree bear?

2 Peter 1:5–6 NKJV

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

Faith

Virtue

Knowledge

Self Control

Perserverance

Godliness.

Today, we complete the list

2 Peter 1:7–8 NKJV

to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The CEV makes verse 7 so much clearer when it says.

2 Peter 1:7 CEV

concern for others, and love.

One of the characteristics of the ideal disciple is Concern for others. Brotherly Love, affection for your neighbour

Yesterday I was driving to my Niece’s birtyda party. On the way there I saw Raslow Private Hospital. The sing on the hospital as with all hospitals was a red cross. This reminded me of something.

The Red Cross

Have you ever wondered why the logo for a hospital or clinic is a red cross.

You see, until the Christian era, there was no such thing as a public hospital.

Give history of hospitals.

But, In 313AD, Constantine makes Christianity legal in the Roman Empire and a few years later Basil of Ceasarea est the first public hospital.

Why, Because it is a mark of a christian disciple to have concern and care for your neighbours.

Not for money,

not for fame

not for political reasons,

but because Christ Commanded that we should have brotherly love for our neighbour, and concern for others, we loved them and cared for them on a physical level.

Profoundness of Concern for others.

The early christians opened hospitals and care facilities in Roman and Greek Societies, shortly after Christianity became legal. Why si this profound, because a few years before:

Christians were killed for being christian

Christians were killed for not worshiping Pagan Gods

Christians were accused on canabalism and killed for it. because we consume the body and blood of Jesus.

Christians were killed for incest because they though we were marrying our brothers and sisters.

They put us to death in the most horrific ways and what do the christians do once they get some rights and power?

Were they angry. of course

Did they hate, certainly.

Did they want to kill them all? Most definetely.

But what did the DO?

They had Virtue and Self Control and Godliness.

To this, they added love and concern for the very people that oppressed and persecuted them.

Instead of getting vengeance, they remembered what Jesus said when he was hurt (Forgive them father).

Instead harming them physically, They opened public clinics and hospitals (branded with this cross) to heal them physically.

Instead of Choosing Vengeance and Violence, they chose brotherly love and affection.

These days

Someone says something mean about you on facebook and you wish for your death.

someone holds an opinion that you dont agree with them and you want to ruin their life?

Is that love, is that affection and concern for your fellow man? NO.

If your own brother hurts you , you would seek justice, not vengeance, because you love him.

If your brother does something wrong, you may seek to discipline and correst, not to destroy and curse.

If you brother has been evil to you and you see him in pain, do you ignore and let him suffer or do you help and heal so we can fight another day?

How much better would this world be if you loved each other like you love your brother. Hence, Peter reminds us to do exactly that.

brotherly love is not normal. But it is exemplary

1 Peter 2:11–12 NKJV

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Peter reminds us in this second letter of what he said in this first:

That even thought the non belivers do not agree with you, they cannot deny that you are good people.

Can you imaging the transformatory experience if you were a roman who persecuted and killed Christians before and, one day your mother gets sick and you need to go to a Christian clinic?

Your normal reaction would be , mom its best you stay at home, because If I was a christian I would seek vengeance and kill you.

But, you go there and you see nothing but love and care for your evil mother. She is treated well and gets better, and they never said a mumblin word.

What effect would that experience have one your soul as a non believer.

The human response is vengeansce and violence but you get love and care? What does that tell you. It tells you that this is not a human response. There is something else involved here.

Something inside this person is so powerful that the inner me is stronger than my ene-my. Whatever it is, i want it. Whatever they are, I want to become. And in that moment, having never said a mumblin word, you have made a disciple of Christ.

Do you see the power of love for your neighbour? Love for your neighbour is a powerful act of evangelism.

It shows that

me helping you, is not a normal human action,

me, helping you, is from a source that is divine.

that source is stronger than fear, hate, or suffering.

Whatever it is, your life and you as a person would be better with it.

Apostle John does not mince his words when he says.

1 John 4:20 NKJV

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Therefore, add to you Godliness, brotherly love.

Add LOVE as the Crown of the Ladder of Faith - AGAPE

In Greek, we have 3 words for Love: Philia, Eros, and Agape.

In friendship (philia) the partners seek mutual solace; in sexual love (erōs) mutual satisfaction. In both cases these feelings are aroused because of what the loved one is. With agapē it is the reverse.

God’s agapē is evoked not by what we are, but by what he is. It has its origin in the agent, not in the object. It is not that we are lovable, but that he is love.

You see, brotherly love is to love them because they are your brother, because they are fellow christian, because they are human, because you want to show them God’s love. You love them for something they are to they do. But, Agape is not triggerent or contingent upon them, It is something that just oozes out of you.

God did it for us in John 3:16 and the First Epistle of John 3:16

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1 John 3:16 NKJV

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Brotherly love is already so profound. This is Agape and I cant even put it is words except to say that Brotherly love is a verb or Romantic love is a Verb, it is something you do. But Agape is something you are.

2 Peter 1:8 NKJV

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If this is your lifestyle, and these things grow in you, the fruit that you bear, your conduct and words will show that you have Jesus inside you.

2 Peter 1:5–8 NKJV

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen