Why the Church Matters: Hearts

Alice / Mike Condolences to his family. Sat with him a couples hours and knew he loved the lord

Theme: The Church exists to love people into wholeness through Jesus.

Scripture: Acts 20:28

Big Idea: People need more than truth, they need love. The Church is where broken hearts are restored, relationships are mended, and people experience God's grace.

Aim: To call ECC to embody the biblical love of Christ, sacrificial, patient, and Spirit-filled, and to challenge us to walk in that love toward “our one.”

Series Tie-In: We exist to love them, not with shallow words, but with sacrificial, Spirit-filled compassion. The Church isn’t just a place of preaching the truth, but healing through love.

When Jesus walked with His disciples, He didn’t hide from them what following Him would mean. In John 16:33 He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

This past week, our nation was shaken when Charlie Kirk was assassinated for speaking truth and encouraging conversation. It is a reminder that Jesus’ words are still true. Following Him will bring trials. Standing for truth will bring opposition. But those trials don’t stop our mission, they sharpen it and bring it into focus.

Let’s have a moment of silence and then prayer for the Kirk family.

The call on the Church is not just to declare truth but to live out the love of Jesus.

People may silence voices, they may try to stop the message, but the Gospel cannot be stopped because it is carried on the shoulders of love. Love will not be overcome by evil.

That’s why we exist as a church. Not to win arguments. Not to retreat in fear. But to bring people to Jesus because of the love we have received and the love we now carry for others.

And that’s what today’s message is about: the Church exists to love people into wholeness through Jesus.

The problem is, if we don’t define love the way God defines it, we’ll end up with a shallow version that doesn’t change anything. The love the Bible talks about isn’t cheap or casual. It’s costly. It’s steady. It’s the kind of love Jesus shed His blood for.

I have one main verse to share with you today:

Acts 20:28 NLT

28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.

Let’s zoom out and see what’s happening here in this scripture.

Paul is in Miletus (my leet us), calling for the elders of the church from nearby Ephesus to come meet him. He knows this is the last time he’ll ever see them.

Think about that: these are people he discipled, prayed over, shed tears with, and broke bread with hundreds of times. He loves them deeply, and now he’s giving his farewell message.

In Acts 20, Paul reminds them of his own example:

He served the Lord with humility and tears.

He never hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful.

He taught both publicly and from house to house.

He testified to everyone about repentance and faith in Jesus.

Then he tells them that the Holy Spirit has warned him that prison and hardship are ahead, but he’s still going to finish the race God gave him. And after pouring out his heart, he looks these leaders in the eye and says:

“Watch over yourselves and all the people of God. Remember, because of His love, Jesus purchased the church with His own blood.”

This isn’t just Paul giving them leadership tips. This is a dying man’s last wish. It’s weighty. It’s urgent.

Why does this matter for us today? Because the same Spirit who made them overseers has placed us in this generation. The same blood that purchased them purchased us. And the same call to shepherd, to care, to love sacrificially, still rests on the Church right now.

If Paul were standing here today, I think he’d say:

“Church, keep watch over yourselves…don’t let your own hearts grow cold.”

“Church, shepherd one another…carry each other’s burdens, love with Christ’s love.”

“Church, remember this church was bought with blood…never treat people like they’re cheap.”

In other words, Acts 20:28 isn’t just history. It’s our marching orders.

The church belongs to God. He purchased it with His own blood.

That means every single person here is valuable beyond measure.

And Paul’s command is protect, care for, guide, and love.

The Church is not just a crowd of people listening to sermons. We are a people who have been purchased by Jesus’ blood. That’s how precious people are to God.

Love is More…Than Words

If we’re going to live out his instructions, to me we need to start with Love, but we need to know what real love is. And the Bible defines it for us.

1 Corinthians 13 says love is patient and kind. It does not envy or boast. It is not proud or rude. It keeps no record of wrongs. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

John 15:13 says, Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Romans 5:8 says, God demonstrates His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That’s love. Not words. Not feelings. Not convenience. Love is costly, steady, and sacrificial.

What This Looks Like Today

So how do we live this out in 2025?

Patience: with your kids when they push every button you have.

Kindness: with coworkers who gossip about you.

Forgiveness: with family who’ve hurt you.

Endurance: when it feels easier to walk away than stay committed.

See, the world says love is about how someone makes you feel. God says love is about what you give.

I can remember a conversation I had with a much more experienced Pastor. I told him about all the reasons why I didn’t deserve to be a Pastor. All my mistakes were frustrating myself and others for sure. Basically, I asked the question, can God still use me even though I am a failure.

I expected words of wisdom and some insight that would give me directions on how to become the person I wanted to me. But instead, he said, “Shannon, you’re still learning. I believe in you. Keep going. I’m proud of you”

That moment taught me something I’ll never forget: truth may correct us, but love restores us. If that person had come at me with only truth, I might have given up. But because they spoke truth in love, it gave me courage to grow.

That’s the kind of love the Church must embody. The kind that doesn’t excuse sin but also doesn’t crush people under the weight of it. The kind that builds people up and heals broken hearts.

Remember this today:

Taxes Collectors are the Worst…Maybe?

Remember Jesus and Zacchaeus in Luke 19?

Zacchaeus was a tax collector, despised by his neighbors, wealthy but empty. When Jesus came through Jericho, Zacchaeus climbed a tree just to catch a glimpse.

Jesus could have shouted truth at him from the street: “Zacchaeus, you’re a sinner, you’ve cheated people, and you need to repent!” That would have been true, but it wouldn’t have changed his heart.

Instead, Jesus stopped, looked up, and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

That was love. That was personal. Because of the Love of Jesus, Zacchaeus’ life was transformed. That story ended with his response to Jesus, he said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Do you see it? Love opened the door for truth. Truth + Love brought wholeness. Zacchaeus didn’t just hear a sermon, he experienced a Savior who loved him.

That’s our model. That’s what people need from us.

Imagine a shepherd who sees a sheep with a broken leg and just shouts truth at it: “You should’ve stayed with the flock! Don’t wander off again!” That doesn’t heal anything.

What does the shepherd do? He binds up the wound. He carries the sheep until it can walk again. He sacrifices comfort for the sake of the hurting one.

That’s what the Church is called to be. People don’t just need to hear the truth. They need to feel the love of Christ that restores their brokenness.

Truth Without Love…Ignored

Last week we talked about reaching the harvest with truth. But truth without love is ignored. Love is what opens the heart so truth can take root.

Think of your “one.” You wrote their name down last Sunday and placed it in the harvest basket. That wasn’t just an exercise. That was the beginning of a calling.

Now the question is: how will you walk in love toward them this week?

Will you be patient when they resist?

Will you show kindness when they don’t deserve it?

Will you serve them even when it costs you time or energy?

That’s what will make the difference.

Truth + Love = Transformation

Here’s what I want to ask you to do: I hope you still have your index card with the name on it…if not, I want you to get another one, write your “one” on the card, pull it out every day and when you pray, also ask, Lord, show me how to walk in love toward them.

Then write those things on the card.

The harvest basket is still here, filled with the names you’ve written. But it’s not just about praying they hear the Gospel. It’s about asking God to make us a church marked by love, so that when they see us, they see Jesus.

Repeat after me:

Jesus, You purchased us with Your blood.

We will shepherd people with Your kind of love.

We say yes to being a church marked by love.

Use us to love people into wholeness.