Four Levels Of Relationship And Love
The practical side of love is the most important. Emotions are wonderful and I am glad God created them.
1 Corinthians 13: 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails…
Love is enjoyed in the good times and most important in the dificult times.
How easily we give words of love and commitment when the emotions are flying high?
Phil 2:25-30
But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honour men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
Philemon 1:23 Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings.
1) Brother: (marriage)
a) What does it cost you to be a brother in Christ? Let me put it this way what did it cost you to have brothers and sisters?
b) It may have cost you your place of being the center if you were the first born, it may have meant you had to learn to share. It costs us learning not to be selfish. That is it!
c) To start a commitment is easy, to keep it in the difficult times is where we learn and grow.
2) Fellow-worker: (marriage)
a) companion in labour, helper, labourer together with, workfellow. Here we begin to see division in the body of christ. When the work begins. There is a practical side of christianity, not just a spiritual one.
b) Learning to accept and team with the differences, weaknesses and strengths of others.
Philippians 4: 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Matthew 18: 18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
3) fellow-soldier:
a) an associate in labors and conflicts for the cause of Christ.
b) We seem to always find enough people that are ready to fight, but they seem to be fighting against you instead of by your side.
c) Hardship is unavoidable, but we have to go through this too as a good soldier.(2Tim 2,1-4)
d) Defending the person, even when they are wrong, because of love.
e) Lets learn to do to others what we would want them to do to us.
4) fellow-prisoner:
a) one who is willing to be a prisoner of war with you. When the battle really gets rough, he will stay with you and serve even in captivity. They are even willing to serve till the death.
b) A total commitment, no matter what.
How do we remain faithful to one another?
· Be the first to Love with Unconditional love, freely we receive, freely we give. (Love puts you in the shoes of others so that we can have compassion.)
· God’s faithfulness to us is not based on our goodness, but his!
· Understand the circle of Priorities
Absolutes: Unchanging truth
Interpretations: What we understand when we read a passage of scripture
Deductions: conclusions from more passages of Scripture
Personal, feeling, opinions: i.e. service length, church buildings, ties or not, which translation is from God, etc...
· With God?
· In the Church
· In our personal relationships
Abs: Love God and Love one another,
Inter: Our understanding of Life
Deduct: New things that we learn
P.F.O.: our likes and dislikes
· Avoid the sin of Familiarity
· Welcome him in the Lord
· honor men like him
· Leadership – Leadership are just people but from God ordained people
· Friends – are just people but loved by God too and receivers of God’s grace and mercy.
· Husband or wife – you know the most – see from God’s eyes.