Together We Experience Love

OPENING

JOKE: A friend of mine was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the Pastor was standing at the door, as  always , to shake hands with the worshipers. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside. The Pastor said to him, “You need to join the army of the Lord.” My friend replied, “I’m already in the army of the Lord, Pastor.”So the Pastor inquired, “Then how come I only see you  at Christmas and at Easter?” My friend whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.”

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Good morning and welcome to Agape

We’re very happy to have you with us as we continue our series and celebration of Back to Church Sunday

The theme we’re exploring these four weeks is “Together” as we draw lessons from the letter of Paul to the believers in Ephesus

As we start out, I’d like to play a little word game

Some things just go “together”, need proof?

I am going to say a word, and I want you to say the first word that pops into your head. You can just call it out!

Salt and … (Pepper)

Peanut butter and… (Jelly)

Batman and… (Robin)

Adam and … (Eve)

Hide and … (Seek)

Pros and … (Cons)

Jack and… (Jill)

We could go on all day, demonstrating the power of things that became so closely associated together that they are inseparable

Now, what do people think of when they heard the word “church”?

You may have a word in your mind, but it’s not likely the same for everyone

There’s nothing inseparable association, it depends on your church experience

The association could be negative, positive or anywhere in between

But what if the word that automatically came to mind with church is love?

Our

I want to challenge us as a church to consider what it would take to build an inseparable link between church and love so that when the world hears the word church, their immediate association is love.

Besides, the name of our church is Agape… and it corresponds to the highest form of love. Unconditional Love. Charity. God’s Love for Man and Man for God.

That’s a tough challenge, so how do we get there

I want to challenge us as a church to consider what it would take to build an inseparable link between church and love so that when the world hears the word church, their immediate association is love.

Perhaps the first step is that we, together as the church, must experience love.

Last week our focus was on Paul’s message that Together We Find Peace. Today we’ll explore this concept: Together We Experience Love.

Paul, in his letter to the church at Ephesus, addressed this same topic of how as believers we can experience love.

If you weren’t with us last week for the Back to Church Sunday, we talked a little about the church in Ephesus

For a quick recap, this group of believers faced challenges not unlike the ones the church faces today.

They were a group of people living in a fast-paced city, surrounded by powerful religions and various philosophies.

For a quick recap, this group of believers faced challenges not unlike the ones the church faces today. They were a group of people living in a fast-paced city, surrounded by powerful religions and various philosophies. They were a diverse, multicultural group themselves, trying to figure out how to interweave their lives and live out their faith in Jesus.

They were a diverse, multicultural group themselves, trying to figure out how to interweave their lives and live out their faith in Jesus.

And in light of those challenges, Paul emphasizes over and over again the importance of togetherness in understanding the gospel story of Jesus—

The story and redemptive work of God to bring us together with Himself—and how that story impacts our lives personally and changes the world.

This wasn’t an easy topic for the believers. But they read and discussed Paul’s words together; they studied and wrestled with his teachings together.

Like the believers in the early church at Ephesus, we as a church have committed to journeying together.

Like the believers in the early church at Ephesus, we as a church have committed to journeying together. As we study and explore the ideas Paul presents, it’s because we want to understand and to renew our commitment as a church to be a welcoming community of love and peace and grace and impact. It’s because we’re on this journey together, encouraging and supporting each other, walking together to discover the greater purpose and calling of God in our lives, as individuals and as a collective church body. The church by its very nature is a place where we live and learn and worship and grow and make an impact in our world—together.

As we study and explore the ideas Paul presents, it’s because we want to understand and to renew our commitment as a church to be a welcoming community of love and peace and grace and impact.

It’s because we’re on this journey together, encouraging and supporting each other, walking together to discover the greater purpose and calling of God in our lives, as individuals and as a collective church body.

The church by its very nature is a place where we live and learn and worship and grow and make an impact in our world—together.

That’s part of the beauty of the book of Ephesians. In the first half of the book, you’ll remember, Paul primarily deals with God’s redemptive plan throughout history. It is God bringing humans together with Himself. This was His master plan. And by coming to be one with humanity—to be together with humanity—Christ changed everything by fulfilling that plan. As a result, together we can experience His presence in amazing ways. Together we can experience peace as the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who is our peace. And as we’ll explore today, together we can experience the love of God in relationship, personally with Himself and with other believers.

That’s part of the beauty of the book of Ephesians.

In the first half of the book, you’ll remember, Paul primarily deals with God’s redemptive plan throughout history.

It is God bringing humans together with Himself. This was His master plan.

And by coming to be one with humanity—to be together with humanity—Christ changed everything by fulfilling that plan.

As a result, together we can experience His presence in amazing ways.

Together we can experience peace as the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who is our peace.

And as we explore today, together we can experience the love of God in relationship, personally with Himself and with other believers.

We Experience God’s Love Together

We Experience God’s Love Together

From the moment you put your faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit fills you with the love of God

Romans 5:5 NIV

5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

And the Holy Spirit enable us, christians to live with one another in love

Ephesians 4:2–3 NIV

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:2-3

As Paul wraps up his description of God’s gospel work through all time, bringing God and man together, bringing Jew and Gentile—all people—together,

He culminates in the verses that will be our main text for today...

TEXT: Together We Can Experience Love

Ephesians 3:16–19 NIV

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Wow, what a love! What great imagery Paul uses here to convey God’s vast, limitless love.

Wow, what a love! What great imagery Paul uses here to convey God’s vast, limitless love. Since we’re playing word association today, let’s do a little more here. Wider than ______________? The ocean? The universe? No matter what the widest thing you can think of, God’s love is wider. Longer than ______________? Time? History? The line at the DMV? God’s love is most definitely longer than the line at the DMV—and all of eternity. Higher than ______________? The highest mountain? The moon up above? Deeper than ______________? The deepest sea?

Since we’re playing word association today, let’s do a little more here.

Wider than ______________? The ocean? The universe? No matter what the widest thing you can think of, God’s love is wider.

Longer than ______________? Time? History? The line at the DMV? God’s love is most definitely longer than the line at the DMV—and all of eternity.

No matter what the widest thing you can think of, God’s love is wider. Longer than ______________? Time? History? The line at the DMV? God’s love is most definitely longer than the line at the DMV—and all of eternity. Higher than ______________? The highest mountain? The moon up above? Deeper than ______________? The deepest sea?

Higher than ______________? The highest mountain? The moon up above?

Deeper than ______________? The deepest sea?

It doesn’t matter what you fill in the blanks or answer, God’s love is wider, longer, higher, deeper. It is eternally vast and powerful, and, as Paul says, it surpasses knowledge. That’s a Bible writer’s way of saying it blows your mind. And this is the love we can experience and model together in the church.

It doesn’t matter what you fill in the blanks or answer,

God’s love is wider, longer, higher, deeper.

It is eternally vast and powerful, and, as Paul says, it surpasses knowledge.

That’s a Bible writer’s way of saying it blows your mind.

And this is the love we can experience and model together in the church.

You see, the thing about love is it’s relational. It is meant to be shared. It is meant to be experienced together.

You see, the thing about love is it’s relational.

It is meant to be shared. It is meant to be experienced together.

It is together that our ability to grasp God’s love deepens. And together is a reflection of God’s relationship with us. God dwells with His people, and so His love is present when we come together. As we gather, we experience His love in tangible ways. We find support, belonging, acceptance, encouragement, and strength from others. We see love in other people’s lives when it can be cloudy in our own. Coming to church isn’t about coming to a building or even a group. It’s about coming together into the shared expression and transformative experience of God’s love

It is together that our ability to grasp God’s love deepens.

It is together that our ability to grasp God’s love deepens. And together is a reflection of God’s relationship with us. God dwells with His people, and so His love is present when we come together. As we gather, we experience His love in tangible ways. We find support, belonging, acceptance, encouragement, and strength from others. We see love in other people’s lives when it can be cloudy in our own. Coming to church isn’t about coming to a building or even a group. It’s about coming together into the shared expression and transformative experience of God’s love

And together is a reflection of God’s relationship with us.

God dwells with His people, and so His love is present when we come together.

As we gather, we experience His love in tangible ways.

We find support, belonging, acceptance, encouragement, and strength from others.

We see love in other people’s lives when it can be cloudy in our own.

Coming to church isn’t about coming to a building or even a group.

It’s about coming together into the shared expression and transformative experience of God’s love

Love Is God’s Plan

If all we do is show up here once, maybe twice, a week, walk in, sing a few songs, smile and nod and shake a few hands or share a few hugs, then walk back out into our lives like nothing is different, then we’ve missed the point.

We might as well drop in at the country club or the local bar, for that matter.

If all we do is show up here once, maybe twice, a week, walk in, sing a few songs, smile and nod and shake a few hands or share a few hugs, then walk back out into our lives like nothing is different, then we’ve missed the point. We might as well drop in at the country club or the PTO meeting, or the local bar, for that matter.

But instead, if we gather here together with expectation, openness, and grace to let down our guard before God and other people, then we’re getting somewhere.

But instead, if we gather here together with expectation, openness, and grace to let down our guard before God and other people, then we’re getting somewhere. If we’re willing to humbly recognize our need for help, for forgiveness, for strength, for a deeper kind of life, then we’re reaching a vulnerability that allows us to be known and to know God and others authentically. And if we’re willing to acknowledge our own needs and weaknesses, then we’re able to receive support and encouragement when we need it—and to offer acceptance and help to others when they need it. And in all these things, we are then experiencing the transformative power of God’s love in our individual lives and as a church body.

If we’re willing to humbly recognize our need for help, for forgiveness, for strength, for a deeper kind of life, then we’re reaching a vulnerability that allows us to be known and to know God and others authentically.

And if we’re willing to acknowledge our own needs and weaknesses, then we’re able to receive support and encouragement when we need it—and to offer acceptance and help to others when they need it.

And in all these things, we are then experiencing the transformative power of God’s love in our individual lives and as a church body.

We are tapping into the very nature of God. tells us that God is love:

We are tapping into the very nature of God. tells us that God is love

1 John 4:7–8 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.

God doesn’t just have love or show love, He IS love.

God doesn’t just have love or show love, He IS love. God and His nature cannot be separated. To be in relationship with God through Jesus is to be in relationship with love itself.

God and His nature cannot be separated.

To be in relationship with God through Jesus is to be in relationship with love itself.

And all of history from creation to revelation was born from and is being shaped by that love. Love has driven the creation of the world and God’s relationship with humanity. Love has fueled His care for His people through the churn and grind of a world broken by sin and enslaved by death. And love has fueled the way of salvation and redemption in the form of Jesus, God With Us, who chose to become one of us and suffer as one of us and sacrificially take the place of all of us so that we all can be restored completely in God’s endless love. Love is not a side note. It is God’s nature and His plan for the world. It is His way for His followers and the lifestyle that should define us.

And all of history from creation to revelation was born from and is being shaped by that love.

Love has driven the creation of the world and God’s relationship with humanity.

Love has fueled His care for His people through the grind of a world broken by sin and enslaved by death.

And love has fueled the way of salvation and redemption in the form of Jesus, God With Us, who chose to become one of us and suffer as one of us and sacrificially take the place of all of us so that we all can be restored completely in God’s endless love.

Love is not a side note.

It is God’s nature and His plan for the world.

It is His way for His followers and the lifestyle that should define us.

Jesus said it best:

John 13:35 NIV

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Not by buildings or our hard work or our success or our happiness or even our acts of service to help others.

But by our love. We are to be recognized and known by love.

Love Binds Us Together as One

It may seem obvious, but it’s important to realize that love can’t be experienced alone.

It may seem obvious, but it’s important to realize that love can’t be experienced alone. Love is something that by definition is given and shared. Jesus knew that, and in , He prayed that His followers would experience the same kind of oneness that He and the Father had: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

Love is something that by definition is given and shared.

Jesus knew that, and in , He prayed that His followers would experience the same kind of oneness that He and the Father had:

John 17:20–21 NIV

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

That’s a kind of unity that is difficult for us to grasp.

Even in our closest relationships, one-ness is elusive.

We live in a world of connection, but you’ve seen the research and reports that remind us over and over that we feel more and more alone.

Technology has increased our ability to connect, but it has decreased the depth and authenticity of connection in a way that leaves us feeling isolated.

And if we’re honest, it’s not just the world of technology that is to blame.

How many people go to work, family events, and even to church but never feel connected?

We can be physically together but lack true connection and community.

That’s in stark contrast to the love Jesus desires for believers. The love between Jesus and His Father is love without separation, without boundaries, without end. And while we often don’t even come close to that kind of love, experiencing it is the reason we come back to church. It is the reason God calls us to be together.

That’s in contrast to the love Jesus desires for believers.

The love between Jesus and His Father is love without separation, without boundaries, without end.

And while we often don’t even come close to that kind of love, experiencing it is the reason we come back to church.

It is the reason God calls us to be together.

So that leads us back to the question I posed at the beginning of our time together today. How can we create an inseparable association between church and love? What does that look like here among ourselves and to the rest of our community and world outside? How do we experience love together, and how do we spread that love beyond ourselves?

So that leads us back to the question I posed at the beginning of our time together today.

How can we create an inseparable association between church and love?

What does that look like here among ourselves and to the rest of our community and world outside?

How do we experience love together, and how do we spread that love beyond ourselves?

There is no single right answer, but as we come together in small groups and as a whole church body, I hope this question keeps returning to our conversations and our plans. And for today I’d like to suggest three ways that can serve as starting points for us as we experience God’s love together and live out love all around us. They are three Cs, and whether you are new to our church body or have been here for years, these can be doors to relationship and impact.

There is no single right answer, but as we come together in small groups and as a whole church body, I hope this question keeps returning to our conversations and our plans.

And for today I’d like to suggest three ways that can serve as starting points for us as we experience God’s love together and live out love all around us.

They are three C’s, and whether you are new to our church body or have been here for years, these can be doors to relationship and impact.

I WILL REMAIN CONNECTED TO THE CHURCH

Where are you plugged in? Where would you like to be?

As a church, we can be good at offering opportunities to meet together for various reasons.

We offer small groups, study groups, classes, family outings, and more.

Relationship is always a goal, but we all must take the first step.

Let me encourage and challenge all of us: If you’re just filling a chair on Sunday morning, plug in, try a class, show up, join a small group

I’m confident that you will find a place of belonging, growth, service, and common purpose.

If you are already involved in some way, let me encourage and challenge you to look around, open yourself up, and reach out to those who are seeking their place.

Let’s all look for ways to better love each other and to share that love beyond ourselves.

[NOTE: Mention any specific groups or ministries that are particularly applicable for your church.]

Ephesians 4:16 NIV

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

I WILL COMFORT THOSE WHO ARE IN TROUBLE/NEED

There’s no doubt we could go around this room and hear from every single one of us stories of pain, struggle, and heartache.

This life isn’t easy, and we all pass through seasons of greater difficulty and need.

In the normal rough and tumble of life and in times of greater need, we need each other.

As a church, we want to be there for each other, whether it’s the shoulder to cry on.

Visiting and praying for the sick.

[NOTE: Fill in and mention some applicable examples of ministries at your church.]

We are on this journey and in this life together.

Love binds us together and gives us opportunities to care for each other in times of need.

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

I WILL COLLABORATE TOWARDS THE PURPOSE OF OUR CHURCH

Our third C is collaboration.

It is working together toward a purpose.

From meeting others’ needs like we just mentioned, to harnessing our skills and abilities toward a common goal, we have the ability and opportunity to serve and to make a real difference in others’ lives.

This often begins in our small groups and ministry efforts.

It might be focused around a shared interest like music or art, a shared experience like a conference or mission trip, or a common project like cleaning up a neighborhood park or serving the homeless, or visiting the prisoners in jail

In collaboration, we are greater than the sum of our parts. Remember the Lego?

We are able to find fulfillment in the expression of our God-given gifts and talents—and in doing so, we are able to worship through the expression of the people God has made us.

Romans 12:4–6 NIV

4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;

CLOSING:

Whatever place or way you choose to plug in, it is love that guides and unifies us in our efforts.

Whatever place or way you choose to plug in, it is love that guides and unifies us and our efforts. And it is Christ living in us that allows His love to grow in and flow through us. It has always been God’s plan for His people to experience love and to be bound together in love. We cannot underestimate the importance of love both within the church and in our interactions with the world around us. In another of Paul’s letters to the early believers, he wrote, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (). Let’s carry that thought with us as we leave this place, and may we as a church always be known by our love.

And it is Christ living in us that allows His love to grow in and flow through us.

It has always been God’s plan for His people to experience love and to be bound together in love.

We cannot underestimate the importance of love both within the church and in our interactions with the world around us.

In another of Paul’s letters to the early believers, he wrote,

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Let the Lord’s love awakens us today

Let His love crash those walls down

Let His love break those chains apart

For His love is greater, His love is stronger

Strong enough that it should awaken us today!