An Altogether Love

An Altogether Love John 13:35 So many people seemed to be worried about how they look on the outside. They want to drive certain vehicles, have a certain job position, live a certain way, and worry about what to wear. Many people have a favorite brand of clothes, and they look for those designer trademarks when they go shopping. You can tell if it's a Tommy Hilfiger, Wrangler, Levi's, or Ralph Lauren by its trademark. Likewise, people who hold a certain kind of office can be identified by what they wear. You can recognize a police officer, a judge, a firefighter, or a doctor by their attire. Instead of clothes, God has given us irrefutable evidence that identifies that we are close to God. It's a spiritual test that measures your own spiritual growth. In fact, it's such an incredible trademark of God that He said it would be the major declaration of your faith. In today's Scripture, Jesus puts it this way, "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." People will know you're a Christian "if you love one another." That two-letter word "if" is a big word. "If you love one another." "If" implies an action, not just a feeling. So, "If" we are to actively love, we need to know what exactly Jesus meant when He said "love?" Because the world today is awfully confused about what love means. All you ever hear today is "love is love." But that doesn't help. It doesn't define anything. It's like trying to explain what an elephant looks like to a person born blind by saying, "An elephant is an elephant." I also love pizza, my children, and my wife. But you would call me names and label me as sexiest, crazy, or intolerant if I said and acted like I love pizza as much as I do my wife and my children. And anyone who loves a child as they do their spouse is considered a pedophile. It's clear that, no, "love is not love." So what does Jesus mean when He uses the word "love?" And how are we to live "If" we are to "love one another?" Well, during Jesus' time, people knew that love wasn't love. That's why there are 4 words used for love in Greek. Storge is parental love. Phileo is brotherly love. Eros is where we get the word erotica and means romantic love. These are all almost types of love because they're an end in themselves. If you're a parent, you can have An Altogether Love for your children, which is Storge love, but you're leaving out your spouse, which is Eros love. You can have An Altogether Love for your spouse, a Eros love, but you're leaving out your siblings, parents, and friends, which is Phileo love. Jesus knew this. That's why the word He uses for "love" is the word Agape, which means a self-sacrificial and unconditional GOD type of love. Agape is An Altogether Love because it includes all the other words for love while still recognizing their differences. Jesus is saying He wants you to have Agape love for your Storge or parental love. He wants you to show Agape love in your Phileo or brotherly love. Agape is God's love, but God's love is not without justice because love without justice is not love but cruelty. Perfect love demands perfect justice. We all want to see justice done because without justice then everything becomes permissible. And if everything is permissible, then there is nothing to truly love. But sadly, that's where the world is headed, where everything is becoming permissible under the disguise of "love is love." Far too often, people are settling for an "almost love" instead of the real thing. People seem content with simply shining a pale beam of light that leaves plenty of room for shadows and dark corners instead of shining so brightly that it casts out the shadows and illuminates the corners. An "almost love" is a love that only welcomes those parts of people that are desirable or easy to get along with. But An Altogether Love - an evil-conquering kind of love - welcomes and honors the whole person while still upholding justice. When Jesus, who is Immanuel, God in the flesh, said, "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another," that little word "If" means those who call themselves Christ's disciples, what we call Christians, should love and live as Jesus did. That means love is defined according to God, not according to us. The Bible defines what love is and what sin is. So to live as a disciple of Christ is to uphold what the Bible says without trying to make God's Word say something it doesn't. Upholding God's Word without changing it and saying something isn't sin when the Bible says it is a sin, is An Altogether Love. This means that An Altogether Love is countercultural and cross-cultural because when Jesus says, "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another," to "love one another" doesn't just mean you love other Bible-believing Christians; it means you love, as Jesus said, your neighbor, who is everyone (Mathew 22:36-40)! That little two-letter word "if" has big complications because it's an action word. It means you love those who won't love you back. It means you love the sinner and the saint. It means you love those of other religions and opinions. It means you love the LBGTQ community. It means you love that person who has wronged you. What "love one another" doesn't mean is that you have to agree with them. You don't have to agree with those who live their lives differently from yours, but you are called to love them. Not to hate, badmouth, bash, make fun of, or hurt them, but love them. "Love one another" means you don't judge others; it means you speak the truth in love by telling people about the grace and salvation in Jesus Christ, then allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work. In a world where "love one another" is highly desired but considered hate speech in Christian communities, obviously something has happened in the Christian's and the world's understanding of what "love one another" means. An "almost love" is to talk about love in a hateful way by keeping people who are different from you outside of your inner circle. It's using the Bible as a smokescreen to condemn others when the only One worthy to judge is God Himself. "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples," when you reflect Christ's light through your words and actions. It's living like Christ and remembering that even Jesus sat and ate with sinners. Jesus didn't hide God's Word or feel ashamed of His testimony, but taught the truth in love through word and deed. But let's face the facts. It can be dangerous, and you might even be hesitant in allowing your entire self to be known and shown to the world because there is always that fear in the back of our minds that if somebody really knew the entire you, they wouldn't like you and you wouldn't be lovable anymore. And in that fear, you try your best to conform to the world's standards, even if in the back of your mind or in sacred spaces, like a church or around your friends and family, those people who are like-minded, you disagree with the world's ideals. Just look at the online culture in places such as Facebook. Scroll through Facebook, and you'll see people's pages filled with their best moments. Their "best" selves are presented, and even without realizing it, that's the image presented to the world for everyone to see. But even if you push the limits of online life and share a post about something that's troubling you or a hurt you're experiencing, while it's still an honest post, it's still a picture that only reveals your surface-level hurts and not an x-ray that captures those deep down inside emotions and questions that scream out for help and answers. That online life is an "almost love" because they only see an "almost you." And it's not only online where we see this. I believe people can bring their online life to the church. People can enter a church and only reveal their best self in order to still be loved. This isn't my far-fetched belief because the number one question people ask about attending a new church for the first time is, "What does everyone wear?" Go online and Google different churches and you'll see that many church websites advertise a "Come as you are" atmosphere, which I believe is incredibly sad because if you can't come to church as you are, then where can you go? Instead of shining bright, your light is pale because you still want parts of yourself to remain hidden. That's an "almost love" instead of An Altogether Love. It's almost as if it's easier for people to talk about love and how they want to be loved by staying in the shadows of an "almost love" and present only the pieces of themselves to the world that's not too offensive. Unwilling or unable to have An Altogether Love, people strive for an "almost love" because they think it's better than nothing. Just remember, where there's justice there will be people who take offense, and that offense is evidence that something has been done outside of what love is. After all, sin is the absence of love. That's why I like to read about John Wesley because he truly wrestled with the word "love" and what it meant to be a moral, ethical, and good person. He also noticed how non-Christians were living ethical lives. Wesley said, "They expected whatever assistance anyone could give another, without prejudice to himself. And this they extended not only to those little offices of humanity which are performed without any expense of labour, but likewise to the feeding the hungry, if they had food to spare; the clothing the naked with their own clothes, and, in general, the giving, to any that needed, such things as they needed not themselves." For Wesley, there wasn't much of a difference between what he saw in the behaviors of Christians and non-Christians. We still see that today. So, what was the "almost" according to John Wesley? The Almost Christian is the person who lives in almost love - a person who is not bad nor evil, but someone who does display a lack of depth. The Almost Christian is characterized by outward actions, feelings, and thoughts that don't penetrate the heart. This understanding of shallow action and feeling is relevant today. How many of you find yourselves doing the right things without digging into the deeper reason for why you do them? Today, we also run into this very Wesleyan understanding of "almost love" regarding what it means to be a church and a community of believers. Even the most committed Christian can find themselves somewhat dismayed during a Sunday worship service, or as this year has proven, an Online service. Everyone wants to come to church to "feel good" and hear that uplifting message. They want to sing and let the music speak to them so they can be reminded of God's role in their lives. They want a superficial experience. Why? Because have you ever confessed to someone that a church service missed the mark; That it just didn't speak to you like you thought it should? Churches do good in the world, and for many people, the church is just something they join in order to be a part of something that's doing good in the world. But if they can't go to church, their zeal for doing good begins to fade because they aren't getting that experience. Their "if," as Jesus says, for "loving one another," changes because they're living an "almost love" based upon feelings instead of God's Agape love. Instead of "Doing Good all the time and doing no harm" as Wesley said, and "Loving God and loving your neighbor" which Jesus said was the greatest commandment (Mark 12:30-31), rebellious people live an "almost love" because their feelings eclipse faith, their neighbor becomes themselves and their own interests, and they end up using God's Word as a means to justify their thoughts and actions, even at the cost of disrespecting others. Deep down, everyone wants to be loved and to experience good feelings, but their "almost love" blinds them to An Altogether Love because as Hebrews 11:25 says, "there is pleasure in sin only for a season," and that pleasure can persuade people to keep sinning. This can be dangerous when, as Frank Thomas said, churches "do good things just because we think they are good ideas." Whatever your motivation is, doing good in the world is not evil. But Good and Helpful are not the same thing. "Good" is subjective. Doing good because something is a good idea is a Wesleyan example of an "almost love." Wesley teaches us that someone can be good, moral, kind, and even love without having any depth - but that person has a shallow faith. It's Wesley who understood that someone who demonstrates love through a misplaced motivation - like to gain popularity or make money - isn't necessarily evil; they're just superficial and demonstrating a life of "almost love." In contrast to an "almost love," An Altogether Love goes deeper, all the way into your heart. Doing good deeds comes from An Altogether Love not out of obligation, personal feelings, or because it's a good idea, but because it's the natural expression of love. It's love, Agape, in action, "so everyone will know that you are My disciples," as Jesus says. But no matter what feelings you experience or expect to feel during a Church service, everyone still desires a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The Good News is that those who ask for forgiveness from their sin and place faith in Christ become disciples and will have that personal relationship with Jesus. They will experience God's intimate love as long as you allow God to guide you instead of you trying to guide God. John Wesley also understood the importance of one's private and intimate relationship with God. During Advent, we read about normal people who were visited by God, how that private experience changed them, and how they ran out into the world to proclaim that Altogether Love. For instance, immediately after Gabriel visited Mary, Luke 1:39 says Mary "hurried" to visit her cousin Elizabeth to talk about God. That ambition to "hurry" and Christ's command to "Go" (Matthew 28:19-20) will reveal God to others because what we privately and intimately feel exposes how privacy invites true honesty. John Wesley wanted Christians to be authentic, honest, and loving. Advent invites all of us to honestly reflect upon ourselves and consider what it means to bring our whole selves to God. Advent reminds us how God's love encounters flawed people where they were and moves them from imperfection - an almost Christian - to people who are authentic and surrounded with An Altogether Love. The authentic, Altogether Christian, understands that faith is a mindset and a response to God's gift of unmerited grace, but that faith is also intimately connected with action. "If you love one another." That little word "if," love in action - love for God - love for your neighbor - love for your self - love of the world - is a deliberate choice in your personal life. It's not action through judgement by pointing out everybody's sins (Luke 6:37-42), but being able to call Jesus Lord by obeying His Word (Luke 6:46-49). Wesley finishes his understanding of love through the thoughtful, God-inspired action of loving your neighbor, stepping out in faith, and positioning your mind toward our ultimate hope, Jesus Christ. In the Advent narrative, God shows up as an act of An Altogether Love, but for the people we read about, they showed up in their own ways, moving from an "almost love" to An Altogether, active love that proclaims the Good News to all. On the surface, it can seem dangerous to embrace love fully. The experience and concept of unconditional and unmerited love seems foreign to this world. Often, when we try to share our love, it can somehow attach to our achievements and influence. When we try to define love in simple human terms, many good deeds may be done, but it's still an "almost love" because Jesus' "If" is defined by worldly standards instead of being defined by God's standard found in the Bible. In the Advent story, the world was in an almost state when God started appearing to flawed, ordinary people. God showed up in the middle of the night in the room of a young teenage Mary, in the middle of a field to a bunch of scruffy shepherds, and in a tiny manger at the inn, because God's presence in the lives of ordinary people transform them from almost to altogether. Advent reminds us that love shows up in unexpected places, transforming imperfect people into a people redeemed by love. God compels us to journey from an "almost love," a love that we think is based upon who we are or what we do, and into An Altogether Love that grows to fill every space by brightly shining God's light of love in every shadowy corner. So, how do you go from having an "almost love" and into An Altogether Love? Well, let me sum up four things to help you go from an "almost love" and into An Altogether Love. First, be reminded that authentic, altogether love is not revealing only certain parts of who you are to others. It's not loving others solely for your benefit. It's not just living a life that consists just of a Storge, Phileo, or Eros kind of love. It's not based on looks or designer clothes but defined in the Designer of the Universe because Agape love is An Altogether Love. Second, remember what Jesus said about loving God and your neighbor. Quoting the OT and summing up which is the most important of all the Commandments, Jesus said in Mark 12:30-31 to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" An "almost love" is attempting to love God without loving your neighbor, and An Altogether Love is "loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself." Third, remember that little two-letter word, "if." When Jesus said, "If you love one another," that word "if" is not passive, but active. An Altogether Love is active and loves others because "God loved us first" (1 John 4:19). Fourth, to actively live out loves "if," remember Paul's words to the Corinthians, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails," (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Because "By this" as Jesus said, "everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." Put that "if" into Christ-focused action, speak the truth in love, and reflect Christ's light in your life of love by lighting up dark places. Love Came Down that first Christmas night in the person of Jesus Christ to "reconcile the world to Himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Gentle as a baby and yet as our powerful Creator, full of grace and mercy, who does not just love, but who is Love Himself (1 John 4:8). Remember what I said about how the world's statement of "love is love" doesn't define anything? Well, for anybody who desires more meaning in life. For anybody who wants to fill that empty void felt deep inside. For anybody who longs to feel what they've been searching for and experience what they've been striving for. For anybody who longs to know why they are here and what their purpose is in life? Listen to this: your incompleteness is complete in Jesus Christ. The Bible can be summed up in one word: Love. You're here to love God and your neighbor. Love is the fulfillment! And Jesus offers "abundant life" (John 10:10), which is more than just pursuing Earthly pleasures. All you must do is admit that you're a sinner, repent, confess Jesus as your Savior, and that empty space inside of you will be filled with the Holy Spirit. So then, I guess the followers of Christ can say that "love is love" when it's defined in God and lived out in accordance with the Bible because God doesn't just love, He is love. "God is love" (1 John 4:7), and An Altogether Love is loving God and upholding His standard of righteousness found in the Bible. It's knowing you're a sinner saved by grace through faith. Love Came Down, so raise your hands high! An Altogether Agape. An Altogether Love. Peace, Hope, and Love be with you all. AMEN 2