Identify the Believer
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Main Idea: They will know your are my followers by the way you love. The love of a mother helps us to see how we should love everyone.
Opening Line: Happy Mother’s Day!
Thank you to all the mom’s who have impacted or are impacting someone’s life. You are a blessing! The way you love and give is a powerful example of God’s love to the world.
Thank you for being the image of God to those around you.
Play Video
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Throughout life you have probably known many people who only love with words alone. It is important to be people who love with their actions also.
Introduction
Identify the Believer
Identify the Believer
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Different types of love in the bible
Eros - Romantic Love - not found in the Bible
Storge - Familial Love - not found in the Bible
Philia - Brotherly love that unites believers
Agape - Unconditional love
Different types of love in action
From Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Receiving Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical Touch
If you are a mother or you have a mother physical or spiritual you know there is a power that comes when we love one another.
We will be identifying the five actions of love.
The 4 different words for love in Greek help us to see the motivation behind the 5 actions or languages.
Main Point
Live the way of Agape
Live the way of Agape
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
We will come back to this passage and identify the how we Agape
But
love is mentioned 2 times and it is important to see that they are not the same love
Love must be sincere
Agape
Devoted to one another in love
Philia - Brotherly love that unites believers
As we continue to looking at how we love each other and what it means to be seen as a follower of Jesus through the way we love one another remember that
Agape produces Philia love
Unconditional love and respect for others will produce unity and family
The way of Agape in your family and in this church will produce philia unity and genuine relationships
When love is conditional there will never be unity or true family.
Moms you can probably relate to unconditional love.
You told your child not to do something over and over
Then they do that thing and get hurt (just like you knew)
If your love is conditional you would not be willing to give a hug or help them.
The way of agape says, I forgive you, before it is asked for.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
If you are looking for more unity, more peace, more joy, more hope, more forgiveness, more reconciliation in your life or in this church and community you must start walking the way of Agape.
The Five Actions of love or Agape
The Five Actions of love or Agape
1. Words of Affirmation
1. Words of Affirmation
Our speech must bring life and not death
21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Are you allowing God to tame your tongue or is it running away with you like a spark that sets the forest on fire?
Agape words are words that bring life (not always nice, but truth and caring)
2. Quality Time
2. Quality Time
Our time is the most precious recourse or treasure we have
It is possible to get more of everything else, but not time
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Are we Living like Christ and giving agape time to people around us?
What are we doing with our time?
When everything we have is God’s your time is not your own.
Mom’s thank you for those long nights with sick kids or ignoring your own interests to put others above yourself
Christ Calls us all to agape our time
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
3. Receiving Gifts
3. Receiving Gifts
Do you give?
There are so many times you can give, but do you have a willingness to live with an open hand or are there things you aren’t willing to give or not to that person or group…Because they...
Agape gifts are gifts that are given without expecting anything in return
41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
many people feel so loved and valued if you are willing to gift agape to them.
Are you withholding gifts or giving for any reason?
Maybe God is calling you to begin agape giving
4. Acts of Service
4. Acts of Service
How strong is your serve?
Are you agape serving or serving hoping to get something?
-Jesus washed the Disciple’s feet
13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
The Freedom we have can sometimes lead us to think we are more important than we are.
Jesus said the servant isn’t greater than the master. Your master was willing to serve you with His life are you not able to serve someone else.
Mom’s thank you for the times you have served and served without anyone noticing. We see you and thank you even if we don’t in the moment.
5. Physical Touch
5. Physical Touch
A caring gesture can change the world for someone.
Are you allowing others and yourself to be physically close enough to show agape love?
This is not physical touch that is expecting something in return, but agape touch is giving love to someone else
When Paul was being taken away we see this type of agape in a non-romantic manner
36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
Jesus also knew that touch is an important part of connecting and showing agape to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Thomas needed to touch to believe.
Do you make an effort to give a touch of agape?
Now because of Covid there has become a stigma about this.
So I give the warning that all of us must not assume touching, but be willing to offer and wait for others to accept.
Mom’s thank you for that hug or holding those little hands that show communicate agape without words.
Why does it matter?
These 5 love actions or languages are so important for how we witness to the non-believer and build unity with the believers
These 5 love actions or languages are so important for how we witness to the non-believer and build unity with the believers
How
How do we Identify which type we are?
How do we Identify which type we are?
Test time.
Test time.
We are going to complete a survey of the love languages that come most naturally to you.
I believe knowing what yours are will help you be able to grow in the ones that aren’t as natural to you
I believe knowing what your mom, or wife’s is will help you make their day a blessing!
The older kids will also be taking a kid version of the test
I believe at times we try to show agape to others but it falls short because we aren’t expressing it in the manner they connect with it.
Take Test
Take Test
Your love language is the one that is more natural for you to show also.
If the person sitting next to you has a different one remember Agape is not
I’ll do if you do… It says… I agape because you are!
Mom’s Grandma’s We love you and way to tell you the best way possible not because of what you do or have done, but because you are made in the image of God and are His special Possession.
If you have been feeling like you wish you had a mom like I have mentioned or wish you were a better mom or if you are man who is struggling to show agape in any of the areas I want to pray for a breakthrough our of that condemnation.
Bow your heads
Need Christ’s salvation
Need Christ’s Healing from past hurts
Need Christ’s help to live the way of Agape
Is the Bottom Line Clear?
Closing Line: