Church means a lot of things to a lot of people.

ekklesia = called out assembly

The church has a purpose. Jesus explains it in Matthew.

1. It's possible to follow the rules and still miss the point.
2. Loving God is the starting point.
3. We don't just love God - we also love others as ourselves.

What do we need to do to boil everything down to love God & love people?

1. Examine your walk with Jesus.
2. Demonstrate your love for others.

{examine your walk}

HOW IS MY HEART?
-SURRENDERED?
-HUMBLE?
-ARROGANT?
-AMBIVALENT
-HARD?

HOW IS MY OBEDIENCE?
-ARE THERE ANY LIMITS TO MY OBEDIENCE?
-DO I RESENT BEING OBEDIENT?
-IS OBEDIENCE A PRETTY NATURAL RESPONSE FOR ME?

WHAT ABOUT MY LIFE IS TRANSFORMED BECAUSE I FOLLOW JESUS?
-WHAT CHANGED OR CONTINUES TO CHANGE IN ME?
-HOW IS MY LIFE DIFFERENT THAN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN?

{demonstrate your love}

-If you’re mowing your lawn, just keep mowing until your neighbor’s lawn is done, too.
-Be nicer to your annoying little brother…stop saying mean stuff to them. I mean - hey - it’s small, but it’s a start.
-Send a text to someone you know needs some encouragement….or even better, get together with some friends and text bomb that person with nothing but encouragement - things you see in them you admire, scripture verses that you think might brighten their day, all the things.