We just wrapped up our Easter series. Last week we looked at Jesus's last words, His commission, to go and make disciples of all nations.
Following these instructions, the Lord told His followers to linger in Jerusalem until the indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit came upon them.
The purpose was to form them into a community of like-minded believers called the Church. In Acts 2:42-47 we read about the formation of the church and how it initially functioned.

The New Testament likens the church to a family, the family of God.
Every family has a set of rules to function and attempt to get along.
Our Father desires that we grow together, share common values, carry out the tasks that He has given us, and learn to play nice. We should support, encourage, and care for one another.

The phrase "one another" is used about 100 times in the New Testament.
Learning God's intent behind these and actually applying them to your daily living will make a radical difference in your life and relationships.
We won't be able to cover all of the "one another's" in the Bible but will cover some in this month's series.

According to Jesus, the first one "love one another" is the most important one.
The first time we see "love one another" is in John 13:34-35.
Later He repeated the phrase a couple of times in John 15 as a command.

The command uses the Greek word "agape" which in that culture represents the highest form of love imaginable. The word embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance. It goes beyond just the emotions and best wishes to the extent of seeking the best for another and then doing something practically!
The best definition of love that we have is seen in John 3:16.
Biblical love is found in servanthood, sacrifice, and selfless living to benefit others.

At Grace Church we work hard to help people LOVE ONE ANOTHER and live the Christian life in a practical manner.
One of the tools we use is Gary Chapman's book, The Five Love Languages.
In the book Gary Chapman concludes that there are 5 different ways to communicate love:
-Words
-Time
-Giving
-Acts of Service
-Physical Touch & Proximity
We must learn to communicate effectively in the language of those with whom we wish to communicate.
As we study the life of Jesus, we find examples of how He demonstrated these various love languages.

To simplify we are only going to deal with one of these, words.
These could be face to face, audio, or written words.
Words have a profound way of helping a person feel good about themselves, about others, and about life. But they can also have damaging effects. King Solomon wrote about this in Proverbs 18:21.

Within every language there are dialects, or variations, of the major language with slight differences that are understood by a smaller minority.
And within this primary love language of spoken words, you could say there are some noticeable dialects.
If we are to act like God’s family, a community of committed followers of Jesus, then you and I must continue to grow in the positive use of our WORDS; both in the church and in our community.

A. Dialect of APPRECIATION

B. Dialect of ATTENTION

C. Dialect of AFFECTION

D. Dialect of APOLOGY

E. Dialect of AFFIRMATION

F. Dialect of ADVANCEMENT

G. Dialect of ADMONISHMENT

While there are 5 love languages, the way we communicate with people has incredible potential to help or hurt our fellow Christ-followers and those who God wants us to reach for Him.
Ephesians 4:29

Discussion and Application:

1. What family rules did you grow up with (written or unwritten)? What rules guide your family conduct now?

2. Give an example of someone in your life who really exercised “agape” style love with you.

3. Read James 3:1-12 several times this week. What is God saying to you about your mouth?

4. Which of the 7 word dialects needs the most attention in your life? Which is the strongest right now?

Birthdays and Anniversaries:

Sunday, May 3 - Claude Snider, Gwendlynn Squires, Stephen Squires
Tuesday, May 5 - Pastor Don & Evie Roscoe
Wednesday, May 6 - Rick Vessecchia, Dave & Elesha Smith
Thursday, May 7 - Joette Hudberg
Saturday, May 9 - Tonia Webster