DEFINITION OF LOVE…

—> Loving God…|| is tied to our OBEDIENCE || We can measure our love for God by our obedience to his commands...Jesus Said…

[JOHN 14:15]
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments”

—> Loving Others…As Yourself…|| is tied to our SACRIFICIAL, OTHERS CENTERED, ACTS OF CARE

When Jesus said to love your neighbor, he wasn’t saying to love your neighbor after you love yourself. And he wasn’t saying to hate your neighbor if you hate yourself. He was simply saying to love other people.

[1 Peter 4:8]
"Love each other deeply."

Throughout the Bible, it is assumed that we love ourselves. It is part of human nature, part of what it means to be a human being. Here’s how Paul put it...

[Ephesians 5:29]
“29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church…”

When Jesus said to love your neighbor “as yourself,” he simply was emphasizing how important it is to love your neighbor, to be genuinely concerned for others’ welfare.

[LEVITICUS 19:9-18]
9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God. 11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. 13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.”

James called it the “ROYAL LAW”…

[JAMES 2:8]
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”

LOVING MY NEIGHBOR (OTHERS)…WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

[LUKE 10:25-37] The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Jesus answers that question...So ‘proving to be a neighbor’ or being a ‘neighborly person’ means … vs37 “the one who showed mercy…”

Our neighbors include...
1. Believers (Our Christian brothers/sisters)
2. Non-Believers (everyone else, both friends and strangers)

LOVING OUR BELIEVING BROTHERS/SISTERS…[PEER CARE]

Galatians 6:10 NIV
“10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

One Another | Each Other Passages
1. Be at peace with each other. (Mark 9:50)
2. Wash one another’s feet. (John 13:14)
3. Love one another. (John 13:34)
4. Love one another. (John 13:34)
5. Love one another. (John 13:35)
6. Love one another. (John 15:12)
7. Love one another. (John 15:17)
8. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. (Romans 12:10)
9. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
10. Live in harmony with one another. (Romans 12:16)
11. Love one another. (Romans 13:8)
12. Stop passing judgment on one another. (Romans 14:13)
13. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you. (Romans 15:7)
14. Instruct one another. (Romans 15:14)
15. Greet one another with a holy kiss. (Romans 16:16)
16. When you come together to eat, wait for each other. (1 Corinthians 11:33)
17. Have equal concern for each other. (1 Corinthians 12:25)
18. Greet one another with a holy kiss. (1 Corinthians 16:20)
19. Greet one another with a holy kiss. (2 Corinthians 13:12)
20. Serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13)
21. If you keep on biting and devouring each other…you will be destroyed by each other. (Galatians 5:15)
22. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:26)
23. Carry each other’s burdens. (Galatians 6:2)
24. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)
25. Be kind and compassionate to one another. (Ephesians 4:32)
26. Forgiving each other. (Ephesians 4:32)
27. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. (Ephesians 5:19)
28. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)
29. In humility consider others better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
30. Do not lie to each other. (Colossians 3:9)
31. Bear with each other. (Colossians 3:13)
32. Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. (Colossians 3:13)
33. Teach…[one another] (Colossians 3:16)
34. Admonish one another (Colossians 3:16)
35. Make your love increase and overflow for each other. (1 Thessalonians 3:12)
36. Love each other. (1 Thessalonians 4:9)
37. Encourage each other.1 Thessalonians 4:18)
38. Encourage each other. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
39. Build each other up. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
40. Encourage one another daily. Hebrews 3:13)
41. Spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24)
42. Encourage one another. (Hebrews 10:25)
43. Do not slander one another. (James 4:11)
44. Don’t grumble against each other. (James 5:9)
45. Confess your sins to each other. (James 5:16)
46. Pray for each other. (James 5:16)
47. Love one another deeply, from the heart. (1 Peter 3:8)
48. Live in harmony with one another. (1 Peter 3:8)
49. Love each other deeply. (1 Peter 4:8)
50. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9)
51. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others. (1 Peter 4:10)
52. Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. 1 Peter 5:5)
53. Greet one another with a kiss of love. (1 Peter 5:14)
54. Love one another. (1 John 3:11)
55. Love one another. (1 John 3:23)
56. Love one another. (1 John 4:7)
57. Love one another. (1 John 4:11)
58. Love one another. (1 John 4:12)
59. Love one another. (2 John 5)

LOVING OUR BELIEVING BROTHERS/SISTERS…[PEER CARE] cont'd

--> Our Missional Communities (Small Groups) will be a significant way we can put these into action, Missional Communities…a gathering of people who live in community, loving each other (peer care) and loving those outside of the faith (peer share) || As James gets his mind around all of this we hope to launch more groups in the fall so be on the lookout as we develop this ministry to one another!

--> Great article by Scott Hubbard
[www.desiringGod.org “The Art Of One-Anothering” ]

QUOTE
“The one-anothers do not exhaust our obligations to other Christians (many communal imperatives do not include the phrase “one another”), but together they offer a brilliant picture of life together under the lordship of Christ — and not only under the lordship of Christ, but also in the pattern of Christ. For, rightly grasped, the one-anothers are nothing less than the life of Christ at work in the people of Christ to glory of Christ. The one-anothers, then, are earthly dramas of heavenly realities; they are the love of Christ played out on ten thousand stages.”

He summarized all into 5 CATEGORIES…
1. To love others we must…Have Jesus’ Mind
- (Philippians 2:3) Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count [one another] more significant than yourselves.
- (1 Peter 5:5) Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another. || have this mind, to feel something towards one another…a humble attitude that recognizes the needs of others

QUOTE: “Humility puts a pair of eyeglasses on the soul, allowing us to see others without the blurring of selfishness. And humility, in its own miniature way, follows the same descent Christ took when he “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death” (Philippians 2:8)”

2. To love others we must…Offer Jesus’ Welcome
- (Romans 12:16) “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.”
- (Romans 15:7) “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.”
- (1 Peter 4:9) “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

Starting with the mind and our attitude, the one anothers move outward to our eyes, mouth and hands…in theory I think we would all say we are in with what these verses tell us to do…but this is where it gets hard…actually doing something sacrificial…Jesus was the ultimate example…he left heaven to associate with us, the lowest ‘least of these’ and he modeled that so that we would extend that same ‘welcome’ to others || it means actually hanging out with each other, inviting people into your homes, serving each other…as Jesus has welcomed us we need to welcome one another like he has welcomed us || humbly love others…people you like, you don’t like, don’t show favoritism, be humble, love like Jesus loves.

3. To love others we must…Speak Jesus’ Words
- (Colossians 3:16) “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.
- (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Encourage one another and build one another up.
- (Hebrews 3:13) Exhort one another every day.

QUOTE: “So, as we welcome one another, we look for opportunities to take some portion of God’s word and apply it in a way that “fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). We are people with a Bible always open on the table of our hearts, ready to “stir up one another to love and good works” with a well-timed word”

This requires us to know the Word, be in the Word, growing and applying the Word to our own lives so that it overflows from us to others… || it also requires us to LISTEN…

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “we can speak “the Word of God” faithfully and accurately only when we listen “with the ears of God” (Life Together, 76) — patiently and attentively tracing the contours of a brother’s or sister’s heart.
And, we also listen to the words that others have for us.

4. To love others we must…Show Jesus’ Love
- (1 Peter 4:8 NIV) “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
- (1 Thessalonians 5:15) Always seek to do good to one another.
- (1 Peter 4:10) As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another.
- (Galatians 6:2) Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

At least 14 times the Bible says to ‘love one another’...repeated things are important things…this one is important || We, his disciples, are not mere mouths to one another…but also hands and feet and shoulders. We not only speak his love, but show it.

QUOTE: “It’s one thing to speak comforting words; it’s another to sit for long hours as a comforting presence. It’s one thing to encourage someone carrying a heavy burden; it’s another to bend your shoulder to the load. This kind of love interrupts the day’s plans with untimely requests and lays hands on evenings and weekends.”

5. To love others we must…Give Jesus’ Grace
- (Ephesians 4:2) “[Bear] with one another in love.
- (Ephesians 4:32) "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

QUOTE: “The humble mind of Christ, the warm welcome of Christ, the stirring words of Christ, the helpful hand of Christ — these show, marvelously, what the Spirit of Christ can do in a community. But none displays our Lord quite so clearly as the forgiving heart of Christ. Christian communities are built, through great disappointment and heartache, in the shape of a cross. Therefore, we never have a better opportunity to show the glory of Christian community than when Christian community feels hardest. Get close enough to any group of recovering sinners, and they will poke and prod your patience. They will say things that baffle and offend you. They will wound you without even knowing it. The worst of these moments can leave a smoking crater in our souls. But they can also become ground zero for something beautiful and new: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). This love will hurt. Oh will it hurt. To forgive completely — not counting others’ sins against them, not holding onto it, not allowing it to become the lens through which we see them? This love feels, in some small measure, like Calvary love. And it shines with Calvary splendor… We live in a world with its own set of one-anothers: one-another brokenness, one-another enmity, one-another manipulation, one-another selfishness. And local churches exist to show a different way of life — a different Lord of life. This Lord reconciles us not only to himself, but to each other, creating one-another love out of one-another pain.”

Wow...that we would be a church body that loves each other like this so that the world would know Jesus.

SIMPLE TOOL…AN ACROSTIC… K.I.S.S.

—> I love learning ways to put things into action…this was a tool I learned many years ago and have used it and taught it for many years…
—> Romans 16:16/1 Peter 5:14/2 COR 13:12 || “Greet one another with a holy KISS” [Kiss of Love]
—> GREET WITH A HOLY KISS… || In New Testament times, a kiss on the cheek was used for greeting and implied friendship and acceptance. A kiss of greeting between Christians implied that no elite groups existed and that all were equally loved and accepted—not only by God—but by one other. || so with this same attitude, I would invite you to try living out these four things as you practice ‘peer care’… loving your believing brothers and sisters…

K … KNOW
- ROM 12:10a || “Love one another with brotherly affection…”
- Get to know each other…find ways to hang out together and then ask questions, learn, listen || brotherly affection…really love each other and show genuine interest in them as a person
- F.R.O.M. || FAMILY: “tell me about your family, where did you grow up, how many bro/sis do you have, || RECREATION…what do you do for fun, hobbies || OCCUPATION…what do you do for a job, where did you go to school, special skills || MEMORIES…what is the funniest thing that ever happened to you, what is the most embarrassing thing, when have you had difficulty, what was the happiest moment of your life

I … INTERCEDE (PRAY)
- JAMES 5:16 || “16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working”
- In getting to know each other, you should build enough of a relationship to be able to share vulnerable prayer request || finding ways to pray for each other specifically || our MC uses an app and we have a thread that is just prayer || we share what is going on in our lives and pray for each other || with sensitive things I have a couple of guys that ask hard questions and I ask them hard questions and we share hard things…confessing our sin to each other…and pray for each other…and then follow up and ask how they are doing…this is crucial for us as followers of Jesus

S … SPUR (ENCOURAGE/ADMONISH)
- HB 10:24 NIV || “24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds”
- 1 JN 1:7 || “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
- As you grow in community and in unity, we should be encouraging and admonishing each other || and we have both of those seasons…when things are hard and we are struggling to believe the gospel…when we are in sin and are struggling to obey Jesus || we need each other…we are part of a body and need the other parts to help us run to the finish line

S … SERVE
- JOHN 13:12-17 || “12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
- This is part of our new identity. || King Jesus sacrificially served ‘the least of these’ as the servant king…we are now adopted into his family and have become his servants who also serve like he did…

PRAYER AND COMMUNION…

Q: Are you living in fellowship with other believers?
Q: Are you sitting back waiting for someone else to make the first move or are you stepping out to obey Jesus’ command to love your brothers and sisters in Christ?
Q: Have you seen needs within the body and hoped someone else would meet them?
Q: What does sacrificial love toward your brothers and sisters actually look like right now in your life?