Agape Love

“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” (John 15: 10-17)

Yesterday in worship, we shared together in the Lord’s Supper; the supreme act of love. We were reminded of the depth of the Father’s love for us and that we are called to “no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and rose again on our behalf” (2 Cor. 5:14-15). What does “agape love” look like in a church that wants to make a difference?

Love meets the needs of others before it meets the needs of self. Love stretches beyond tragedy and touches every area of our life. Wouldn’t it be great if when people talked about our church they wouldn’t say, “That’s that large church, but that’s that LOVING church?”

Love leads people to Christ rather than forcing them to Christ. Love leads people to Christ. Love is infectious. And in a world that is starved for love, if the church will learn this principle and be a loving community, it will draw people to Christ.

The story is told of a preacher riding on a bus, and a drunk comes stumbling on, sitting down beside him. The preacher immediately took out his Bible and began reading Scripture to the man. Then he announced to the drunk, "Don’t you know that you’re going to hell?" The drunk said, "Oh, no! I got on the wrong bus again!"

The world needs to know it’s going to hell, but the best way to lead the world away from hell is to show them how to get to heaven. We need to communicate a message of love, for love leads people to Christ.

Love sees people for what they can become rather than what they are. Read Matt. 25: 31-40 and listen to Jesus declare: “As surely as you have done it to the least of these.” In 1 Corinthians 6, the apostle Paul paints a picture of what the church really is. He talks about how the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Then he gives a long list of those who will not get into heaven. They are the sexually immoral, the idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexual offenders, thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers, swindlers. None of those, he says, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Then he says, "This is what some of you were." You see, we are standing beside all of these. We are sinners, too. Our list of sins may be different, but we all have a list! But then Paul says, "You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." That’s the church! We’re no different than anyone on this list, except we have been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus.

Phil LeMaster tells the story of a lady riding a bus in New York City on her way to a very important business meeting with top executives. She was wearing a very expensive dress. Sitting in the seat beside her was a little boy of about 9 or 10 years of age. After a few minutes passed, the little boy began swinging his legs back and forth and accidentally got her dress dirty.

She knew a child that age had to belong to someone on the bus. The lady looked at her dress, looked at the woman sitting on the other side of the boy, and said, “Look what your son did to my dress. Will you please tell your son to keep his feet to himself?” The lady replied, “That’s not my son! I have never seen him on this bus!” The little boy was embarrassed and said, “Miss, I am sorry I got your dress dirty.” He dropped his shoulders, moved to another seat, and began to cry.

The woman went over and sat next to the little boy and said, “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.” He said, “That’s alright.” She said, “Are you going somewhere alone?” He said, “I always travel alone. My mom and my dad are dead. I live with my Aunt Maggie, but when she gets tired of me she sends me to my Aunt Elizabeth.”

The lady said, “Are you on your way to your Aunt Elizabeth’s?” He said, “Yes, but she is not home very much. I sure hope she is home tonight, because it sure is cold.” The woman looked at the boy and said, “You know, you are awful young to be riding on the bus alone.”

He said, “It’s ok. I never get lost, but sometimes I do get lonely. When I get lonely, I look for someone that I think I’d like to belong to, and I set real close to them and I pretend that they are my family. That’s why I was so close when I got your dress dirty. I am sorry.” The lady then took the little boy, pulled him close, and she hugged him. All he wanted was to belong to somebody.

Now I don’t know whether that emotional story is true. But I know this: It’s true in someone’s life today. Perhaps it will be the person pumping gas next to you, or the grocery cart you bump into, the car that parks beside yours at work, or maybe even the student seated next to you. Will you express the love of Christ to those beside you today? Will you determine today that you will no longer live for yourself, but for the One who died and rose again on your behalf? Simply: will you LOVE today?

Until Next Week,

Dr. Derek