DISCIPLESHIP… EXPRESSING THE LOVE OF CHRIST

Looking at His disciples, Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”  (Luke 6:32–36 NIV)

The stretch of Christian discipleship is to love those for whom it is not automatic, easy, common, or accepted. To love those who do not think like us or live like us, and to express respect, compassion, and mercy to those we do not know and who may never be able to repay us -- this is the love Christ pulls out of us. Jesus stepped across oppressive social boundaries, intermingled with those who suffered crippling infirmities and social stigma, and offered hope to those at their point of gravest despair. He loved the least lovable and the most vulnerable, and He offered the same unmerited grace to the greatest sinner as to the finest saint. The down-and-out see in Christ as much love for them as the up-and-coming. And Christ invites His disciples to follow Him into this kind of love. 

-- Robert Schnase in “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations”

#6238

THE DEPTH OF GOD’S LOVE

In today's world, wracked by terrorism, poverty, lawlessness, disease, and violence, the message of the gospel and the need for Christians who put their faith into action has never been more acute.  We, the followers of Jesus Christ, are an integral part of God's plan for the world -- the same world that God loved so much -- "that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).  In this famous verse we see the depth of God's love for our world. It was not a passive and sentimental love but rather a dynamic, active, and sacrificial love.  For God so loved the world that He acted! 

-- Richard Stearns, former President of World Vision, Inc., in “Introduction to Faith In Action Study Bible: Living God's Word in a Changing World”  [2005]

#6200

KEEPING BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER

“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  (Micah 6:8 NIV)

What exactly does the Lord require of us? He requires what Jesus Christ modeled during His public ministry – the Good News in word and in deed. At dinner with His disciples, as He walked through the marketplace, as children crowded around Him, Jesus continually pointed the way to the Father. At the same time, He fed the poor; He healed the blind, the sick and the lame; and He affirmed the dignity of women, Samaritans, and other social outcasts of the day.

Before Christ ascended to heaven, He left clear commands to His followers in Matthew 28:19: “As you go, preach, making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” God’s Old Testament commands are equally compelling: “Impress [the words of God] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). If we believe in… the Scriptures, we must take those commands to heart. For the believer, living the law of God, spreading His Word, and leader men and women to Christ should be as natural as breathing.

So, too, should be the acts of doing the gospel. In his epistle, James told the people of God that “pure religion and undefiled is this: ‘to feed the orphans and comfort the widow in her distress’” (James 1:27). The Apostle Paul helped to raise funds for famine relief and commended the Macedonian Christians for their rich generosity in giving to their brothers and sisters in physical need. 

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” 

-- Charles Colson (1931-2012) in an article entitled “Doing Justice, Loving Mercy, Walking Humble” in Discipleship Journal, No. 63

#6171

ACTING ON GOD’S WORD

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."  (James 1:22 ESV)

It’s easy to nod along in agreement when we hear a powerful sermon or read a moving devotional. But James reminds us: agreement is not obedience. God's Word is meant to be lived.

C.S. Lewis said, “Obedience is the key that opens every door.” There are many everyday doorways to obedience. The Grocery-Line Test: You’re behind someone struggling to count coins. You’re in a hurry. The Word says, “Be patient.” Do we live it -- or just know it? The Inbox Moment: You get an email from someone hurting. You think, “I’ll pray for them.” James nudges: Don’t just say it -- do it. Pause. Pray. Reach out. The Family-Room Challenge: Tension simmers. You recall “be quick to listen, slow to speak.” Do you speak gently -- or do you just remember the verse?

Faith isn’t a theory, it’s traction. The difference between hearer and doer is the footprint left behind. One fades like breath on glass. The other leaves indelible marks of grace and love.

To paraphrase a familiar quote, “The world does not need more outstanding sermons. It needs more obedient servants.” This quote underscores James 1:22’s challenge: not just to hear truth, but to embody it. It’s a call to let our lives preach louder than our lips. What’s one truth you’ve recently heard that you haven’t yet acted on? It could be forgiveness, generosity, humility, or compassion. Choose one. Live it today. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™, compiled from a variety of sources 

#6166

THE GOOD AND FAITHFUL LIFE

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

GOODNESS and FAITHFULNESS -- we think of them as the supreme virtues of plain people. Yet they, too, are the fruits of the Spirit. In the long run we cannot really manage them without God. The good citizen, good employer, good artist, good worker -- the faithful husband or wife or [parent] -- in these, too, Divine Love, selfless charity, is bringing forth its fruits within the natural order and on the natural scale: proclaiming the dignity and possibilities of our human life on all levels, disclosing the full meaning of the Word made flesh. Another lesson in not being high-minded; another invitation to come off our self-chosen spiritual perch, whatever it may be, and face the facts of human life.

-- Evelyn Underhill in “The Fruits of the Spirit”

#6129

RESPONDING WITH COMPASSION

Every time the Gospels mention that Jesus was moved with the deepest emotions or felt sorry for people, it led to His doing something -- physical or inner healing, deliverance or exorcism, feeding the hungry crowds or praying for others. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) was commended precisely because he acted. The priest and Levite, paragons of Jewish virtue, flunked the test because they didn’t do anything. Jesus ask, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the man who fell in with the robbers?” The answer came, “The one who treated him with compassion.” Jesus said to them, “Then go and do the same.” 

-- Brennan Manning in “Reflections for Ragamuffins”

#6079

DO WE LOVE JESUS? – Part 1

“Jesus said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me?’”  (John 21:17a NIV)

One reason spiritual life is so vibrant at my church is because we have so many men who aren’t afraid to show their deep love for Jesus. “The Holy Spirit is loose in this church,” my good friend Jerry said one Sunday. That’s what happens when both women and men have the courage to let go of their cultural inhibitions and allow themselves to be touched personally by a living Savior.

Things haven’t always been that way. Indeed, a decade ago the number of faithful and active men involved was disappointingly low and mostly limited to those over fifty.  As a community of faith our corporate spiritual growth was significantly stunted.  You could walk into the sanctuary on Sunday morning, and all you could feel was the presence of hungry people waiting for something that wasn’t happening. Good people, yes, but there was little sense of vitality, no powerful rush of spiritual energy, and scant evidence of the abundant joy to be found when we claim and embrace our love for Jesus. 

-- Derek Maul in “Get Real: A Spiritual Journey for Men”

#5773

LOVE CAME DOWN AT CHRISTMAS

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine,
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
Love Incarnate, Love Divine,
Worship we our Jesus,
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.  (Christina Rossetti)

Love is a gift God gives to us in infinite measure so that our hearts can enjoy an endless supply. Let's tap into it. Let's lavish it on others. Let's fill our words and define our actions with it, and as we do, our hearts will reap God's abundance. Love will always find its purest expression through words and deeds -- as our heavenly Father exemplified through His gift of Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV) He loved us completely and expressed it openly. Let's openly share the gift of His Son with others. 

-- Author Unknown

#5747

YOUR GOD-ORDAINED PASSION

“Finally, all of you be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”  (1 Peter 3:8)

What makes you glad or sad or mad?  What puts a holy smile on your face?  What causes your spirit to sob uncontrollably?  What makes you pound your fist on the table out of righteous indignation?  Somewhere in the mixture of that gladness, sadness, and madness is your God-ordained passion.  Or maybe I should say compassion, because you are feeling what God feels.  And once you identify it, doing something about it isn’t optional.  You can’t not do something about it. 

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

#5663

 

A HEART OF COMPASSION

“The most important [commandment],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:29-30 NIV)

It is a sad commentary and sadder irony that Christians are often viewed as heartless.  And I think it’s because we’ve engaged our culture mind-first instead of heart-first.  Let me explain.  I believe that Scripture is the inspired Word of God, right down to the jot and tittle.  That means that even word sequence is significant.  And when Jesus reveals the four primal elements of love, the heart comes first.  I’m afraid that the Western church has tried to engage our culture mind-first instead of heart-first.  But minds often remain closed to truth until hearts have been opened by compassion.  There is certainly a place for logical, left-brained explanations of faith.  But compassion is the ultimate apologetic.  There is no defense against it. 

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

#5631

DOING WHAT JESUS SAYS

It is easier to be smart than to be good. You don’t need to know more from the Bible; you just need to do what you already know. We don’t become doers on our own, of course. As we read the Scripture, we ask the Spirit to help us understand what to do in response, and the intersection of what the Scriptures teach and how our lives unfold will give us a never-ceasing stream to actually do what Jesus says. And when we forget, another chance will come along.

I was picking up a prescription one Saturday afternoon before a church service, and because I was in a hurry, I had called the night before to make sure it would be there. But when I got there, the man behind the counter told me it wouldn’t be ready until the next week. Apparently there was a mix-up between the medical people, the insurance people, and the pharmaceutical people.

“But I’ve got to have it,” I replied. I was scheduled to leave the United States the next day. “Well, it’s not ready,” the clerk said. “But the automated system told me last night it would be ready today,” I retorted. “There is a flaw in the automated system then,” he told me.

All of a sudden I felt unbelievable anger well inside me. A flaw in the system? I wanted to say, There’s a flaw in you! I didn’t say that, because people from my church might have been around. (That is an occupational hazard of being a pastor.) But with every gesture and tone that I could, I expressed contempt and irritation with the man behind the counter. I didn’t simply feel anger, I wanted to feel it. I indulged it. I wanted to make him feel small. I was amazed at my own ugliness.

When I returned to the church, I opened a Bible in my office and read a single phrase -- “love one another” -- and had to call a friend to tell him there was an inner jerk inside me that’s scary.

Then, after I got back from my trip, I went to the pharmacy to tell the man behind the counter I was sorry for being so irritated and how much I appreciated his help. And I was back in the flow.  

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want To Be” 

#5630

TOUCHING CHRIST

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”  (Matthew 25:37-40 NKJV)

I’ll never forget during the Bangladesh suffering: we had ten million people in and around Calcutta. I asked the government of India to allow a number of other congregations to come to our aid, to help us, because we were working the whole time.

They allowed them to come: about fifteen or sixteen different sisters came to help us, and each one, on leaving Calcutta, said the same thing, “I have received much more than I have given and I can never be the same person again; because I have touched Christ, I have understood what love is. What it is to love and be loved!” 

-- Mother Teresa in “My Life for the Poor” 

#5565

SHOWING GOD’S LOVE BEGINS AT HOME

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”  (1 John 4:10-12 NIV)

In many ways, it's easier to be involved in hit-and-run [social] activism by doing things for people across town or around the world, but showing God's love begins at home. If we can't love the people under our own roofs, then the power and compassion of God isn't real in our hearts. Quite often, we play the blame game with our spouse and kids more than with anybody else. I'm not saying they're perfect. They're not, but neither are we. But amazing things happen when I choose to lower my voice, speak words of affirmation, and see my family members as treasures instead of annoyances. Love indeed, covers a multitude of sins -- theirs and mine. 

-- Pastor Rudy Rasmus in “Touch: Pressing Against the Wounds of a Broken World”

#5554

YOUR CHURCH NEEDS YOU – Part 2 of 3

“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”  (1 Corinthians 12:26 NIV)

This verse indicates church bodies should be so united that if one member suffers, the rest of the congregation shares the pain. For churches to function this way, people must learn sensitivity to God’s activity in the lives of other members….

You need to prepare yourself before going to church so you’re ready to join God in whatever work He may be doing in your congregation. Too often, church members attend services and merely seek out their friends. It never dawns on them that people may be there who are experiencing tremendous pain and hurt. There may be first-time visitors without anyone to offer even a greeting.

The Holy Spirit can guide you to someone who is hurting if you are sensitive to His leading. Perhaps as you enter the worship space, the Spirit will prompt you to sit in a different place than you normally do in order to talk with someone who needs encouragement at the close of the service…. Every week, the Spirit knows who is hurting or who is seeking answers from God or who desperately needs to know if God’s people care. If you’re sensitive to the Spirit’s nudging, you can be God’s instrument of healing and love right in your own church family. 

-- Excerpted from “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King

#5528

LOVE - THE GREATEST INVESTMENT

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13 NIV)

We never know how far our life will extend.  Do you believe this remarkable truth?

Heaven will hold breathtaking surprises for many who think what they do is unimportant.  Amid the hallelujahs and hugs many will be honored for simple, yet life-changing acts of redemption.  And the greatest thrill will be when our Lord Jesus looks into seemingly insignificant individuals' eyes and says, "Well done.  I appreciate the redeeming love you've shown to __________ and __________ and __________."

...The greatest investments ever made are investments in people, because people go to heaven. And our experience has been that we cannot begin to grasp the way our loving redemptive actions will affect people for eternity. 

-- Dr. Norm Wakefield & Jody Brolsma in “Men Are from Israel, Women Are from Moab”

#5112

THE PARABLE OF THREE BREADS

During a beautiful spring day, a young woman decided to eat her lunch in the park. On the nearest bench sat an old beggar who clutched an empty paper bag. His clothes were unkempt and he looked as if he had not eaten in days. So, the young woman sat next to him and offered him half of her sandwich.

With this act of kindness the beggar was transformed into a clean-shaven, well-dressed man. The empty bag he once held was now filled with three loaves of bread. “I am no beggar, but an angel, here to reward your act of kindness with a gift,” he said. “I have three loaves of bread and you may have one. But choose wisely. A bite from one will give you unlimited success, to eat from another is key to never-ending wealth, and a taste from the third will ensure undying love.”

The young woman thought for a moment. With success, she would always have a good job, but with wealth she would never have to worry about money or a career. Then she thought about her parents, grandparents, and friends, and how much they meant to her. “I will take the bread of love,” the young woman answered.

The angel handed the young woman the bread. After she took a bite of it, he handed her the remaining loaves and said, “You have chosen wisely. The bread of love bestows endless wealth and countless success upon those who possess it. Go in the peace of Christ and share your gifts with the world.” 

-- Author Unknown 

#5032

PACK YOUR COFFIN

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:19-20 NRSV)

A century ago, a band of brave souls became known as one-way missionaries. They purchased single tickets to the mission field without the return half. And instead of suitcases, they packed their few earthly belongings into coffins. As they sailed out of port, they waved good-bye to everyone they loved, everything they knew. They knew they’d never return home.

A. W. Milne was one of those missionaries. He set sail for the New Hebrides in the South Pacific, knowing full well that the headhunters who lived there had martyred every missionary before him. Milne did not fear for his life, because he had already died to himself. His coffin was packed. For thirty-five years, he lived among that tribe and loved them. When he died, tribe members buried him in the middle of their village and inscribed this epitaph on his tombstone: “When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness.” 

-- Mark Batterson in “All In: You Are One Decision Away from a Totally Different Life” 

#4937

A NEW COMMANDMENT

Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”  (John 13:34-35)

In Jesus’ day -- as in our own -- there was no lack of competing social, political, or religious movements, all of them with leaders who were promoting their philosophies and programs in the marketplace of ideas and trying to enlist others to join their particular crusades.

To many observers, Jesus appeared to be just another in a seemingly endless succession of Middle Eastern spiritual teachers or cultural rebels, all of whom sought to recruit their own disciples.

One of the major differences, though, between Jesus and the other teachers was that He preached a radical and life-transforming message based on love, and He backed up His message with His life. “My command is this,” He said, “love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) 

-- Steve & Lois Rabey in “Side by Side: Disciple-Making for a New Century”

#4932

SMALL GROUPS Part 2 - NURTURING BY DESIGN

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins..”  (1 John 4:7-10 NIV)

When God came down to this planet, He didn’t stand across the street and shout through a megaphone, “I love you!” He chose a small group and got with them eyeball to eyeball, to show that godly love is intimate love.

When it is honest, open, and loving at intimate levels, Christianity powerfully changes human behavior.

Any local church is a gathering of people with many, many wounds. They come out of a world where they’ve been beaten up from one week to the next. They need grace, love, and tender handling, and they need it from each other. Small groups give us the perfect opportunity to be “unshockable, democratic, permissive” (as Bruce Larson says) -- to be comforting, to be “shock absorbers.”

But more than that is needed. Christians who are unshockable and loving are the only ones qualified to also be corrective. People going through temptations and difficult times especially need the loving closeness of a few brothers and sisters [in Christ] who will hold [each other] accountable.

In a small group of peers the idea is, “Where you’re strong and I’m weak, you’ll help me. Where I’m strong and you’re weak, I’ll help you. We’ll all learn about Jesus from each other.” 

-- Ray & Anne Ortlund in “Renewal: An Influencer Discussion Guide”

#4918

LOVING OTHERS AS CHRIST LOVED

Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another."  (John 13:34-35 NIV)

To love others was not a new commandment, but to love others as Christ loved others was revolutionary.  Now we are to love others based on Jesus’ sacrificial love for us.  Such love will not only bring unbelievers to Christ, it will also keep believers strong and united in a hostile world to God. Jesus was a living example of God’s love, as we are to be living examples of Jesus’ love.

Jesus says that our Christlike love will show we are His disciples. Do people… know you are Jesus’ followers by your love for one another?

Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an attitude that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loves? By helping when it’s not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others’ welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of love is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source. 

-- From “The Life Application Study Bible” 

#4889