Subject: The Greatest Power has Changed History
Beginning Prayer:
O, Lord, God Almighty, we come to You in humble adoration seeking You to grant to us a time and place to speak to You on behalf of Your people who are called by Your name. Father God, it is so important that we learn to love one another, and that we share this love with others who do not know You. Grant us this in Your Son Jesus' name. Thank You, Lord that these lessons has been very helpful in our walk with you concerning Your love, the only true love on this earth. Help us Lord, not to just read this chapter, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land," but help us to walk it in love towards You in Jesus' name. Bless our relationship with You, Lord. Thank You for redemption from dead works to love and relationship with all. This we pray in Jesus, our Lord and Savior's name. AMEN.
Love is the greatest power known to man. It changed the course of the first-century world, and God is using it to bring a great revolution in the twentieth century. Nothing can overcome God's love.
In the first century there was a wedding of love and faith resulting in a great spiritual revolution throughout the known world. Then both were lost during the Dark Ages. The realization of Martin Luther and his colleagues that the "just shall live by faith" ushered in the Reformation and another mighty movement of God's Spirit. But there was little love. In fact, there was often great conflict.
Today, God is bringing back to our remembrance the biblical wedding of the two -- faith and love. Through faith, that supernatural, divine love of God will reach out where nothing else can go to capture men and women for Christ. The love which results from that faith will captivate people everywhere so that, as we live and love by faith, we will spread God's love throughout the world. This love is contagious, attractive and aggressive. It creates hunger for God. It is active -- constantly looking for loving things to do, people to uplift, and lives to change.
Leonard is an example. The night he received Christ as his personal Savior, his heart was filled with love, and a great change came over him. Until then he had hated everyone and everything.
Often when he came home drunk at night, he would kick his dog to get him off the porch. In the process, the dog would bark, growl and try to bite him. Reeling and rocking under the influence of alcohol, Leonard would chase the dog around the table outside. Soon his wife would get into the fray. They would curse each other and fight. Eventually, he would kick the dog off the porch, scattering chairs and flower pots in all directions.
"But the night I received Christ," he relates, "I was so filled with love I think even the dog sensed I was different. He raised himself on his belly and crawled toward me, then lay down on the same feet that had kicked him all the other nights."
Take the Step: Love by Faith
Practical steps to making love a reality:
Agape love frequently expresses itself as a flow of compassion. Jesus said, "Rivers of living water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes in me." Compassion is one of these rivers. It is a gentle stream of tenderness and concern for another person's need. Such love compelled Jesus to feed the hungry, comfort the sorrowing, heal the sick, teach the multitude, and raise the dead. Most of us at some time in our lives have experienced this flow of love toward someone. Perhaps you felt it while washing the dishes, or while working on the job, or driving down the freeway, or sitting in a classroom. You couldn't explain it, but your impulse was to do something special for that person
God's love changes everything:
A principle runs through the New Testament: Because God first loved us we are able to love Him (1 John 4:19). And, we are able to love others (1 John 4:11). How is it that people who did not love God on their own find themselves loving Him-having a complete change of heart? It is because God's love changes everything. Those who truly understand they are loved and forgiven cannot help but love and forgive others. That is so true!
The love that never changes, is the love that want you with Him forever. God has "pleasures forevermore" in store for those who belongs to Him (Psalm 16:11). To ensure our eternal pleasure, surrounded by God's love, Jesus has gone ahead to prepare dwelling places for us. He will come again one day to gather us to Himself and take us to our heavenly home (John 14:1-4). Once there, we will be with Him forever.
Scripture Reading: (please explain what love this scripture is referring too)
(Romans 13:10)
Week # 6: Weekly Word: Pragma
Pragma is a kind of practical love founded on reason or duty and one's longer-term interests. Sexual attraction takes a back seat in favor of personal qualities and compatibilities, shared goals, and making it work. In the days of arranged marriages, pragma must have been very common. Although unfashionable, it remains widespread, most visibly in certain high-profile celebrity and political pairings. Many relationships that start off as eros or ludus end up as various combinations of storge and pragma. Pragma may seem opposed to ludus, but the two can co-exist, with the one providing a counterpoint to the other. In the best of cases, the partners in the pragma relationship agree to turn a blind eye or even, as in the case of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, a sympathetic eye.
Study Questions:
- How is God's love active?
- What is the most important step to take in loving others?
- How is it that people who did not love God on their own find themselves loving Him-having a complete change of heart?
Quiz:
Fill in the blank. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you _______."
peace
eternal life
rest
a home in my Father's mansion
Read verses
These provide guidance on topics relating to love such as; relationships, marriage, family, children, strength, and love of others. The Bible says that God is love, which makes it the perfect source to learn how to love others, even those who are difficult for us to. Our world has skewed the meaning of true love but God's Word remains a steadfast, true source of knowledge on how to love. Read the below scripture from the Holy Bible about love in relation to God, Jesus Christ, and the Christian faith and begin seeing the change in your heart and mind!
Weekly Reading Assignments: (1 Corinthians 13)
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