5 Ways to Show God’s Love

“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.”
– 1 Corinthians 16:23-24

The early Corinthian church was a moral mess. So, the Apostle Paul spent 16 chapters teaching, correcting and training them in righteousness. And as he brings his hard-hitting letter to a close, he leaves his readers ... with "agape" love. Agape is God’s kind of love – selfless, sacrificial and unconditional.

 

In the final verses of Chapter 16, Paul shares 5 practical ways to show God’s agape love:

 

#1: Volunteer for devoted service (v. 15). In verse 15, Paul mentions Stephanas’ family, who “devoted themselves to the service of the saints.” As followers of Christ, one of the most practical ways we can show agape love is to do what Stephanas’ family did: Volunteer. Don’t sit around and wait to be appointed to serve. When you see a need, and the Holy Spirit prompts you to meet it, meet it!

 

#2: Submit to faithful servant leaders (v. 16). In verses15-16, Paul writes: “I urge you, brothers, to submit to … everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it.” It’s a natural human tendency to fight against submission. But as Christians, we must submit ourselves, first and foremost, to Jesus Christ as Lord. And as we submit to Him, He commands us to submit to our God-given leaders, and to submit to one another in the church. Like Jesus, we mustn’t aim to BE served, but to SERVE.

 

#3: Refresh other Christians with your companionship (vs. 17-18a). Paul writes in verses 17-18: “I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because … they refreshed my spirit.” Do you know some Christians who are “refreshing” to be around? One of the most practical ways to show others agape love is to offer them refreshing companionship. Sit with them and patiently listen to them when they’re grieving. Stand by their bedside and pray with them when they’re sick. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn.

 

#4: Respect those who serve faithfully (v. 18b). Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus made the effort to visit Paul and refresh him with their companionship. So, Paul tells the rest of the Corinthian Christians, “Such men deserve recognition.” Does Paul want the church to give these three men a trophy? No. He’s simply asking the church to show them some well-deserved appreciation, which brings glory to God. 

 

#5: Show hospitality and affection to all believers (vs. 19-20). When Paul sends the Corinthians greetings from the church in Asia, he’s probably also referring to the churches in Colosse, Laodicea and other faraway places. Christian hospitality can’t be limited to those who are in the same town as us. We need to lovingly pray for Christians on the other side of the world. In love, we need to send financial support to help meet the needs of Christian missionaries around the world. World missions require both loving “goers” and loving “senders.”

 

Finally, Paul closes his letter with grace and agape love. After all the dumb, sinful things the Corinthians had done ... after all the slander and all the backstabbing … Paul still loved them. How was that possible? It was possible because, like Christ’s love for us, Paul’s love for them was selfless, sacrificial and unconditional. May you and I love one another in the same way.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services at 9am: at 17746 George Blvd., or at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Love Never Fails

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13

In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul shows us how beautifully Christ’s selfless “agape” love behaves. And in verse 8, Paul tells us in no uncertain terms that “agape” love NEVER fails.

 

To understand what Paul means, it’s important to look at this verse in several other good English translations: “Love never ends” (CSB, ESV & HCSB); and “Love will last forever” (NLT). It turns out that Paul is not saying that “agape” love is always successful. He’s saying that “agape” love never dies. Agape love is eternal.

 

In other words, agape love is not a magic key or spiritual formula that guarantees success. Like Jesus, if you love the people around you with an “agape” love, they may STILL spit in your face; they may STILL slander you; they may STILL crucify you and think they’re doing everybody a favor. But if you love those around you with an “agape” love, your love will outlast all of the world’s shenanigans.

 

Verse 13 puts a final bow on this beautiful chapter: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” In eternity, faith will become sight. So faith—at least in the sense of trusting in One who we cannot see—will become a thing of the past. And in eternity, all hope will be realized. In heaven, there will be nothing left to hope for. So, even faith and hope have an expiration date. But “agape” love doesn’t. Agape love is an integral part of the character of God. So, just like God Himself, agape love will last forever. Faith, hope and love will remain until this world passes away, but in eternity, only agape love will remain. Therefore, “the greatest of these is love.”

 

Pastor Chuck Swindoll suggests asking ourselves these 3 questions after studying this life-changing chapter:

 

Question 1: “Do you consider ‘agape’ love essential in your ministry? Is ‘agape’ love the single most important aspect in your relationship with others?” It’s easy for our love to grow cold when it’s not “agape” love. We start going through the motions. We put on a smiling face. We perform the tasks we’re supposed to do, but there’s very little love in it. You could be the most gifted and talented Christian in the church, but if you don’t have “agape” love, God’s Word says … it’s nothing. Why? Because EVERYTHING – LOVE = NOTHING.

 

Question 2: “Does your love fade in and out? Is it fickle—hot and cold? Even though ‘agape’ loving isn’t safe or easy, it must be unconditional and consistent.” We might THINK we’re loving others with an agape love, but if your love fluctuates based on how other people respond to it, that’s not “agape” love. “Agape” love isn’t based on your feelings. Agape love is a verb, an action rooted in a conscious decision to love those around you. Our love must be like Christ’s love: selfless, unconditional and consistent. 

 

Question 3: “Does ‘agape’ love come to the surface of your life more than any other virtue? In Paul’s description of the fruit of the Spirit, love comes first (Gal. 5:22)…. If those around you were to identify one virtue to describe you, would it be LOVE?” Honestly, I don’t know the answer to this question. People who know me tend to describe me as dedicated and hard-working. But would “loving” be on the tip of their tongues? I’m not sure it would. So, the Holy Spirit and I have some work to do on me. And you and the Holy Spirit have some work to do on you.

 

It’s easy to talk to people about how much Jesus loves them. But we must roll up our sleeves and start showing them Jesus’ selfless, sacrificial, unconditional “agape” love.   

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services at 9am: at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville, or at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

5 More Ways to Show God’s Love

“[Love] is not rude, 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.”

– 1 Corinthians 13:5-6 

God’s kind of love – “agape” – isn’t easy. It’s hard … REALLY hard.

 

But Jesus Christ has called us to love as He loves: with an unconditional, others-centered, agape love. It’s far and away the best kind of love. So, as Christians, we must stay determined to love God and people with agape.

 

Picking up from last week’s article, I’d like to share five more ways that God’s love behaves:

 

Love is not self-seeking (v. 5). It’s impossible for agape love to be self-absorbed and self-seeking, because agape is all about putting the needs of others above itself. The online BibleRef.com commentary on 1 Corinthians 13:5 makes this excellent point: “Much of the Corinthian church’s problems would have disappeared if they focused on looking for ways to meet each other’s needs before satisfying their own.” If you want to squander your life and be quickly forgotten after you die, here’s the secret: Just live for yourself.

 

Love is not easily angered (v. 5). The CSB and ESV translate Paul’s words this way: Love “is not irritable.” Love does not lose its cool over small irritants. We all know that Jesus got angry at times. When his 12 disciples were chasing off the children who were coming to Jesus, Jesus got angry. When Jesus drove out the money changers and venders from the temple courts, He was really angry. But Jesus never got angry for selfish reasons. He got angry for righteous reasons. He got angry for the glory of God and the good of those around Him.

 

Love keeps no record of wrongs (v. 5). Paul uses an interesting Greek word here: “logizesthai.” In Paul’s day, this was a word accountants used to describe writing down a transaction on a ledger and reckoning it to someone. So, Paul is saying that agape doesn’t keep a mental note of everything someone did that was mean or hurtful. Agape doesn’t hold grudges, and it “keeps no record of wrongs.”

 

Love does not delight in evil (v. 6). Sadly, our culture finds sin entertaining. Horror movies make hundreds of millions of dollars every year, and we have a $15 billion pornography industry in America. Why? Because we find bloody murder and illicit sex entertaining. Now, many Christians would say, “That doesn’t apply to ME!” But what about gossip? One of the most common ways that Christians delight in evil is by listening to gossip. Do you realize that gossips wouldn’t do much harm if you weren’t so eagerly listening to them? Agape love never delights in evil. Agape love never rejoices in wrongdoing or in gossip.

Love rejoices with the truth (v. 5). Remember that in John 14:6, Jesus told His disciples, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Therefore, agape love rejoices in Jesus. Jesus Christ IS love’s delight. 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us for Good Friday tomorrow night at 6pm, and for our Easter service this Sunday at 9 a.m. with an Easter Egg Hunt afterward for the kids. Impact meets at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

What God’s Love Looks Like

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:4

How does God love? And how can we love the way Jesus loves?

As I mentioned last week, there are very clear differences between God’s kind of love – “Agape” in Greek – and all other kinds of love.

 

First is “Eros” love: the romantic, sensual love we hear so much about in our songs and movies. But “Eros” is a love that tends to be selfish. “Eros” love says, “I love you because you have something desirable that I want.”

 

Second is “Phileo” love: a mutual love between family members or friends. “Phileo” love says, “I love you, knowing that you also love me.”

 

Third is “Agape” – God’s kind of love. It’s a selfless, unconditional love that has no strings attached. Agape love says, “I love you so much that I will put your needs above my needs – even if you spit in my face and put me through hell.”

 

In 1 Corinthians 13, The Apostle Paul describes how agape behaves. In verse 4, he lays out the first five qualities of God’s love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

 

You and I desperately need to behave more like Jesus. We need to be more patient—taking anything from others—and more kind—giving generously to others, even to our enemies. When Jesus commanded us to love one another, He wasn’t just commanding us to THINK kind thoughts and FEEL kind feelings about one another. He was commanding us to actually BE kind one to another.

 

Not to envy means that agape love always wants the very BEST for the other person – even if it’s at your own expense. And boasting – bragging about the things we have, or our accomplishments – is the total opposite of God’s love. Pastor John MacArthur writes: “Jesus, who had everything to boast of, never boasted. In total contrast, we who have nothing to boast of are prone to boast. Only the love that comes from Jesus Christ can save us from flaunting our knowledge, our abilities, our gifts, or our accomplishments.”

 

And just as envy and boasting can’t coexist with agape love, neither can arrogance. You can either have a big arrogant head, or you can have a big loving heart. You can’t have both. Which will it be for you?

 

Here are 3 Life Lessons we can take from this verse:

 

Lesson #1: If you’re going to love, don’t love the way our culture loves – love the way Christ loves.

 

Lesson #2: In our culture, where impatience and unkindness are all around us, Christ’s followers must swim against the tide. Our patience with impatient people and our kindness to unkind people should be unmatched.

 

Lesson #3: If we truly love God and people, we will work with the Holy Spirit to root out pride, jealousy and bragging from our lives. We must, in humility, value others above ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

 

Christians, since most people around us have no clue what “agape” love looks like in the real world, let’s show them. Let’s show them real patience and kindness, without even a hint of jealousy, bragging or arrogance.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services: in person or online at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

What the Church Needs Now

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” – 1 Corinthians 13:1

In the spring of 1965, Jackie DeShannon released a song that rocketed into Billboard’s Top 10 hits. The song was titled, “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”

Those words are just as true today as they were 61 years ago: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” And in the first three verses of 1 Corinthians 13, we can almost hear the Apostle Paul saying, “What the church needs now is love, sweet love.”

 

Many Christians, if they were asked to name their favorite chapter in the Bible, would answer: “1 Corinthians 13 … the love chapter.” This beautiful chapter is often read at weddings. But Paul didn’t write this chapter with weddings in mind. He wrote it as a vital part of his teaching about spiritual gifts.

 

The Corinthian Christians were very gifted Christians. In 1 Corinthians 1:7 Paul wrote, “You do not lack any spiritual gift.” The problem was, they were carrying out their gifts in a self-centered, competitive way. In other words, they were using their gifts without “agape” – God’s kind of love. And as a result, the exercise of their spiritual gifts did more harm than good.

 

Agape love is the highest and hardest kind of love, because it’s a love that continues no matter how badly it’s treated. It’s a selfless, unconditional love that perseveres even when it’s not reciprocated. Agape love says, “I love you so much that I will lay down my life for you even if you spit in my face and put me through hell.”

 

Jesus Christ wants us to understand that THIS the kind of love is the secret sauce that makes our gifts truly effective. Our serving MUST be fueled by a Christlike love that is humble, selfless and doesn’t expect anything in return – a love that puts your needs above my needs.

 

As you serve the Lord, remember these 3 lessons:

 

Lesson #1: Instead of desiring spiritual gifts you haven’t been given, desire to lovingly use the spiritual gifts you HAVE been given. When the Holy Spirit handed out spiritual gifts, He gave you just what you needed to do just what He’s called you to do. So, accept your gift. Thank God for your gift. And use your spiritual gift to serve others in love.  

 

Lesson #2: Don’t cheapen your spiritual gifts by using them without agape love. It’s much easier to be religious than it is to be loving. It’s much easier to condemn sinners than it is to love them. But God in heaven, and your church family here on earth, deserve nothing less than your very best love: agape love.

 

Lesson #3: Never forget: Everything Minus Love = NOTHING. In 1 Cor. 13:1-3, Paul is saying, “I don’t CARE how great your spiritual gift is, it’s ‘nothing’ without agape love! You could be the world’s best Bible teacher. It doesn’t matter! You could be a better prophet than Daniel. Who cares? It’s all useless if agape love isn’t flowing through your service to God’s children.”

 

If you REALLY love God and REALLY love your church family, whatever spiritual gift you have, it’s that love that will REALLY fuel your ministry.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services: in person or online at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

How to Love Like Jesus

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
– John 13:25

Before the end of the Last Supper, Jesus dropped two bombshells to the 12 men sitting at the table with Him. In John 13, He told them that one of His trusted apostles would betray Him, and that another of them would deny even knowing Him.

Jesus made it clear that the disciple who would betray Him was Judas – even though many Bible scholars have concluded that Judas was sitting in the seat of honor, on Jesus’ left-hand side. Try to wrap your head around that: Jesus not only washed the feet of his friend who would betray Him, He likely gave Him the best seat at His final meal. And in verse 38, Peter’s heart must have dropped when he heard Jesus say, “I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown Me three times!”

Yet Jesus showed His love to both men, despite what He knew was coming. And in verses 34 and 35, Jesus gave His disciples one of the most important commands He had ever given them: “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.”

How in the world can we love like that? Let’s look at three ways to love each other like Jesus:

#1: Love other Christians selflessly and sacrificially. The Greek word used for “love” in these verses is “agape”—the highest form of love. Agape love is always others-centered, never self-centered. Jesus didn’t think of Himself. He was always thinking of others. So much good takes place in the Church when we love each other selflessly and sacrificially. You’ve heard the old expression: “Give until it hurts.” We could just as easily say, “Love until it hurts.”

#2: Love other Christians understandingly. Jesus knew every flaw in every one of his disciples, yet He loved them anyway. Sadly, many Christians only practice conditional love. “I will love you only as long as you make good choices, only as long as you don’t screw up, and only as long as you don’t get on my nerves.” That’s NOT agape love. Agape love sees the stupidity in others and knows that some people are really hard to love. But agape love loves them anyway … just like Jesus.

#3: Love other Christians forgivingly. Jesus taught us, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). Is Jesus actually saying that God’s forgiveness is conditional? Yes! If you expect God to forgive you, He expects you to forgive others. So, if you refuse to forgive others, God will refuse to forgive you. The first thing Jesus said as He hung on the cross was, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they’re doing.” That’s agape love in action.

The Church should be the easiest place in the world to find forgiveness. And this should be obvious not only to Christians, but to our not-yet-saved friends and family members as well. As the old chorus goes: “And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yeah, they'll know we are Christians by our love.”

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church. Pastor Dane’s new daily devotional, “40 Days in Proverbs,” is now available on Amazon.com. Join us on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. or 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley, or livestream us on Facebook or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Love Has Come!

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other

and for everyone else.” – 1 Thessalonians 3:12a

Would you agree with me if I were to say, “Most Americans don’t understand love”? When we talk about two people “falling in love,” it demonstrates a misunderstanding about love. Love can’t be fallen into. When a husband or wife says, “I don’t love you anymore,” that person doesn’t understand love. Love isn’t an emotional switch that accidentally gets turned on or off.

If you really pay attention, you’ll notice that we overuse the word “love” – a lot! I say “I love you” to my wife and kids. But I also say, “I love In-N-Out Burgers. I love going to Disneyland. And I love eating carne asada tacos!” We’ve tossed around the word “love” so much over the years, we need to go back to the source—God’s word—to be reminded what true love really is.

There are three Greek words that are translated as “love.” There’s “eros,” which is a romantic kind of love. Next there’s “phileo,” which is friendship love, or brotherly love, between two people who have a close relationship. And finally, there is “agape,” which was chosen by the writers of the New Testament as the best word to describe God’s love and Jesus’ love. Agape is a self-sacrificing kind of love—a much higher form of love than eros or phileo.

You see, eros love sets its sights on someone you’re attracted to. But agape love doesn’t discriminate between someone you think is hot, and someone you think is … not. And phileo love is directed at someone you already have a close personal relationship with, like a family member or a close friend. But agape love doesn’t discriminate between someone you know well and someone you don’t know at all. It doesn’t even discriminate between someone you like and someone who drives you up the wall.

Do you see why agape is the highest form of love? It’s no wonder we find this word used some 320 times in the New Testament in reference to God the Father’s love for Jesus, God’s love for people, and Christ’s love for his church. And it’s no wonder that when Jesus Christ commands us to love one another, he commands us to “agape love” one another. Let’s take a look at what the New Testament teaches us about agape love.

1. God the Father loves His Son. We read about this in John 17:26, when Jesus prays to the Father for his disciples, saying, “I have made You known to them and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for me may be known in them and I myself may be in them.” He says, in essence, “Father, I know that You love me more than life itself. And I have so badly wanted to share Your amazing love for me with them. So, I have taught them about You and shown them through my actions what You are like. And as they’ve taken it all in, they’ve taken Your love in, and they’ve taken me in, too.”

2. God the Father loves people. Agape is the attitude of God the Father for His Son, but it’s also His attitude toward people. Without a doubt one of the best-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16, where the love of God for the human race is made crystal clear: “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.”

Now, think about it. What God the Father did 2,000 years ago is no small thing. He sent His one and only Son from absolute Paradise to this messy, smelly, sin-cursed world. Why would He do such a thing if He REALLY loved His son as much as the Bible says? Well, He did it because “God so loved the world.” God the Father loved God the Son more than life itself. But He also loved you and me more than life itself. And because He couldn’t bear the thought of all of us spending an eternity in Hell, He sacrificed His one and only Son so that you and I could be forgiven and live. There should be no doubt in our minds: God is love—agape love. And love came down to earth on that first Christmas.

3. The Father desires for us to love. The Bible is clear that God expects His followers to love as He has loved. According to Jesus, the two greatest commands in the Old Testament are, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37) and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). If the Bible is true that heaven is absolute paradise and Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, there is only one logical conclusion we can come to: The most loving thing you could ever do for any person is to do whatever you have to do at whatever cost to yourself to help people have an all-satisfying relationship with Jesus forever.

Jesus made it clear that he wants us to agape love our fellow Christians. But true, agape love never stops at the church door. Jesus also makes it crystal clear that he also wants us to agape love our spiritually lost and dying family, friends and neighbors. Jesus wants us to do whatever we have to do, at whatever cost to ourselves, to help unsaved men, women and children get saved and have an all-satisfying relationship with him. And that’s a Christmas present that will last for eternity.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com and join us for church Sundays at 10 a.m.