Love

Let's start with a well-known passage: 1 Corinthians 13 (NIV):

¹ If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 

What is the first part of this passage saying?

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

 We see that even if you do all of the right things, but have no love, you have nothing.

 

What is your definition of love?

 

Why is love the greatest?

We have faith and hope on Earth, but no longer in death. Love grows stronger in death, because God is love. 1 John 4 tells us this.

 

Love is the greatest commandment:

³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

God has unconditional love for YOU personally. He does not love all of your decisions, but God loves YOU.

What Kept Jesus on the Cross?

Easter is this Sunday! Easter is one of the most important holidays in Christianity, as Jesus rising from the dead is the basis of the religion.

Holy Week has already started, with Sunday being Palm Sunday. On Thursday, Jesus and his disciples had the last supper, and Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. On Friday, Jesus was put on trial and was crucified. Jesus knew that the crucifixion would be brutal, and while in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed that if there were any other way to save the world, for God to do it. But, that was not God's plan. Jesus HAD to be sacrificed.

³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.
~Matthew 27 (NIV)

 Jesus had to be sacrificed, and willingly did so because He loves you. It was not the nails that held Jesus to the cross. He could have found a way down or asked God to release Him, but His love for us kept Him there until the job was finished.

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)

 Jesus can relate to you. Not in every specific scenario, but understands the suffering you are feeling. After all, He went through death in the most cruel and brutal way, and loves you enough to have done that.

We all received dots on our wrists with our names by it. This is to remind us that Jesus died for us. Everytime you look at it, remember that He died for YOU.

{When you look at your dot, remember that Jesus died for you}

"Hurricane"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "Hurricane" by Samestate. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

What is love?

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”
~C.S. Lewis

God loves each and every person and YOU regardless of what you've done, will do, and whether you love yourself or Him or not. He never has stopped loving you, and never will stop loving you from when you were born to when you will die. There may be times that you fall away, but His love is something that you can always come back to.

It is hard to understand because there is no other love like it, but it is a two-way street like a human love. God is always loving you, but you need to make the decision to love Him back.

A question was brought up: Why do we have to go to church if God loves us anyways? The answer is simple: We want to worship and give thanks to God for loving us.

 ⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
 ¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
 ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
~1John 4 (NIV)

As you go through the week, here is a question to consider:
When are some times that you feel God's love? Is it when you feel the sun shining down after a cloudy morning? A problem that you've been having is quickly and easily resolved? Every person feels God's love differently. Listen carefully to hear when God is saying "I love you."



"Hurricane" by Samestate The tide has turned around,
We’re washing away,
With thunder and rain,
You’ll be back again,
It’s getting hard to believe,
And even harder to see,
That You could love,
Those like me.

Cause what do we really do
To deserve love so true,

Now all at once heads are spinning faster like a hurricane,
Cause all we did was nothing
But the love still came,
And is bringing in Good News,
His love is comin' back for you,

What if I never cared,
But now I do,
With only hours left,
How is it I still choose,

Cause what did we really do
To deserve love so true,

Now all at once heads are spinning faster like a hurricane,
Cause all we did was nothing
But the love still came,
And it’s bringing in Good News,
His love is comin' back,
For all of us who have a hard time
Getting it through our brains,
That all we did was nothing
But the love still came,
And it’s bringing in Good News,
Love is comin' back for you,
Oh, for you, oh

'Cause what do we really do?
I don't get it
Oh, what do we really do?
I don't get it
Oh, what do we really do?
Sometimes we don't have to understand

All at once heads are spinning faster like a hurricane,
Cause all we did was nothing
But a love still came,
And it’s bringing in Good News,
Yeah, love is comin back,
For all of us who have a hard time
Getting it through our brains,
That all we did was nothing
But the love still came,
And it’s bringing in Good News,
Love is comin back like a hurricane,

Like a hurricane,
Like a hurricane,
Like a hurricane,
For you,
Oh the love is comin' back for you.

Valentine's Day

¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.    God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
 ¹⁹ We love because He first loved us.

~1 John 4:16-19

Happy Valentine's Day! Take some time today to remember WHY we love our family, friends, and significant others. Even if you are single, remember that God is your valentine everyday!

Christian Atheist: Ashamed of Your Past/Aren't Sure He Loves You

Last week, we started a series on Christian Atheism. This week, we're talking about when you believe in God, but are ashamed of your past and aren't sure that He loves you.

(Source)

• Our past becomes a cycle. We believe that pain and failure is who we are, not just an event. Because of this, we just keep doing what we are doing because we think that's all we can be.  WE ARE NOT OUR SINS OR PAST.
• We need to heal by accepting. If we do not accept our past, we cannot know God because we cannot live for Him.
• We are forgiveable, changeable, capable and moldable. Forgiveable: God forgives us for any and all of our sins, as long as we ask. Changeable: We can change. It doesn't matter what our past is, we can change from it, as long as we have God's help and willing to do so. Capable: We are capable of changing. Moldable: God can shape us to be more Christ-like.
• Embrace God. It's the ONLY way to change our future. God loves you regardless of what you did in your past.

In Matthew 18, there is a story about a shepherd and 100 sheep. If one sheep goes astray, the shepherd will leave the 99 sheep to save it. God is the same way with us. He will leave to find the one person straying.

It is hard to understand God's love. We are used to temporary love; love that lasts for a week, a month, a year, even a marriage is temporary. Eventually we all die. This life is temporary.

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)

Now, take John 3:16 and phrase it: "For God so loved (your name) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you and give you a future in Heaven, if you embrace God.