I LOVE MY CHURCH
You will experience a love for the church when you intentionally love the church. You will have a deep sense of love for the church when you actively and intentionally practice love for the church. The opposite is also true: When you don’t intentionally love the church, then you will not experience a love for the church. We’ll love the church when it is about relationships, not when it is like a restaurant.
Love by connecting. Being in community—in fellowship, in relationship—with each
other is more than knowing people’s names and where they sit on a Sunday morning. We love one another when we stand alongside one another. Being connected with one another is ensuring no one stands alone.
Love by serving. God has given each of His followers supernaturally empowered abilities to encourage and help one another and the community. Did you know you have superpowers? We’re going to talk about that.
Love by giving. Yes, we’re going to talk about giving. But probably not in the way you’d expect. In fact, we won’t talk at all about tithing or percentages. We won’t even try any ill-planned guilt trips to get you to give more. We’ll simply talk about giving as an indicator of love.
Love by sharing. The love that Jesus gives to us and that we can have for one another isn’t to be hoarded within the walls of the church. The love that we are to have for one another is also meant to show our community what the love of Jesus looks like. If we aren’t sharing the love of God with our words and deeds, then we aren’t truly loving. We’ll talk about this as well.
““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
