JESUS SAID: “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” – BUT… HOW DO WE DO THAT?
OPENING TEXT: Jesus said: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35).
DRAMATIZED BIBLE STORY: The Good Samaritan
“One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: "Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?" Jesus replied, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?" The man answered, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!" The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29, NLT).
“30 Jesus replied with an illustration: "A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 "By chance a Jewish priest came along; but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 "Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt deep pity. 34 Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver and told him to take care of the man. 'If his bill runs higher than that,' he said, 'I'll pay the difference the next time I am here.' 36 "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same.” (Luke 10:30-37, NLT).
QUESTION: We know we’re supposed to love one another – but – how do we do that?
THE BIG IDEA: Jesus told us to love one another. We can do this in many different ways, through quality time, words of affirmation, giving of gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.
THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES: (From a book by Gary Chapman).
• WORDS OF AFFIRMATION
• QUALITY TIME
• RECEIVING GIFTS
• ACTS OF SERVICE
• PHYSICAL TOUCH
• Loving others is so important! Love is a primary emotional need for all people.
• QUOTE: “Inside every child is an ‘emotional tank’ waiting to be filled with love. When a child really feels loved, he will develop normally but when the love tank is empty, the child will misbehave.” (Gary Chapman). This applies to adults, too!
• When your love tank is full, you are emotionally satisfied.
1. WORDS OF AFFIRMATION:
• From the Life of Jesus: “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17, NKJV).
• From the Word: “Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (Eph. 4:29, NLT).
• “One way to express love emotionally is to use words that build up.” (Chapman).
• Affirmation is a positive declaration. But we have a tendency to focus on the negative.
• A word of affirmation means saying the assumed and unspoken about someone.
• EXAMPLE: This is my love language. Thank you notes, e-mails, etc.
2. QUALITY TIME:
• From the Life of Jesus: “Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.” (Matt. 9:10, NKJV).
• From the Word: “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other…” (Hebrews 10:25, NLT).
• “By quality time, I mean giving someone your undivided attention.” (Chapman).
• “Love is spelled T-I-M-E.” This has its challenges in today’s busy society.
• Spending time together in a common pursuit to experience togetherness.
• This is not watching TV together, being on the computer or your iPhone!
• EXAMPLE: This is my daughter Hannah’s love language – date nights.
3. RECEIVING GIFTS:
• From the Life of Jesus: “How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:11b). Jesus also fed the hungry multitudes.
• From the Word: “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure.” (Luke 6:38, NLT).
• “Visual symbols of love are more important to some people than to others.” (Chapman).
• A gift is a tangible symbol of someone’s thoughts towards you.
• When someone goes out of their way to find something for another individual.
• Receiving a gift is not about the value but rather knowing they are loved.
• EXAMPLE: This is Liza’s love language. Share story of the mall this past weekend.
4. ACTS OF SERVICE:
5. From the Life of Jesus: “and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.” (John 13:5, NLT).
• Jesus said about Himself: “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28, NKJV).
• From the Word: “Through love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13b, NKJV).
• Expressing your love by doing tangible things for others.
• Thought, planning, time, effort, energy. We need to be alert for opportunities.
• EXAMPLE: Nettie, Morgan and Adolf are great examples of this.
5. PHYSICAL TOUCH:
• From the Life of Jesus: “Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” (Matt. 8:3, NKJV).
• “And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10:16, NKJV).
• From the Word: “Greet one another with a holy kiss (hug).” (Romans 16:16, NKJV).
• HUGGING: Hugging is an amazing medicine. It transfers energy, and gives the person hugged an emotional boost. Someone said: one needs four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and twelve for growth.
• “Physical touch is a way of communicating emotional love. Babies who are held, hugged and kissed develop a healthier emotional life than those who (are not).” (Chapman).
• Extending physical touch to others must be done with wisdom and discernment. Don’t allow fear to keep you from showing love in this way but do it right. Ask for permission!
• EXAMPLE:
CLOSING CHALLENGE:
God has commanded us to love one another – let’s make a commitment to do that daily!
• Use all five different ways to communicate love to people.
• No matter how well you may or may not have communicated love in the past, this is a new day – a new beginning – to begin walking a life of love.
Bibliography: The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman.
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://pastorchrisjordan.wordpress.com/
