Turn On Your Love Filter

Turn on Your Love Filter

1. Setup: there are different types of things that contaminate our spiritual environment. Things that poison the atmosphere. Words, actions, deeds and often times with good intensions. These are worldly and human devices and emotions that can creep into dialogue, our conversation, our message, our tendencies, and even into our lifestyle. It is only through God’s love that we can guard against and remove these carnal contaminants from our spirit.

2. Ephesians 4:1-6; AND 1st John 4:7-12

3. Let's not confuse Christian love with its modern-day counterfeits

4. Define Love:

a. Eros (erotic; romantic; and sometimes selfish love);

b. Storge (love of a parent toward an offspring and vise-versa);

c. Phileo (brotherly); it is where we get the term Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.

d. Agape (selfless; unconditional). Has nothing to do with the one being loved, but with the lover of the one being loved.

5. St. John 21:15-17: Peter, do you love me, feed my lambs…, Feed my lambs..., thou knowest all things, you know I love thee,… feed my sheep. What is critical here is the type of love Jesus was talking about – He asked if Peter Agape, and Peter answered Phileo.

6. [I have three sons]

7. How do we make love the prime characteristic in our lives?;

8. [LOVING PEOPLE IS HARD, DIVERSITY]

a. We’re not the same: Socially; Economically; Educationally, we are different in every way the world can define us.

9. Ephesians 4: [Paul is calling for unity] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,; [what do we have in common]

a. One Body: we may have different denominational preferences, but one body (Methodist; Episcopalians; Protestants; Catholics; Church of Christ; Church of God in Christ; Baptist

b. One Spirit: We may be called and motivated to do different things in the ministry.

c. One Lord: We have different parents; there are different church structures; different pastors

d. One Hope: Not a desire, but a conviction from the word of God. That binds us in love

i. Hebrews 13: I will never leave thee nor forsake thee

ii. Matthew 28:20 lo, I am with you, even unto the end of the world

iii. Philippians 4: My God shall supply all your needs, According to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus

iv. Romans 8 and 17: we are ares of God, and joint ares with Jesus Christ

v. Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

e. One Faith:

f. One Baptism: The catholic sprinkle water; the Baptist

10. 1 John 4, Verse 7: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. Verse 8: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

11. [The writer is trying to reason with us]

a. If I sneezed, and coughed, and had runny nose, you can conclude that I have a cold. Because I carry the requisite symptoms that would indicate to you that I must be sick. The sneeze is the symptom of the cold. Our Love for one another is not a cause of our salvation, but instead, our love for one another is the result of our salvation.

b. Our love for one another is not a pre-condition for being born of God, our love for one another is a consequence of being born of God

c. Therefore, those of us not willing to love one another, simply don’t know God; and therefore are not saved.

12. When we demonstrate Christian love, it distinguishes believers from the rest of the world. Jesus goes on to say, St. John 13:35 "By this [love] all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another".

13. [A long time ago, Texas]

14. [In your wallet, is an ID Card; Love is the Christians Identification Card]

15. If we are experiencing God’s love, three things will occur:

a. We will fall in love with God

b. We will fall in love with His people

c. We will value the things of God

16. Dr. W.A. Criswell, former pastor Dallas, Texas - weddings.

17. When Ira Gillett, missionary to East Africa, returned home to report on his activities overseas, he reported an interesting phenomenon. Same treatment different hands.

18. 1 John 4:12-15 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.