Jesus Destroys the Work of the Devil – So Can We, His Church!

 

1 John 3:8 (AMP)

The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God]; for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning.

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

So, dear readers, our next question is, what exactly are the works of the devil?

Well, the answer to this question is quite simple: to destroy anything and everything that God has created!

Let’s confirm this with scripture.

1 Peter 5:8 (AMP)

Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.

John 10:10 (NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 8:44 (NIV)

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The devil or Satan as he is often referred to, has always been the enemy of man since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden. He lied to Eve, and this led to both her and Adam falling into sin – they disobeyed God because they listened to the lie of Satan! Sin in all its forms is thus considered to be “the works of the devil.” And whoever sins follows the way of the devil!

Unredeemed man, because of sin, is separated from God, which is spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Man can only be redeemed from sin by accepting Jesus as his Lord and Saviour! So, the work of the devil is to destroy all of God’s creation, and in particular to destroy man who is described as being the “apple of God’s eye.” The devil hates man with a passion and will never let up trying to destroy him until he is finally bound in Hell along with all who follow his ways!

Zechariah 2:8 (NIV)

For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—

So, that’s enough about Satan’s failed mission, let’s now move on to how Jesus has destroyed the work of Satan and how He empowers us, His Church, to do the same!

Let’s do this by examining the scriptures in an orderly fashion and by taking our victory stance in our Christian walk by following our saviour’s example!

We are often tempted to commit sin in the various life situations we find ourselves. How did Jesus overcome temptation? Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil, this shows us that although he was God, he was also fully human and would face temptation just as we are, and his actions show us how we can overcome temptation!

Luke 4:1-12 (NIV)

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you

to guard you carefully;

11 they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

One of the many names that the devil has in the bible is the ‘tempter’, temptation is one of his favourite ways to lead man into sin! In the above verses, he tries this tactic with Jesus but to no avail. What I notice in the above verses is that Jesus shows us by practical example how temptation is resisted:

1. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and be led by Him alone – verse 1.

2. Fasting can bring us spiritual strength – verse 2

3. The devil will try and get you to doubt who you are in Christ Jesus, “…if you..” – verses 3 and 9. You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.

4. Knowledge of the Bible is the “food” that feeds our spiritual growth – verse 4.

5. The devil will show you things that appeal to the flesh, not the spirit – verse 5.

6. The devil will appeal to your social vanity to get you to sin – verse 6.

7. The devil will tempt you to worship him by you worshiping worldly things – verse 7.

8. We must worship and serve God alone! – verse 8.

9. Don’t do anything just to test God. Keep your motives pure. – verses 9-12.

10. When you resist the devil, he will leave you but be on your guard because he will come back! – verse 13.

The lesson we can learn from this passage is: Know who you are in Christ Jesus, know the Bible, worship God only, be completely submissive to the Father’s will and resist the devil so that he will flee. This is the lifestyle that enables us, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to lead victorious lifestyles and be overcomers of the devil as Jesus is!

James 4:7 (NIV)

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When we are in Christ Jesus (born-again) we reside in God’s perfect love and perfect love drives out all fear. We no longer need to fear anything that we face, not even death! For death for those in Christ Jesus has lost its sting.

1 John 4:18 (AMP)

18 There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].

1 Corinthians 15:54-58 (NIV)

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[Isaiah 25:8]

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”[Hosea 13:14]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

In Christ Jesus we have total victory over the works of the devil. The devil’s ultimate aim is to murder us by enticing us to deny Jesus and thus causing us to live our lives in sin without the hope of redemption that Jesus provides mankind. This is death – eternal separation from God in Hell!

But thanks be to God, Jesus overcame death on the cross at calvary. He took the sin of mankind upon himself – He died for me and you! But by the power of the Holy Spirit, God resurrected Jesus on the third day and because of this, those of us that are born again and have repented of our sin and have accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour are also able to partake in the resurrection and have victory over death and receive eternal life!

1 Corinthians 15:42-48 (NIV)

42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Romans 6:5-7 (NIV)

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

And last but by no means least, Jesus has given us of his authority to also destroy the works of the devil, all we need to do is appropriate His authority and use it by faith in Him to resist the devil.

Luke 10:19 (NIV)

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

“Jesus has destroyed the works of the devil!”

Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven
In the Name of Jesus, I pray that you would protect me from the works of the devil and that you, by your Holy Spirit, would help me to overcome temptation as Jesus did and not offer myself up to sin in any way. Let me not continue to sin as Jesus has saved me from death and help me to exercise the authority I have in Jesus to overcome the devil! Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Do Not Grieve The Holy Spirit!

 

EVERYTHING THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES IN US AND THROUGH US OR IN ANY OTHER WAY, IS TO BRING GLORY TO 

JESUS!

John 16:14-15 (NKJV)

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

So, dear readers, how do we as born-again Christians, grieve the Holy Spirit?

Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s have a look at the Greek word for ‘grieve’ in Ephesians 4:30 so that we can get a good sense of its full meaning.

The Greek word is lupeó (loo-peh-o) and its full meaning goes like this: to grieve, to distress, to experience deep emotional pain, to bring sadness and severe sorrow.

When we look at this verse in terms of the full meaning of the word grieve, we can’t help but see that when we do grieve the Holy Spirit, it’s definitely not a good thing for us to do and something that God’s children, if they truly love God, should avoid doing at all costs!

On examination of Ephesians 4:30 we see that it is the Holy Spirit that seals us for the day of redemption (this is the day when we will receive our final deliverance from sin) and even though our sins have been forgiven we will still have to give an account of ourselves on our day of redemption.

We can still grieve the Holy Spirit when we behave in a manner that is contrary to and in disobedience to the Bible! And if we grieve the Holy Spirit in our actions and our speech, we also grieve the Father and the Son – the full Christian God head! This is not something we should be doing or take lightly!

If we love God as He loves us, we should not be grieving the Holy Spirit in anyway – you don’t cause deep emotional pain to the ones you love!

Matthew 12:36-37 (AMP)

36 But I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give an accounting for every careless or useless word they speak. 37 For by your words [reflecting your spiritual condition] you will be justified and acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by your words [rejecting Me] you will be condemned and sentenced.”

Romans 14:12 (NIV)

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

So, dear readers, even though we are born-again, we will still have to give an account of ourselves on the day of judgement for every careless and useless word we have spoken – these are the words that grieve the Holy Spirit!

So, what kind of words are these? The Apostle James tells us that our tongues can set us on fire!

James is telling us here that if we allow our speech to become tainted and controlled by the flesh it will corrupt our whole body and can even set the course of our lives on fire. If we let ungodly talk of any kind come out of our mouths, we will corrupt our whole bodies, and this will grieve the Holy Spirit as our bodies (every part) is a temple of the Holy Spirit! Jesus lives in us through the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.

In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul highlights a number of ways in which we can grieve the Holy Spirit. If we as Christians do not exercise self-control – a fruit of the Spirit, we can easily grieve the Holy Spirit. I am going to bullet point them here for emphasis:

• The use of foul language – swearing.

• Allowing yourself to become bitter, angry and resentful.

• Uttering slanderous talk.

• Fault finding.

• Being malicious in tongue and action.

• Unforgiving.

• And the list can go on to anything we do and say that is contrary to the Word of God!

Ephesians 4:29-32 (AMP)

29 Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin]. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour[perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence]. 32 Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.

We are told – commanded, “Do not” - to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths ever!

Instead, what should we be doing to each other with our speech?

• Building each other up.

• Be a blessing with our speech.

• Be kind.

• Be helpful

• Be tender-hearted and compassionate.

• Be forgiving.

I am sad to say that even today I know many Christians who consider themselves mature in Christ, who still swear, gossip and slander others, hold on to unforgiveness in their hearts, still hold grudges and who are jealous of others etc, etc. Brothers and sisters in Christ this should not be!

James 3:9-12 (NIV)

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Examine yourself against the plumbline of the Bible and stop grieving the Holy Spirit of God, and in this way, you will bring glory to Jesus!

Warning!

WATCH OUT FOR FALSE PROPHETS AND TEACHERS - THEY ARE WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING. DO NOT FOLLOW THEM INTO HELL! THEY ARE CONTINUALLY GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT BY PREACING A FALSE GOSPEL. THEY ARE ONLY CONCERNED WITH THEMSELVES. THEY WILL ONLY LEAD YOU TO HELL!

FALSE PROPHETS AND TEACHERS ARE UNDER GOD'S CURSE! THEY LEAD YOU ON THE PATH TO DESTRUCTION!

Matthew 7:15 (NKJV)

 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 

Galatians 1:8-9 NKJV)

8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be [b]accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV)

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction [a]does not slumber.

Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven
In the Name of Jesus, I pray that you would help me to examine myself according to your Word and help me Father by your Holy Spirit to comply with your instructions in your Word that I may not grieve the Holy Spirit. Help me Lord to align my speech and actions to the Bible so that I may bring glory to the Name of Jesus always and help to build up and edify your Church! Amen.

All glory, honour and praise belongs to Jesus!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no excuse for you not reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My words are flawed, the Bible is not!

Last update: 4 August 2023.

Why Did Jesus Weep!

 

The New Testament tells us of three specific occasions when Jesus wept. In this article I will attempt to explain just what we, as born-again believers, and children of God, can learn from this in our frail humanity.

Chapter 11 of the Book of John recounts the story of the death and subsequent resurrection of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha and also a friend of Jesus.

And right in the middle of this story we are told that Jesus wept!

John 11:35 (NIV)

Jesus wept.

Now, just why did Jesus weep?

Was it because his friend had died? Somehow, I don’t think so because Jesus already had a plan for Lazarus, he was going to raise him from the dead! He even delayed going to Lazarus for two days! He had a purpose, and that purpose was to glorify God by resurrecting Lazarus from the dead!

John 11:1-7 (NIV)

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to Lazarus to wake him up because he was dead! Jesus was delaying on purpose so that the disciples would truly believe in Him as the Son of God.

John 11:12 15 (NIV)

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

When Jesus arrives in Bethany he is met by Mary and Martha and other friends and family who were wailing and crying because Lazarus had been dead for two days.

John 11:33-35 (NIV)

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

It was at the point that Jesus wept, He was deeply moved in and troubled in His spirit. This was not because of their sorrow and grief, although I am sure he had empathy for them, but it was because of their lack of faith in Him to be able to do something about the situation! These people had been around Jesus for just over three years and had witnessed the many miraculous things he had done, and yet they still showed an incredible lack of faith and belief in Him as the Son of God. It was this lack of faith that troubled Jesus and made Him cry in anguish!

Even when Jesus told the crowd to remove the gravestone from the entrance to the tomb, they still didn’t believe that Jesus was able to resurrect the dead!

Jesus admonishes them with these words:

John 11:40-42 (NIV)

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When they had taken away the gravestone there was no stench of death and Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb alive and well!

John 11:43-44 (NIV)

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

And here we have the Glory of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit revealed to the crowd in resurrection power!

In Luke 19 we have another example of Jesus weeping but this time He is weeping over Jerusalem just before He enters the city to face death on the cross for mankind!

Luke 19:41-42 (AMP)

41 As He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it [and the spiritual ignorance of its people], 42 saying, “If [only] you had known on this day [of salvation], even you, the things which make for peace [and on which peace depends]! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

Here Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem to face his crucifixion but takes time to stop and weep over the city and its people.

This is another picture of Jesus weeping. But again, He is not weeping for Himself! He s committed to the will of the Father. He knows He is going to his death and knows that if He doesn’t, there will be no salvation for mankind! What amazing love!

Jesus is weeping over the Eternal City and the spiritual ignorance of the people. He knows that despite all the good and miraculous things He has done, the people are still going to crucify Him.

Isn’t this a mirror image of what the world is like today? A world that is spiritually ignorant of the one true God! And even many born-again believers are lacking in faith and have many areas of spiritual unbelief about Christ Jesus and what the Church can accomplish when we are sold out to Him! There is nothing that God cannot do!

Isaiah 53:3

He was despised and rejected by mankind,

a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

It never ceases to sadden me when the words of the prophet Isaiah, words that he spoke over two and a half thousand years ago, are still reverberating around the world to this day.

TODAY’S WORLD IS SPIRITUALLY IGNORANT AND MUCH OF THAT IGNORANCE IS ALSO IN TODAY’S CHURCH!

Church! Let’s not become the people that God talks about through Paul to Timothy!

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (AMP)

But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. 2 For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, 3 [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.

Church! Let’s always be crying out to God as Jesus did about the spiritual ignorance of the world and the ignorance that permeates today’s Church!

Jesus cried for the Church more often than we realise! Let’s follow in His footsteps. Let your heart be broken for the salvation and spiritual awakening of others, especially those who profess to believe!

Let’s be like Jesus!

Let’s learn from His example!

He still weeps for us, and He is always interceding for us along with the Holy Spirit!

Hebrews 5:7-10 (NIV)

7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

John 15:13 (NIV)

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 8:34 (NIV)

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Romans 8:26 (NIV)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father
I pray in the name of Jesus this day that you would break my heart over the spiritual ignorance of the Church and of the world. Let your Holy Spirit fill me and guide me to pray and intercede for others as Jesus does for me. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Do Everything in Love

 

Do everything in love! This was an instruction written by Paul in his first letter to the Church in Corinth as he was encouraging them to be on their guard against false teachings and to stand firm in their faith.

The Church at the time was faced with many of the same problems today’s Church faces. There were false teachers, false prophets, lukewarm Christians (people who know the Word but take no interest in doing it), pew warmers and many man-made doctrines being preached that were created by falsifying the true gospel and designed to put the Church back into the bondage of sin. They were liars and thus followers of the father of lies – the Devil or Satan, his two well-known names.

Paul was encouraging the Church at the time, and indeed the Church of today, do everything in love, not the love of the world but the pure unadulterated love of God!

Whenever the New Testament writers are referring to God’s love, they use the Greek word ‘agapē’ – pronounced ‘ag-ah-pay’ which, when expanded to its full meaning, is translated in English as ‘a love that is unconditional, benevolent, charitable and freely given, it does not expect anything in return’ – we don’t have to do anything to earn it or give anything in return for it, we just need to receive it.

And as we receive God’s agapē love, so it is our duty as God’s children to show His love to others in all we do and in our service to Him.

This will bring glory to the name of Jesus and unity in the body – His Church! If we don’t have God’s love, then we don’t know God for God is love!

1 John 4:7-9 (AMP)

7 Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience]. 8 The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] 9 By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him.

In the above verses the Apostle John encourages the Church in much the same way as Paul does and expands the meaning of God’s love and how we should seek the best for each other unselfishly. 

Unselfishly being the key word in our expression of God’s love to the world. Just as Jesus did when he gave himself up to death for us out of love so that we can receive God’s free gift of salvation through the righteousness of Jesus our Lord and Saviour!

Where do we, as born-again Christians, begin and progress in our walk of love?

Well, this one is easy! Right at the very beginning of your Christian walk, as soon as you have repented of your sin and given your life to Jesus. Our walk of love is an ongoing process that we have to consciously put effort into. Our Christian walk is our responsibility to work out by following Jesus in obedience to the Word and being led by the Holy Spirit. We are called to be like Jesus!

Paul exhorts us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling!

2 Philippians 2:12 (AMP)

So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].

Jesus also tells us how we are to begin our Christian walk of love in the below verse.

Mathew 22:37-39 (AMP)

37 And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall 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 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ 40 The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

So, our first command from Jesus is to love God with all are very being – our heart, soul and mind!

Our second command from Jesus is to love our neighbour as ourselves!

The whole law depends on these two commands and Jesus is the fulfilment of the Law and the writings of the Old Testament prophets. Jesus was without sin, and this is why he gave himself up on the Cross so that by believing in Him we are saved and receive eternal life and love from God.

Matthew 5:17-18 (NIV)

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

John 3:16 (AMP)

For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.

What does God’s agapē love look like so that we can emulate it in our lives?

In 1 Corinthians 13 the Apostle Paul tells us exactly what the agapē love of God is and what it looks like.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8b (AMP)

4 Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].

8 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends].

This is the love God has for us as His children and this is the love that we should be showing to others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is how we imitate Christ as we go about our daily lives – our lifestyles expressing the love of Jesus to the world!

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

The love of God has to permeate our whole lives. The love of God not only transforms our lives, but as we show His love to others it will transform theirs too!

Paul encourages us to follow the way of love in 1 Corinthians 14. He tells us that the way to follow the way of love is to eagerly desire the spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 14:1 (AMP)

Pursue [this] love [with eagerness, make it your goal], yet earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual gifts [to be used by believers for the benefit of the church], but especially that you may prophesy [to foretell the future, to speak a new message from God to the people].

When we as His children are using the gifts of the Spirit in the love of God, the Church both as individuals and corporately, will benefit as His love flows through the use of the Gifts by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The gifts of the Spirit will flow freely when the Church has fully embraced and is enveloped in the agapē love of God and is being led by the power of the Holy Spirit in all things and in all truth!

The Apostle John tells us that if we don’t love each other in this way then we do not know, and love God and we are only fooling ourselves. When we pursue God’s love, we take on an enduring attribute of His very nature for God is the originator of love!

1 John 4:8 (AMP)

The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]

In Colossians 3, we are to clothe ourselves with the virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. These virtues will come to us naturally when we are enveloped with the love of God as the verse tells us to put on God’s love as it is His love that binds these virtues together. We are also told to forgive each other as the Lord forgave us. Forgive your grievance against your brother or sister!

Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV)

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

The Apostle Peter also exhorts us to show God’s love one to another as it covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8 (AMP)

Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others].

When we embrace the love of God, when we speak the truth in love and when we let it permeate our lives, then we will grow in every respect into a mature Christian and into a mature Church!

Ephesians 4:15

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

And as a fitting end to this little article let us always remember these words form our Lord Jesus himself.

John 14:15

If you love me, keep my commands.

Be doers of the Word and not just readers!

James 1:19-25 (NIV) – brackets are mine.

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law (Jesus) that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father
I pray right now, dear Lord, that you would help me to embrace and be enveloped in your agape love that I may imitate Jesus in every way. Lead me by your Holy Spirit, I pray, to eagerly desire the spiritual gifts that I may bring glory to your name and be a blessing to your Church. Help me to be a doer of the Word, not just a reader and help me to forgive and love others as you forgave and love me. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!