Biddeford Church of Christ

Before I share with you some thoughts on discipleship, I want to first thank both Anthony and Angle for filling in for me for the last couple Sundays. Your messages were greatly appreciated. As you know, my messages this year have sought to focus on two subjects: leadership and discipleship. Both subjects are critical to the spiritual health and longevity of our church family.

            If you recall, the idea of discipleship is deeply woven into the ministry of Christ on earth. The incarnate Christ (John 1:14) came to live among His creation. His mission was simple, “to serve and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). That He did for three years as He prepared His disciples for discipling. He served the untouchables, fed the needy, healed the sick, taught those willing to listen, and reached out to the elite. Then, as though to put an exclamation point on it all, He gave His life for everyone (John 3:16). And before He ascended back to the Father, He told His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19). Tell them how much I love them! I think of 1^st John 3:16, “By this we KNOW love, because He laid down his life for us…” The love fellow Christians are exhorted to share towards fellow Christians is anchored in the conviction that Christ loves them. Love is behind all that we do. The apostle Paul says that it is love that motivates him (2^nd Corinthians 5:14). Do you believe God loves you? It is this question I wish to consider today and our text will be 1^st John 4:19.

“We love…” (1^st John 4:19)

            We know them well. “Love the Lord your God…” (Mark 12:30); “love one another…” (John 15:17) with a sincere love (Romans 12:9), and a fervent love (1^st Peter 4:8); “walk in love…” (Ephesians 5:2). This love, including that for one another, is a sign that God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us” (1^st John 4:12). The apostle Paul said it clearly, “Let all that you do be done in love” (1^st Corinthians 16:14). One person writes, “In the twilight of life, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions and human successes, but on how well we have loved.” What God yearns from His children is the willingness to love the people around us, even the unlovable. More about that in a moment. So, what is spreading the gospel and discipleship all about? It is about people who have come to know how much they are loved by their Creator and the sacrifice of His Son, seeking to help others come to know how much they are loved by their Creator. This leads us to the next thought. The “because” behind all that we do as Christians. The “because” that is behind the sharing of the gospel to a lost and dying world.

“…because He first loved us” (1^st John 4:19)

            I wanted to get an idea of how much Christians believe they are loved, and what I got for an answer was interesting, but not surprising. Although 65% describe their relationship with God as close, “only 20% classify it as intimate.” Although that seems encouraging, other numbers paint a different picture. Concerning Americans, Barna reveals that “only 16% say God is the most important element of their life. Fewer than one-third (31%) claim God is actively involved in every moment of their life; 9% contend they have an intimate and interactive spiritual relationship with God.” Why is this so important? Consider this verse for a moment, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32). To the extent that someone believes God loves them, evidenced through the cross of His Son, is the level that they will in turn love Him and others. We love because we are loved.

            In our busy, cluttered world, it is easy to become distant from our understanding of how much God loves us…the world. Bible verses that once stirred our inner being, no longer impact us as they once did. The importance of loving others as God has called us to do and enthusiastically sharing the gospel with others as the early church did…as I once did, is replaced with that business and clutter. Sometimes we need to stop and remember this simply truth, “We love because He first loved us” (1^st John 4:19). And this love story begins something like this, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). Renew within us heavenly Father the profound love You have for us and guide us through Your word to share it with others. Amen.