Agape is the Greek word for this spiritual Love.  This is not the “Love” the world knows. For that love is physical, conditional and emotional.  Agape Love is an unconditional spiritual quality that supersedes feeling or emotion and carries a Godly motive.  Agape Love is God’s Love for us and in us, and works toward that which is the best for us spiritually, with an eternal purpose.

God is Love.  That is His Nature.  And His Love is perfect and complete.  He cannot Love us anymore than He does right now.  But we must continue to grow in our Love for Him, in this same Agape Love that He put in us when we first believed… “because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy spirit which is given unto us.”  This is an imperative key to the Energized Life…Loving Him back.

He picked us before the world began….He is the “Heart Searcher”…and those who have a heart for God, He has Called to be His eternal children.

According as He hath chosen us in him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.  Ephesians 1:4

God Loved us first…

We Love Him, because He first Loved us.  I John 4:19

Not just in the fact that God created this beautiful life for us, but that He also planned and created the perfect solution to mankind’s problem of being separated from God in sin and death… And that is in how God’s Love was manifested to us in the life of Jesus Christ.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  I John 4:9

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

First of all, we see God’s great Love for His creation, in that He put forth His plan of redemption in order to reconcile whosoever believes, back to Him spiritually, conquering sin and death ultimately, through the accomplished works of His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, by his free will, motivated by Love, took on himself, the calling of God, and obeyed God’s Will for his life….which was to be our Sacrifice…which was to die for us.  This is God’s Love for us.  Jesus manifested it and perfected it, by giving his all, his own life, for our benefit…for our complete salvation.

“Father, if it is your will, take this cup (of suffering) away from me. However, your will must be done, not mine.” To be faced with such an intense reality, and be given the free will choice…and to be found in obedience, that only selflessness, out of this Love could prevail.

But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do…  John 14:30

Jesus Christ carried out his mission to be the Saviour of the world because of Love. He wanted to please his Heavenly Father, and he did so by obeying His Word.

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.  Ephesians 5:2

Now, we are to live and walk in Love, as he did… To Love as Jesus Loved… To give as he gave…

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.   Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:9-13

We are called to be “Followers” of Jesus Christ…in the reality of Love.

Jesus perfected the Love of God in his heart and was inspired and motivated out of it to fulfill his purpose…And now we are to develop this Love into giving action…By Obeying God’s Word.  Our Joy is filled to completion as we abound through obedience in Love…

If you love me, keep my commandments.  John 14:15

To keep His commandments, is to Obey His Word…To believe it and act according to it.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.  Mark 12:30, 31

Why only two commandments?  Because, when you arrive upon the first commandment, you become energized and equipped to fulfill the second, and all else falls into place… Life really is that simple!

Our Love for God, as our Creator should inspire us to fulfill our calling and purpose, which is to be transformed by the renewing of our minds to His Word….Putting on the mind of Christ….Walking in the New Man.  The New Spiritual Man is equipped and ready to serve….to manifest the Love of God.

To Love God with All of our heart, soul, mind and strength is the key.  We must work at this, with God’s help…It takes time.. It’s a developing process of deliberating and desiring…not to mention study and prayer time.  What you set your heart on, is what you manifest.   Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”

What do you Love most?

This is a question we must be guided by throughout life…We must recognize Truth….and turn our hearts toward God.  It is impossible to follow Jesus Christ without being in Love with him… Plus, we cannot serve two masters.  It’s hard to grow upward toward Christ, when your heart is aimed at, and is desiring worldly things…

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  Colossians 3:2

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  I John 2:15

We should not Love the things of this world…the pleasures of sin and lusts, love of money, materialistic things, designer causes, ideologies, and everything that distracts us from the True purposes of Christ.

Truth tells us, this world is not our home….for our citizenship is in heaven.  We must recognize this reality and live according to it by Faith.  Because we are now Sons of God!

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.  I John 3:1

To receive the Highest Honor of Life, is to be called a Son of God!  What Love God has toward us!  He has given us everything good!

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer.  Ephesians 1:3

Wow! We cannot imagine that.  But in that, we should Love Him back!  To Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength… that is the crux and axiom of life.  To Love your Creator, as your Heavenly Father, and to Love Him more than you Love this world or anything in it!

Wherefore, to develop an Attitude of Love for God that says, “not my will, but yours be done”…. and no longer the mindset of “what can I get away with?”, but rather a heart that says, “what can I do to please you O Father?”  “Guide me and Teach me to be the man you called me to be”… To the degree that we only desire to Obey His every Word…So that we may manifest that which is good, acceptable and perfect, the Will of God… Knowing that your life is well pleasing to Him.

In John chapter 21, Jesus asks, “Peter, do you Love (Agape) me? and Peter replies, yes Lord, I love (phileo) you.”  Jesus asked Peter three times this question, knowing that Peter had not yet developed or even understood Agape Love.  Peter only had the physical-friendship love.  Then Jesus said, “feed my sheep”.  We are not equipped to serve one another if we do not understand the power of Agape Love.  And then the last thing he said to Peter was, “follow me.” 

This is how we Follow Jesus…

We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers.  I John 3:16

When we Love God, we keep His commandments, and His First commandment is to Love God with all that we are, and then the Second is to manifest that Love to our Brothers and Sisters in the world.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.  I John 5:2, 3

It is Not a burden to obey God’s Word.  The Truth is our Lives only get better and more satisfying and fulfilling as we do what is right.

I give you a new command, to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you too must love one another.
By this everybody will know that you are my disciples, if you keep on showing love for one another.”  John 13:34, 35

How do we show God’s Love?

Love is measured in our lives by its affects…manifesting these qualities…

Love is so patient and so kind; Love never boils with jealousy; It never boasts, is never puffed with pride;
It does not act with rudeness, or insist upon its rights; It never gets provoked, it never harbors evil thoughts;                                                             Is never glad when wrong is done, But always glad when truth prevails;
It bears up under anything, It exercises faith in everything, It keeps up hope in everything, It gives us power to endure in anything.
Love never fails…  I Corinthians 13:4-8

Love Always builds up and edifies…it never tears down or destroys.  And yes, we must practice this….it is a renewed mind reality.  Developed over time.  God helps us personally to accomplish what He has called us to be…

This Love of God, only enhances our every aspect of life, as we learn to live and walk in it.

The Dynamics of Love- It does not only produce good fruit in our lives, that we may edify one another from it, but it also allows us to overcome Fear.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.  I John 4:18

A mature and developed Love is Not afraid to give up the worldly realm and selfish motives, along with pride and ego… It is not afraid to put others first…and to serve them.

“Perfect Love” is Love that has matured and developed.  As we pursue righteousness, by obedience to God’s Word and His spirit, we reach a place that we are fearless.  We overcome fear! Fear is of the world and brings torment.  Fear also keeps us from answering God’s calling on our life.   We are no longer effected by that.  Because our Love has energized our Faith and we Believe and Keep and Obey every Word of God!

But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them.  This is how we know we are in him.  Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.  I John 2:5

Jesus gave his life….Therefore, if we Love him, we will keep his Word.  And his Word teaches us how to become “Living Sacrifices”…fully equipped to Love one another.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  Romans 12:1

This is our True Purpose…to live in this Power of Love as a Living Sacrifice.  But many so called Christians fail to fulfill their calling and purpose.  And selfishness has permeated the Church.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.  I John 4:20, 21

To “hate” your brother, is to neglect his needs.  But to Love your brother is to serve him.  It’s to give to him according to his needs…Prayer, support, encouragement, advice, the Word, money, clothes, a ride, some one to just listen…Whatever he needs.  We are to be there for each other and to be willing to carry each others burdens.   To walk in Love, is to dwell in the Light.

“Those who Love other believers live in the light.  Nothing will destroy the faith of those who live in the light.”  I John 2:10 (GW)

God’s Love is Tremendous.  It covers every aspect of Life. It is perfect and we need to really learn to manifest it, so the world can see God!

“This is Love:  not that we have Loved God, but that He Loved us and sent His Son to be the payment for our sins.  Dear Friends, if this is the way God loved us, we must also Love each other.  No one has ever seen God.  If we Love each other, God lives in us, and His Love is perfected in us.”  I John 4:10-12

The Love of God is the most powerful force alive.  And we have been called to Develop and Perfect and Abound in this energized reality.  As we answer the calling of God which is to follow Jesus Christ, we must stay focused on Love, Faith, Hope… until his return.

May the Lord direct your hearts into [realizing and showing] the Love of God and into the steadfastness and patience of Christ and in waiting for His return.”  II Thessalonians 3:5

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.  Philippians 1:9

And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men… I Thessalonians 3:12

When our Desire is to put other peoples needs before our own, then we are imitating our Heavenly Father, Who is Love. And when we go out with the motive to serve others in a selfless manner, giving unto them what they need, holding back nothing that is profitable unto them, then we are manifesting the Love of Christ.  We have the privilege and opportunity to shine, manifesting a force that never fails.

Dearly beloved, let us practice loving one another, because love originates with God, and everyone who practices loving is a child of God and knows God by experience.
Whoever does not love has never come to know God by experience, because God is love.  I John 4:7, 8

“Freely you have received, freely give”…

“Not my will, but yours be done”…

“We Love him, because He first Loved us”…

And now abideth, Love, Faith, Hope; but the greatest of these is Love… It’s the catalyst to The Energized Life.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;  but the greatest of these is love.  I Corinthians 13:13

These are spiritual realities that are absolutely necessary for us to function in the spiritual realm.  And for us to have an impact in this worldly realm.  These three abide to give us the Who, What, Where, When, and How of our eternal calling.  Everything that God has done for us is embodied in these three.  And now every thing we do is to be exhibited and expressed in them….in Love…in Faith…in the Hope.

Love is first, God’s Love to us, and then our Love for Him.

Faith is our ability to believe God’s Word.

Hope is our future reality.  It is our completeness of salvation in victory and righteousness.  It is our eternal spiritual lives, with new bodies abiding in His glory. This starts at the point of Christ’s return for his church.

Why is Love the greatest?   Love is the greatest of these three because it acts as the “catalyst”.  It is the energizer to our Faith.  And in order for the Hope to be activated, we must first have Faith to believe it.  And the more we Love with the Love of God, the greater our Faith will be energized…resulting in endurance in the Hope.   We need all three activated and functioning in our lives as a synergetic force.

For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision (works of the flesh) availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh (energizes) by love.  Galatians 5:5, 6

Love energizes and provokes our Faith into believing action…and anticipation of our great Hope.

“but only faith that is spurred on to action by love.”  Galatians 5:6b (Williams)

“but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.”  Galatians 5:6b (Amplified)

Love, Faith, Hope work together for us to fulfill our Eternal Purpose.

The Apostle Paul commends the Thessalonian Believers for their example of Love, Faith and Hope.

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”   I Thessalonians 1:3

God has called us to eternal glory in Christ, and how we get there is through and in these three Energizing Realities.  These are what we build our lives on.  This is our greatest support system.

Let’s begin with The Hope…