Agape Love

The Northport Church of Christ always has an annual Gospel Meeting in September. This year, we have been blessed to hear 6 great lessons from Don & Ron Williams, the twin sons of Joe and Dot Williams. Joe and Dot have been with the Northport congregation for over 40 years. He is currently serving the congregation as an Associate Minister to the Young at Heart Group (Senior Citizens) All three of their children were raised in Tuscaloosa, so it is nice to have them come back for a visit. Don Williams is currently working with the North Alabama Christian Children's Home, and his twin Ron is a Minister to a congregation in the Huntsville area.

Tuesday night, Ron spoke on the topic of love. His lesson title was: "A Growing Church Must Be A Loving Church." It was such a great lesson that I asked him for permission to post parts of it on my blog. I hope this will help someone understand what love truly is and what it is not. Most importantly, though, I want a record of this so that I can come back to this when I need a reminder. One day, my little girl will be reading these words and she just may need a reminder too (because we all do)

A Growing Church Must Be A Loving Church (1 Corinthians 13)

Wanted: A Loving Church

If a total stranger to Christianity walked through your church doors to worship here, what questions would they ask?

• Is this a caring church?
• Is this a place for me to belong?
• Is this church one that can nurture me and really try to get to know me?
• Is this a church that loves people?

If a delinquent church member visited here, what questions would they ask?

• Is this a church that can forgive sin?
• Is this a place that I can start again for God?
• Will I feel like I belong here?
• Will this congregation really love me?

If a family came here looking for a new church home, what questions would they ask?

• Does this church work well together with one another?
• Are they at peace with God and with others?
• Is love seen in everything this church does for its' members?

Help!! A Church In Need Of Love

• The Corinthian church was divided over sectarianism (1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 3:1-4, 4:6)
• The Corinthian church was worldly and sensual (1 Corinthians 5: 1-13; 6:12-20)
• The Corinthian Christians were taking fellow saints to pagan courts (1 Corinthians 6:1-11)
• The Corinthian church had misunderstood matters about marriage (1 Corinthians 7)
• The Corinthian church was dealing with idols and the connection to eating food (1 Corinthians 8:1-13)
• The Corinthian church was struggling with proper support of ministers (1 Corinthians 9:1-18)
• The Corinthian church was making a mockery of the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 10:14-22; 11:17-34)
• The Corinthian church was fighting over and abusing spiritual gifts they received (1 Corinthians 12-14)
• The Corinthian church was perplexed with questions about the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)

Wanted: An "Agape" Church

• Other words in the First Century were used for love (Eros, Phileo, Storge), but Paul used "Agape" as the love that Christians were to have for one another.
• Agape love is a love lavished upon others without thought of whether they are worthy to receive it.
• Agape love is not a feeling type love as much as an action type love.

The Answer to These Issues - "Yet I Show You A More Excellent Way"

Why love?
Love says:
- "I will love you even though you may be unworthy."
- "I will forbear with you when I don't really feel like doing so."
- "I will put your needs first because that is what real love does for a person."
- "I will become selfless so you can be fulfilled."


"Love Suffers Long"

• Term refers to patience with people and patience with mere circumstances
• Describes: One who has been wronged, has power to avenge himself, and yet will not do it and One who is slow to anger and resembles God in his disposition toward mankind.
• Love does not break under injury of provocation.
• Love is slow to lose patience.
• Love says: "I am content to wait without becoming angry when others fall below the expectations I might have set for them"

"Love Is Kind"

• Term means that love is sweet to all people.
• Love reaches out to others in a spirit of friendliness and with deeds of helpfulness.
• Without any partiality, love has sympathy toward those who hurt and are in pain, and does good to them.
• Love is kind, gentle, and constructive.
• Love says: "I am cautious in my judgments of others and I honestly seek to be a healing rather than a hurting presence in my relationships with others."

"Love Does Not Envy"

• Term means that love is neither jealous nor envious
• Love speaks disparagingly of no individual.
• Love is not possessive.
• Love does not have to be in control of conversations and other situations to be happy.
• Love does not take away from someone, something that they might want for themselves.

"Love Does Not Parade Itself"

• Term means that true love will always be far more impressed with its own unworthiness than its own merit.
• Love does not have to be first and foremost.
• Love does not play the braggart.
• Love can relax and not be the figurehead of conversations to be content.

"Love Is Not Puffed Up"

• Term means that love is not arrogant and does not have to make a scene so all will notice it.
• Love is not inflated with its own importance.
• Love does not boast and is not filled with strife or pride.
• Love does not have an inflated view of its own importance.

"Love Does Not Behave Rudely"

• Term means that love is not indecent; is considerate of the feelings of others. 
• There is a graciousness in Christian love which never forgets that courtesy, tact, and politeness are lovely things.
• Love respects the rights and dignity of others enough not to force any crude or thoughtless behavior on them

"Love Does Not Seek Its Own"

• Term means that love does not  seek its own status in relationships.
• Instead of thinking of its own rights, true love chooses to remember its responsibilities toward others; love is not selfish.
• Love is not always concerned with their rights and can find pleasure in others' happiness and success.

"Love Is Not Provoked"

• Term means that love is not easily irritated or sharp in spirit.
• Christian love ever becomes exasperated with people.
• Real love is not touchy, hard to deal with, or hyper-sensitive.
• Love does not blaze out in passionate anger or become resentful when wronged.
• Love tries to understand others when they hurt me.
• Love refuses to let hostile feelings generate toward people.

"Love Thinks No Evil"

• Term means that love does not take account or keep record of the evil done to love
• Love does not suspect or imagine evil
• Love minds its own business without taking upon itself to mend, censure, or despise the conduct of others; tries to put the best construction on all.
• Love does not have to reflect on the flaws of other people in order to rest easy with itself.

"Love Does Not rejoice In Iniquity But Rejoices In The Truth"

• Term means that love finds no pleasure in evil doing, or the bad reports of others who choose to do wrong.
• Love rejoices when right reigns and truth prevails.
• Love rejoices when injustices are corrected and angry enough to get involved when someone's rights are violated.

"Love Bears All Things"

• Term defines love as throwing a veil over and protecting others with affection.
• Love will not drag into the light of day the faults and mistakes of others
• Love can endure anything; it has staying power under pressure.
• Love chooses to persevere and stay with others when it might be easier to abandon them and give up.

"Love Believes All Things"

• Term means that love takes God at his word and also means that love is not gullible but has faith in mankind.
• Love is eager to believe the best and not the worst about people; it extends the benefit of the doubt.
• Love chooses to discount the validity of rumors and gossip and continues to believe the best about people until facts prove otherwise.

"Love Hopes All Things"

• Term means that love never ceases to hope when others have long ago given up on someone.
• Love looks for the bright side of things.
• Love sees with eyes of hope; it does not despair.
• Love is captivated by the potential in people and is aware that what they are is not what they can be.

"Love Endures All Things"

• Term means that love can take situations of life and change them for the better.
• Love can bear things, not merely with passive resignation, but with triumphant fortitude.
• Though pursued, persecuted, or willfully neglected, love is calm and unmoved.
• Love refuses to quit.
• When love is tempted to throw in the towel on a person or cause it prays for a second wind and hangs tough to the end.

"Love Never Fails"

• Term means that love will survive in any situation of life.
• When all things in which men glory have passed away, love will stand.
• Love will never suffer ruin or collapse.
• In the midst of life's events, there will always, without a doubt, be a reason to love.