Spread The Love - RJ
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Spread the LOVE
Spread the LOVE
This week - Valentines Day - Picking a card story - Men looking lost in body shop & dusk candles
God so loved that he gave - Generosity is Love in action
Lets talk about spreading the Love!
Generosity is the foundation of LOVE:
“There are over 2,100 times the word “give” is in the Bible. “Love” is only used around 700 times. Why? Because you can’t truly love without giving. You can give without loving, but the essence of loving is giving. Whether that be giving your talent, time, energy, or a multitude of other gifts, generosity is the foundation of love. If you want to experience God’s blessings in your life, you must have integrity, humility, and a generous heart.” - Rick Warren
Ps John said - if you want to live the blessed life, you have to have a generous heart. Generosity makes you inwardly healthy - heart check
And so God has so been so generous toward us in love:
“There are over 2,100 times the word “give” is in the Bible. “Love” is only used around 700 times. Why? Because you can’t truly love without giving. You can give without loving, but the essence of loving is giving. Whether that be giving your talent, time, energy, or a multitude of other gifts, generosity is the foundation of love. If you want to experience God’s blessings in your life, you must have integrity, humility, and a generous heart.” - Rick Warren
And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
God so loved that he gave - Generosity is Love in action
John 3:16
This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
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Defining characteristic or how you recognise a true disciple of Jesus, is how well they love others. How generously do they pour out love?
Affording others that which you would desire for yourself.
Affording others that which you would desire for yourself.
Affording others that which you would desire for yourself.
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
John 13:34-35By this will all men know that you are mine if you have love for one another
Sidka
Defining characteristic or how you recognise a true disciple of Jesus, is how well they love others. How generously do they pour out love?
Sidka
True generosity esteems people and lifts them up - Ps John
Sidka
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
Generosity is Love in action
Sidka
Being generous in LOVE is affording others that which you would desire for yourself.
Being generous in Love means caring for people - means pouring out, extending beyond yourself.
Generous Love for humanity is and always will be God’s priority - it is who he is. As the church, it should be our priority too! Jesus spent a majority of his life loving on the oppressed, the lowly, the hurting and the down trodden. Jesus generously noticed the needs of others and extended love to them....so we should also do.
Lets Pray
Lets Pray
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
Main Scripture:
1 Corinthians 13:9
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
1 Corinthians
Be generous with your patience & kindness
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.
Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 12:9
Being generous with your patience
Patient - long suffering - “long- tempered.” If you’re patient, you’re slow to anger, you endure personal wrongs without retaliating. You bear with others’ imperfections, faults, and differences. You give them time to change, room to make mistakes without coming down hard on them.
Society today - everything is fast paced and people are less compassionate and tolerant. People easily jump on the intolerance bandwagon
not running ahead..adjusting your gait to come along side
long suffering - The word which is used in the Greek (makrothymein) in the New Testament always describes patience with people and not patience with circumstances. The word is used of the man who is wronged and who has it easily in his power to avenge himself and who yet will not do it. It describes the man who is slow to anger. It is used of God Himself in His relationship with men. In our dealings with men, however refractory and however unkind and hurting they are, we must exercise the same patience as God exercises with us. It is the simple truth that such patience is not the sign of weakness but the sign of strength; it is not defeatism but rather the only way to victory.
not pushy or trying to force your own agenda.
The Greek word comes from two words meaning, “long- tempered.” If you’re patient, you’re slow to anger, you endure personal wrongs without retaliating. You bear with others’ imperfections, faults, and differences. You give them time to change, room to make mistakes without coming down hard on them.
houghGenerous in t
Generous in kindness.
Practical application: :
Make time to have a coffee with someone
Assist someone with a need they may have
Surprise someone with a random act of kindness
2. Be generous in your interactions with each other
Sidka
Sidka
Sidka
2. Be generous in your understanding
Be generous in your understanding
Be generous in your understanding
Make love a priority!
Don’t be Jealous - says that Jealousy is as cruel as the grave - which means there is no life there!
Don’t be boastful, proud or rude - Generous love is selfless, it looks for ways to esteem others and lift them up. Love has words of encouragement for the lonely, the downtrodden, and others who deserve and need uplifting.
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy as cruel as the grave;
Its flames are flames of fire,
A most vehement flame.
Song of Solomon 8:6
Don’t be judgemental - don’t assume things about other people - be generous in your thinking towards others.
Don’t be judgemental - don’t assume things about other people - be generous in your thinking towards others.
Don’t be a bully! Encourage! Social media....hate mail
;19-21
Blank canvas - Be an active listener and let people tell their story.
If you have the ability to help someone do it - if you have it, don’t say come back later
If you have the ability to help someone do it - if you have it, don’t say come back later (scripture)
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them.
If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,
“Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
Proverbs 3:
Notice when someone is not at church, and follow them up
3. Be generous in wanting the best for each other
3. Be generous in wanting the best for each other
3. Be generous in wanting the best for each other
Generous love cheers on others and doesn’t devise ways to belittle or pull down
Generous love believes the best for and of others
It is a deliberate desire to act generously for the good of others, even when its not convenient
Generous love is not egocentric- which means it doesn’t pursue its own interests.It is not selfish
Look for ways to humble yourself and lift others up
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Matthew 25:40
Generous in love
To have a friend you need to be one.
If you have the ability to help someone do it - if you have it, don’t say come back later (scripture)
Practical Application:
Have a coffee with someone
Be aware - look around and notice when someone is needing your generosity
Follow up someone if you haven’t seen them at church for a while
Start a generosity love challenge among your friend or family
Go all sneaky and do a random act of kindness
Use some of your time to volunteer - in church or the community
Make a meal for someone or have them over for dinner
Pray for someone else’s needs, not just your own
Be intentional to include people in your group, don’t be exclusive or cliquey. Us four and no more!
Buy a gift
Matthew 25:37-40
Use outward focussed words like: “No, you first”, “please”, “thank you”, “How may I help you?’, I’m sorry” “Are you ok?”
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Lets Pray