“Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another…”
(1 Thessalonians 4:9)
(1 Thessalonians 4:9)
“Love one another” is used in the New Testament about 12 times. Jesus tells us that it is very important that we love one another, so important that He commands it. He says that the way others will know that we are His disciples is by the way we love one another.
When we look in 1 Thessalonians 4 we see where Paul was speaking with the church of the Thessalonians, in verse 9-10 he tells them that they need to keep on doing what they are doing in loving their brothers throughout Macedonia, Paul says that they are doing such a good job at it & there is no need to write them about loving one another, because they were “…taught by God to love one another”. What does that mean? How did God teach them to do that? Two words…Holy Spirit.
God plainly tells us in 1 John 3:10 that, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother”. God tells us that if we do not love our brothers in Christ that we are not His at all. These Thessalonians loved their brothers in Christ, because the Holy Spirit that lived within them loved their brothers in Christ.
Do you love your brother? If not, there are only two things that could be wrong:
1) you are saved & away from God, which makes it very easy to find fault in your brothers. I saw a sign in a church parking lot yesterday that read, “Faults are thick…when love is thin”.
2) You are not saved at all. If the Holy Spirit lives in you, then you will not be able to help loving your Brother in Christ. “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20).
In conclusion, all of this is concerning brothers or sisters in Christ, it’s how the world sees us in the Church (the family of God), that will often draw them to or turn them away from God, we…when we love one another as Christians…will then turn our love outwardly as well. In the twilight years of the Roman Empire In the middle of corrupt persecution and massive misunderstanding, and in an age when serving others was thought to be undignified, Christians, instead of fleeing disease and death, went around ministering to the sick and helping the poor, the widowed, the crippled, the blind, the orphaned and the aged. The people of the Roman Empire were forced to admire their works and dedication. “Look how they love one another,” was heard on the streets. How great would it be, if in today’s time, it could be heard of us…“Look how they love one another”. Many people came to Christ because of the love they saw from those Christians.
Are people interested in who God is based on what they see in your life, the way you love your brothers & sisters in Christ? If not do something about it…let’s live our lives to honor God, so the world can see.
When we look in 1 Thessalonians 4 we see where Paul was speaking with the church of the Thessalonians, in verse 9-10 he tells them that they need to keep on doing what they are doing in loving their brothers throughout Macedonia, Paul says that they are doing such a good job at it & there is no need to write them about loving one another, because they were “…taught by God to love one another”. What does that mean? How did God teach them to do that? Two words…Holy Spirit.
God plainly tells us in 1 John 3:10 that, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother”. God tells us that if we do not love our brothers in Christ that we are not His at all. These Thessalonians loved their brothers in Christ, because the Holy Spirit that lived within them loved their brothers in Christ.
Do you love your brother? If not, there are only two things that could be wrong:
1) you are saved & away from God, which makes it very easy to find fault in your brothers. I saw a sign in a church parking lot yesterday that read, “Faults are thick…when love is thin”.
2) You are not saved at all. If the Holy Spirit lives in you, then you will not be able to help loving your Brother in Christ. “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20).
In conclusion, all of this is concerning brothers or sisters in Christ, it’s how the world sees us in the Church (the family of God), that will often draw them to or turn them away from God, we…when we love one another as Christians…will then turn our love outwardly as well. In the twilight years of the Roman Empire In the middle of corrupt persecution and massive misunderstanding, and in an age when serving others was thought to be undignified, Christians, instead of fleeing disease and death, went around ministering to the sick and helping the poor, the widowed, the crippled, the blind, the orphaned and the aged. The people of the Roman Empire were forced to admire their works and dedication. “Look how they love one another,” was heard on the streets. How great would it be, if in today’s time, it could be heard of us…“Look how they love one another”. Many people came to Christ because of the love they saw from those Christians.
Are people interested in who God is based on what they see in your life, the way you love your brothers & sisters in Christ? If not do something about it…let’s live our lives to honor God, so the world can see.
Vern
