THE WILL TO LOVE - Vital Christianity

12A COMMANDGod knew it would be hard to live by unconditional love. He therefore commanded us to“love one another.” The phrase, “love one another” is used 16 times in Scripture. And the Bibletalks about at least 27 different ways this love is to be expressed using the phrase, “one another.”Love is to be expressed in concrete ways. Love is wanting the very best for the other person andbeing willing to do whatever we can to see that that happens. Love is being of service to anotherperson.FELLOWSHIPHow is love to grow among us? By fellowship! The Greek word for fellowship, koinonia,means “sharing something” or “having something in common.” fellowship is the “sharing of ourlives together.” We cannot be of service if we do not know what the needs of our brothers andsisters in Christ are. It is by fellowshipping together that we learn about each other so that we canminster to each other. The purpose of fellowship, then, is the strengthening of each member ofthe body of Christ; it is that love may grow stronger and stronger among the members of God’sfamily.THE PURPOSEBut for what purpose? Just so Christians can have a deeper more meaningful fellowship?Why is maturity so important? Why is unity so important? Because it makes the sharing of God’smessage credible, believable. As Jesus put it, “so that the world may believe . . . to let the worldknow” (Jn 17:21,23).Does that mean then that we don’t have to say anything to the unbeliever? Is it enoughthat we are an example to them? By all means NO! Our example, our lifestyle, is not the messageitself. It makes the message believable. This is why the apostle Paul said,“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the newhas come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ andgave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world toHimself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committedTo us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, asthough God were making His appeal through us” (2 Co 5:17-20).A few verses earlier Paul said, “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try topersuade men” (v. 11). Not a silent witness but a vocal one. And not one who carelessly throwsout some verses at a person, but one who “persuades.” A sense of urgency is reflected here.Similarly Jude states that we who know God should keep ourselves I His love and “snatch othersform the fire and save them” (Jude 21,23).