Well, we skipped a couple weeks because we were gone and I apologize for not having anything ready to go in advance for you. We still had the next two messages in the series, F.O.R.C.E., so I’ll simply give them to you in title format and recap what we’ve done so far.
FORCE given by Isaac Newton can be defined as the influence that can change the motion of an object; the capacity to do work; or the capacity to cause physical change.
Jesus calls us to be a FORCE in the world just as he was and continues to be thousands of years after his life on earth ended.
Our series so far has been:
Week 1 - faithfully gracious
Week 2 - obviously peaceful
Week 3 - relationally present
And now we are here:
Week 4 - completely loved
In Luke 5, we read about a man who was paralyzed and his friends brought him to see Jesus because they thought Jesus could help. When they got to the house, they couldn’t get their buddy in since it was so packed. They decided to take him up on the roof and lower him down that way.
Now, there was an opening in roofs typically with a ladder because life often happened up there - naps taken or animals would graze on top. They went through this opening, possibly needing to make it bigger to fit the man down.
The friends got creative and used unconventional methods to bring this guy to the feet of Jesus. It wasn’t easy. It was likely messy. And they certainly would have drawn some attention in the process.
But that didn’t stop them as their love compelled these extravagant actions!
And in doing so, this man’s eternity was changed as well as his current physical condition. Jesus offered him forgiveness and then proceeded to heal his physical brokenness.
1 John 4:19 tells us the WHY behind our WHAT and is where we get our message title for this week. “We love because He first loved us.”
So, as we are totally, fully, entirely, completely loved by God, it moves us to love one another. It frees us to show that kind of love to the world. God’s love compels us to live from that kind of motivation in everything we do.
To be a force in our world for the kingdom of God, we must embody this type of extravagance the friends showed.
As in 1 John 4, we understand that it is only as we FIRST experience and embrace God’s love for personally that we then have the capacity to give and live that love to others. This will cause us to be a force in our world and that takes the gospel to all creation.
That love is IN each of us already. Have you accepted it? Have you embraced it?
That love is ALIVE and ACTIVE. Who needs you to take them to the feet of Jesus? What extravagant measures can you take to see that the one in need gets to experience the same love you have received.
#RaiseTheRoof
#CompletelyLoved
#FORCE
#RestoringWholenessOfLife
Mark 16:15 “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”
Brett
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