Love Lifted Me

Today, though, I do feel like I have a word for us as a church. I want to go to Luke chapter 7, and also Romans chapter 5. I'm going to read a rather lengthy portion of scripture, and I'm going to talk about love lifting me. Love Lifted Me. Are you thankful for the love of God? Aren't you thankful his love is unconditional? I don't know that we always fully grasp that it's unconditional, because we usually filter things through our ability to love. But I'm thankful that his love is different.

Luke 7 — I'm going to read from The Message today, because I just feel like it lays the story out well for us. But it says this, starting in verse number 36: "One of the Pharisees ask him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee's house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them and anointed them with perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.' Jesus said to him, 'Simon, I have something to tell you.' 'Oh, tell me.' 'Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed 500 silver pieces, the other 50. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker cancelled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?' Simon answered, 'I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.' 'That's right,' said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, 'Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn't quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn't it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.' Then he spoke to her, 'I forgive your sins.' That set the dinner guest talking behind his back: 'Who does he think he is, forgiving sins?' He ignored them and said of the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'"

And then quickly to Romans chapter 5. Says this: "And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through this Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God showed his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

God, I love you, and I thank you for your word, and the truth that is in your word. I pray, Lord, that we would be anointed today to receive what you have for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

When chasty and I were dating — you may think you know what you want of me — but there were certain songs on the radio during that time that just have special meaning to us. May not mean much to you, but if we're in a store somewhere, or where the song "Faithfully" by Journey comes on — soon as those piano notes start to play, if we're anywhere close to each other, we're going to give each other a look, because that song was a song that she and I like to listen to during our time when we were — oldtimers called it cing — when we were dating. It means something to us. And for fortunate thing about our culture is that far too many expressions of love float around, and they really untested and untried. Because of this, I feel like often times the concept of love gets misunderstood, and especially gets misconstrued. How we can get wrapped up into the emotion of a moment, and say things like, "I love this," or, "This is something that I love to do," and it — almost the word love gets overused, and it loses some of the emphasis and impact that love should really have. Some, because of this, have experienced hardships and pain in their life, when they will experience a time of being turned away, or a breakup in their life, and they'll say things — "Well, I thought you loved me." It's a word that gets stretched out of proportion. We want to believe the best — the best of intentions that people have — but often times we get disappointed. I'm quite sure that if I ask you to raise a hand — and I'm not — but if I ask you to do that, how many in here have ever been disappointed by someone you thought loved you? I'm quite sure that the majority of the hands will be raised in this room. It's something that we have all experienced at one time or another.

We want to believe everything is well. What we want is, we want that Hallmark movie life, right? Everybody likes that Hallmark movie life, where everything is perfect. You know, when the undercover prince moves to town, and he meets the tree farmer's daughter in some town in Connecticut, and they both have perfect teeth, and the right height, and their hair never looks bad, and everything's just so-so — and how it always just seems to work together. Like, we look at that, and inside of us is what we desire: that everything will work out perfectly. Have you figured out yet that the Hallmark Channel is a liar? Anybody in agreement with me? You said, "Cancel it." wasn't quite as enthusiastic. Some of y'all had to held back there, like, "No, I kind of like that." Yeah, excuse it.

So just simply me saying that, I think we all understand that there is this portrayal of love that's out there. But more often than not, that's not the reality of how love really is. Love cost. To really love, you're going to experience some pain. To really love, you're going to experience some disappointment. To really love, you have to open yourself up and become vulnerable. But that's not the picture that's painted by Hollywood. That's not what we often times read there in the books, or we even see portrayed in paintings. Romantic love flashes its brilliance, and drowns us in the syrupy sweetness, and suffocates us with all the flower that is there, but it more often than not ends up disappointing us so quickly. But I do know a love that never fails. I do know a love that never disappoints. I'm talking about a divine love. I'm talking about God's love.

The Bible says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." No doubt the most quoted verse in the Bible is that verse. Many Oneness Apostolics shy away from this verse. I don't know why. This verse is simply talking about God's love, and the lengths that he was going to try to show and express his love for you and I. God's love is so different than human love. His love is on a different plane. His agape love — it's not a puppy love. It's not a shallow love. It's not surface level. But Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus, says in Ephesians 2, verse4: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ — by grace you are saved — and hath raised us up together, and made us sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus."

It's almost impossible to just take love at one's word. Now, I know in a room this size today — I'm quite sure, I'm confident in what I'm about to say — that there is at least one individual in this room who's willing to challenge me today, and say, "I hear what you're saying about God's love, but I'm here to tell you, Pastor Kevin, God has disappointed me. God has led me down." And I can understand that there could be the feeling that that is a truth. But hopefully, by the end of the message today, you'll come to realization that it was your expectation of the circumstances that have left you disappointed. God has never — listen to me, it's not good English, but it's a great point — God has never not loved you. Never. Now take it a step further, cuz it's important to know this. This is a continuation of the truth I speak: he has never loved you more than he loves you right now, and he has never loved you less than he loves you right now. God's love doesn't change towards you. How you love you changes. How you view you changes. How others love you may change. How others view you may change. But God's love, nor his view of you, has not changed. He loves you just as much now as he has ever loved you, regardless of what you have done, or gotten yourself entangled with, or wrapped up in. Regardless of the failures in your life, or the disappointments you've experienced. Regardless of the labels that people have put on you, or the things that you have done to others, or what you believe about yourself right now, I want you to know this truth: God loves you. God loves you. God loves you. God loves you. He loves you. He loves you just as much now as he has ever loved you. He loves you just as much now as he loved you when he went to the cross and died for you. It doesn't matter your circumstances. It doesn't matter what you've done in life. God loves you. And that's hard for us to wrap our human minds around, because we're so conditional in what we do. We can get frustrated with the ones we love the most, and even find ourselves sometimes suck and guessing the depth of our love.

Think with me for just a minute about the intoxicating power of love. Love makes us do crazy things. It makes us do things that we never thought we could do. But here's what I know: the expressions of love by a human being can not release the totality of our emotions. That's why it's important that we bring love un scrutiny, and understand whether or not it's really real. I say that because I want to go to the word of God today. Look with me. Paul encourages the church at cor to do this. He says in 2 Corinthians 8:8, "I speak by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love." Same chapter, down verse number 24: "Wherefore show ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love."

Love is the most powerful of human emotions that we can express. But Paul says there's a time you need to prove it. You need to try it. You need to test it, to make sure that it's where it needs to be, that you really are meaning what you say. Love will make you do things you never plan to do. It'll make you willingly stand there and hold a purse. It'll make you go shopping for hours with a smile on your face — especially if there's one of those husband chairs you can sit in. It'll make you go to Bass Pro Shops while your husband tries to explain the difference between the subtleties of this or that. It'll make you go antique shopping. It'll make you buy other people's things they're throwing away. Someone told me — I'm not speaking from experience — it will make you go into debt. You will willingly give up freedoms for love. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? The power of love.

Look what Jesus did, because he loved us. Romans 56: "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely will the right man will one die: yet pre venture for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commandeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Let me take it up a notch. He had no guarantee that you and I would ever choose him, yet he still chose us. He had no guarantee that we would ever reciprocate his love back, yet he still died for us. What kind of a love is that? It doesn't make human sense. It's beyond what we can often times comprehend. And I'm thankful for that, because I need God's love, and you need God's love. Love will lift us up into a higher realm than we've ever lived. There's no higher virtue than love. There's no greater attribute of God than his love.

1 John 4:16: "And we have known and believed the love of God ha to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that fearth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us."

But let me ask: how is that love inside of you? How are you doing at reflecting his love around you? This is something that I begin to think about as I was experiencing all that God had for me to experience in South Africa. And this not my first time — I've been on several missions trips, and it's always the same impact in my life, as you get there and you experience God's love in a new way. And what I've found is that, if you're truly allowing his love to channel through you, it opens up your capacity to love more, and you find yourself becoming attached to people that you don't even know. But that's exactly what God's desire is for you and I. I'm here to challenge us today. I'm here to push this envelope a little bit in your life. And I want to know, in your everyday walk, with the people that you come in contact with, that you see on a regular basis, how are you reflecting and channeling God's love?

We see scripturally what he has done for us, and we know firsthand our own life experiences, and what God has managed to do. And for the vast majority of us in the room, we have a powerful testimony of God doing miraculous things in our lives. Every one of us have a story of redemption, of where I was at when God found me, and what I had experienced, and how he reached me with his love at my lowest moment, and he showed up and did all these changes. And he's continuing to work with me through that process of sanctification. Every day I get to get up and live in his love. But beyond just what I consume, what am I giving? Am I being the conduit that I'm supposed to be for his love? Because I've been doing this long enough, and I've studied his word out enough — and I'm going to get to a little bit more of that in just a minute — that I've realized that my capacity to receive is directly affected by my capacity to give. And if I don't keep the channel going, there's only so much I can get. It has to flow through me. His desire has always been that — when I need — and I need him, and I don't want to get real — you need him, too. You need him, too. But for me to get all that I really require, I have to open myself up to let his love flow through me, which means there's going to be an opportunity for me to have to love someone that I don't necessarily want to. Have you noticed that God has a way of putting crazy people in your life? Don't point fingers. Has anybody besides me noticed, like, "God, why are they here?" I mean, not just "why are they here," but like, "Why did you make them?" Am I the only one that has that thought? were you just looking at him like, "God, you know, I understand a lot about God. I don't understand this at all." Those are the moments where God's really working on his love in you. Because if we only love the ones that we're easy to love, is that really love? But where we can see and have a better understanding of how God's love works is when we open oursel up to love those that seemingly are unlovable in our life.

When's the last time that you express — I'm going to step on everybody's toes. Everybody just put your foot out right now, because I'm gonna get on mine, too. Put your foot out, just keep them out right there. I'm gonna get on our toes. Here's the deal. You ready for it? When's the last time you thanked God for that unlovable person that's in your life? When's the last time you prayed God would remove that person from your life? I'm not asked that question you, because you probably like, "That was about 5 minutes ago." When's the last time you thanked God — because, and the reason I say, why would I thank God for them? Because there should be something that comes over you, to comprehend this: God, at a time in my life, I was just like them — someone who shouldn't receive love. But yet, in due time, you died for me, too. So when I have difficult people that come into my life — and difficult people come all right there. It's just a part of life. you're going you you can't only way you can isolate difficult people in your life is to try to remove yourself all together. But here's the deal: you still got you, and you're difficult. At some point, you have to open yourself up to say, "God, thank you for your love for me. I see in this person in front of me how hard it could be to love. But yet, God, your love has never failed me. You've never stopped loving me. So God, help me have the capacity to love them."

Jesus made this statement. When we talked about loving others, he was asked about the commandment — what's the greatest one? We see in John 13 that he went beyond the answer that came. Because the answer that came to him was — he was responding to — the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, mind, body and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. But God went back and made a correction. We see it in John 13:34. He says, "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; as I've loved you." You know why he had to do that? Because he said love your neighbor as yourself, but some of y'all don't love you. You're good at everybody else, but when it comes to you, you hold a too-high standard for yourself, and you don't love you. So Jesus comes back and says, "You know what, I got to give you a new commandment, because this isn't about what you can do. I need you to look at what I did. So I'm GNA give you a new commandment: when you love people, you love them the way I love you." That way you're without excuse as to what it is you're supposed to do. In other words, Jesus takes the frame of reference out of the human realm and places it into the divine. So we're not to look at ourselves, our feelings, or our emotions, or our sentiments, when it comes to determining how I love. I'm to look at the one who set the best example ever. And if you need to know what that is, it's a cross on Calvary, when he said — hey, I'm willing to give to people that are here spitting on me, and abusing me, and beating me. In the very moments when they're nailing to the cross, the first words that are ever uttered from Calvary are words of forgiveness: "Father, forgive them; they know what they're doing." He set the bar. That's the love we're to have.

Hatred and bitterness and jealousy and strife and hurt — they happen. They come between people. But we have to move past those things to a divine quality, which requires that you and I maintain a right relationship with God. Because there are some people that, the only way you're ever going to love them, is you're going to have to have God's help to love them. You're going to have people in your life you're going to struggle with, that you're going to say, "God, I know I'm supposed to love them. Help me have the capacity to love them."

Everything that you and I do — everything that should be fallen under the umbrella of being a Christian — it grows out of love. Not commands, not standards, not lifestyle convictions. It has to come out of love. We do what we do because we love. We come to church because we love God. We get involved with the ministry because we love God. We pay our tithes because we love God. We live holy lives because we love God. We continually say no to the world because we love God. Why? Because love changes you. It makes you do things you thought you would never do, but you do it because of love. Love will make you become what you've never been before.

And this is another truth I know: love doesn't happen in a vacuum. It always makes an impact when it's given, and it always makes an impact when it's withheld. Always. You will be changed by what or who you love. That's why you got to be warned so often times in the scripture about what it is you allow yourself to be captivated by. 1 John 2:15: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."

Paul was writing to young Timothy, the upand cominging pastor, and he says this in 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is the root of all evil." Notice, he didn't say money is evil. I bring that up because our world is so driven by materialism. Our culture, where we are — it's the status, and it's the things. You got to be careful — and I'm not saying you live a pper life. I'm not saying you can't have things. I never have said that. But you got to be careful what possesses you. And if you are possessed by your possessions, you have a problem. Those things are just — it's just stuff. It doesn't make you or break you. You're not any more or any less because you have a name-brand shoe, or you have a certain car. That doesn't make or break you. And if that's where you are, then I promise you, you have a misunderstanding of your worth. Is it okay if I say it that way? You have a misunder understanding of your worth. You are a prince. You are a princess. You are a child of the King. He purchased you with his blood at Calvary. What possible thing could you put on your body, or possession could you have, that is far greater than that? You belong to him.

To understand the love will lead us to a source of our greatest hope, because the more we love God, the more like God we become. The closer you get to him — please listen to me — the closer you get to him, the more of him you become. It's a default. So therefore, the more attributes of God you will possess. So it's hard for me when I see people who have been living for God 15, 20, 30 years, yet I don't see the love of God coming out of them. It makes me question: how is it possible that you're close to him, yet you can't love? Because God is love. If you're going to possess any of his quality ities, the first thing that's going to come out of you is his love. And to truly love is to open yourself up, and see the hurting that's around you. It's to bring about perspective. It's to see and understand that there are those who just don't know.

Has it ever crossed your mind in the last year that quite possibly you know someone who's going to die and go to hell, and you don't ever say anything to them? Does it ever cross your mind? See, love lifted me. Most of us in the room would say, "Love has lifted me. I'm so thankful for the love of God in my life. I'm so thankful that when I have a tragic moment, when I'm 9,000 miles away and all I can do is pray, that I feel his presence where I am, and I know that God's taking care of my family. But have I shared that with anybody? Have I spoke about God's love to someone who I've come in contact with today? Or am I just simply setting on truth?" See, to be the church that we're supposed to be, it's not that we come in here and we're have church, but to really live out God's love and understand the truth that is here, is to know that I have an obligation and a responsibility to talk about his love with everyone I come in contact with. "Where do you want me to be, Pastor Kevin — one of those weird guys that stands on the corner and has a big Bible on his back?" And I'm not saying be weird. I'm just saying be honest. What has he done for you? You have a testimony, and you have a powerful testimony. Why are you not talking about what God has done? Because there's a hurt in a broken world, and you're lying to yourself if you walk outside these doors and you don't see the hurt and the broken that are all around you. They're at Kroger's, and they're at the gas station. They're at Walmart. They're at the park. They're all around you. When's the last time that you're love was able to see and feel that there are people who need what you have? Amen. You can't come in here week after week, and sit on these pews, and just experience being in his presence, and not feel a responsibility and an obligation, that I got to tell somebody about what I get to experience every day in my life. Because if I don't, they may well die and go to hell. Love should convict you. should eat you up. There's a certain point that you should reach in your life, to where you can't be quiet. It's not just for the superstars and the Apostolic movement, but it's for you. It's not just for the staff, the pastors, to just go, but it's for you. "What are they going to think about me?" May ask you a question? Would you'd rather have them tell you, "Look, just don't tell me about Jesus anymore. Okay, I know you live for Jesus, and you talk about his love, but I would prefer you just not saying" — or would you rather have them say, "You never said a word to me. Boy, I wish I had a little vest of manging in me right now. You never told me about Jesus." I can't sing. What would you rather live with? Man, I think it's better they tell you to shut up, "Just don't tell me anymore," because you've talked about him so much, versus for them to say, "I never knew. I mean, I knew you was a Christian, but you never told me." And, "Pastor Kevin, you're kind of getting hard on this." I know. That's the point of this message, is Love Lifted Me. And I know love has lifted you. But what are you doing with it? This isn't just me get-out-of-hell card. But there's no way — there's no way you read this, and you walk away with anything less than an obligation that you have to tell somebody. So why are you not telling somebody?

Transparency. But asking God, "What is it I got to change in me, to see you fulfill the things I know you've laid in my mind, that you want to do?" And there was some personal things he pointed out. They're personal. They're for me, and I'm working on those things. But for the church, he told me, "You're not being convicting enough. You're not talking about the importance of the gospel enough. You're not telling the church to be the church." Reality is this: if we were really doing what we were supposed to do — and I'm putting myself in the boat with you — if we were really doing what we were supposed to do, we would be having multiple services around here, because there would be no room. It's not for a lack of need. The harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. You have to go into the field.

Now, please understand, I'm thankful for everything that you guys do when it comes to volunteering around here. Thank you. We need more volunteers. Our kids is just growing. It's growing, growing exponentially. And Josh and Christina, you guys are killing it. Where were — over here. Where'd you go? Did she leave? Oh, there you are, you backslider. You were all the way up here, already slid back. She's not a backslider. She's doing good things. You guys are doing good stuff. Thank you for everyone that's helping in. But listen to me, okay? The harvest is in the field. It's in the field. Now, some come, and we even have guests today, and I'm so thankful that you're here. You honorous by being here. But I'm speaking to the church right now. It's not about who shows up here. It's about what's out there. And if love has lifted you, and love has lifted us, what are you doing with it? Who are you talking to? I love that, Forest. You got the men's Bible study going on, and we're seeing people baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost out that have that prayer meeting you got going. That excites me. It's not that I don't get excited — I get excited when we come to church here. But that stuff excites me, because somebody's out in the field. Somebody's in the field. Somebody's in the field, finding what's in the field.

The question I want to drive home in your hearts today is: are you truly loving in return? Are you allowing the love of God to flow through you to the world around you? Do you have the capacity to love like he loves? Because Jesus always befriended the misfortunate and the down-andout. When he sat there Simon's house, the lady who comes in — you know, says she was a harlot. Most people think she was of that profession. All we know is that she had a lot that was wrong in her life. And the one who invited Jesus to come in sits down there in his righteousness, and says unto himself, "If he was really the prophet I thought he would be, he would know what man or woman that is" — or is the message I read through you — "who's pouring herself on him." You can see the indication that he thinks she's trying to seduce Jesus. Boy, how we got to be careful how we look at people. In his righteousness, he thought she was doing something inappropriate. We know the other side of the story: that she was so thankful that she had been forgiven, she was doing her best to express completely how much she appreciated it.

But the convicting part out of that whole story, that gets me every time, is when he says, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Speak on." And he says, "Do you see the woman?" Well, we want to say, well, obviously he's seen her. He recognized that she shouldn't be doing it. But Jesus brings attention — say, no, no, no, no, you're looking at everything that you think disqualifies her, but you don't see her. I'm speaking to the church right now: do you see the people around you? No, no, no, no, don't look at what disqualifies them. Don't look at all the reasons why you shouldn't say something. Do you see them? Do you see them the way Jesus sees them? Have you asked God, "Open my eyes, so that I can see the value that they have, the way you see their value" — not for everything that would be an excuse for why I shouldn't say anything to them. Because that was Simon's problem, is you don't see her, Simon. You're so busy trying to get why she's disqualified, that you have failed to see your own mistakes. You think you've done me a favor by inviting me into your home, but you didn't show me respect. You gave me nothing to wash my feet. You gave me nothing to refresh myself. You gave me nothing to anoint myself. You want to call out what's wrong with her, when you have plenty still wrong with you.

I know this is not one of those shouty messages where we're running around here, but this is a word from God today to a Center Point: Love has lifted us, but can we love in return? Can we love, and can we see the value in the people that are around us every day? Because I know this is a truth: you come in contact with people, and have an opportunity to speak to them in ways that I never could, because you have established relationships. And I'm just curious: how long has it been since you prayed, "God, help me see the open door with so-and-so"? When's the last time you prayed, "God, give me the right words to say to so-and-so"? When's the last time you love them enough to be willing to pray a very dangerous prayer, to say, "God, if you present the opportunity, I will tell them about my relationship with you"? If you really loved the way we're supposed to love, this place would be at capacity. It's not about the numbers, okay? Please don't misunderstand me. I'm be honest with you: the more numbers, the more headaches. Any pastor with half a brain would be like, "Don't tell anybody. This is plenty." Okay, so it's not about the numbers. It's about the responsibility. He's given us his love, and it's lifted us to where we are, and I'm so thankful for all the things. And we could go on, and I could preach a happy message about love, and how we're good, and we all know that. But I have a convicting message about love today. Love has lifted us, but are we loving in return? Or am I only staying in my little safe bubble?

Right — we get our little bubble. We get our little ones around us. That's what happens often times in churches, when you get to a certain place, to where everything is comfortable. We'll go out with the same people, and we'll eat at the same places, and we'll tell the same stories, and we'll do the same things, and we get in that little safe bubble. And the whole time, there's people all around us that don't know, and we're not being the church. We're not being the church. But I promise you today — I promise you, this is something I feel strong in me — if you would just open yourself up today, somebody at a restaurant you're going to go to needs to hear your story today. Today could be different. Today, you know what I'd love? I would love a text message that says, "Hey Pastor, can you meet me at the church? I need to baptize somebody." "Pastor, would you — we prayed somebody through the Holy Ghost in the parking ." That could happen today. That doesn't have to happen in a mission field. That is a mission field, right out there. When you walk outside these doors, you're in the field. Will you let his love flow through you?

In saving you and I — his love for us came first. He died to save us. He did not save us afterwards, and then learn to love us. He loved us first. We have to examine the obstacles that seem to block God's love from flowing freely through us, to both the world around us and individuals we come in contact with. That's why we have to look closely — I dare say, even critically — at who we are. Who are we? We need to be asking oursel the questions, whether or not we truly love people in the same way that God loved us. If we fail to show love for people in what we do, we have to change. So the paramount question is, I get ready to bling this to close, is simply this: what can I, and what will I do, to start the positive change inside of me, to make this a church that loves people? To do so, they have to feel the love in us — not just when they come in. And I'm thankful we have a wonderful team that greets people when they come in, and makes some I — I hear compliments quite often, and I'm thankful for all those, and everybody who's a part of those teams. Thank you, from pastor's heart, for what you do. But it has to be more than just inside these walls. It has to be out there, that they feel our love for them. They're going to hear it in our worship, and they're going to hear it in our preaching, but they need to see it in our lives. They need to see it in who we are every day.

Love for people stands out as God's primary motivation for his redemption, and what he does. Faith can move mountains, and hope can start revolutions, but love out lives, outdoes, outreaches, and Outlast them all. If love is limited to people only, you know — then your love is not big enough. If your love is only limited to your family, it's not big enough. If your love cuts out people you don't understand, it's not big enough. If your love leaves out people that you think are weird and strange, it's not big enough. If you cannot love the person who has sinned too much, your love is too limited. It's too limited. He loves unconditionally. But what about us?

I feel it's important, that as a church we pray today, that God would increase our capacity to love. Now, I know, before you nod your head, and before you say amen — even silently in your head — you need to know that, often, an ask for an increase in capacity brings about unique things in your life, for how that will come about. Sometimes that increase of capacity takes you through things. You have to experience some things, so that your eyes can be open, to understand how to do that. So it's a dangerous prayer. But as I bring this sermon to a close today, this is what I feel. I have two things I feel strongly. Number one: God's desire is to fill somebody with the Holy Ghost today. So if you need salvation in your life, in just a minute, as we begin to pray, this altar is open, and I invite you to come down, and let us pray. And God is going to do a work in your life. But the second thing I feel, for us to pray as a church, is I need some men and women who are brave, who are willing to pray a prayer that may cost you. But love has lifted you, and you've been convicted today, because you have not stewarded his love correctly. So second part is, as I begin to pray in a minute, I'm looking for some brave men and women who are willing to step out and say, "God, I need an increas capacity to love people around me," and that you'll come down, and you'll pray that God will give you that. And I'm specifically saying step out, because there's something about that faith walk: "God, I'm coming, and cuz I'm believing you're going to give me an increased capacity to love people." And if this will happen, I promise you, it's going to be a catalyst to what we do in our community. We have a lot of wonderful doors that are open right now — abilities to influence in a great way. But I'm afraid it's going to all be for not, if we don't increase our capacity to love.

So I'm going to pray. If you need salvation, come. If you're brave enough — if you're brave enough to pray that prayer — I invite you to come, and let's see what God can do through us, as we yield.

God, I love you. You are so good. God, you are so good. You have a love that's beyond what we can even comprehend. I thank you, Lord, that you reached down one day, and you picked me up out of the mess I made of my life, and you loved me without condition. God, I pray that you would give us an increased capacity, as a church, to love people. To see the broken and the hurting that are around me every day. God, give me eyes to see the value of the people that are around me, to see what you see. Help me to love the unlovable. Help me to love the ones I don't understand. Help me to love the difficult. Help me to love, God. As a church, I pray you would increase our capacity to reach into the community around us, and that they could feel your love come through us. God, for those that are needing salvation today, Lord, I pray that you would fill them with your Spirit. God, do a work that only you can do. In the name of Jesus, we pray. It's prayer time, church. It's prayer time.