“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31).

A lawyer approached Jesus and asked him a question: “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” In essence, the lawyer was asking Jesus, “If you could summarize all of the scriptures into one statement, what would that be?”

Jesus answers this question in typical fashion: Jesus quotes Scripture.

“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” This is a direct citation of Deuteronomy 6:4-5. The Jews called it the
“shema.” Shema is the Hebrew word for “listen.” This prayer was quoted by Jews everyday to remember who they were as children of God and what their purpose for life was.

But Jesus continues. He adds, “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” This is a direct citation of Leviticus 19:18.

Jesus does something fascinating by putting these two citations together. Jesus shows us how a person is to “Love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their mind and with all their strength.” They love God by loving their neighbor as they love themselves. In fact it is impossible to love God without loving people. Simply impossible.

The writer of 1 John tells us, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:20).

As you know the Greeks had at least four words that are translated as love in the English. Guess which Greek word our passages use regarding love? Yup. You guessed it. Agape.

Love is not a feeling. Love is not an emotion we passively feel. Love is a willful and deliberate decision to desire the best for the other. That is unconditional love.

Love God? You love God’s people.

“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (1 John 3:23).

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

It is fitting to reflect on what love means on this Valentine’s Day.

“And this is his command…” Whatever else follows, this is not a suggestion or a good idea but a command. This is what we are called to do if we are followers of Jesus Christ.

“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ…”

We are to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ. What does it mean to believe in his name? First, names meant more than what it does today. Names often reflected the character of the person. There are two names given to the Son: Jesus and Christ.

• Jesus – the name literally means Savior or one who saves
• Christ – the anointed one. Our Savior is one who was born in order to die for the sins of the world.

The first thing we are called to do is to believe that Jesus is the Savior of sinners. We turn to Jesus to save us from the punishment of sin, and that is exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross and by descending into hell. Jesus bore the brunt of God’s wrath against sinners. And Jesus rose again from the dead so that all who believe in him will be raised with him.

The second thing we are called to is “to love one another as he commanded us.” The Greek word for love here is agape, or unconditional love. Love is not a feeling, it is not an emotion. It’s not talking about having warm fuzzies for someone. This is a choice. Agape, unconditional love, has to do with a willful decision for the other.

We are to love one another by choosing to believe the best of others and by willing the best for others.

Have a great Valentine’s Day. Celebrate love. Celebrate the willful and deliberate decision to do what is best for others.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47).

I love this passage. I have always wondered what it would be like to live out this passage…

• The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved…What Christian doesn’t want to see this? What an amazing picture. Could you imagine if that were taking place today?

Is such a revival possible today? Was this only a thing of the past? Was this only something from the early church days to never be experienced again?

We may never find out until we too devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching (the Bible), to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and prayer.

It’s my take that we are doing pretty well on the first three items – devoted to God’s word, to fellowship, and to the sacrament of communion. The place where I think we are the weakest is communal prayer. Praying like ministry and renewal depended on God and God alone. 

The revival that took place in the Book of Acts was the result of the Holy Spirit. Only God’s Holy Spirit can convict us of our sins and turn us to repentance. That’s the reason why prayer is essential to revival and renewal. Revival and renewal are things we cannot generate or create. Revival and renewal only take place as the Holy Spirit of God moves. And that’s the reason why we pray. We are asking God to do that which we cannot.

Would you commit to praying for renewal and revival? Would you devote yourselves to prayer? No renewal or revival has ever occurred without being accompanied by prayer.

I am inviting you to pray. Not just individually. I trust that you are praying. I am challenging you to devote yourselves to prayer on Wednesday evenings with your pastors. The worm of the ministry of Jesus Christ is a work that will only happen through the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Will you join me in devoting yourselves to prayer for God to move upon the Little Church and Lakewoodgrace in Lakewood and beyond?

Join me in prayer, asking God to do what only God can do on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm in the office or by zoom.