Embodying Godly Love: A Call to Action

1. "It's not enough to say that you subscribe to it. You subscribe to a set of beliefs. The people watching you want to see evidence of those beliefs actually put into action. Simply put, it's the cliche, actions speak louder than words. Actions speak louder than words. I taught in the elementary world for nine years. And one of the things that was just drilled into me by some great leaders was that your students, when you're teaching in a classroom, your students will do what they see you do more than they will do what you tell them to do." [32:20] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "Why is the world not listening to us when we try to tell them about God's love? There's an organization called Barna. Barna studies culture and faith and then publishes reports that offer insight into the world in which we live. And in the fall of 2022, Barna polled adults and teens in the US and asked them what causes them to doubt Christianity. They're asking teens and adults, just about two years ago, what causes them to doubt Christianity? The number one reason people of other faiths, other than Christianity, or people that claim no faith, the number one reason that people of other faiths and people with no faith affiliation doubt Christianity is the hypocrisy of religious people." [31:08] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "So now I am giving you a new commandment. Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. That's powerful. Do you feel the weight of that? The responsibility that comes with that. When he says your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. We've got some work to do to transform the view the world has of Christians, but it goes beyond just our reputation in the world." [36:24] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "Imagine with me for just a moment what this would do to the world. What would it do to our country? Or better yet, let's boil it down. What would it do to our communities? Kearney, Holdridge, North Platte, Ogallala, wherever you're watching from online. What would it do for our communities if non-Christians started seeing a genuine, godly love present within the church every single time they looked at the church? How might this change the world? I think it's pretty safe to say there'd be less fighting in the world. Gossip would stop. Hating would be overcome." [38:18] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "The world will not be transformed for the better by anything other than godly love. It's not going to be changed for the better by one more snarky social media comment. The world's not going to be changed for the better because of the never-ending toxic political climate. Is it just me or does it seem like we already have people that are running for office in like 2028 and they're campaigning? They're not making the world a better place, are they? The church, being known as judgmental hypocrites, will only be changed when we display godly love consistently." [39:15] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "So, full disclosure, godly love is going to cost you. When you choose condemnation, excuse me, when you choose compassion over condemnation, when you listen to understand, when you sacrificially serve others, it's going to cost you. It costs us our time, it costs us our energy, it costs us what we want, our priorities, it costs us our resources. Because love isn't cheap. And that's why it has the ability to transform the world. A church that loves one another the way that Jesus loves each of us will be undeniably attractive to the world that's watching and searching for love." [54:24] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "The secret about godly love is that it's a resource that doesn't diminish as you share it. As you share it with one another, as you share it with coworkers, classmates, people that you interact with at the doctor's office, the more you share godly love, the more it grows. It's a resource that doesn't diminish. And so I want you to ask yourself this question. Am I becoming more loving? If I look at my life over the last six months, over the last few years, maybe just the last six weeks, if you look over the course of your life, would you say, I'm becoming more loving?" [55:41] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "If you want to practice loving like Jesus this week, choose compassion over condemnation. Listen to understand. And then the third one is this. Sacrificially serve others. We see Jesus model this for us over and over in Scripture. Our core Scripture today where Jesus said to love one another and that the world will know that you're my disciples by the way that you love each other. Right before that, at the beginning of the Last Supper, Jesus got down on his knees and he washed his disciples' feet. He sacrificially served them. Let's do the same." [50:51] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "We have the definition of love. It's outlined for us in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. We kick things off today with love is patient. Love is kind. But it's not enough to tell other people what love is. We must show them what love is. And it starts, believe it or not, with how we treat one another within the church. We have an incredible opportunity. It's my perception that people are watching Christians as closely as they ever have. And sure, they may be watching us so closely to find our faults and find reasons why they don't want any part of the church, why we're wrong, why we should just go away or be quiet. They're looking for our faults. And they're watching us as close as they ever have. But wouldn't it be great if they were surprised by what they saw?" [37:23] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


10. "Are we as Christ followers listening to Jesus when he talks to us about godly love? Let me phrase the question a bit differently since scripture tells us that God is love. Are we watching what Jesus does and then doing the same? Are we allowing him to transform us into people that love like he does? After all, that's what Jesus was telling us. Telling his disciples in the Last Supper, John 13, 34, Love each other just as I have loved you. You should love each other. So let's break down godly love into a few practical actions that each one of us can take." [40:34] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)