Love Your Enemies: Living Agape in Everyday Life

If it's got flesh and if it's got blood, it's not the enemy. I'll just play that again. If it has flesh, if it has blood, it's not the enemy. If it's human, it's not our enemy. The enemy, Paul says, against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. [01:12:02] (33 seconds)  #HumansNotEnemies

See, agape love is not based on how one feels, but rather is based on the choice to put another person first. What's best for them put in ahead of ourselves. Agape requires a prior decision that no matter how I feel about someone, I'm going to choose to bless them and to serve them. Agape love is unconditional and selfless. It does not depend on the feelings or expectations of return, but rather is a deliberate choice to show affection and kindness. [01:02:29] (45 seconds)  #AgapeIsChoice

We can express something of God's love as we get a hold of the truth of how deep God's love is for us, how pleased he is with us. And maybe for some of you today, this morning, you just need to hear that voice again from heaven that says, you are my son. You are my daughter in whom I love, and I am well pleased with you. [01:05:14] (32 seconds)  #ChildOfGod

And you see what I love about what I love about Jesus, what I love about his teaching is that he says this, he says that, do you know how people will know that you're my disciples? It won't be by your church attendance, although that's really helpful. It won't be by your rule keeping. Mhmm. Although some rules are helpful, maybe others not so much. It won't be by power. [01:14:28] (22 seconds)  #NotByAttendance

It won't be by the titles that you have or you don't have. People won't know your disciple or my disciples by all of that nonsense. It won't be by your self righteousness. No. It won't be by the clubs that you're involved in. No. It won't be by whether you know Genesis to Revelation and you know all the rev or you can quote scriptures. No. Yes. He says people know that you're my disciples by your love. Yeah. It's your love. It's a love that will make people to know that you're my disciples, nothing else. [01:14:49] (29 seconds)  #KnownByLove

I think it's helpful just to kind of break it down because the Greek language in which the New Testament was written in has four words for love. At eros, which refers to that romantic love. Philia, which refers to the friendship type of love. Storge, which refers to a feeling of affection towards someone or something. And finally, you have agape, which refers to the self sacrificial other oriented love. [01:01:37] (39 seconds)  #GreekLoveWords

As someone who came into the country in nineteen eighties, I can tell you something for sure. Immigrants have never been an issue in this country. They've been a blessing to this country and will always be a blessing to this country. Sometimes, it's our political views that are different. You know, I'm a blue. I'm a red. Their policy is rubbish. My policy is right. What I perceive is is the right thing to do is what the nation should do, is what the government should do, and actually, they're they're over there in the blue, I disagree with them, and I see them as the enemy, and I see myself as the one that is right. [00:56:21] (40 seconds)  #ImmigrantsAreABlessing

My friend, the annoying colleague is not the enemy. The ex wife or the ex husband or the ex partner is not the enemy. The people with the different political views is not the enemy. The friend that you've fallen out with is not the enemy. The annoying boss is not the enemy. Jesus exposes the enemy, and we can destroy the works of the enemy through the power of this self sacrificial agape love. [01:12:34] (29 seconds)  #RelateDontDemonize