‘LOVE IN ACTION’

(CFRA broadcast date: Sunday, February 12^th, 2012 - #665)

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http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/5926/good_news_665_feb12.mp3

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Broadcast Notes:

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Issues of Life Series…‘Love in Action’

In two days from now we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day.

This is truly an issue of life……  trust me gentlemen, if you forget …. It will be a real issue of life for you.

February has become such a special time of the year for Tricia and myself. 

·         Our first Date

·         We both became Christians in Feb. 1973

·         We accepted our Call to full-time Ministry – Feb. 1978

·         We started ministry at First Baptist Church - Smiths Falls, in Feb. 1995

Here’s what I’ve learned about love over the years.

1   God’s love for me is

• Everlasting
• Complete.
• Cleansing
• Refreshing
• Strengthening
• Produces peace

2   I must learn to love me

• without becoming ‘egotistic’
• self-centered
• self-obsessed

3   I am privileged to love Tricia by:

• honoring her
• putting her needs ahead of mine
• respecting her
• making emotional deposits

Ø  adoration

Ø  affirmation

Ø  acceptance

Ø  approval

4   Love Languages

I have learned to identify and apply the love languages

when loving others

• words of affirmation
• time
• acts of service
• touch
• gifts

5   Languages of Apology

• Remorse                             I’m sorry
• Responsibility                     I’m wrong
• Restitution                           I need to correct the wrong
• Renounce                            I need to forsake this habit
• Repent                                 I need to never return to it
• Reconcile                            I need to change
• Repeat                                 daily if necessary

6   Love is a ‘Verb’

Love is a muscle that needs to be exercised.

The Bible describes ‘love’

·         Storge                  -           Save-Secure

·         Epithamia                        -           Non-Sexual Intimacy

·         Phileo                  -           Friendship

·         Agapeo                -           Unconditional

7   Love must be modeled

·         Before the children

·         Before your family and friends

·         Before the world who is watching

8   Love must be demonstrated

Romans 5:8

‘God demonstrates His own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’

When it comes to love…. Words are not enough

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

Paul Fritz shared the true story about a family that always prayed at the meal saying this, “Come Lord Jesus be our guest and let this food be a blessing to us.” One day the smallest boy in the family looked up at dad and said, “Dad, every evening we ask Jesus to come and be our guest, but He never comes.” His father said, “We can only wait for Him to appear!” The little boy thought for a moment and said, “Well, then if we expect Him to come and have dinner with us, why don’t we set a place for Him at the table?” Wanting to make the little boy happy, his mother set out extra silverware, a plate and a cup at the end of the table. Not long after the place was set, they heard a knock at the door. When the door was opened they saw a poor man who was hungry. The little boy looked at his father and said, “Jesus could not come today but He sent this poor man in His place.” The man was invited in and he enjoyed a good meal. This family saw this as an appointment directly from the Lord, so the family shared about Jesus, what He just did and what He had done in their family. The poor homeless man accepted Christ into his heart and life.

C. H. Spurgeon, who once a year held a special meeting to raise money for his orphans. Many would come to hear the messages Pastor Spurgeon preached and they would give abundantly to this work of the Lord, which housed orphans. After one of those meetings a “super spiritual,” narrow minded, nitpicking individual sharply addressed Charles Spurgeon saying, “Why, Mr. Spurgeon, I thought you preached for souls and not for money!” Spurgeon gravely replied, “Normally I do preach for souls and not for money. But these orphans can’t eat souls and if they did, my brother, it would take at least four with the size of your heart to give one of those children a square meal!”

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Tune in through the podcast link, below, to hear an inspiring interview and story of 'love' being put into practice, in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, by local Christians, right here at home.
(The website referenced in Rev. Don Crisp's interview with Breanna Bedor, is: http://www.lifecentre.weebly.com/.)

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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following podcast link:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/5926/good_news_665_feb12.mp3