Sunday VT – 4/27/2014

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Speakers:

• Steven Atherton
• Robin Atherton

Scriptures used:

• Luke 10:25
• Philippians 4:10-14
• John 15:1-5

Subject:

• How do we love one another?  The story of the testimony of the Love of God to Robin.
• The Lord never departed from her despite her being a tough nut to crack.
• His ministers continued to show His love.
• Once that shell began to crack there was hope in the Lord that transcended her.  She was still her in the natural with her failures and faults of the flesh, but they became irrelevant.
• The story of the good Samaritan.  We have to know how to know mercy for another.
• Every one of us is here because God is merciful and longsuffering and doesn’t forsake us.
• Love doesn’t judge a person and throw them away.  Love stands in the gap for the person and is longsuffering toward them.
• We are never commanded to love the Lord with our flesh.  We are to partake of what God is doing.
• This is a choice.  You need to put others before yourself or you cannot love.
• Love is an effort.  It requires faith and humility.
• The neighbor here is not just someone fallen among thieves.  It is that minister that ministered the gospel to you.  Their needs are as important to you as your own.
• Paul didn’t give up on the Philippians.  He learned that he had to stand continuously in the love of God He has given him to minister.  If he suffers affliction because of their lack of care for him, he understood because he was likewise weak and frail.  Paul was willing to be weak so that Christ could be strong in Him.
• It’s interesting that people get concerned about how many people come to the fellowship, judging whether it is right or not by how many people show up.
• We are to love one another.  It is critical for us to get this right.  As we do that, we are freed up to be the good Samaritan.  To go out and show mercy unto others.
• Generally people take kindnesses whether they are appreciated or not.  We do need to “go and do likewise” and love others despite what they think of us.
• We are to do things that we think are beyond us  – bring forth the fruit – love.
• Love is usually inconvenient to us, it costs us something we don’t want to give.
• The reason we can go forward clean and in hope is that none of it is about us.  There is not a single thing Christ asks us to do that we can do on our own.  It always requires us leaning on Him.  But with Him we can do ALL things.  We need to stand in that.
• Then we can share that love with others.  We can be hopeful because if we look at the collection of people here in the fellowship, we can realize if He can turn us around, He can turn anyone around out here in the world.