Galatians 5 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Love is a most common word Most misused It has broad meanings We love ice cream Wed love to do something We fall in love Love or lust

Love is mostly misunderstood Most of us think we know exactly what it means Least practiced

The Bibles says… God loved That love is unconditional and we can accept or reject it Notice the order of events Notice the order of events: God loved If someone believes They have eternal life

John 3 God so loved he gave whoever believes eternal life 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

In the Old and New Testament it is love and not the law that serves as a guiding principle of our faith It is that love which motives us to faithfulness

Mark 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?

Love the Lord Love your neighbor 29 The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

What we are describing is a deep love that seeks to brings us into Gods fold and protection We are to love God deeply A sincere appreciation A high regard

John 13 you must 34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

We are told to love each other In the same way God loves us How we care for one another reveals to some degree reveals whos we are If… you love

This is important! Our love, indifference or hatred… Reveals our soul Our motivation Gods love reveals his motivation

God loves us so much he does not want us to perish To perish: Destroyed, ruined, face wrath God does not want our lives to be wasted

Zechariah 8 16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this, declares the Lord.

The Lord wants us to love and do good It is Gods essence God does not want us to plot and distort and destroy

Hebrews 10 toward love and good deeds encourage one another 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one anotherand all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Instead of distorting and destroying… we are to more toward love and good deeds We are to worship together We are to encourage one another We are to love and be patient with each other

Gangs are a family of sorts Gangs rule by violence Disrespect is met by deadly force But it is all done in the name of caring for each other and protecting territory That family destroys each other

We are called to be different Our family is not about competing for power We are about protecting, serving each other, caring and loving These are the things that show us and our community that we are indeed Gods children