". . . and this is my commandment:

THAT YOU BELIEVE -- (The compelling force)
THAT YOU LOVE -- (The compelling urge)

How can you love somebody your don't even like?
How can you love your enemies?
How does God love me?
How do I love my brother?
How can I love the world?
What about my own need for love?
How do I love the opposite sex?
What is romantic love?
What about love for country?

HOW DO I LOVE THEE?
LET ME COUNT THE WAYS . . .

I. The Nature of Love

• QUALITATIVE CHARACTER

  As I have love you, so you also must love one another."

• QUANTITATIVE CHARACTER

  Being rooted and grounded in love . . . come to know the breadth and length and depth and height, and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.

II. God's kind of love

Don't get sucked into a debate over "God's kind of love."

It really isn't a 'debate.' Most Christians think agape (the Greek word for 'love' and pronounced 'ah-gah-pay') is 'God's kind of love' and is the superior kind of love to phile (another Greek word for 'love' and pronounced 'phil-lay').

Nothing could be further from the truth.

While it is true that agape is used many more times in the New Testament than phile, that simply means that agape was the more common, or the more 'used' word. However, they are used interchangeably in the New Testament.

Here is what they look like expressed in Greek:

αγαπε = agape = love
φιλε = phile = love

Both of these words, as recorded in Scripture, mean the following:

. . . love of the Father for the Son
. . . love of the Son for the Father
. . . love of God for mankind
. . . love of mankind for God
. . . love of human for human
. . . love of man for woman
. . . love of woman for man
. . . love for inanimate things

A TEST CASE: John 21:15-17

Jesus to Peter: "Do you love me?" (agape)
Peter: "Yes! I love you! (phile)
Jesus: "Do you love me? (agape)
Peter: "I do love you! (phile)
Jesus: "Do you really love me? (phile)

Note here that Jesus changes to use Peter's word (phile) instead of agape.

John (the writer):"Peter was grieved because he (Jesus) said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?'" (phile)

Two observations:

1. John, the gospel writer says that Jesus used the word phile three times. He did not. John was not a stupid man. Nor did John make a mistake. He knew that both words mean the same thing, and . . .
2. Given the nature of Peter and the fact that he very recently denied that he knew Jesus three times, Peter was intense. He wanted Jesus to know just how much he loved him, therefore using the more intense, the more feeling word, phile.

It is clear that it is decidedly wrong to think that Peter was using an 'inferior' word to describe his love for Jesus in this dialogue. Precisely the opposite is true.

However, there is a nuanced difference between the two words. Agape's core value is love that engenders action, while phile may be characterized as expressing emotion.

So here is an amplified version John 21:15-17:

So after breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John do you love me enough to carry out my wishes?"

Peter responded, "Oh, yes, Lord! You know that I really love you."

"Then please care for the little ones who follow me." Again Jesus said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

Peter responded, "Of course, Lord. You know very well how deeply I love you."

"Then I need you to watch over my sheep, my people who believe in me and follow me." Finally, Jesus said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?

Peter was hurt. This was the third time Jesus had questioned his love. His voice broke as with passion he cried out, "Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you with all my heart! I can think of no one I love more!

Then, my beloved friend, please take care of my sheep, those who love me and follow me.

III. The Importance of Love and Loving

By THIS shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have LOVE for one another -- Jesus

THIS IS THE ONE CHRISTIAN REALITY, THE ONE COMMAND THAT THE ORGANIZED CHURCH HAS IGNORED MORE THAN ALL THE OTHERS COMBINED.

Relationships are more important than concepts, ideologies, politics, or any other conceivable philosophy or notion!!!

loving

IS THE FOCUS OF RELATIONSHIP

not doctrine
not obedience
not faith
not service
not nuthin'

I love you!

THE ULTIMATE ART

Prior to the apostle Paul's great chapter on love, he had been discussing the charismatic gifts and their importance. He ends what he has to say about that by stating: "And now I show you a more excellent way . . ." With that introduction, Paul begins the most eloquent dissertation on love in the Bible.

It is interesting to note that he ends his treatise with these telling words . . .

". . . now there remains FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE, these three . . . and the greatest of these is LOVE."

IV. What is Love Like?

It includes AFFECTION -- FEELING

ONE MAY HAVE AFFECTION WITHOUT REALLY LOVING, BUT ONE CANNOT LOVE WITHOUT HAVING AFFECTION.

Jesus wants us to treat others with actionable love (agape). Treat them with loving gestures and actions. If we do that, the emotional character of love, feelings, (phile) will come. In some cases, it may take a little time.

You might be surprised to learn that the word for love,

pronounced ah-hev, specifically speaks of feelings of love growing out of actionable love.

Do you actually FEEL the love of God? Love for yourself? Love for others?

Karl Barth was at Rockefeller Chapel, a Gothic cathedral, on the campus of the University of Chicago during his lecture tour of the U.S. in 1962. After his lecture, during the Q & A time, a student asked Barth if he could summarize his whole life's work in theology in a sentence. Barth allegedly said something like "Yes, I can. In the words of a song I learned at my mother's knee: 'Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.'"

To love a man, you must know him, to know God, you must love Him.
-- Jean-Louis Paschal

I Corinthians 13

Love is: KIND	SUFFERS A LOT	NOT ENVIOUS
DOES NOT BRAG	NOT PROUD	NOT BIZARRE IN EXPRESSION
NOT SELFISH <	NOT EASILY PROVOKED	OVERLOOKS WRONGDOING
REJOICES NOT IN SIN	REJOICES IN TRUTH	COVERS ALL THINGS
OPTIMISTIC	ENDURES ALL THINGS	NEVER FAILS TO BE TRUE TO ITS CHARACTER

Love is:

THE CLEAR DECISION TO SACRIFICE ONE'S OWN INTEREST FOR THE BENEFIT OF SOMEONE ELSE.

For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. -- Ephesians 3:14-19