Loving One Another

Loving One Another

By Apostle Felix

34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 
35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 
John 13: 34, 35

Loving one another is the greatest expression of God’s love in our lives. Love is expressible. This love should be expressed towards people. Some individuals love animals more than they love other fellow human beings. These are individuals who would rather shelter a dog than a fellow human being. Some love people based on the colour of their skin, tribe, or social status. That is segregative love, which Jesus condemned. Jesus said that we should not love as the world loves.

32  “Are you really showing true love by only loving those who love you back? Even those who don’t know God will do that.
33  Are you really showing compassion when you do good deeds only to those who do good deeds to you? Even those who don’t know God will do that.
34  “If you lend money only to those you know will repay you, what credit is that to your character? Even those who don’t know God do that.
35  But love your enemies and continue to treat them well. When you lend money, don’t despair if you are never paid back, for it is not lost. You will receive a rich reward and you will be known as true children of the Most High God, having his same nature. For your Father is famous for his kindness to heal even the thankless and cruel.
36  Show mercy and compassion for others, just as your heavenly Father overflows with mercy and compassion for all.”

Luke 6: 32 – 36

Loving one another is not segregative, but compulsory. When it comes to love, it does not choose whom it should love or not. It loves across the board. If you can only love people from your social group or tribe, then you do not know God and do not have His love. God does not love us on tribal or racial lines, like the way Jewish people reason even today. God loves the human race. He loves the Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, even satanists. He loves the world, not only the church. The mistake many people make, especially Christians, is to think that God started loving them the day they accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. No, He loved us while we were yet sinners.

8  But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly!

Romans 5: 8

In the church, believers may relate to one another based on their social status, background, tribe, language, and common experiences, and even on an alliance basis. The church at Corinth had an alliance-based approach, and Paul reprimanded the church for it. It is these alliances that are very deadly to the growth and soundness of the church. The danger is that each alliance would want to recruit new people into its group by influencing them against other alliances. It is a very unhealthy church situation.

10  I urge you, my brothers and sisters, for the sake of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree to live in unity with one another and put to rest any division that attempts to tear you apart. Be restored as one united body living in perfect harmony. Form a consistent choreography among yourselves, having a common perspective with shared values.
11  My dear brothers and sisters, I have a serious concern I need to bring up with you, for I have been informed by those of Chloe’s house church that you have been destructively arguing among yourselves.
12  And I need to bring this up because each of you is claiming loyalty to different preachers. Some are saying, “I am a disciple of Paul,” or, “I follow Apollos,” or, “I am a disciple of Peter the Rock,” and some, “I belong only to Christ.”
13  But let me ask you, is Christ divided up into groups? Did I die on the cross for you? At your baptism did you pledge yourselves to follow Paul?

1 Corinthians 1: 10 – 13

I do urge the church, Royal Family, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree to live in unity with one another and put to rest any division that attempts to tear us apart. Let us be restored as one united body living in perfect harmony. We cannot afford division in the church. Let us avoid bickering and let us focus on the work of the Lord, such as prayer, evangelism, and serving one another. Division is satan’s strategy to distract the church from focusing on the kingdom business. Let us pursue peace with all men. God bless you.