Prioritizing Love:
The most Impactful tool for Evangelism.
Prophet Hosea in Hosea 11:1-4, presents God as a loving parent - an image that evokes God’s deep love for His people. Hosea was given a message to deliver to the Israelites calling them to return to a relationship with God. He reminded them of God’s love for them. He pictures God as a gentle Father: “When Israel was a child, I loved him” (11:1) and “To them, I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek” (v.4).
Also, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians contains a couple of profound statements. It says “Love never fails” (v.8), and “now these three remain: faith, hope and love…” (1 Corinthians 13:13). These three virtues form the core of biblical Christian theology/spirituality. Amplified Bible breaks them down, defining faith as abiding trust in God and His promises, Hope as confident expectation of eternal salvation, and Love as unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for us.
These three virtues define a believer’s relationship with God, the greatest of them, we are told, is love.
Let’s explain: We couldn’t live our lives without faith. Without faith, we cannot know the God of love and without hope, we would not endure in our faith until we meet Christ face to face.
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul underscores the supremacy of love over and above all other spiritual gifts. Love is preeminent; It is first in time, and first in value. It forms the basis of creation, and its force sustains life and human existence.
1 John 4: 8 states, “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him”.
Let’s begin from the beginning: The Gift of Life: What did you do to be alive? I mean, what were your inputs to your creation? Why are you here? What is God’s purpose for creating me?
Very pertinent questions.
None of us ever did anything - none of us could ever have done anything to earn the gift of life and consciousness. The creation of the world and humankind within it is an act of God’s grace. Something we did not earn, and could not have earned.
The reality of the universe is in God’s manifestations of His love for humankind. Bringing everything into being for you and me to enjoy is grace flowing out of His love. Everything we are, and everything we have, is a gift. The world is a gift, my life in the world is a gift within a gift. In other words, life is grace - something we did nothing to earn or deserve. All are a product of God’s love.
Love and Grace are personified in Jesus.
For God so love the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believe in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
Please note the word perish. When believers “die” they go to paradise - Abraham’s bosom; When unbelievers die, they perish - eternally separated from God. But God in love, has continued to pursue humankind. Humankind’s albatross is that we hear that all the time, but fail to respond appropriately to God’s love expressed through Jesus Christ.
At one time or another, we make confessions of faith and love. We tell our spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends, and our parents and children, “I love you.” Those three words can be infectious! True or false?
It is one thing to love someone secretly in our heart, and quite another to say to the person, especially of the opposite sex, “I love you.” I am talking from experience now.
I began to process that emotion called love for Yemi, my wife, the first day I saw her, but I did not communicate it to her until more than a year later. As long as I kept the love to myself, nothing happened.
Love is a lasting emotion quite distinct from other human emotions like anger, happiness, and sadness. These other emotions are momentary. They are not meant to last long for they can harm a person. But love is different. It is lasting and sustainable in action. It is why Yemi and Siji have stuck together in marriage for 44 years.
What is the point here?
God not only loves the world - you and me - He took steps to actualize His love for us. He speaks to us clearly through nature and in Jesus, “I love you.”
Those were Hosea’s words to the Israelites of old. His words are designed to evoke positive reactions from them. Telling Yemi I love her triggered a chain of reactions. She was free to say No when I proposed to marry her, but love would not allow her. My saying it forced her to make a choice - positive choice.
We are called to make a choice. Our choices matter to God. We are called to live up to God’s love: Respond to His love by living a life that honors God and gives Him glory - in our relationships with our neighbors and the world. The book of Genesis 3 says man was created in the image of God. We are gifted with the divine nature - to be godly. We are called to project God’s love. It is the purpose of our being.
Jesus commissioned believers to go and conquer the world in love. Love is the greatest tool for Evangelism.
How deeply I admire those missionaries, who leave their comfort zones in Europe and America to share the love of Christ with people in the jungles of this world. They are driven by their love for God and humanity. Some in the Church present the gospel as a means to earn God’s favor. They urge worshippers to give for God to bless them. Giving, for them, is transactional.
The Reality is, We can do nothing to earn God’s love. We can add nothing or take nothing away from God’s love for us.
“Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, It is not proud. It does not dishonor others, It is not self-seeking, It is not easily angered, It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6).
God is love; We are called to love.
