American Reformation Church Prayer Journal 82
This past Sunday at the American Reformation Church, we continued our series on the inexhaustible topic concerning God’s love. The message was called “Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.” We looked at the concept of brotherly love from a Biblical as well as a historical perspective. The opening passage of Scripture to kick off the message was 1 Peter 1:22, which states, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.”
We learned that God’s people should love each other fervently, not in a casual manner, but with genuineness and sincerity. Peter taught without the pursuit of holiness that comes from obeying the truth through the Spirit of God, we will never be able to love one another fervently with a pure heart as we should.
How does the command to love one another fervently with a pure heart intersect with our call to pray and intercede? There is much in every way. In John 17:20-23, Jesus prays for love and unity amongst His people. In other words, brotherly love must be rooted in God’s divine love.
The Apostle John drives home this point when declaring, “If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20)? Here genuine love is tied to true faith. True love for God is inseparable from love for others, especially fellow believers. We are reminded from Scripture to do good to all men, but especially to the household of God (Galatians 6:10).
God ties our genuineness to love Him with how we treat others. Here John is presenting a logical argument. It is the lesser to the greater argument. We actually see others who stand before us. They are tangible and they are visible. God, on the other hand, is invisible. If we fail to love someone we can see, how can you claim to love someone we have not seen?
If one cannot fulfill the more immediate and tangible command, how can one fulfill the more abstract or transcendent one? It is impossible according to John to love God and hate others. We will be proven liars, if we think that is possible. John is pointing out a deep spiritual inconsistency we must avoid as God’s people. This is not just a moral failing, but a denial of the very nature of God, who is love.
This next Sunday, God willing, I’ll be presenting brotherly love in the face of rising racial tensions. Stay tuned as we negotiate through these treacherous waters that tempt us to harbor hate in our hearts.
The Apostle Paul, who was also very much committed to promoting brotherly love amongst God’s people prayed, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). Let brotherly love continue is the exhortation brethren that we all need to take heed to as we seek to love, serve, and obey our Lord. It is something that should occupy our prayer life to fulfill, not in word only, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18) Amen!
