Pastors Point

February 12, 2017

Love Works

February is the month where "love is in the air." Everywhere you look there is the color red. Red balloons, red hearts, red bears, red roses, red candy...And to be sure the price increases of these items during this month will have your bank account seeing red. ;)

This month I want to talk about one of our core values at Calvary Free Will Baptist-being a church that is love centered. What exactly does this mean to us? Those of us who call Calvary home have found first hand how the love of God can change a life! We know that it can, because it has changed ours. We are not perfect because we know God, but we are loved. We want others to know that too. The Bible says that God loves everyone! Paul says, "God demonstrates His love toward us in this: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners." God does love you. He loves you just exactly as you are.

However, we need to take note that God's love is not a license to sin. Nor is it an excuse to do what we want. God does love you - just as you are - but He does not want you to stay just as you are. He wants the very best for you - because He love you!! One of God's most basic character traits is certainly love, but His love is governed by His holiness. You see the holiness of God is God's supreme trait. He is love but He is also holy. Because God is holy, He is bound to punish sin. The message of the gospel is this: God loves us so much that He came and paid our sin debt for us! Jesus said, "No greater love has a man than this, to lay his life down for his friends." The good news of the Gospel is that God loves us so much that He paid our sin debt and makes it possible for us to CHANGE. We are never "stuck" somewhere or in something. There is always a way to get out of the trouble we find ourselves in. However the solution to getting out of our mess is not found in ourselves. It can only be found through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus shows that He loves us by dying on the cross for us, but also by calling us to leave the things that hinder us and drag us down and find freedom that comes from knowing Him. 

One last point about God's love. Once we have received it, we cannot keep it to ourselves. We are called to pass it on. Jesus said, "They will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another." Did you notice that? Jesus did not say they will know you are mine because you go to church on Sunday morning. He did not say they will know that you are mine because you do good stuff. He said, "They will know you are mine by your love." What draws people to Christ? Love. God's love. How do people find God's love? Through those that have already received it sharing (passing) it along! The church is called to love as God loves. That does not mean just accepting people and ignoring their sins. It means welcoming everyone and helping them to find wholeness in Christ through love.