John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  NKJV

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  NKJV

Even a cursory reading of the New Testament reveals the emphasis Jesus placed on Love!  John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  35 By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.”   I would suggest that in truth all of the actions that we are enjoined to take toward “one another” are simply Love in Action!  Philippians 1:9, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in the knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”

I am 100% convinced when there is a sufficient flow of Agape Love in a life and a church, divisiveness will shrink into nothingness because Love drives out darkness and disarms the devil, like nothing else.  Love brings to light that darkness cannot endure.  Love covers differences in nonessentials and enables “oneness” to become reality.  I, therefore, believe that one of if not the greatest needs of the church and the individual is Agape Love!

When it comes to relationships in churches or believers we would do well to remember and determine that We are Family!  We are “members of one another.”  That is a foreign concept to some but interesting, nonetheless.  I wonder how many would deliberately do damage or hurt another part of their own human body?  Would you deliberately cut off a toe because it bumped into the bedpost during the night?  Yet, we do that very thing in the Body of Christ.  Amazing, isn’t it?

One of the clear messages of the New Testament is that we are “members of one another.”  Every New Testament writer confirmed and echoed that truth, but the apostle Paul made it crystal clear by using the analogy of the Human Body in 1 Corinthians 12:14-26.  There is no way that even the most carnal and immature believer could miss Paul’s message.  He wraps up powerfully in 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the Body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it.”  

I wonder if many or possibly most believers miss Paul’s emphasis here.  We have been told to search for and attempt to discover our spiritual gifts in order to function in the Body of Christ.  We have been told that because in these passages the apostle makes extensive reference to spiritual gifts.  However, if you examine the passage more closely you will find that idea nowhere in any exhortation that the individual Christian is to look for or try to discover their spiritual gift.  I suggest you cannot find that in the Bible.  But, before I lose you, if I have not already, let me address what I believe Paul is emphasizing.

• No Individual Christian can function effectively alone.

Question:  Have you ever gotten a speck of dust or something in your eye?  When you do the natural instinct is to take your finger and rub it, right?  It took more than the eye to resolve the problem.  That is the natural response but in the spiritual, we seem to think we can be islands needing no other member of the Body of Christ.  Wrong! 

• No Member of the Body of Christ should ever feel he is more or less important than any other member.

No individual believer has exclusive rights to God’s grace.  We are all equal at the foot of the Cross.  Romans 12:3, 5, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt with each one a measure of faith… 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”   Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

• Christians should work hard at creating UNITY in the Body of Christ.

We cannot function effectively alone we need each other as the natural body needs all its members for the most efficient functionality.  None of us is more important or less important than anyone else in the Body of Christ even though some have a more prominent role or position.  We are to be clothed with humility, remembering that even the one who has the greatest responsibility is also to be the greatest servant.  Therefore, all of us should strive for Unity and Peace because We Love the LORD and We Love One Another!

Did you follow it?  The emphasis was not on the gifts but preserving the Bond of Peace and creating Unity in the Body of Christ.  The gifts will become visible as the need presents itself and we utilize them, but Peace and Unity are things we must work toward and seek diligently.  I truly believe that Agape Love is the one of, if not the most powerful weapon, the Body of Christ and individual has in combating the forces of hell. 

Agape Love is our ultimate weapon against darkness.  There is no difficulty that enough Agape Love will not conquer.  There is no wound that enough Agape Love will not heal.  There is no door that enough Agape Love will not open.  There is no division that enough Agape Love will not bridge.  There is no wall that enough Agape Love will not scale or pull down.  There is no sin that enough Agape Love will not cover and redeem.

So, make it your goal to Walk in Love at all times and in all things! 

God bless you as you go through this wonderful day in Him.