Divisions in the Church
I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
God wants us to live in peace, peace in life,peace with each other and peace in him.
Jesus was a simple peaceful man who wants us to live like him in his image. He wants no separation, no separation amongst the church or between each other. He wants us on common level which one another brought together as one in the mind and journey. He wants us to get along with each other, thoughtful and respecting of each other preparing for and living a life in common.
For in his word these are written
Jesus says in John 13:34-35 this
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
John 13:34-35 MSG
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
Then in Romans Jesus again speaks telling us to love one another in Romans 13 verse 8
[ Love Fulfills God’s Requirements ] Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.
Galatians says in chapter 5 verse 13 this
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
He wants our love for each other to be overflowing and abundant as the greatest of all his commandments is love
And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.
But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.
Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 10 verse 24
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
1 John reminds us that we have always been taught to love one another since the beginning and that it is what we’ve heard and been taught that we should know and be in harmony in life with for this lesson has always been the same in 1 John it states this
And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.
[ Love One Another ] This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
1 John continues on to say this message reminding us that love is a passion from God and anyone who shares the love is a believer and child of God and has a personal relationship with God
[ Loving One Another ] Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
2 John can’t speak it any better in chapter 1 verse 6 explaining love
Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
Leviticus speaks of loving each other rather than having bitter emotions get in the way
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
James commends us by saying
Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
In all these scriptures it speaks about love for one another and not putting yourself first but loving each other in all you do and this being the greatest of all commandments as it tells us in Mark and 1 Corinthians
The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
So as God has taught us and shown us since the beginning love one another or love is not boastful as it says in 1 Corinthians
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
God is love he’s hows the greatest love for his people and always has he has always taught us how to love from the beginning he showed us love by dieing for each of us on the cross
It teaches us in 1John verse 8 just where love comes from by saying this
But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
No one knows love best but God for he not only loved and showed it but God IS love.
In all these scriptures it speaks of loving each other and if you know love you know God.
Lessons from God’s word
“There’s nothing new to say on the subject. Don’t you still have the message of the earlier prophets from the time when Jerusalem was still a thriving, bustling city and the outlying countryside, the Negev and Shephelah, was populated? [This is the message that God gave Zechariah.] Well, the message hasn’t changed. God-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now: “‘Treat one another justly. Love your neighbors. Be compassionate with each other. Don’t take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor. Don’t plot and scheme against one another—that’s evil.’
“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
“But remember the root command: Love one another.
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don’t need me to tell you what to do. You’re God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You’re already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it.
Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said, The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, God’s Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
Ed Elliott writes this article about greatest of all being love here’s his message
Ed Elliott
author, conference speaker itinerate/missionary who travels the world sharing truths about God’s love. Helping people experience God’s love personally.
by Ed Elliott Feb 25,2018
One of the most amazing truths I have ever learned and experienced in my life comes from a very well known but often misunderstood verse of scripture. And now abideth faith, hope, love these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
Over 35 years ago, as a new believer, I was taught to focus on getting more faith and trying to stay hopeful when situations appeared hopeless. I often felt condemned when things went from bad to worse in my life. At the time, I believed it was because I didn’t have enough faith so I would do everything I knew to do to try and get even more faith.
One day, I heard the Holy Spirit say to my heart, “It isn’t more faith that you need but a greater understanding of how much God loves you.”
Suddenly, I knew why Paul taught that love is greater than faith and hope. Faith and hope alone cannot produce love but love alone has the ability to give birth to faith and hope in your heart. It is God’s love for us that is the source and foundation of why we can have faith and hope.
When your heart is persuaded to the fact that God loves you just as you are and not as you think you should be, you are able to trust or have faith in someone who loves you that way. Faith is simply a response to God’s love for you.
I want people to not just know about God’s love for them but to experience the reality of this truth in their own heart. This profound truth alone will impact their ability to be able to trust God which is what faith is all about and help them see that in Him their dreams and hopes will become a reality.
In the same way your physical body needs water, food, and oxygen to survive, believers need the spiritual atmosphere of faith, hope, and love to thrive. When your heart is fully persuaded to the fact God loves you, the fruit of that persuaded heart is faith and hope. Don’t make the mistake I made and major on the minors which was faith and hope but focus and major on love and faith and hope will flow naturally.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16
Living Water Ministries 