7/16/11
Greetings, Unity is so important. It releases such spectacular potential that it boggles the imagination. At the same time, it is so hard. I am convinced that it is nearly impossible to truly unify with others that we refuse to care about. On a deeper level, the truest unity comes as a result of love. The apostle John, otherwise known as the apostle of love, gives us some of the deepest teachings on unity through his revelation of love. This week we are going to begin looking at what he had to say.
When reading the book of 1 John (or any of his other epistles), a foundational understanding must be present; otherwise we’ll miss the whole thing. When John talks about love, he is not discussing human love. Throughout all of his writings the word “love” is translated from either agapao or agape. These are two tenses of the same word and specifically refer to the love of God. There are other Greek words available like eros or phileo that describe human love. This cannot be overstated. The entire collection of John’s writings contain revelation and instruction on the release and application of the most powerful force available from the kingdom of God—the love of God.
To understand the implications of this statement we must understand that the kingdom of God is the dimension where God is king. It is not found out in space somewhere. The kingdom of God is a dimension that literally overlays the earth, and must be entered into through the heart. This is why Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is within us.
“Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you].” (Luke 17:21 AMP)
The heart serves as a gateway between the soul (mind, will and emotions) and the spirit (our contact point with God), and is a processor of both natural and spiritual things (Hebrews 4:12). The heart is synonymous with the human subconscious. In order to live a supernatural life our hearts must be programmed by the truth and realities of the kingdom of God. These are explained by the Bible as the exceedingly great promises that we have received (2 Peter 1:4).
Furthermore, to interact with the kingdom of God we must interact with the spirit realm. It is impossible to be Christian and reject spiritual things. The Bible says that God is spirit, and those that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The dimension where God is King is in the spirit realm and the source of agape or agapao is in this dimension. Thus when we read about the love that John is talking about, we must understand that we are talking about a force that is being sourced from another dimension; a force which is impossible to artificially generate.
When I make a comment like “we need to love others with the love of God,” many Christians will identify with this statement. The reason why is because it sounds familiar to what they have read or heard. Unfortunately, I am presently convinced that a majority of Christians don’t really understand a statement like this. The immediate thought is: I need to be more patient or kinder or more generous. They have no understanding of what is actually being said because the foundation for understanding has never been presented to them.
In order to actually love others with the love of God we need to receive it from its location and allow it to flow through us. The love of God cannot be understood apart from the understanding that it requires an active interaction with His dimension. Any understanding apart from this will lead to inevitable failure because agape is impossible to artificially generate. Let’s look at one example of how John discusses the love of God.
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:1-2)
Let’s look at what this is really saying. It begins by explaining that when we believe in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior we are born again. We immediately know that without Jesus, the entirety of everything else John is about to say becomes irrelevant. This is because only through Jesus Christ—who is the only door to the kingdom of God (John 10:9)—can we gain access to the rest of what John is about to say. In other words, it requires the power and works of God. It requires God’s dimension and resources being implemented through us.
John continues and explains that everyone that loves the Father (Him that begat) loves everyone that has been begotten by Him. It is actually impossible to be Christian and not love other Christians. On this note, it is interesting that I have met plenty of Christians that hate other Christians. In my case, there are plenty of Christians that get as far away from me as possible because I make them “uncomfortable.” Not only have most Christians experienced a lack of caring from other Christians, but many have not come close to experiencing the true, unrestrained love of God through them. Why?
The love of God is a force that finds its source and origin in heaven. The love itself cannot help but love other Christians, and it becomes a part of us once we receive Jesus. This love is in us because the kingdom of God is in us as a dimension overlapped upon us. Unfortunately, the heart condition of most Christians does not allow for this love to be activated in their lives. The condition of our heart can either be an open door or a filter to this love. In some cases it can even act like a brick wall. We must allow God to change our heart condition by granting us inner healing and changing us until our heart looks like His. Until God transforms our hearts this force loves from deep within, yearning to be loosed from behind the barriers and blockades in our hearts.
Regardless of whether this love is flowing through us or not, if we are Christian it is present. According to John, it is “By this that we know that we love the children of God.” As we move towards unity we are actually moving towards the embracing of our true identity. Our identity is love, but the enemy deceives us into blocking the flow of this love and then convinces us that it isn’t there. Once we allow the love of God to flow as we engage His dimension, unity will be a natural manifestation of the truth within God’s kingdom. However, it will never be natural to those who refuse to mature in Christ, deal with their heart issues, and purposefully engage the kingdom of God.
Discussion
1. The Apostle John is also known as the apostle of what?
2. Where does agape come from?
3. Can agape be artificially generated?
4. What is the apostle John really explaining to us through all of his writing on love?
5. What are some of the heart issues in your life that hinder the flow of the love of God through you?
