Introduction
Beloved, today our reflection centres on Acts 11:19-end and John 15:12-17. Both passages call us to embrace God’s expansive love and extend that love to others as part of our Christian mission.
Main Focus: Love as the Core of Our Mission
The main theme of these passages is the fundamental commandment to love one another. We will delve into understanding love not merely as an emotion but as the core of our mission and identity as followers of Christ.
Context and Insight
In Acts 11, the Gospel spreads beyond Jerusalem, even reaching the Gentiles. This extension of God’s love to all people models the expansiveness of Christian love and mission.
The Church in Antioch
Acts 11:19-30
19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
27 During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29 The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
In John 15, Jesus redefines the relationship with His disciples, calling them friends and commanding them to love one another. This love is the hallmark of their (and our) discipleship.
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
John 15:12-17
Additional Supporting Bible Verses
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
1 John 4:7
Body
Love: A Command and a Mission
In John 15, Jesus gives us a new command: to love one another. But this isn’t simply about feeling affection. It’s about selflessly acting for the good of others, just as Jesus laid down His life for us. This love should define our relationships within the church and our interactions with the world.
The Expansiveness of God’s Love
The spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles, as narrated in Acts 11, shows the expansiveness of God’s love. It’s a love that doesn’t discriminate or exclude but embraces all. As we seek to love like Jesus, we are called to love without boundaries.
Conclusion
As we reflect on these passages, let’s strive to embody the love that Jesus commands us to have. A love that acts for the good of others crosses borders and barriers and forms the core of our Christian mission. Amen.
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