God has a very powerful way of dealing with difficult, even impossible people. It defies logic. Yet, the results are astonishing. Let’s explore God’s answer to the difficult people in our lives.
00:00 Frank’s Story
03:57 What is Agape?
05:31 4 Real Life Examples of Overcoming Evil With Agape
David Wilkerson
06:26 Stephen,
06:43 Corrie ten Boom,
07:40 Elizabeth Elliot
9:10 Activation
Human love is transactional. If you love me, I’ll probably love you back. But if you are rude or do something I don’t like not only will I withdraw my love, but I’ll respond in kind.
God’s love – agape (the Greek of the Bible) is God loving us because of who He is, not who we are or what we do. God, who IS love (1 John 4:8), commands us to give Himself – to give love to people.
Not just any love. Not eros – romantic love, not philia – brotherly or friendship love, not storge – familial love, or pragma – practical love or obligation.
Jesus was asked what is the most important command. He answered:
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31
The word for love in the original Greek manuscripts is “agape”. Agape God, agape your neighbor as yourself.
Real Life Examples of Overcoming Evil With Agape
Agape is David Wilkerson, a small town minister whose heart was broken by the lives of gang members in New York City. In 1958, Wilkerson met Nicky Cruz, leader of the most violent gang in New York. Wilkerson told Nicky: “God has the power to change your life.” Nicky cursed, hit Wilkerson, spit in his face, and told him, “I don’t believe in what you say and you get out of here.” Wilkerson replied, “You could cut me up into a 1000 pieces and lay them in the street. Every piece will still love you.” Nicky couldn’t stop thinking about Wilkerson’s words of love. Nicky Cruz’ life was radically transformed by God’s love flowing through David Wilkerson. Nicky not only gave his life to Christ, but he became an evangelist.
Agape is Stephen, as the mob stoned him to death. Acts 7:60: Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” Then he died. He loved and forgave his murderers with his dying breath.
Agape is Corrie Ten Boom forgiving Jan Vogels, the paid informer, who sent her family to concentration camps for helping Jews escape the Nazi’s in Holland. Her sister, father, and brother all died as a result. Vogels was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death.
God told Corrie to forgive him. She couldn’t. God gave her Romans 5:5 so she could forgive him.
“ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
She prayed and Holy Spirit poured God’s love into her heart. She forgave Jan Vogels with the love God gave her. She wrote a letter to him saying she forgave him. He wrote back. If you could forgive me by God’s love, there is hope for me. He gave his life to Jesus.
Agape is Elizabeth Elliot returning to the Waorani Indians in the jungles of Ecuador who killed her husband and 4 other missionaries with spears. She and others brought many of the isolated Waorani to Jesus.
Agape is selfless, unconditional, sacrificial love. It is love that only comes from God. This the love God commanded us to have for others.
Agape is love that flows from who you are in Christ, not who the other person is or what they do. So their response to you is irrelevant. God’s love never fades, never fails, and is never withdrawn. God’s love in us can grow to such strength that we love with His love, no matter what the other person does to us. David Wilkerson, Corrie ten Boom, and Elizabeth Elliot all learned to move and live in that bottomless, unconditional love of God. You can too!
God wants us to come alongside people and show them the possibilities of life. He wants us to show them what it looks like to be loved by Jesus and to be changed by Jesus' love. We are His message, written on human hearts.
John 13:35
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Activation – Go love a difficult person in your life with God’s supernatural agape love.
@DaveMilford