WKOCIT? part 1

"LOVE"
January 4, 2009
with Adam Waters

In two weeks, Zeke will celebrate his 3rd birthday. Over the past 3 years, he has learned to crawl, walk, talk, eat by himself, count, his ABC's, and is learning to potty train.
In January 2006 Zeke was born the same month as when we launched our first weekly meeting. Over tha past 3 years, we have had our shares of ups and downs, improvements and setbacks, been through three buildings, started several and stopped several tree groups. Through it all we've had over 140 people call the Orchard home in that time as well as several one-time visitors.
What has been abundantly clear to us is that birthing a church and raising a child have several similarities. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take 2 steps forward. Every day we work hard to see our child grow and mature. We're not perfect parents but every day we make headway.
What is true in a Christian household is also true of a church: the love of Jesus must be at the center of everything that we do.

How do you define love?
Mushy, sappy, tough, odd, opposites, passion, marriage… my car, my dog, my spouse, my job?, my kids, my life… caring, nurturing, protecting, intimate… conditional or unconditional… of myself, of others, of my friends or everyone… for some it seems unattainable, others feel it daily…

JOHN 13:31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will soon give glory to the Son. 33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Our mission is to share the LOVE of Jesus.
PREVIEW THE NEXT FEW WEEKS… We will be looking at loving outward, loving upward, and loving inward (church family).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE LIKE JESUS LOVED? How did he define love?
1. You must keep your focus on the Father’s mission for your life.
o 13:1-3 “Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.”

2. You must keep your focus on the Father’s heart (putting other’s above yourself).
o 13:4-5 “So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.”

3. You must keep your focus on the Father’s message (Jesus is the way).
o 13:12-20 “After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. “I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’ I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I Am the Messiah. I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”

4. You must keep your focus on Father’s truth even when it stings.
o 13:21-27 “Judas will betray me.”
o 13:38 “Peter you will deny me.”

We must take this love out into our community, upward into our Father’s arms, and in toward each other.

JOINING THE ORCHARD TEAM looks like this!