Growing faith
Biblical love and Biblical faith is the only basis for true hope and it comes from humble service motivated by love.
2 Thess 1:3 – “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other”.
The Ryrie Study Bible says: “Because your faith is greatly enlarged and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever great”.
As their faith grew, their love for one another grew. In reality, the church in Thessalonica was becoming a “Loving, Word-based Kingdom Community”. Growing faith awakens growing love and that gives people hope.
In the New Testament, Gal 5:14 sums up the whole law: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; you shall love your neighbour as yourself”.
Now in Gal 5:15 it says: “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another”. If this one law becomes a reality in South Africa, South Africa will become a “Loving, Word-based Kingdom Country” where we don’t bite and devour one another, but love one another.
Biblical love and Biblical faith is the only basis for true hope and it comes from humble service motivated by love. A love that is willing to care for and serve one another.
Biblical hope is not just an optimistic outlook of wishful thinking without any foundation. Biblical hope is a confident expectation that rests on God’s promises, particularly those pertaining to Christ’s return.
In the early church three things made up the focus of a lot of preaching – faith, hope and love, but the greatest of the three was love.
The city of Pretoria was originally called “Philadelphia”, which means “Brotherly Love”, and I’m praying that it will become a reality in our city and in our country.
To me personally that is not just wishful thinking, it is a God-given possibility if we respond to God’s love.
People ask me how we can make it a possibility.
When you’re “Born Again” of God’s Holy Spirit, (Rom 5:5) says: “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”.
The love that this scripture speaks of is called “Agape love”. The God kind of love. So in that sense we can love one another as God loves us. Yet love is a choice and we have to choose to love one another daily.
Jesus tells us that love costs a price. His love for us cost Jesus His life and in loving our neighbour we might pay a price as well.
Heaven rejoices because of the price that Jesus paid. God’s love manifest through Jesus Christ plunders hell and populates heaven.
Our love for one another can lead to heaven being populated, and our city and our country becoming more heavenly.
I challenge you to be friendly and loving to everybody you come in contact with, and I promise you, you will become part of God’s answer for our nation. Amen! Can you agree? Let’s do it … we can!
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