Loving, Reaching, Serving
Galatians 5:13-14
August 1, 2004
Galatians 5:13-14
For you have been called to live in freedom—not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. [14] For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Three Guiding Principles
• Loving
• Reaching
• Serving
Loving God
• Complete love – Mark 12:30
– Heart
– Soul
– Mind
– Strength
Mark 12:30
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’
Loving Others
• Loving your neighbor as yourself – Matthew 22:39
– Appreciate diversity
– Value differences
– Watching out for the well being of others
Matthew 22:39
A second is equally important: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Loving Others
• Loving your neighbor as yourself – Matthew 22:39
– Appreciate diversity
– Value differences
– Watching out for the well being of others
• Loving others with the love of Christ – Matthew 25:40; John 13:35
Matthew 25:40
And the King will tell them, ’I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
John 13:35
Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
Reaching People
• By any means possible – 1 Corinthians 9:20-22
1 Corinthians 9:20-22
When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. [21] When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.
[22] When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.
Reaching People
• By any means possible – 1 Corinthians 9:19-22
• For God So Loved The World – John 3:16; Romans 10:14
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 10:14
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
Serving Others
• The example of Jesus – Mark 10:45
Mark 10:45
For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many."
Serving Others
• The example of Jesus – Mark 10:45
• Done for the glory of God – Galatians 5:13
Galatians 5:13
For you have been called to live in freedom—not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.
