LOVE is the point

As I waded into the clear blue Mediterranean waters, it hit me that I now have CLARITY. As I look down and see shells at the sea floor, fish, and my own feet, I realize that just as I can see through the water to things below, G42 has allowed me to see through the muddy waters of life to the point of it all and my purpose. LOVE IS THE POINT. It’s as simple as that and as complicated as you want to make it. 

This second semester in class has been so good so far as we’re reviewing the basics and laying a foundation for the rest of the semester. It’s new revelation for the new interns. But, for us Seniors, it’s reminding of the heart behind it all and what our purpose is as Christ followers and heralds of the Kingdom. It’s solidifying it in our hearts and minds and actually making it flesh in us so that we can leave in 2 months and actually live this out. 

I’m going to share some of the main concepts and what I’m taking away that I want to apply to my life and actually become this. 

Each of us is born to be loved. God is love. As the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they’ve maintained a perfect communion of relational love since forever. They created humans to share that love with us and we are created in the image of God, as reflections of His heart and Spirit. Jesus came to change our hearts about God, cleanse us of sin, and reconcile our relationship with the Father. He came to get His family back and show us in an extravagant way how much God loves us so that we would return to Him and abide in His love. He conquered sin, death, and the devil so that nothing would hinder us from His love. We are supposed to receive His unconditional love, surrender our lives to Him, and follow Him. He preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God while on earth. He’s ushering in a new Kingdom, not of this world, and anyone is welcome. He is our King and He’s inviting everyone to be a part of the Kingdom of love, grace, freedom, and truth. 

Those who accept his free gift of salvation and are reconciled back to the Father have a mission on earth. We can choose to stay in the wilderness and bury our gifts and keep His love for ourselves. Or, we can choose into our identity as His Sons and Daughters, ambassadors for the Kingdom. He calls us to preach the gospel of the Kingdom and tell others who their Papa is and that this King is good and compassionate and for your good. That He just wants to love us. Jesus says, “Obey my commands.” And what is His command? To love one another. “By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” {John 13:35} 

So, as members of the Body, we serve each other and love each other and by doing this, others will be curious and will be drawn in and we welcome them into our group so they can experience the Father’s love by how we love each other. We also individually live our lives on mission: to make disciples and free the oppressed. To abide in Christ (intimacy), be in community with the Body where every member can use his gifts and contribute to lifting each other up (community), and to serve others by combining our gifts with our passions to fight oppression (i.e. homelessness, Fatherlessness, lack of food/clean water, etc) and in doing so, we show others the love of Christ and invite them into relationship with Him (mission). We aim to disciple at least 1 person a year in committed relationship with them, and also be discipled ourselves by someone more mature in the faith. 

We have a choice in it all. Jesus (and salvation) is free but Christ will cost you everything. We, as believers, can choose to accept God’s love and free gift of salvation and know that our eternity in heaven is secured. And that is beautiful and amazing, truly. But, Jesus offers us even more than that! He calls us Kings and Queens. He has all authority in heaven and on earth and He’s given it to us, y’all! This is GOOD NEWS! We can wait to be taken to heaven and have a safe, comfortable life. Or, we can bring Heaven down to earth. Jesus defeated sin, death, and Satan so they have no power over us. All the Enemy has are empty threats and lies. We have overcome him, by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. {Revelation 12:11} 

Jesus beckons, “Come, follow me.” He’s asking us to have faith to get out of the wilderness and actually reach the Promised Land, now. We don’t have to wait, y’all. We can bring the Kingdom today! We can claim our inheritance! And, our inheritance is not riches or an easy life; it’s people. Paul says, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” {1 Corinthians 11:1} 

We have the privilege of loving others and showing them the Father’s heart. And, this takes intentional relationship and laying your life down and discipling others. But, imagine others trailing you into heaven and that being your inheritance of a life lived for the King. It’s incredible, really, that He trusts us with this message. That He would choose us to be His ambassadors on the earth. But, it’s true! Jesus said, “Greater things than these will you do.” {John 14:12} He promises that we will do even more than He did and John said that “even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written” to record all of Jesus’ deeds. {John 21:25} 

And Jesus’ ministry only lasted 3 years!  And, He was only one man, able to be in one place at one time. Imagine all His children, bought in and living their lives for Him, and how many good works could be done by millions of people over thousands of years! Each good work done by the power of Jesus to impart His love to others and reconcile them back to Him so that the whole earth will be full of His glory. Glorifying God is simply loving Him and having the Christ in us love the Christ in others, and everyone is made in His image. Christ in us, the hope of glory. {Colossians 1:27} This has been His Plan from the beginning. He created us to love us, simple as that. LOVE IS THE POINT. 

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions or thoughts, message me and I’d be happy to talk. 

Love y’all! Grateful for your love and support! 

Raina