SUPERNATURAL LOVE

But you, dear friends, BUILD YOURSELVES UP in YOUR most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 
Keep YOURSELVES in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 1:20-21 (NIV) 

It is so important to build YOURSELF up in your faith. So many of us depend too much on others for spiritual inspiration. This is a mark of spiritual immaturity but many Christians have been like this for years and years.

• It is not wrong to ask a pastor or evangelist to pray for you. I do at times. 
• But the Bible speaks again and again about YOUR faith, YOUR prayer, YOUR devotion.

These two verses speak about YOUR holy faith, YOUR prayer in the Holy Spirit, YOUR experience of the Love of God, YOUR expectation of the mercy of Jesus Christ and YOUR possession and experience of eternal life.

I love meetings where the blessing of the Holy Spirit flows and I my faith is inspired by the faith of others.

• But neither Jesus nor Paul ever described the Christian life as a series of meetings.

You can be so busy attending meetings, that you have little time or energy left for quality time with God or quality time helping and reaching people outside the church.

Does this mean fellowship is not important?

• Is it only about “ME AND JESUS”?

That is going from one extreme to the other.

Jude addresses his readers as DEAR FRIENDS.

The foundation of really fruitful Christian life is deep loving relationships, firstly with God and secondly with other believers and not only believers in your own church. 

Many Christians experience pressure to attend lots of meetings and conform to the expectations of church leaders. 

• This kind of pressure often leads to busyness and conformity but not spontaneous love or deep friendship. 

• Over organised church programmes can produce shallow relationships.

If you transfer from one church to another, some people who were friendly to you in your former church may no longer be interested in you.

• This pattern of church life is not Christian at all. 
• It is superficial sectarian religion and it does enormous damage.

On two occasions I visited churches where I had once been a member.

• In one, the pastor greeted me with cold politeness. 
• In the second, the pastor greeted me with spontaneous enthusiasm, as a dear brother. Here we see dead churchianity and true Christianity.

If you belong to Jesus, ALL Christians are your brothers and sisters.What gives true power to Christianity? 

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35 (NKJV) 

• Where does this love come from?

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NKJV) 

• Jesus did not dies only for you or for members of your church but for ALL, for every human being on the planet and for ALL Christians.

This love is supernatural.

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. Romans 5:5 (NKJV) 

How do you know this supernatural love is active in your life?

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16 (NIV)

Do you actively love, serve and care for other Christians?

Do you see Christians in different churches and traditions as your dear brothers and sisters?

• If not, why not?

Is it because they believe differently, pray differently, teach differently and think differently?

Who are you to judge your brother or sister?

Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. Romans 14:4 (NKJV) 

God is the judge and He loves everyone who trusts in Jesus.You and I cannot be right about everything.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 1 Corinthians 13:9 (NKJV) 

And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 

But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. 1 Corinthians 8:2-3 (NKJV)