Let Love - The Heart of Kingdom Culture

Love One Another

Love is the Greatest of all the LAW and governing principles of the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ teaching and the Apostles teaching on love serve as a foundation for Kingdom Culture, all Kingdom Culture. Culture has become a buzz word in faith communities. Usually, Church culture refers to the guiding principles of behavior and community for a given community or congregation. While culture and church culture are relatively modern buzz words culture has its origins within the Kingdom of God and Jesus left a solid blueprint for Kingdom lifestyle. That Jesus defined culture must begin with LOVE.

There are at least 4 great enemies of love. Selfishness, Worldliness, Bitterness and Laziness. These counter-culture values disrupt, displace and minimize love damaging relationships.

One of my favorite LOVE scriptures is 1 john 4.7 “let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God.” This passage reveals two powerful truths about love. 1. Love is a choice. LET love… Let love be your anthem, a conscious choice to lead with kindness, even when it's tough. 2. Perfect love, true love originates with God. Another “Let Love passage is 1 John 3.18 “let us…Love…in deed.” A powerful reminder that love is a choice and an action! Let brotherly love continue found in Hebrews further defines Love as kingdom cultural building block. The love we are called to “let” is familial in nature, BROTHERLY LOVE. We are family and called to grow the family working as Jesus did to reveal the Father and seek and to save the lost and prodigal! Jesus clarified this when He said, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” John 15.13

Distilling the Church's mission down to Jesus' core purpose creates a powerful focal point. It's much easier to unite when we're all centered on that same goal. Jesus was clear about His mission, and He intentionally taught the mission for the Kingdom to the disciples that would steward the Gospel of The Kingdom in His absence.  Jesus' mission was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), destroy the works of the enemy (1 John 3:8), and reveal the Father (John 14:9) by doing what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19), speaking as the father speaks  (John 12:49), preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. (Luke 4:43)

Distilling everything a congregation does down to this most basic mission statement makes it easy to communicate shared purpose which builds intimacy through shared purpose. Nothing brings people together more than shared purpose, or a shared enemy! Kingdom first is our mission priority. Love is the quality that makes the mission possible.

Consider carefully what is the object of your love. The Bible warns of excess love for self, the world and pleasure!

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

True connection thrives when we share a common purpose, a united 'why' that draws us closer. However, this unity is fragile, easily fractured by the internal struggles we face – anxiety, jealousy, anger, bitterness, insecurity. These emotions create barriers, hindering our ability to love and serve one another as God intended. Romans 10:22-25 reminds us to 'spur one another on” as one translation puts it, toward love and works,' urging us to overcome these obstacles and build relationships rooted in genuine care and shared purpose.

By understanding our own emotions and extending forgiveness to others, we open ourselves up to receiving forgiveness in Christ. This process not only mends our relationships but also frees us from the burdens that hinder our ability to connect, trust, and love. Counter-culture emotions like envy will skew our perception and erode our trust and confidence in others. It is nearly impossible to authentically “spur another on” if your jealousy seeks to excel before them. Living and working in kingdom culture demands that we daily crucify the flesh and worldly desires for position gain always preferring others before ourselves.

Romans 12:9-13 calls us to genuine love, free from hypocrisy. It's like focusing sunlight through a convex lens: when we concentrate our love on Christ's mission—seeking the lost, destroying the works of the enemy, and revealing The Father—it ignites a powerful force. This means letting go of selfish desires and worldly gains, and instead, channeling all our energy into serving others. Jesus said, in John 13, “ A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, you must love one another." It's a powerful reminder to love with the same self-sacrificing love that Christ showed us.

Just as focused light can start a fire, focused love, pure and undivided, can transform the world around us.

I love the phrase, Brotherly love. Because, brotherly love is about that unbreakable bond, like family. We might clash and disagree, but at the end of the day, we’re united. It’s genuine, without any fakeness, and it means we’ll always have each other’s backs.

Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; 11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

This passage from Romans 12 calls us to genuine love, free from hypocrisy. It's about actively turning away from evil and clinging to what is good. Paul emphasizes brotherly love, encouraging us to show kindness and to honor others above ourselves.

He also connects love to our diligence and spiritual fervor, urging us to be diligent in our work, fervent in spirit, and serving the Lord. Even in challenging times, we're called to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and faithful in prayer.

Finally, the passage highlights the practical aspects of love through generosity—distributing to the needs of fellow believers—and by practicing hospitality. It's a holistic picture of love in action within the community of faith.

In Matthew 24, Jesus cautions us that as evil increases in the world, the love of many will grow cold. This is a serious warning, as love is the very foundation of the Gospel of the Kingdom. To guard against this, we must be vigilant about keeping our emotions and feelings in check and always choose forgiveness. This protects our hearts and allows us to continue loving others as Christ loves us, even in difficult times.