When Love is at Work, the Kingdom of God is Revealed”. (1 John 4:7–21, 1 John 5, 2 John 1, 3 John 1)

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The message the John's epistles speak to us today is not about sentimental love or "feel-good" love. It speaks about how the Kingdom of God actually operates. God's love is not an emotion; it is a spiritual system. In other words, the Bible is telling us that when the system of love is at work, the Kingdom of God is revealed.

1. Love is not our choice, but God’s attribute. 

In 1 John chapter 4, it clearly states, “Love is from God.” That is, love is not a morality created by humans. Love is an attribute that flows from God's reign.

In other words, there is only one reason we can love: because God loved us first. The Cross is not merely an explanation of God's love, but the execution of God's love.

2. God’s love demands obedience. 

In 1 John chapter 5, John says this: “This is love for God: to keep his commands.”God's love does not merely make us comfortable. God's love calls us into order. Therefore, love without obedience is merely an emotion, but love with obedience is the Kingdom of God.

And John says, “His commands are not burdensome.” This is because God’s commandments are not laws designed to oppress us. [John 8:32, NIV] "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Truth is God’s order designed for us to live freely. When we are in the truth and follow the truth, we are neither condemned nor bound by anything.

3. Love cannot be separated from Truth. 

In 2 John, John warns very clearly: “Anyone who... does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God.” Today, many people say, “Love is important, but truth is not that important.” But John says:  Love without truth is not God’s love. The Kingdom of God is not built on truth without love, nor is it sustained by love without truth.

4. God’s love reveals the structure of life. 

In 3 John, John presents three people:

·       Gaius: A person who walks in the truth and builds up the community.

·       Diotrephes: A person who covets power and tears down the community.

·       Demetrius: A person who is spoken well of by the truth.

This is not a simple character introduction.

It is an example showing the structure of how God's Kingdom operates. Where God’s love reigns, there is:

·       Service,

·       Order,

·       and Community being built up.

But where God’s love is missing, there appears:

·       Self-centeredness,

·       Control,

·       and Division.

Beloved saints, God’s love was not given just for us to feel. God’s love was given for us to live. Love comes from God, operates within the truth, is revealed through obedience, and is proven within the community.

Let us examine our lives.

 Is God’s love ruling over your choices?

 Is God’s truth aligning your relationships?

Where the Kingdom of God comes, love always establishes order, and in that order, God’s glory is revealed. When love is at work, the Kingdom of God begins to be seen. I pray in the name of the Lord that we all become those who live lives where God’s love is revealed and at work, thereby building and expanding the Kingdom of God.