Week 9
Love Ethics – Week 9
The Ministry of Change
House, Yard, Street
Fences = PLV
If PLV’s are good, then you have sense of security about relationships and about dealing with life.
- Very confidence building.
If PLV’s are shabby, weak, confused, or not present, then there will be a distinctive fear of relationships.
- Lack confidence, anxiety, uncertainty
Gates = ability to walk out of back yard into big, bad, dangerous world.
- Some homes have no gates.
Example: Fundies
Kid so protected, they don’t know how to handle the outside world. ILL>Like me.
Very dangerous
Tribal guilt – Since love doesn’t work the same way out there as it did at home, there is no way to make love work.
Think it is their fault.
Find out people don’t like me and don’t know why.
Feel like terrible failures.
Review – Mature Love VS Immature Love / The Heart
Mature love – ability to nurture & give love.
Immature Love – idealistic, suck love from others.
The heart must also be dealt with
Too many pp with hardened hearts
PLV = love bank = contains emotional reserves that enable you to go out and interact with real world.
If no emotional reserves, then can’t convert the love you get into good output.
OR have a leaky bucket -
If someone has a leaky love bank, you can love them forever but the love then pours right out.
PLF = currency that you spend.
All are emotional.
We work using emotions to drive us.
Are not machines – you can only work to the extent that you have emotional reserves to do it.
If lose them, get depressed.
Explain discrepancy – Luke 9:23; Jas 4:6 VS Luke 19:17; Rom 8:37, Mat 5:12
Answer:
We do not go out to sacrifice and then demand, expect, or negotiate a reward.
We sacrifice in the faith that good will come out of this.
Sacrifice by faith rather than sacrifice by demand.
Is He calling on us to be a doormat? NO.
He is calling us to be significant.
Serving results in significance.
The Reason for Repentance
When we talk about spiritual change, we always talk about repentance. I.e. metanoia “change of mind”
When calling for repentance, you are calling them to change directions and giving them a reason to change.
When calling for repentance, you are giving them a reason to change and calling for a different direction in their lives.
Jas 4:8-10 – All of this describing repentance.
Who gives in voluntarily and easily? No one. All have to fight. Why? It’s irrational.
“Humble yourselves and HE will exalt you.”
That’s why we repent. He exalts you.
Our sickness is that we are always trying to exalt ourselves.
Process of repentance
Sin begins with ingratitude
This results in debaucheries and hatefulness.
And then we fill our cravings any way we can.
Repentance comes along and effects a change.
It begins with thankfulness.
If can’t get here, won’t see the issue God is raising in your life.
It clears the filth.
It means following God’s leadership.
With a clear head we can then follow God’s leadership.
Reason for repentance? To reach significance.
God will exalt you.
You are exalted then you can exalt others around you.
You can tell the people who have been through brokenness. They exalt others.
Polarities of Growth
There are gravities that pull us in opposite directions
1. Pride = immature love.
The core of immature love is: I, I, I, me, me, me
Demands of your flesh drive you deeper into a base and debasing state.
Becoming more and more primitive.
Your lusts pick up momentum.
You become a needy, desperate, demanding person. According to the Bible that is “base” behavior.
Depravity means worthless & insignificance.
The more you go this way, the more insignificant & obscure you become.
2. Humility
God wants to take you to giving love.
He wants you in an exalting position.
It is imputed significance.
Victorious, loving, thankful person.
Significance began with redemption.
We have been purchased out of the debauchery, trash & filth we are living in.
We have been salvaged.
The ministry of change is: God looks at you and redeems.
Self-made significance. “Respect me or else”
OR
Imputed significance – it is granted, given to you.
Rev 5:11-13
Redemption itself is imputed – God gives you significance.
This is what you want.
Not because you demand it from people, but because they see the significance in your life.
KEY & foundational.
The more you demand, the less significance you have.
The more you give, the more significance you have.
That explains the dichotomy.
When you start shedding your blood for someone, redeeming someone, you will find reward in your life.
We downplay our need for significance.
Every one of us crave significance.
All we do throughout the day is aimed at gaining significance.
We may not think about it until someone disrespects us.
Then feels insignificant.
Significance encompasses
Power
Strength – who wants to be a weakling?
Authority
Greatness/glory
Fruitful/productive
Wealth/riches
Permanence – forever and ever
Character
Essence/being
EG> Bill Gates is significant w/o showing his cash.
God is significant. By nature He is significant
Worth/value
Wisdom/insight
Joy/Contentment (blessing = happiness)
Hope & direction / destiny
Faith & confidence
Love & relationships
These are all the things of importance or value in our life.
To say you don’t need significance means you don’t value anything.
Significance
Pervasive question: What is the worse emotion you can feel?
Depression
The worse kind is the deep depression where we feel like no one cares for me.
Why people end up in psychiatric units.
Everyone has strategies to keep from falling into depression?
What do you do?
Keep stimulated in some way.
Love bank is empty
Will do anything to fill that.
Let’s look at the alternate or more biblically phrased view.
Don’t find word depression in Bible.
What would you ask?
What is the person doing to feel significant”
When you feel significant, you feel energized.
Crabb says: “The basic personal need of each personal being is to regard himself as a worthwhile human being.”
Significance exists on a personal level.
I feel significant when someone loves me. It is relational. Kosmos love says get it from work, beauty, intellect, etc.
I need actually be impacting others’ lives.
You will feel lonely as an adult because you are not impacting anybody.
You start feeling significant when impact somebody.
Loving Significance by God’s L. I. E.
“We love because He first loved us.
L = Love
I = Imputes
E = Empowers
Starts here: He loves me, then I have faith in Him, and then He imputes and empowers me.
THEN God wants me to: love Him back?
NO. He wants me to do that with OTHERS..
Galatians 5:5,6
As I do this in others’ lives, that IS me loving God back.
How can you love God back?
If love is defined as imputing what they need to gain significance, empowering someone, meeting their needs, sacrificing for their good, how can you do that with God. He HAS no needs.
His need is one imposed on himself
“I need you to go love these people because they have free will and I have commissioned to you the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
God needs me to love other pp.
Faith working through love is advanced Christianity.
RADICAL, but basic.
Huge mistake in fundy world.
God loves, imputes, empowers me and then I love, impute, and empower God. NO NO NO.
The Bible says that love is:
1 John 3:18
James 1:27
It’s just “me & God.” NO NO NO.
Assignment:
Find one verse per imputed characteristic from Revelation 5:11-13.