GIG277 Love Is the Antidote

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #277

Title: Love Is the Antidote

 

Web Description: The world is experiencing an increase in lawlessness and a corresponding decrease in people’s love. As a byproduct, anger and hatred are spreading like infectious diseases. We need an antidote. And that antidote is the Father’s love in Christ. As believers in Christ, we have the ability and the responsibility to deliver this antidote to the world.

 

Show Notes: When describing the end times, Yeshua (Jesus) said that the increase in lawlessness would cause people’s love to grow cold. Yet also during these times the gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world. And what is the very foundation of the gospel of the Kingdom? It is the love of Christ. The love of Christ is the antidote for the sickness in the world that is draining love from people’s hearts. How is this antidote delivered? As believers in Christ, we need to wake up to the fact that we are the ones to do that.

 

Only the love of God, which we have received in Christ, can be effective in fighting the anger and hatred that is spreading like a virus in this age. This virus has even infected the Church. We have seen division, anger, and hatred infecting the hearts of believers. Now more than ever Christians must be loving one another because our oneness is the sign that the Father sent Christ into the world. In these days when darkness is spreading, we have to let our light shine. And our light is the love of God that is manifested in us.

 

Not only should we be expressing our love among ourselves, but we should also love everyone around us, even our enemies, as the Lord commanded. In this day when Judeo-Christian values are being attacked and the persecution of Christians is increasing, we cannot draw back or hide our light. We are to love even our enemies as Christ did and show that we are sons of our Father. It may seem like everything in the world is becoming darker. But that means God is giving us an even greater light to shine. If the world is getting sicker, then we have an even greater antidote. Let us minister the antidote of God’s love freely to everyone and spread the gospel of love throughout the world.

 

Key Verses:

 

•       Matthew 24:12–14. “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.”

•       Matthew 5:14–16. “Let your light shine before men.”

•       Proverbs 4:18–19. “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn.”

•       John 8:12. “I am the Light of the world.”

•       1 John 3:11. “This is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

•       Romans 13:8–12. “Let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

•       Peter 1:22. “Fervently love one another from the heart.”

•       John 13:34–35. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

•       Matthew 5:43–48. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father.”

•       Luke 6:27. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

•       Luke 6:35. “Love your enemies … and you will be sons of the Most High.”

 

Quotes:

 

•       “The world is dark and darkness is coming. The world is sick. It's upside down. Good is bad and bad is good. And it doesn't seem like necessarily there's an answer. But there is an answer, and the answer is God's love.”

•       “This love that we have is being compared to a light, and it shines brighter and brighter. And we should expect to see more and more the love of God manifested in us and being able to be conveyed and imparted to this age.”

•       “It is the time for us as believers to wake up to the need and to wake up to the reality that within our hearts we hold the antidote to the wickedness, to the evil, to the hatred that is so widespread in this age.”

 

Takeaways:

 

1.    The love manifested in us and through us to the world repels the darkness from us personally. And it is the antidote that people in bondage to the darkness are needing.

2.    People will know that we are Christ’s disciples because we love one another. Our oneness is a sign to the world that the Father sent Christ into the world.

3.    Our love cannot be just for fellow believers. It must also be for those who hate us, who are our enemies, and who persecute us. That is what shows that we are sons of the Father.

4.    It is not so much what we preach. It is what we express and minister as light in the darkness, showing God's love to all His creation.