Love God and Neighbor Part 2

LOVE GOD AND NEIGHBOR

Part 2

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “A Word of Encouragement

for Village Church Planters.”

As a Village Church Planter, you have the wonderful opportunity and the great

challenge of teaching new believers to obey the commands of Jesus. The VCP

program has simplified this task by identifying 7 Basic Commands of Christ.

As you know, Jesus said that God’s command to love Him and to love our

neighbor as we love ourselves are the two most important commandments.

Sometimes when we think about love, we think about nice feelings and kind

words. Its true, we can demonstrate love through the words we speak to

others. But when Jesus calls on us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves,

he is thinking about more than just kind words. He expects us to take action to

demonstrate love.

Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan who helped a man from a different

tribe who had been beaten and robbed. The Samaritan, bound up the suffering

man’s wounds and took him to a hotel where he paid for his care.

The Apostle John said, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother

or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that

person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions

and in truth.”

This is a challenging word for every new church. So, since your church is young,

start now to demonstrate the love of Christ by your deeds. You may take up an

offering of food to give to widows and orphans. You may organize work days to

help a neighbor with his crops or with the construction of a new roof or a

latrine, or some other building project. There will always be more needs than

your church can meet. But do not let that be an excuse. Give generously, love

extravagantly. As a church show your love God with your words and your

worship. As a church, show your love for your neighbors with your actions and

by your generosity. As you make plans as a church to show the love of God to

your neighbors, remember these words from the Apostle Paul:

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and

increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your

righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way so that you can be

generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in

thanksgiving to God.

Do not be afraid. God will supply what you need in order to be generous with

your time and your service to others. Love God with all your heart. Love your

neighbor as you love yourself!

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

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