Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBOrxud78d4
Program Transcript
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)
Love is a word we throw around pretty easily in the English language. I love baseball, I love Indian food, and I even love collecting sand from various beaches. I also love my family, I love pastoral ministry, and of course, I love Jesus.”
But these different kinds of love reflect a deeper truth about who we are. They point us to the ultimate source of love—God Himself. The love we experience in life, no matter how profound, is just a shadow of the infinite, perfect love that comes from God.
When we first came to know Christ, most of us were overwhelmed by his love for us. I vividly recall the day when it dawned on me that Jesus’ atoning sacrifice was not just for the sins of the world, but also for my own failures and mishaps. That day I experienced the love of Christ in a profound and personal way. That moment of realizing that God loved us so much He sent his Son to die for us changes everything. It ignites something deep in our souls—a burning love for Him in return. But, like a match that has gotten wet, life’s difficulties, distractions, and even routines can sometimes dull that flame.
Yet the good news is this: Christ’s love continually rekindles our first love. When we come back to the cross, when we reflect on his sacrificial love, we remember that his love is not just a past experience—it’s a daily reality. As 1 John 4:9-10 tells us, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
It’s Christ’s love that sparks our devotion, reigniting our hearts to love Him fully. Without that love, our attempts to rekindle our first love are like trying to strike a wet match. But with his love, our hearts catch fire again.
But Christ’s love doesn’t stop at just reigniting our love for Him. It overflows and transforms the way we love others. 1 John 4:11 says, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
This is the natural response to receiving God’s love—just as a flame spreads from one match to another, His love in us spreads to those around us. When we encounter the selfless, sacrificial love of Christ, it changes how we see others. By the Spirit, we are empowered to love them with the same depth and grace that Christ has shown us.
Our love for one another is how the world will know that we belong to Jesus. It’s how Kingdom Living looks on the ground—love that sacrifices, love that serves, love that reflects the very heart of Christ.
God’s love is the driving force behind Kingdom Living. It is not just the foundation of our relationship with Him, but it also shapes how we live, how we interact with others, and how we join Jesus in building the Kingdom here on earth. His love empowers us to demonstrate and proclaim the good news of the gospel with our neighbors.
The love we’ve received from Christ is not meant to be kept to ourselves. As part of the Kingdom Culture we are cultivating in 2025, this love must be visible in the way we live, the way we serve, and the way we engage the world around us. It’s love that fuels every action, every mission, and every relationship in God’s Kingdom.
As pastors and ministry leaders, we are called to lead out of the love we’ve received from Christ. His love must be at the core of everything we do, shaping our vision, our actions, and our heart for those we shepherd. So, the challenge for us today is this: How is the love of Christ shaping your ministry?
- How are we allowing God’s love to reignite our own hearts, so that our ministry flows from a place of deep devotion to Him?
- Are we leading out of duty, or are we leading from a place of love that overflows from our relationship with Christ?
- In what ways can our ministry reflect more of the Kingdom Culture—love that goes beyond comfort zones, that reaches out to our neighbors, that fosters authentic community?
As we reflect on these questions, may we be reminded that pastoral ministry is not just about preaching on Sunday or organizing church activities—it’s about leading others into a transformative experience of Christ’s love that reaches beyond the walls of the church. Our role is to equip and empower people to embody that love in their everyday lives, in their neighborhoods, and in their workplaces.
Let his love shape our leadership, our preaching, and discipleship, so that those we serve are not only hearing about God’s love but are being sent out to live it in tangible, life-changing ways—becoming Christ’s hands and feet in the world.
My brothers and sisters, this is our collective call as the Spirit empowers us for Kingdom Living in 2025.
Program Transcript
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)
Love is a word we throw around pretty easily in the English language. I love baseball, I love Indian food, and I even love collecting sand from various beaches. I also love my family, I love pastoral ministry, and of course, I love Jesus.”
But these different kinds of love reflect a deeper truth about who we are. They point us to the ultimate source of love—God Himself. The love we experience in life, no matter how profound, is just a shadow of the infinite, perfect love that comes from God.
When we first came to know Christ, most of us were overwhelmed by his love for us. I vividly recall the day when it dawned on me that Jesus’ atoning sacrifice was not just for the sins of the world, but also for my own failures and mishaps. That day I experienced the love of Christ in a profound and personal way. That moment of realizing that God loved us so much He sent his Son to die for us changes everything. It ignites something deep in our souls—a burning love for Him in return. But, like a match that has gotten wet, life’s difficulties, distractions, and even routines can sometimes dull that flame.
Yet the good news is this: Christ’s love continually rekindles our first love. When we come back to the cross, when we reflect on his sacrificial love, we remember that his love is not just a past experience—it’s a daily reality. As 1 John 4:9-10 tells us, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
It’s Christ’s love that sparks our devotion, reigniting our hearts to love Him fully. Without that love, our attempts to rekindle our first love are like trying to strike a wet match. But with his love, our hearts catch fire again.
But Christ’s love doesn’t stop at just reigniting our love for Him. It overflows and transforms the way we love others. 1 John 4:11 says, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
This is the natural response to receiving God’s love—just as a flame spreads from one match to another, His love in us spreads to those around us. When we encounter the selfless, sacrificial love of Christ, it changes how we see others. By the Spirit, we are empowered to love them with the same depth and grace that Christ has shown us.
Our love for one another is how the world will know that we belong to Jesus. It’s how Kingdom Living looks on the ground—love that sacrifices, love that serves, love that reflects the very heart of Christ.
God’s love is the driving force behind Kingdom Living. It is not just the foundation of our relationship with Him, but it also shapes how we live, how we interact with others, and how we join Jesus in building the Kingdom here on earth. His love empowers us to demonstrate and proclaim the good news of the gospel with our neighbors.
The love we’ve received from Christ is not meant to be kept to ourselves. As part of the Kingdom Culture we are cultivating in 2025, this love must be visible in the way we live, the way we serve, and the way we engage the world around us. It’s love that fuels every action, every mission, and every relationship in God’s Kingdom.
As pastors and ministry leaders, we are called to lead out of the love we’ve received from Christ. His love must be at the core of everything we do, shaping our vision, our actions, and our heart for those we shepherd. So, the challenge for us today is this: How is the love of Christ shaping your ministry?
- How are we allowing God’s love to reignite our own hearts, so that our ministry flows from a place of deep devotion to Him?
- Are we leading out of duty, or are we leading from a place of love that overflows from our relationship with Christ?
- In what ways can our ministry reflect more of the Kingdom Culture—love that goes beyond comfort zones, that reaches out to our neighbors, that fosters authentic community?
As we reflect on these questions, may we be reminded that pastoral ministry is not just about preaching on Sunday or organizing church activities—it’s about leading others into a transformative experience of Christ’s love that reaches beyond the walls of the church. Our role is to equip and empower people to embody that love in their everyday lives, in their neighborhoods, and in their workplaces.
Let his love shape our leadership, our preaching, and discipleship, so that those we serve are not only hearing about God’s love but are being sent out to live it in tangible, life-changing ways—becoming Christ’s hands and feet in the world.
My brothers and sisters, this is our collective call as the Spirit empowers us for Kingdom Living in 2025.
Thank you, Heber! It is in God’s love where His Kingdom exists! In Jesus Christ by His Spirit! May each person in GCI share the Love as we relate to all people wherever we are! Especially those who are in positions of leadership!