The Depths of Our Love

Acts 4:32-37 32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

                    One of the old songs I love is called “The Deep Love of Jesus.”

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus

vast unmeasured, boundless, free!

Rolling as a mighty ocean

in its fullness over me,

underneath me, all around me,

is the current of thy love -

leading onward, leading homeward,

to my glorious rest above”

                    There are several more verses, but one point in this song is that the love of Jesus is “vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!”   But unmeasured is not the same as unseen.

                    I sometimes wonder if my love for people is deep enough.  I struggle with knowing how to measure the depth of love for others.  I know I am supposed to love God, but how do I measure that?  I love my wife, but how deep does that go?  I love the people in this church, but is my love superficial or does it run deep?

                    O the deep, deep love of Jesus.  I know that his love was deep.  The Bible tells us that his love was so deep, he died for sinners, he died for his enemies.  He died for people who never met him.  That is deep love.  I don’t think my love is that deep.

                    I see this around in other areas and with other people.  We get married and say we love our spouses.  But how deep does that love go?  We promise to love them through the good times and the bad until death do us part, but we part so often before death ever strikes the family.

                    We say we love our children and feel guilty because we have no time for them.  We brought them into this world, but find that they cut into our work or play time.  We feel guilty and wonder if our love is deep enough.  How do we measure our love?

                    We come to God.  So many will say they love God.  But how deep is this love?  If someone were to take you to court and accuse you of loving God, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

                    The Bible says that we should “love one another.”   But how deep does our love for other Christians go?  Are we deeply in love with the church?  By the church, I mean other believers.

                    How do we measure our love?  This is a tough question.  I will say that though we may have a hard time measuring the height and length and breadth of love, we know it when we see it.

                    I have visited many a hospital room and seen people holding the hand of a loved one who is unconscious because of their condition or medication.  I don’t know how to measure love, but it looked to me like it was deep.

                    I have seen families go through a real crisis.  Children or parents stepped up to the plate in a big way.  It might have been difficult to measure, but it looked to me like the love was deep.

                    In Acts 4 we find one of the most beautiful pictures of church life found anywhere in the Bible.  We know of other churches that were known for their false teachings, churches known for the divisions within them, churches known for their lack of hospitality, churches known for their indifference to spiritual things.  But here in Acts 4 is the picture of a church that would inspire anyone.  Here is a church that projects warmth and love.  Notice the love this church has.  It is immeasurable, but it is seen!

“32 All the believers were one in heart and mind.”

I don’t know what word to use to summarize that statement.  I would say that they were truly together.  All were believers.  As believers they were on in heart. 

                    I love being around Christians who are one in heart.  When I think of someone who is “one in heart” I think of people who feel or are passionate about the same things.  If you are passionate about worshipping God, we will be of one heart.  If you are passionate about helping Christians grow, we will be of one heart.  If you are passionate about helping people become Christians, than we will be of one heart.  Those three passions are the passions of Christ, the apostles and the New Testament.  They are the passions at the core of this church.  To be together on these things is to be of one heart.  We share similar convictions.

                    They were also one in mind.  This is not so much the feelings that bond us when we share similar convictions, but they mean that we look at life in a similar way.  They were doctrinally tied and they also agreed in large part on the direction that their lives as Christians were going. 

                    The leaders of the church in Antioch were of one heart when it came to evangelism.  They prayed over how to reach their world.  They were of one heart.  The Holy Spirit indicated that they should send Paul and Barnabas.  The two men were contacted and agreed to go.  They were all of one mind on that matter.  They not only agreed on what was important, but they also agreed on how the plan was to be worked out.  The believers got along together and were moving forward in the same direction, one heart--one mind.

                    The love went deeper than that.  

32 No-one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:32-37, NIV.

                    The first thing that struck me about this passage is how verse 33 fit into the picture.  If we took it out, it would describe a giving people. But this verse didn’t fit.

                    Then I thought, “How much more power is behind the preaching of people whose love is immeasurable but seen?”  If people in our community saw a people who were giving and selling to help one another out, that would invoke curiosity.  Then to hear the message that is behind it, “We love because God loved us first,” would have a powerful impact.  The two are tied together.  Our love for one another as a body and our ability to do evangelism are closely connected.

                    Notice how deep the love of these people went.  They not only were in agreement, but they financially supported one another.  They made sure that the Christians were well taken care of and without need.

                    Barnabas is mentioned because he becomes a leading character in the early church.  And as a Levite and a Jewish man, his example is pretty outstanding.  Yet, he did it because he loved the church and loved the people.

                    Think of this for a moment.  What person in your life would you sell your land and give the money to them to help them out?  Would you do it for a stranger?  If you read in the newspaper that someone was in need, would you sell your land to help him out?  Most of us would say, “No.”

                    But what if it was your spouse or your child who had a real need, would you sell it for them?  So many would and do.  When one needs major medical treatment, people will sell anything they can to help the loved one live and get the help they need.  If a young child needs an operation, the family will sell the farm to raise money for the child.   Parents will mortgage their homes to put their children in school.  Why?  Because the love for the child runs deep.  You can’t measure this kind of love, but you can see it.

                    That is what strikes us about this passage.  The Christians were doing things for each other that one would only expect family to do.  They were selling what they had to help other Christians.  The love of the Christians was as deep as the love of family.  This is astonishing.

                    Which leads me to ask the question, how deep is your love for the church.  By the church I am talking about the Christians who gather together to worship and serve the Lord together.  I am not talking about the building or the organization.  But I am taking about the people beside you, in front of you and behind you who are here today.  How deep is the love that you have for these people?

                    Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Are you of one heart and one mind?  Is your love so deep that you would sell what you have to help other Christians in need?  Would you say that your love for Christ and other believers is immeasurable but can be seen?

                    Some will say that family is more important than the church.  I am not going to argue the point, but doesn’t it seem as if the dedication of believers to one another came close to the dedication to the family in this passage?

                    Some would say that the church today is irrelevant and unimportant to their needs.  But wouldn’t you say that the example from Acts gave a different picture?  That the church, other Christians, were instrumental in their lives?  One heart, one mind, common possessions?

                    So why isn’t the church like that? 

                    First, I believe that the unity and importance of fellowship of Christians in a community is not emphasized from the pulpit with the same vigor as the New Testament teaches.  That is why I am preaching on this today.

                    Second, I believe that many people are afraid of commitment.  Society encourages a lack of commitment.  If you don’t like something, leave it.  If you don’t like your marriage, walk away.  If you don’t like your job, get another one.  If you don’t like your home, buy a new one.  If you don’t like your church, find another one.

                    But the New Testament shows us a different way, a different path.  These people were willing to show immeasurable love in visible ways.  They were committed to one another big time.  They were not afraid of commitment; it was a part of the package of coming to Christ.

                    Third, I believe that many quench the Spirit.  By this I mean that at one time you had a passion for Christ, a desire to be used by him, a sense or longing to be part of something much bigger than yourself.

                    But you didn’t see that passion in others around you.  When the Holy Spirit spoke to you, you said “no!”  You let fear, or peer pressure, or the cares of the world silence God’s voice in you.

                    How do we grow in love?  I wrestle with this, so I can only give you some suggestions.  The “how to” is the most difficult part to sort out.

                    First, I would strongly encourage you to meditate on God’s love for you.  Think about what he did.  Ask yourself questions about his motives, his methods and his actions.  Meditate on how much you deserve from God.  Meditate on what you have that can be directly traced back to God.  The motivation for the Christian to practice love comes from our idea of God’s love for us. 

                    Remember the parable of the man who had a large debt forgiven?  He then went out and demanded that someone pay him a small debt.  He was condemned because he didn’t appreciate the grace given to him and give that same grace to others.  God’s love for us helps us to love others.

                    Second, we highlight every week either through our announcements or in a message of what we are all about.  We believe that the Palermo Christian Church exists to glorify God through worship, evangelism and edification.  I challenge you to pick this up as a passion and get involved in helping us do this glorious work.  Make Christ first in your life (worship).  Get to know and to help other Christians.  Get involved in teaching Sunday school or leading a small group or helping in the Exchange Shop.  This is edification.  Third, develop a passion for evangelism.  Pray for those who are not Christians.  Give them a Bible; talk to them about Jesus.  Invite them to church or your small group.  Find our where we are going and jump on for the ride.  As you do, your love for people will grow deeper.

                    Third, give outside your comfort zone.  You may not be selling property to give to help other Christians, but you can make a decision to give at a deeper level.  Don’t misquote me.  I am not trying to get more money for the church.  I am trying to help you increase your love.  So often we limit ourselves by holding back.  I am just encouraging you to find a need and give to it.  When we take a special offering, give five dollars more than you might.  When a need is known, give to help the need.  When you deeply love Christians, you will want to help them with all you have.

                    Can you see the result?  People visiting the church would sense that people like each other.  They would see a focus in the church on glorifying God that would be shared by all.  They would see people eagerly stepping up to help get the work done and providing the finances to not only get the work done, but to help any who are in need.

                    Then, when the message of the gospel is preached and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed, it would go out with the power of the Bible, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the power of our witness to the truth as seen in our love for one another. 

                    The Old Testament has a word that I want to use in my messages.  It is called “Selah” and means think about this. 

                    Selah.