“The love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that all those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for their sake” (2Cor5:14,15; AMP).

Christ’s love “compels” us. In Greek the word ‘compel’ means: to hold together, to press down (by a crowd), to arrest a prisoner, to afflict, or to stop an action. It means to forcibly compress the energy of the soul into one channel. We are controlled, ruled by Christ’s love for us. Jesus is King Grace and King Agape Love at the same time. His love guides us, presses us down, overmasters us, keeps us focused on only one object, on His will. His Love simplifies and concentrates us. Paul says that the Love of Christ limits his freedom, restraining him from every selfish purpose, directing every act to the good of others. If we die to self, we’ll not desire to ‘live for ourselves’. We’ll be free to share our love and our life. Christ’s Love can’t be manipulated or misused. It is a spiritual fence, directing us to Him who loved us first! 

Christ’s Love is holy and jealous of any rival. “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2Cor 11:2). The jealousy of Love keeps it focused on her Beloved. The fleshly love ‘eros’ is always polygamous. Agape Love has only one aim: to please King Jesus! It has constraining power, directing every act to God’s glory and to the good of others. It keeps us in our place of duty, as soldiers are held together under God’s holy covering. “His banner over me is love” (SS 2:4). In life or in death, we are one, together, in Love with Christ and with one another. Love is extremely bold. It is the only force in the universe that looks at the devil face to face and fearlessly rejects his temptations. Glory to God!

Christ’s love ‘compels’ us. Jesus uses a similar word (distressed), when talking about the Cross He was to suffer upon: “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!” (Lk 12:49, 50). Other translations say: “what constraint I am under until it is completed… how it consumes Me until it is finished… I will suffer until it is over… I have a heavy burden until it is accomplished” (Lk 12:50). Love is bitter and sweet, painful and fruitful at the same time. Our Lord says: “If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments” (Jn 14:15; AMP). If Christ’s love compels me, then my eyes and ears are for Him alone. No other face or voice will be sweet to me. Love leads to precious obedience. Love has no Plan B. Love is the Kingdom’s royal badge of honor! Love never betrays. Love never fails to please God! Selah!

THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM 

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people”… “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt 4:23; 24:14).

Many see the Gospel as a limited blessing, only salvation for their souls. The Gospel is the Good News of God. His Son, Jesus Christ, became a Man, lived on earth, and died on behalf of sinners. By God’s grace, and thru faith in Christ crucified and resurrected we become saved. This is all true. But the Gospel is greater than even our personal salvation. It is called The Gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus, the King of kings came to establish His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the realm, rule and reign of God. It is the atmosphere of heaven where God’s authority is accepted by all. This reminds us of the Greatness of the Gospel we preach. The Gospel is more than healing of the body, peace of mind or feeling good in the church. It affects the whole universe.  “In the dispensation of the fullness of the times He (God) might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth—in Him” (Eph1:10). The Gospel tells us that all things in the universe shall be brought together in Jesus Christ, the King of God’s Kingdom. Rebellion against the King shall be punished. The Gospel is not only for ‘sinners’, like drunkards, prostitutes, or thieves. It is for all people! God commands all men to repent and surrender to King Jesus! “God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance; but now He commands all people everywhere to repent [that is, to change their old way of thinking, to regret their past sins, and to seek God’s purpose for their lives]” (Ac17;30; AMP). “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17). Selah!

The ultimate purpose of the Gospel is not to make us happy, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, to make us holy, and obedient to God’s Word. Christ came into this world to establish the realm, rule and reign of God. “When He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk17:20,21). The Pharisees were the religious leaders in Israel at that time. They heard Jesus preaching about the Kingdom of God and they knew that He claims to be the Messiah King. They rejected His claim to be the King of kings. They came to ask Him about the Kingdom of God, not in a humble manner, but deceitfully, to see what He will say. They were teaching the people that the Kingdom of God belongs to Israel, and it will come as a military religious kingdom with visible pompous display. Even John the Baptist and the disciples initially believed the teaching of the Pharisees (Matt 11:3; Acts 1:6). But Jesus said that for now, His Kingdom does not come ‘with observation’. It is not visible. It is in the hearts of men who totally surrender to Him, who have faith in Him, their Savior and King. Until Jesus comes again, the Kingdom is invisible, growing mysteriously, like a mustard seed, in the hearts of the believers. Once deeply planted, it cannot be uprooted. The miracle of becoming born again is the foundation of the Kingdom in the hearts of men. The believers produce fruits of repentance, by the Holy Spirit in them, among which, Agape Love is the first. The Kingdom of God is not “eating and drinking”, which are visible actions. It is Agape Love working in the hearts of men, changing them, and changing their circumstances. Because Jesus gave them food to eat, they wanted to make Him King by force. Men are ready ‘to vote’ for Jesus when they want physical food. But Jesus rejected ‘democracy’ in His Kingdom and withdrew from them (Jn 6:15). Jesus told Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world]. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting [hard] to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn 18:36; AMP). The devil is the ruler or the prince of this world. Jesus conquered Him by His death on the Cross! Hallelujah!

Even after His resurrection, Jesus was telling them about His Kingdom. The devil fights the revelation. The Kingdom spreads by the preaching of God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are witnesses of our King. One day, Jesus will come back to earth visibly, just the way He ascended (Ac1:1-3;10,11). When He comes again, all eyes will see His majesty. The whole creation shall be delivered from its bondage to corruption. Everything in this universe will be restored to its original glory! “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all” (1Cor 15:24-28). Glory!

Christ has authority over all men, not only over the Christians. While on earth, He commanded: “Follow Me”, and men followed. He has total authority over nature and the invisible realm. The winds and the sea obeyed Him! Before He died Jesus said: “Now judgment is upon this world [the sentence is being passed]. Now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out” (Jn 12:31; AMP). By His death, Jesus defeated and disgraced Satan. “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross” (Col2:15; AMP). He made an “open show” of the devil and his demons, who are now disgraced before the whole universe. By His death, Jesus destroyed the power of the devil to accuse us because of sin and his power to intimidate us thru death. Glory!

“How of the Cross He made a throne

On which He reigns, a glorious King” (Ancient Hymn)

Finally, this is a question of life or death: Are you in this Kingdom? Are you born again? The easiest way to know if you are saved or not is by studying your attitude not to God’s promises, but to God’s commandments. If God’s commandments are burdensome to you, it means you are not born again. If they are your delight, then you are a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Welcome in! Praise the Lord!

KINGDOM’S POWER AND LOVE IN THE EARLY CHURCH

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34,35). “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1Jn 3:11).

Most believers know that Love is a command. They know the theory of Love. Few know how to practice Love in the church. Most of the time they manifest agape Love in little groups, in house fellowships, or as friends, they visit one another. Often, they mix agape love with philia love. But they do not know how to manifest the pure agape love to those they do not ‘like’ as friends. Even the church leaders are not able to display agape love daily, to all. The result is that the church is more religious than spiritually real. The early church relied upon a twofold witness as the means of reaching and impressing a cynical and unbelieving world: kerygma (preaching) and koinonia (fellowship). In other words, it was the combination of preaching the Word and Loving with agape love. These two actions made the church’s witness extremely powerful and effective. Pagans could easily ignore the preaching as simply another teaching among many, but they found it much more difficult to reject the evidence of koinonia, agape Love among the brethren. The concern of Christians for each other, and the way they shared their lives, left the pagan world craving this new experience called koinonia. This is what a pagan writer said: ‘How these Christians love one another!’ The present-day church has abandoned the true koinonia (agape Love) almost completely, reducing the witness of the church to preaching (kerygma) alone. The lack of agape love has weakened the body from within. It has also weakened the Church’s influence over the unbelievers. That is why the world sees the church as irrelevant these days. May we go back to our first Love, Jesus Christ and love one another as we are commanded. The result will be power to serve God, power to influence the world around us. That is the glory of the Church! May revival come!

“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph 3:20,21; AMP).

Power is the ability to control or influence people and events. The early Christians knew the secret of living by resurrection power, and nothing else will account for the amazing effect they had upon the world of their day. They did not try to borrow power from the world, for they found they had all they could possibly need, available continuously from a risen, triumphant Lord. Resurrection power is available to every true Christian by faith.

“Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love]” (Gal 6:2; AMP). The Apostle Paul says that bearing one another’s burdens is the way to fulfill the Law of Christ, or the Law of Agape Love. In other words, a Christian will live a fulfilled life only when he helps others carry their burdens. For that, you need to be close enough to people and to see their struggles, to feel their pains. You are willing to help others not to prove that you are stronger or better, but to be like Jesus. It means people trust you with their secret pains. That is a great privilege. Most people who attend Church are afraid to tell others of their struggles. Many believers fear rejection and suffer in silence. But we are commanded to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. We are to rebuke in love and encourage others. The burdens of life are spiritual or natural, addiction to sins, marriage issues, chronic sicknesses, or financial troubles. Burdens are normal to all. Don’t pretend that all is well. Humble yourself! But only Agape Love is strong enough to help others without asking nothing in return. It builds the Body and gives glory to God in the Church.

To help others with the burdens of life can be done in private counselling. For that, you need to be committed to listen well, to be willing to enter another’s pain, to spend time, energy and money to help the one in need. Some say that only the welfare department should do that. It is not true. This command applies to all Christians. “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil 2:4). Practical Agape Love is felt not only in private conversations, but even in the big assembly. As you greet, shake hands, or hug others, Love is displayed and spread. May God help us!