The Love of God
Dear Friends:
We are in the month of February which means that we celebrate Valentine’s Day! We should be reminded about the true meaning of love from Matthew 22:34-40:
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Our purpose in this life, our fulfillment in life, our greatest joy in life, and our hope for eternity is that we are to love God with the entirety of our being and we are to love others.
We must guard our hearts and minds to keep this focus or we will lose our reason for being. As I scroll on Facebook and Twitter, I find believers who are determined almost daily to express their views about politics, the state of our nation, and the wrongs of the Church. Of course, they were entitled to state their opinions! Activism has its place but it should not be to the neglect of sharing the love of Jesus Christ to a world in desperate need to be reconciled with our Heavenly Father.
John C. Nugent in his book, Endangered Gospel addresses this idea. His challenge is his belief that God did not call us to save the world from destruction but to bring people to Jesus Christ. “If we’re not careful, we may gain the whole world and lose the church – and then, ultimately, we’ll lose the world, too. When Christians begin substituting activism for discipleship, it’s not a world that becomes endangered, but the gospel” (p. 7). If we, as Christ’s disciples, do not love God and love others then who will? Must the rocks cry out (Luke 19:40)?
It is with your partnership that Network211 is deeply committed to proclaiming the love of Jesus Christ to individuals around the world at the current rate of 7.1 Gospel presentations every minute. Proclaiming the Good News and journeying with individuals from where they are to where they need to be in Christ is our joy! The love of Christ compels us (2 Cor. 5:14).
Here are some comments sent to Network211 in response to viewing our online content. They are examples of people in need of Divine intervention. We shared the love of Christ so that they found hope and transformation by our Savior.
- A man in Nigeria wrote, “I want to commit suicide and die and leave this world, unable to cope with life.”
- A woman in New Zealand wrote, “What should u do when ur life feels like it is falling apart”
- A man in Burkina Faso wrote, “How can I talk with God?”
- A man from Ivory Coast wrote, “I regret many things I have committed so many sins and today I wish to sincerely repent and return to Jesus.”
Thank you for being an integral partner with us! We praise the Lord that we have shared the love of Jesus Christ with over 61.3 million individuals through the years in 243 countries and territories. This inspires us to diligently work the harvest fields of the Internet and see the completion of Project 100Million.
It is Love that compels us. It is Love that directs us. It is Love that will see lives transformed. It is Love that will win the day! All for the glory of God!
Blessings,
Mark
Dr. Mark Flattery
Network211 President
