AuthorTerry R Baughman is Lead Pastor for LifeChurch in Gilbert, AZ. See his complete bio at trbaughman.com Archives
October 2024
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Love to the End2/23/2020  Love to the End
Living in Relationship with Jesus Terry R. Baughman “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Sometimes in our own thinking we may respond, “To the end? What then?” The logical conclusion is that then we will be with Him! Nevertheless, we have a tremendous assurance of His persistent presence and continuing accompaniment until the “end of the age!” During the time of Christ’s ministry He demonstrated His love for those who chose to follow Him. Even as the time drew near for His crucifixion and death He confirmed His enduring love for His disciples. John wrote, “When Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1). There was no time when love faded or diminished. His desire to remain with those He loved was no doubt the greatest battle as He surrendered His will to the divine plan, but His love remained. “He loved them to the end.” We can trust His Word and be confident of His everlasting love. Paul went to great lengths to confirm the character of God’s love and the extent of His efforts to sustain us, declaring, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Adversities in life may increase to such an intensity that we may be caused to question God’s love and be led away from Him, but Paul asked, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35). Then, he went on to affirm, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37–39). Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God. There is no thing that can come between us and provide a reason to feel abandoned by God. God is always with us. He has promised His abiding presence, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). The expanse of His love has been expressed by writers, through books, songs, and verse, and yet none of these efforts individually, nor the whole volume cumulatively, can adequately express its definition. Paul prayed that, “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17–19). God’s love simply cannot be fully comprehended or explained. Jeremy Riddle wrote and recorded the song, Furious. In the lyrics of the chorus, “His love is deep, His love is wide, and it covers us His love is fierce, His love is strong, it is furious His love is sweet, His love is wild, and it’s waking hearts to life The love of Christ constantly reaches. He desires relationship with His created ones. We can trust Him and rest assured that He will love us to the very end! Theme passage: “Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone” (Romans 5:18 NLT).
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Proof of Our Love2/16/2020  Proof of Our Love
Living in Relationship with Jesus Terry R. Baughman “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10–11). Jesus changes everything! The God who, “so loved the world,” and “became flesh and dwelt among us,” challenged the status quo of relationships. He stated the traditional view of His culture (what now may be called the politically correct view) and then elevated the conversation to a higher level of love and respect. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–44). The God of love expects us to love others also. He challenges us to move beyond the expected retort and reciprocal reaction into the unexpected response. It is easy to love those who love us and do good to those who have shown us favor. It’s not so easy, if not impossible, to love those who are spiteful, sarcastic, and hateful in their demeanor and actions towards us. The only way to love such a one is to have the high view of heaven and recognize that there is a spirit in this world that opposes all that are representatives of that heavenly kingdom. We know God loves every individual, no matter how vile and cruel they may be. Only by His Spirit and His empowering can we break the bitter separation of satan’s kingdom to invade the world with the Savior’s love. The sterling quality of every disciple of Christ is that they have love for one another. Repeatedly in Scripture Jesus reminds us, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, also see 13:34, 15:12, 17). The quality that sets apart the Christ-follower from others in the culture should be their demonstrated love for God and other people. God’s love being evident in all our relationships is the defining proof of our love for God. Relationships are holistic. It must always be more than “me and Jesus.” The very nature of a relationship with God requires relationship with others. Before we can claim to love God we must also love one another. John said, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:20–21). Before we can profess love for a transcendent God we must learn to love those with feet on the ground. The vertical direction of our relationship with God is totally dependent upon the horizontal relationship with humanity. We cannot communicate with God to the exclusion of everyone else around us. We cannot insulate and isolate ourselves from all communication with humans just so we can claim some exclusive connectivity with the Almighty. The only way we can love God is to build relationships with His creation and allow His voice to communicate love through us. God’s church, His followers, are His representatives in the world. The only way the created ones will ever know God and His infinite love is to first experience it in the interactions they have with His people. Our love for others will be the proof of our relationship with God. Theme passage: “Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone” (Romans 5:18 NLT).
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Our Love for Him2/9/2020  Our Love for Him
Living in Relationship with Jesus Terry R. Baughman “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins…. We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:10, 19). A natural response to God’s incredible display of love is for us to also respond in love. Paul observed that, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Knowing the character of God and feeling the overwhelming love and the spiritual freedom He brings causes us to rejoice in this liberty and celebrate our redemption. Peter spoke about this gift of salvation that Jesus has purchased and our response to Him when he said, “Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8–9). In view of the awesome provision that Jesus Christ has given, how can we but respond to Him in love. When anyone receives a gift of great value the tendency is to have a greater regard for the giver and to reciprocate with incredible kindness and appreciation. John said, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). How much more should we feel the tenderness of gratefulness toward the One who literally gave His life for our benefit. Our response to His free gift should be one of praise, adoration, and intense feelings of love. Perhaps this was the feeling experienced by the songwriter, William E. Booth-Clibborn, that penned the words of Down from His Glory, “Oh how I love Him, How I adore Him, my breath my sunshine, my all in all, the great creator became my Savior, and all God’s fulness dwelleth in Him.” The words express an awe of His majesty and proclaim the glory of our Creator coming down to earth to live as a man among us. The verses of the song express wonder for His gift of redemption through the sacrifice of Calvary. How can we but join in with praise to such a magnificent God who has given us the gift of salvation. God desires relationship with those whom He has created. However, a one-sided relationship is not a relationship, but when there is exchange of conversation and interaction in community then relationship is developed. Not everyone will respond to God’s amazing plan of redemption. Some will reject His advances and ignore His provision. They will never know the beauty of relationship that could have been theirs. Others who respond to Christ’s invitation will find Him to be willing company and a present companion. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). What we have received and experienced can be shared with others as we live in relationship with Christ. It is God’s desire that our relationship with Him be a light to the world of what is possible for every individual. As we live out our faith and model true Christianity in this world, others will be drawn to know His love. Paul instructed, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1–2). Let us show His love to others as we live in relationship with Jesus Christ! Theme passage: “Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone” (Romans 5:18 NLT).
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His Love for Us2/2/2020  His Love for Us
Living in Relationship with Jesus Terry R. Baughman “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). In contemporary culture, being in a relationship is not always a signal of something good or moral. As more and more people live together outside of marriage this phrase can often mean living like being married but without the license or the responsibility. As a result the whole idea of a relationship, as well as the concept of marriage, is often cheapened and doesn’t mean the same that it once did. It may just mean that a couple is in a temporary living arrangement where they have the option to walk out when things don’t go well. In reality a relationship should denote commitment and good character between two parties with a clear understanding as to what is required of each. Marriage is a covenant relationship where promises are made and solemn commitments are expressed before witnesses. It is intended to be a lasting relationship with real consequences if either party decides they want out of it. This is why divorce is required to break the bonds of matrimony and the effect of such a dissolution is often felt for a long time. This is a real relationship! God desires to have a relationship with His people, the bride of Christ. The church is made up of many people who have chosen to follow Christ’s teaching and are living in relationship with Him! It is a privilege to be called into a relationship with Jesus and there is no better way to live. It does, however, necessitate commitment and it contains responsibilities. Consider the extent of God’s love that provides the opportunity for us to live an abundant life in the Spirit and to have a personal relationship with our God. The text above is the most quoted and best known verse in the Bible. It expresses the love God demonstrated through the provision of His own sacrifice to bring everlasting life to all those who believe in Him. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” He went on to say, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:10–11). This relationship cost Him a great deal. He freely gave everything for the benefit of our relationship. His life and blood was given to purchase our freedom and release us from the devastating judgment of sin in our lives. John’s prophecy honored His sacrifice, death, and resurrection, “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5). Paul recognized the love of God revealed in our redemption and the grace He has shown us. Paul said, “God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4–5). God’s love is the great motivator that brings us together and makes relationship possible. Salvation is our only hope and His grace makes it available. Again Paul wrote, “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Romans 5:5 NLT). We rejoice in the relationship Jesus has extended to those who respond to His love and receive the promise of His Spirit. Let us live in the reality of this relationship! Theme passage: “Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone” (Romans 5:18 NLT). |
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