Whenever death brings a final parting, the expression of final wishes bears a heavy weight. Jesus, right before He went to the cross, admonished His disciples in John 13:17 (TPT):
17 So this is my parting command: “Love one another deeply!” go into the world to bear fruit. And your fruit will last, because whatever you ask of my Father, for my sake, he will give it to you!
Making Disciples of Love
He could have said any number of things – things around which we have mission and calling. But, all of it is summed up in the commandment love!
In Matthew 28:18 – 20 (TPT), Jesus’ last words after the resurrection are weighty as well:
18 Then Jesus came close to them and said, “All the authority of the universe has been given to me. 19 Now go in my authority and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 20 And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.”
How does this fit with the commandment of love?
First of all, we are to make disciples, not converts. Our goal is not to make people pray a prayer to receive Jesus, although prayer is great! Our command is to make disciples. A disciple is a learner or pupil – one who is disciplined and trained. What are they to be taught and trained in? Verse 20 says that Christ wants us to faithfully follow His command. And, once again, what is the command of Christ? John 13:7 says: to love one another deeply!
There are so many passages that speak of love as the command of Christ. I go in detail about the numerous passages in my blog, Commanded to Love. I also have a video teaching called: Love in Action.
Abiding in Love
So let’s meditate on this sweeping mandate. First of all, we need to understand love is not something we work up because we are supposed to love. Love is a Person – God is Love (1 John 4:8. 16). Love is the primary fruit of abiding/hanging out/communing with/praying with/enjoying the presence of Love, Himself. Let’s unpack this from John 15:4-5 (TPT):
4 “So you must remain in life-union with me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to mine.
5 I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless.”
What Does Abiding Mean?
Living in life-union with Christ is the same as abiding or remaining in Christ. This is how we become fruitful! What does that look like?
- to commune with Jesus· have intimate fellowship with Jesus
- saturate yourself in/practice the presence of Jesus
- soak in Jesus’ Presence
- intimately worship Jesus
- have contemplative prayer with Jesus
- simply talk with (that is a two-way conversation) Jesus
- read and meditate on the Word with Jesus
Some of this terminology may be new to you, but they are all terms meaning basically the same thing expressed by different streams in Christianity. Isn’t that wonderful? The vastly diverse body of God has gotten the same memo!
It’s all about intimate relationship. It’s about practicing and enjoying fellowship with Love, Himself! And what is the primary fruit of abiding in Love? It is love!
Fruitfulness Streaming from You
John 15:5 (TPT) says:
5 “I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless.
Fruitfulness – love – will stream from you as you remain in Love.
1 John 4:19 (VOICE) says:
19 We love because He has first loved us.
Because God is Love and the Source of all love, we are empowered to love as we abide in the love He has for us first!
Surrendered to Love
I love how Ephesians 5:1-3 (TPT) puts it:
2 And continue to walk surrendered to the extravagant love of Christ, for he surrendered his life as a sacrifice for us.
Walking surrendered to the extravagant love of Christ means we don’t fight it if we feel outside, ashamed, or unworthy! Letting Him love you is essential!
John 15:9 (TPT) emphasizes:
9 “I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts.”
This requires a great deal of heart healing sometimes, but God is in the business of just that! It is worth all the energies you pour into heart healing and mind renewal. If you need help, I lead you through many exercises to do this in my “Marked by Love” book.
Take your time – you are worth it! As you receive and assimilate God’s all-encompassing love, your heart will heal and you will be able to love yourself and others as a glorious command-fulfilling byproduct!
However, you move forward in this journey, let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear!
XO,
Catherine
