From Consumer to Covenant
In a modern culture that often views church through the lens of “Consumer Christianity”—where we ask what a service can do for us or how it meets our personal preferences—we are called to something much deeper. At LAMP Ministries, our vision is to transition from a consumer mindset into a Covenant Community. To do this effectively, we must first deconstruct the most used and misused word in our language: Love.
The Four Faces of Love
To understand the biblical call to love, we have to look past our single English word and into the original Greek of the New Testament, which identifies four distinct types of love:
- Agape: The highest form of love. It is God’s perfect, unconditional love for humanity.
- Eros: Sensual and passionate love, specifically designed for the covenant of marriage.
- Philia: Brotherly love or “friendship” love, which forms the basis of a close-knit spiritual community.
- Storge: Familial love. Interestingly, this often extends beyond biological ties to those we embrace as family through deep, shared life experiences.
We see the tension between these types of love in John 21. When the resurrected Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love (agapeo) me?” Peter, likely feeling the weight of his recent failure, responds with, “Lord, you know I love (phileo) you as a brother.” Jesus eventually meets Peter where he is, but His ultimate goal is to empower us through the Holy Spirit to move toward that perfect, divine Agape.
The Progression: Justice, Mercy, and Grace
How does God’s Agape manifest in our lives? Pastor Nate broke this down into a beautiful progression that defines our relationship with the Father:
- Justice: God is just. He is consistent and reasonable, providing a foundation of truth we can trust.
- Mercy: This is God’s compassion in not giving us the punishment our sins deserve.
- Grace: This is the pinnacle. Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve—unconditional forgiveness and the gift of salvation.
Think of it like a traffic stop. Justice is getting the ticket you earned. Mercy is the officer letting you off with a warning. Grace is the officer writing the ticket because justice must be served, but then going to the courthouse and paying the fine for you out of his own pocket. That is the work of Jesus on the cross.
Love as a Noun vs. Love as a Verb
In 1 John 4, we encounter a staggering theological truth: God IS love. Love isn’t just an attribute God has; it is His very essence. He is the source of all love, and His supply is inexhaustible.
For us, however, love is primarily a verb (agapeo). Because we are born with a sinful nature, perfect love is not our natural default. We must choose to love. As 1 John 3:18 instructs, we are not to love merely with words or speech, but “with actions and in truth”.
Crucially, we cannot manufacture this love on our own. Our brotherly affection (philia) will naturally grow if we are first filled with God’s divine love (agape). However, trying to reach God’s standard through human effort alone is impossible. We must start with the Father.
Practical “Agape” in Our Community
Biblical love is never abstract; it is always practical. To live out the “Better Together” vision, we can start with these intentional steps:
- Learn Names: Making the effort to learn and remember names is a fundamental way to show someone they are seen by God.
- Notice the Absence: If someone is missing from the assembly or a small group, reach out. True community notices when a piece is missing.
- Expand Your Prayer Life: If your prayers only cover your biological family, your heart isn’t yet aligned with Agape. Pray for those outside your immediate circle.
- Empathy and Service: Love means hurting when others hurt and acting as a “Good Samaritan” to those in need, whether they are inside or outside the church walls.
- Spiritual Mentorship: We need mature believers to walk alongside “baby” Christians. This requires asking open-ended questions, focusing on eternal solutions, and ensuring our words are always “dripping with love”.
A Call to the Source
You cannot pour from an empty cup. To love others this way, you must first receive the love of Jesus. His grace is a sacrifice that washes us “white as snow” and brings us into a right relationship with the Father.
As you go into your week, ask yourself: How can I “agapeo” someone today? Let’s stop being social Christians and start being people on fire for the love of God.
Watch the full sermon here: Better Together | Love Deconstructed