There is no greater love than Agape love. Redeeming love...
Last night, as I was leading worship, I started to think about Jesus' love - and the different levels that His love transcends. Here on Earth, we experience different types of love, but do we really understand His love? There is, in fact, only one type of love that is a feeling, best explained by the (Ancient) Greek word for it – έρως, pronounced “eros” – where we get our word “erotic” from. Eros is sexual love, the love which in the Bible is only associated as either the love between a man and his wife, or between two people having a sinful sexual affair. The love we should feel for our sisters in Christ (which is the only true biblical status of a “boyfriend” or a “girlfriend”) is both φιλία (“phileo/phillia”) and αγάπη (“agape”). Phileo love is the love felt between brothers and sisters, or between good friends (ex: Philadelphia – The City Of Brotherly Love). It is best known in the English as “brotherly love.” Agape love is unconditional, self-sacrificing, thoughtful love for another person, most commonly seen in God’s love for us in sending His Son to die on the cross for us. His love is Agape love.
Song of Soloman illustrates Eros love. Its the kind of love we feel when someone walks in the room and our heart loses control. Its thinking about someone every second of every day...we'll all experience this in some way in our lives, and it is a treasure! However, there is more...
Phileo love, again, we've all experienced this at some point in our lives. We love our friends, we love the people we care about, and this is a great feeling...to love and be loved. Jesus showed this kinds of love, we see this with his disciples. Still, there is more...
Agape love. Unconditional Love. Redeeming Love. The kind of love that says even when I make a mess of things, even when I fall short, even when I act like an idiot, I'm still loved. Not only that, but I will be loved MORE, and be made a better person BECAUSE of your love. That's Christ's love. There is no greater love story than that of the gospels. The story that shapes a lot of our lives and changes us forever. The story that makes or breaks your life as a follower of Christ. The story that shows a love that encompasses all other love. Redemption.
When I sing certain songs, I think about different things. Although my song-list was geared towards God's spirit coming down, hence, "Rain Down," "Open the Flood Gates," and "Freedom Reigns," I kept thinking about how much I am thankful for His love. I am thankful that He can redeem me every time I mess up, every time I fall short. This is why I love leading worship - because I can help convey this message of love to people. When you love, I believe that one of the best ways to show is is by worshipping that person. Not like building a shrine or anything crazy, but your actions, your words, your thoughts are geared all to whom you love. I DO THIS THROUGH MUSIC.
I read a book recently called "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. This book was powerful...seriously! It was life-changing. The reason it was so powerful is because it demonstrated that a person, although a fictional story, can love like Christ can. Although not perfect, we are still capable of Agape love.
What I am capable of is worshipping Him as best as I know how - yes, through music. Music is expressive, lyrically and emotionally: it touches our emotions. Worshipping, in whatever way, all comes down to this one point: It is His love that redeems - no human love can touch it. As we approach Valentine's day, don't forget about the ONLY ONE who is capable of redeeming you completely...Jesus.
"For God so loved the world..." The ultimate love story. You need a reason to worship? Read the gospels. Pastor Julian Bermudes said this weekend at the church retreat something I consider a very profound statement: "You want to know love, understand Redemption."
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