What is Love??

Hello people and welcome back to another edition of the fireBRANDS blog. YAY!!!! 

Alright, as usual we started with pre-service prayer. 

And a little time for those who needed to use the loo. 

When everyone was done answering nature's call, it was time for ice-breakers. Wheeee!!!!

And that night, ice-breakers was lead by Lester and Ken-Jeen.

How the game goes: Well its like this. Someone will be standing in the middle and will randomly shoot people (finger shooting) and the two persons on his/her left and right will have to say each others name or age or both. 

Samantha giving herself a facepalm....

Jesher shooting an unfortunate victim

After ice-breakers over, it was time for worship.

Led by Samantha 

Next, Leroy made a few announcements. One of our fireBRANDS members will be leaving us to further her studies.

One of our fireBRANDS members will be leaving us to further her studies. Ms. Chew Yan-Y.
 All the best :)

After praying for Yan-Y, it was time for the sermon and that nights speaker was non-other then.......

Our very own Gary Lee, woohoo!

    

Gary preached about Love.

What is love?? 
Love is the foundation of Christianity.

Matthew 22:36-40(NIV)

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.'⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

So there are two points here which are "Love the Lord your God" and "Love your neighbour as yourself".



Love the Lord your God
What does it mean to love the Lord?

1. Give Him your best. Sometimes people use spirituality as and excuse to not give God their best. Imagine what would other people think if we don't give out best? If you can do it for a friend or loved one, what about God?

2. To love God means to put Him first. Is God your number 1 priority?? Your first option should be God.

3. To love God means to respect Him. Like when during sermons, don't text or do something else. If you can put your phone on silent during a movie, then why not in church?

4. Protect the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit so, don't do something that will ruin it. Like cutting yourself purposely. Feed your spiritual body with His food. You are allowing the Devil to attack you if you don't.

1 John 4:20 (NIV)
²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.



Love your neighbours
1. To love your neighbours means to love everyone. Love everyone including your enemies, serve everybody. " The church does not revolve around you, you revolve around the church" - Pastor Chong Liang 


2. To love your neighbour is to have empathy for the poor and the sick

Mark 2:17 (NIV)

 ¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 25:42-46 (NIV)
⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

   ⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
   ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
   ⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

3. To love your neighbour is to love the lost.

Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)

The Great Commission

 ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

4. Love your enemy. Its easy to love someone who loves you but, its harder to love someone you hate. We are all born self-righteous. To love your enemy is to learn to be humble and accept their differences.  

5. To love your neighbours is to love your brothers and sisters. Why do we want boyfriends and girlfriends?? We need love and want attention. Humans can only supply physical needs, not spiritual. Nothing is everlasting but our God.


Psalm 37:4 (NIV)
⁴ Take delight in the LORD, 

  and he will give you the desires of your heart

If you are in a relationship there must be limits. Keep yourself holy. If you love God, you put Him first. Don't let your partner go above God. And if your in a relationship it'll either end in a breakup or marriage. If your unsure don't! 

Well that's all for today. See ya :)