Jen Reding: 0:01

I know last time Brant prefaced his speaking with I haven't spoken for a while. I kind of feel the same. I only speak when I hear the Father telling me there's something to share, and this message was kind of on the back of my mind for a while, but nothing really. Until about a week ago. I was like yep, so I want to talk about and I'm just asking Father, just download everything that you gave me for this morning and I just pray receiving that we've been in. And I want to talk about embracing the love of the Father so that we can embrace loving others. Well, I'll start with a verse. You know this verse. Most of you do. I have made you known to them and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and I myself may be in them. Have you experienced the love of the Father? Do you struggle with this verse? I mean, do we get this verse? Probably not. If we really got this verse that the love you have for me might be in them and that I might be in them, like if we really got this verse, I don't think we'd have any cares. I don't think we'd have any anxiety or insecurity. Maybe I'm speaking to myself, but I kind of think this is probably true for everybody Father is loving you as much as he loves Jesus. Ooh, ooh, yeah, and we can have the same relationship with the Father that Jesus did. Ooh, ooh. Do you struggle with that a little bit? I know I did and I have, and I just want to say it's true. Do you think that this is a little preposterous, maybe sacrilegious? I know I've struggled like that with it, maybe just a little bit still sometimes. But I just encourage you, take it to him, ask him about it, meditate on it, because it's true, it's always good to struggle to get the breakthrough of the revelation and I think sometimes we operate in so much shame, kind of like hunkering down, cowering, a little like we're afraid to really stand before our father and go whoa, you do love me as much as you love Jesus. I'm worthy. It's because of the blood of the lamb Whoa. And then another one, john 17, 13.

Jen Reding: 3:47

I love this one in the Passion where it says I pray this is Jesus speaking that they will experience and enter into my joyous delight in you, so that it is fulfilled in them and overflows. What does that mean I just love to picture. There's Jesus is loving the Father and the Father's loving Jesus. It's all back and forth. And then there's Holy Spirit, airy and beautiful, just floating in between. They're loving each other. It's continual, it's ongoing, it's always been and it always will be. And he's saying we get to enter into that oh experience and enter into my joyous delight in you, so that it's fulfilled in them. I kind of think that means it reaches the tipping point. It keeps building. We keep getting more revelation and so it till it almost, I like to think, reaches the tipping point and it overflows. Don't you want that we're receiving so much of the love of the Father that it just keeps building and building and reaches it and overflows, so that all that comes out of us is love. I'm starting to say that to the Father daily.

Jen Reding: 5:14

I heard sorry, I borrowed that one from Leonard Hayes when he was here last June. I remember he said when I get to be a little old man, when I get to be a little old man, all that I want to come out. If someone pokes me, all that I want to come out of me is love. So I took that on. I was like Papa, when I get to be a little old lady, all that comes out of me is love.

Jen Reding: 5:46

And you know, we can walk into a room and we can change an atmosphere. Right, you know that analogy they use. What is it? The thermostat or the thermometer? And so often myself included, really I'm speaking to myself. We can go into a room and just be the thermometer. We take the read on what's going on and we sort of fit into that. But he wants us to be the thermostats where we change the environment because of the love of God in us. We go into our workspace or we go to the playground with our kids and there's a mom who's hurting and we change the atmosphere because the atmosphere, because the love of the Father is flowing out of us. So you know, that's what I want to be. I don't do it always perfectly, but I want to be the thermostat.

Jen Reding: 6:38

All right, so, and then Ephesians 3.18, that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the Lord's people, I would say with the saints. That must be a version I memorized to comprehend how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you might be filled to the measure with the fullness of God, and the only way you can do that is by revelation is you're asking Father to give you open your eyes of your heart to understand his love for you? Oh, by the way, I've been meditating on a new verse this week and I want to share it. You know, just as we were saying open up your hearts, have faith to receive healing during worship, have faith to receive physical and emotional healing during the preaching of the Word of God. It's his anointing, it's his Word, and in Psalm 107.20, it says he sent his Word and healed them. So if you need healing in your hearts today, if you need healing in your bodies, just posture yourself in faith and expectation to receive, receive in his presence, the worship, the communion together, the fellowship with one another. But I want to go on. If he's asked us to love one another, or if we've experienced God loving us whoo, stumbling over my words, he is asking us to love one another. That's where I want to get to today. We've received so much In 1 John 4, 7,.

Jen Reding: 8:16

I'm just going to read these two verses. I love this one. In the Passion it said those who are loved by God, which I believe is everyone in this room. Let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love. Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experience an intimate knowledge of him. Fathered by God, and then in 1 John 3.16, in the New International Version, this is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and our sisters. I find that really overwhelming. It's like how do we do that? How do we love like he loves? It has to be his love in us, right? This isn't humanly possible. We just receive more and more so that it can flow out of us and we can be an expression of his love. I just want to give you an analogy. It was something I heard recently and I think it's quite powerful. A little illustration. So a man I may not have this perfectly, but this is how I remember it A man was asked to cut 100 boards, 2x4s, 8 foot length.

Jen Reding: 10:10

So this is what he did. He took his tape measure and he measured the first one, 8 feet, marked it with his pencil and saw it at 8 feet and sawed at eight feet. Then to cut the second one, he didn't take out his tape measure, he just put the first board on top of the second board, marked it with his pencil and sawed. And then he did the same for the third board. He took the second board, laid it on the third board, marked it with his pencil, sawed, and on and on right. The fourth board was measured by the third board, marked it with his pencil, sawed, and on and on right. The fourth board was measured by the third board. When he finished cutting the hundred two-by-fours, he had some that were eight feet long and some that were nine feet long. They weren't accurate to the original and I only share that as an example of what Jesus, what the Father, is asking us.

Jen Reding: 11:10

He's not asking us to compare our standard of how we live, how we think, to the previous church generation. He's not asking us to compare our standard to what we see going on. He's not asking us to compare our standard to what we see going on. He's asking us to compare our standard, our measure for ourself, our attitudes to the early church, what the apostles and prophets wrote about, and I just find that amazing and I think sometimes we forget. So I'm going to read some scriptures on what loving each other looks like. I'm just going to share some. I hope it all comes out right, but as you listen to these scriptures there's about four of them listen through that grid of as if you're hearing these for the first time and not by what you've seen happening with the way others treat each other or the previous church generation how they treated each other, but what Father, through the Lord Jesus, was saying how we are to love and treat each other. Is that okay? So the first one Ephesians 4, 4 to 6. I'm going to read it in the message.

Jen Reding: 12:40

This one is especially meaningful to me. A message. This one is especially meaningful to me. It was given by the Holy Spirit in one of an intercession listening time we had for you church way back in the fall, and I think it's something that's really on Father's heart for us as a community and I know I've been actually meditating on it daily as kind of a. It really impacted me as a grid to go whoa, if I feel a little critical or a negative irritation towards someone, it's like oh, father, okay, more of your love.

Jen Reding: 13:20

So here it is in the message More of your love. So here it is. In the message. You were called to travel on the same road, in the same direction, to stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. Okay, this one gets me. You have one master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who rules over all. Whoa, that's so encouraging. Comforting Works through all is present in all. Whoa, that's so encouraging. Comforting Works through all is present in all. Everything you are, do and think is permeated with oneness. Whew, that's his standard for us. And then in 1 Thessalonians 3.12, in the New International Version, you know this one May the Lord. May the Lord, okay, make your love increase and overflow for each other and everyone else, just as ours does for you. So again, it's the Lord, it's got to be him doing it, but in the message. I love this. And may the master pour on the love. How do you like that? May the master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you.

Jen Reding: 15:17

I love that like word, picture of, like it's as if Papa Godfather has a big watering can or pitcher and you just picture him like pouring. It's like water, but it's love being poured out onto our bodies. Just picture that. So it's filling up our bodies, or filling us up, and it's getting so full. We keep asking him to pour out the love that it fills up and starts overflowing and splashing out onto people around us. Right, we're like I feel so much love. I feel love from you, I feel safe with you. There's something different about you, right, because his love is being filling up and splashing out. And I mean another little knowledge I was thinking about. If you can picture this, I don't know, you know, like a fairy Tinkerbell and she just you know, it's pixie dust and she's just flicking it out and splashing it out onto everybody. And it's just like how the love of the Father wants to just come and land on you and fill you up, so that it's splashing out to others like water droplets or yeah. So how do we love others? Well, it has to be his love filling us up and flowing out to others.

Jen Reding: 16:49

Another verse Romans 12.10. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. You've heard this one lots of times, probably, but I love it again in the message Whoa, just good to start going deeper into the word and studying different versions. It says although I know the message isn't a version, but it's great Love from the center of who you are. Don't fake it. That's a good word. Run from dear life, from evil. Hold on for dear life to good.

Jen Reding: 17:24

Practice playing second fiddle. Yeah, that one really got me. That's not our usual norm, is it? Practice playing second fiddle? I've been thinking about this verse a lot and I've been trying to meditate on this one daily too. That doesn't generally come easy to most of us and you know I've experienced this where you're trying to help somebody or do something for someone and it sort of seems like it all becomes around them and their schedule and what's best for them, and you can feel a little bit irritated or wanting to go to resentment. And I've found now I'm not saying I do it perfectly, but I've found like, as I've been meditating on that, practice playing second fiddle to just go. You know what, it's all right, it doesn't matter, put that person first, you don't need to push your way to the top. Practice playing second fiddle Is that good? I need a drink of water. You can think about it.

Jen Reding: 19:02

Two more scriptures on loving each other Philippians 2, 2-4. You know this one, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, any comfort from his love, any common sharing in the spirit. Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and sorry, maybe I didn't type this right being one in spirit and sorry, maybe I didn't type this right being one in spirit in mind, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but rather, in humility, consider others above yourselves. Okay, so you got the reference. Um, I just want to make a comment. His joy is brought to fullness or completion. He's made really happy or joyful when we love each other.

Jen Reding: 19:44

Well, and I don't know about you, but I think probably for many of you, I've been trying to understand the Father more, trinity more, and to get to know him so well that I understand his moods. Not that he's moody, but God never has a bad day. But you know what makes him happy, what gives him delight, what gives him a big smile Like. I often get a picture of Father God just like beaming down on me. Do you ever get that Like that sense of his pleasure, what gives him pleasure? And I know it says when we're loving each other well, that really thrills his heart.

Jen Reding: 20:30

So here it is in the message, if you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, which we all have, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you I know it does to you guys that you wouldn't be here. Uh, do me a favor. Oh, if you have a heart, if you care, do me a favor. Agree with each other, love each other, be deep spirited. I love that. Don't push your way to the front. Don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside and help others get along. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. I like that. Be deep-spirited friends. It's really convicting. Don't push your way to the front. I don't. Actually I don't see that in any of you guys here, but you know, I have seen it in the past in ministry situations, sadly enough.

Jen Reding: 21:41

But Bill Johnson made a comment that I've heard on several occasions. He said if you put yourself into a position by self-promotion, you're going to have to work really hard to maintain that position by self-promotion, like, in other words, if it wasn't of the spirit. So that's sobering and I love. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. We all get so busy with it and I love forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. We all get so busy with our schedules, our timetables, what we need to get done, that we can sometimes forget to slow down long enough to see where somebody needs a helping hand. How many of you have been a recipient of some? Sure? Actually I have some throat lozenges in here. I should get a recipient of, like somebody just practically helping you and doing something so amazing. You didn't expect it you, I know I was.

Jen Reding: 22:45

In 2019, I had foot surgery. I didn't really want foot surgery. Most of you know I have an ankle fusion and I was housebound, couldn't wait there, couldn't drive for four months. I have lots of great soaking times, but sometimes it felt a little bit challenging to be so isolated and I had somebody in this community. Start a food train for me. I had my sister, who's got such a gift of mercy take a week off, work, drive down, make meals for me, drive me on outings so I could get out. I had somebody it was Steve Bliley organize a gift, a huge gift a beautiful, comfortable chaise lounge so that I could sit in my bedroom and read with my foot up Like it was such a blessing and it was so unexpected. And I know a lot of you have been involved in things like that. For people, it's just forget yourself long enough to lend a helping hand. And I think there's lots of opportunities in this community of faith. There's even food chains going on right now, so powerful.

Jen Reding: 23:53

And then 1 Peter 4.8. Oh, I had another one that I just found Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers the multitude of sins. You've heard this one, I love it in the message sins. You've heard this one, I love it in the message Most of all, love, as if your life depended on it. Whoa.

Jen Reding: 24:15

Now why does he say that? I mean, we could go on and on about that. I could come up with lots of reasons, you know, because you could go to bitterness and all that if you don't, and that would really take your life out. But I think he just really wants to emphasize the importance of practicing love and letting his love flow through us. But why is he asking us to love like this? It's obviously for our own benefit, you know. It says in first john 13. Oh, not first john, sorry, john 13. By this everyone will know you are my disciples if you love one another. So it's really a sign to those outside of the family of God, outside of the family of faith, right, when they see how we treat each other, when they see the tenderness where they see forgiveness in operation and they don't see that necessarily in relationships outside of community. And then another verse why does he ask us to love like this? You know, do you ask those questions? Why does God ask that?

Jen Reding: 25:49

And this is a verse that I just came across this week in my daily readings 1 John 4.12. I've been trying to gain understanding on. It Says no one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, god lives in us and his love is made complete in us. And in the Passion it says no one has ever gazed upon the fullness of God's splendor, but if we love one another, god makes his permanent home in us and we make our permanent home in him and his love is brought to its full expression. And then in the message, I looked it up because I was like what does it mean? His love is made complete in us. What does that mean? Isn't his love complete on its own? Like he's so big, so powerful, he loves all of us. He's been loving every single person in this whole world, like the people that have already lived and died Everyone here, now, on this entire planet. He's loving them so well. Why is this love being made complete in us? What does that mean? I'm going to take a stab at it. In the message it says my dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, god dwells deeply within us and his love becomes complete in us. Perfect love. His love becomes complete in us. Perfect love. I'm not saying that. I know I have all the revelation on this. Okay, I'm just going to throw this out. It just took a stab at it. Okay, something's been coming to me.

Jen Reding: 27:56

I don't think, for example, that God needs our help. He doesn't need our help to get people saved to come to know him. He could zap every single person on this planet and they would come to know him, but he chooses to partner with us as sons and daughters. He always wants to partner with us. He's a good daddy, he wants to work with his kids and he asks us to share our faith with those who don't know him. And another example is he doesn't really need us to physically heal people. He could just pour out the love, pour out the power and zap anybody who needed healing and he does that sometimes actually and they're healed. But he chooses to partner with us, his sons and daughters, his little kids. So we get to participate with Daddy and ask us to pray for the sick and we pray the prayer in faith and we see people healed and I kind of feel, or I'm wondering I'll take a stab at this it's the same with his love.

Jen Reding: 29:09

His love is full. He is loving everybody on this planet currently that's alive and he's loved everybody that's been here and gone to heaven. But I'm wondering if it is his love is brought to complete expression or fullness. When his love flows through us to others, like he's loving all the time, his love is being poured. But when his love is being poured through us to others, his love is being poured. But when his love is being poured through us to others, is it that it's so that the fullness of the expression of his love here on earth can be manifest in ways that he couldn't do without us? Because each of us have a unique DNA. Each of us have a unique DNA, each of us have a unique expression, kind of like a snowflake. He made us a certain way and each of us can reflect a part of God, god's heart, that only we can reflect. So I'm not saying I know for sure, but is that what it means when it's said, his love is made complete in us? Letting his love flow through us allows an expression of his love to be manifest to others that couldn't be manifest or completely expressed in other ways. So he's saying my dear children, love one another and it makes his joy complete, it touches his heart.

Jen Reding: 30:58

We're going to finish with communion, so I just want to cap up. How can we love others? Well, only his love being poured through us. It's his love. He causes it to increase and overflow. And sometimes we need to do heart forgiveness. If there's a block, if we've allowed some bitterness or some resentment or negativity in towards someone, we need to do the heart work to forgive so that his love can flow. So, as I lead you into communion, take time to meditate on his love, but also take time to meditate on if there's anyone that you need to forgive, and just take that moment and give that to the Father.