In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of love in the Christian faith. He shares a letter from a young man who was deeply impacted by the love he witnessed at a conference. The speaker highlights that while preaching and evangelism are important, it is the demonstration of love that truly transforms lives. He urges listeners to not only speak about love but to also show it through their actions. The speaker emphasizes that love is not just about words or emotions, but it should be expressed through practical acts of compassion and generosity.

For with the same measure that ye make, with all it shall be measured to you again. Oh, do you see the revolutionary instinct of this portion of the word of God? How far we are from this. Love your enemies. Many of us have close friends at college and at school. Souls we really love and we're really thankful to God that he's put a love in our hearts for these people. We love to play with them. We love to be with them. We love to talk with them. God says in this passage we do no better than the sinners. Because in most cases you're going to find that the people you love, the people you go with, the little clique you've organized are mainly with those people that you love and that love you. People that think you're rather keen. People who are willing to be obedient to you. People who accept your ideas. People who accept your mode of living. God says, but the sinners do the same. The sinners do the same. Real love, Christ's love begins when we begin to love enemies. Because you see, the only ones Jesus ever loved were his enemies. We're all enemies of God. The Bible says we were aliens. We were enemies. We were strangers. God loved us. Yea, why we were yet sinners. Christ loved us. How different than the little so-called love relationships we've built up. How different than this love that we have for people because we have an affinity. We have a liking. We have an equal personality. And unless we begin to love those who don't love us. Unless we begin to love those who are against us. Unless we begin to love those who persecute us. Unless we begin to love those who misunderstand us. We haven't begun to love as far as God is concerned. What a challenge! What a challenge for you there in your college. What a challenge for you wherever you are. To begin to love those who don't love you. To begin to love the unlovely as Jesus loved the unlovely. Oh might we see the reality of the Christian faith. A revolution of love that indeed will turn the world upside down. We could spend hours on this passage of Scripture. We could never touch the depth of the love that is expressed here. When God tells us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. That golden rule, that royal rule. To do unto others as we would have them do unto us. To do unto our team leader as we would want our team members to do unto us. To do unto our teacher as we would want our pupils to do unto us. To do unto our parents as we would want our children to do unto us. To do unto the bus driver or the maintenance man or the housekeeper or the house mother or the dean of men as we would want them to do unto us. Are you practicing this? Is this the daily practice of your life? Is this a part of your very nature, your very being? If not, you're still not in the revolution. Oh you can be a Christian. You can be baptized. You can be in the church. Some of the most unloving people I've met in all the world are in the church. But that doesn't mean you've taken hold of these promises. That doesn't mean you've entered into this life of victory. This life of love. This life of faith. God tells us in the Word that there's carnal Christians. There's babes in Christ. They've never grown. They've never come into maturity. And today our churches are filled with spiritual dwarfs and spiritual midgets. Our Bible colleges are filled with people that have even been 20 or 30 years as Christians. And they're still babies. They're still toddlers. They're still wearing their diapers and their nappies. Because they've never come to grips with the life of Jesus Christ. Which is basically a life of love. Basically a life of mercy. Basically a life of forgiveness. Don't forgive them seven times, Jesus said, but 70 times 70. We go holding our grudges against this person and that person. And we think that we can hold things in our hearts against our fellow men and still walk with God. And God says it's not possible. God says if you cannot love those whom you have seen, how can you love him whom you have not seen? And as long as there's broken fellowship between you and some brother in Christ. As long as there's a broken fellowship, a broken strand in the cord of love between you and some brother in Christ. There's a broken strand between you and God. We can pass over it. We can think that we're getting through in prayer. But God says we're deceiving ourselves. And in the book of Galatians he says, be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap. And when we sow these unloving feelings. When we sow these jealous thoughts. When we sow these unloving actions. We're going to reap. We're going to reap a bitter reaping. Oh God might open our eyes and show us that there's only one way. The way of love. The way of cowardly love. The way that Jesus went because he loved us with an everlasting love. Let's look now in John. John the 13th chapter. John 13 verse 34 drives this message home even harder. John 13 34 we read these amazing words. A new commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another as I have loved you. That ye also love one another. Now this goes beyond my understanding. When Jesus tells us that we're to love one another as he loved us. That says so much that we could stop right here and spend the next 24 hours meditating on it. Love others as Christ loved us. And when we think of Jesus Christ leaving, forsaking all the glories of heaven. All the treasures of the galaxies and the glories of the heavens. To come down and be born in a stable. And to live on this earth with no place to lay his head. And nothing of this world's good. Leaving everything. Leaving his reputation. Becoming a man. Taking on the form of a servant. Taking the power of washing the disciples feet. Walking up Calvary's cross. Going up Calvary's road to Calvary's cross. When we think of all of this. That love poured out on Calvary. As Jesus with a nail pierced hand. Looked down on us and said forgive them they know not what they do. And then he comes and he says now you love the brethren as I love you. Now you love one another as I love you. Perhaps it can only be captivated in the words of the 15th chapter of John. Where it says and greater love hath no man than this. That he lay down his life. That he gives his life. As this is what God is asking you and I to do. To be ready willing and wanting to lay down our life for the present. To lay down our lives for one another. Some of us have trouble just living together. Some of us have trouble just forgiving one another's faults. And letting love cover one another's sins. And meeting together in times of prayer and love. Much less laying down our lives. Do you see how far we are from the crux of the gospel? And I say this with all the backing and all the authority of the New Testament. Love is the crux of the gospel. Christ is the crux of the gospel. And love and Christ come together. When Christ comes love comes. And when love comes Christ comes. You cannot separate the two. And Calvary is a great Christ story. Calvary is a great love story. And the less we see this we are blind and see not. Yes. And the second verse, the next verse, the 35th verse comes right in justice strongly. And it says by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples. If ye have love one toward another. People aren't going to know we're his disciples because we're forsaking or selling our possessions. People aren't going to know we're his disciples because we're going to Mexico or Europe to get our little interest. People aren't going to know we're his disciples because we preach good service. People aren't going to know we're his disciples because we sing hymns loudly. Or because we go to evangelistic meetings. Or because we pass out facts. They're going to know that we're his disciples because we love one another. That's the text of fellowship. That's the center of reality in the Christian faith. And oh how easy it is to get on the fringes. How it breaks my heart to see the church playing at the fringes. Arguing over secondary doctrines. Arguing over minor points and minor issues. When God says that we don't love one another. We're nothing. We're sounding brass. And we're tinkling cymbals. Oh might we sing it. It can't be expressed in any better words than it's expressed in the New Testament. How God's people have missed the message. How God's people have been so fluent to the teaching of Jesus. It's beyond my understanding. It's beyond my capacity to rationalize or to reason or to be logical. So clear. So blunt. Invincible they're my disciples. They love one another. Not because they sing together. Not because they sign their name on the same dotted line. Not because they go to the same school. Not because they belong to the same cliques. But because they love one another. Because they show forth love and joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, long-suffering toward one another. Because they forbear one another in love. Because they're kind to one another. Because they're gentle with one another. Because they esteem the other as better than themselves. This is how we know they're Christians. No wonder people aren't coming to Christ in these days. And we can go on with our peaceful evangelistic efforts. And we can go counting decisions, counting decisions, counting decisions. But until those who are supposedly engaged in a follow-up learn how to love those who make decisions for Christ, it's few and far between that'll continue in the faith. And I've gone from plate to plate making a study of this. We'll be bringing forth some of these ideas in the new manual I'm writing on follow-up. Entitled, The Missing Link in Evangelism. Love. Oh, how true it is that the missing link in our evangelism in love. We want to get decisions. We want to see souls saved. We want to see people come to Christ. And we love to welcome them at the altar. But we're far more willing to welcome them at the altar than we're willing to welcome them in our homes. In my city, I rush, you know. And after all, we just can't bring people off the streets in these new congregants into our homes and fellowship with them and go with them week after week. And so a man, he said, Jesus Christ. And we phone him up the next week. And we say, well, how about coming to church? And he says, well, I'm not sure. I'm busy. And we hang up the phone. We say, well, I guess he really didn't mean business. Well, I'm glad some of the others did. We don't know who the others are. And we go our way and on our way. If we are going to see evangelism succeed in Mexico or anywhere else, we're going to have to learn to love men. And this doesn't mean just welcoming them at the altar of decision. It means welcoming them in our homes. Welcoming them in our cars. Welcoming them at our breakfast table. Just making them a part of our life. Better to have five or six men the rest of your life who you really love and who really come to know Jesus and who go on to walk with Jesus and who become fruitful in Jesus than hundreds of people who raise their hand at a decision meeting and say they follow Christ but because they've never been loved, they go their way. Jesus said, if you love me, feed my sheep. This must be our motivation in Israel. This must be our number one weapon. More powerful than the atomic bomb. Faster than anything man has ever created. Stronger than the strongest of all men or the strongest of all the things that man has ever created. Fast. Christlike. Working in us. Working through us. Constraining us to do His will no matter what the cost. And in this, they will know that we are His disciples. We turn on now and we see in the book of Acts chapter 2. Just take this down. Chapter 2, verse 42 to the end. We see the New Testament church. They contained it steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers. And fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together and had all things common. And sold their possessions and goods in part of them to all men as every man had need. And they continued daily with one accord in the temple and breaking of bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. What was the one thing that stood out among those people more than anything else? It was love. Why did they sell their possessions? Because they loved. Love gives. Love always expresses itself in giving. When a young man falls in love with a girl she wants to give her things. And when we fall in love with Jesus we're going to want to give him everything. When we fall in love with others we're going to want to just give. Everything we've got for the Indians, for the Chinese for our next door neighbor. Love gives. And that's what happened. That's why they had communal living there in the New Testament. And any attempt today to live like this outside of a spontaneous action of the Holy Spirit loving for us will end in just futility and nonsense. That's why we in this world have no specific rules about selling possessions no specific rules about how much you must forsake or about living in common. We just believe that if we love one another we'll go as far as God goes in our hearts. But we've seen wonderful things as God has poured into our hearts His love that has caused us to forsake all that we've had or at least to begin to forsake all that we have to tell all things as His and to have no rights. Love takes your rights away. When Jesus loved us He had to leave the rights of heaven to rescue us. And when you and I want to go and rescue men we've got to leave our rights. Oh, might we see what would happen if we begin to love one another. Now let's move on and look at Romans 5 Romans 5 verse 5 we see where this love comes from. You see it isn't something you start with in yourself. It isn't something you'll work up in an emotional meeting. It isn't something you can dig up. It isn't something that you can even pray up. Here in Romans 5 verse 5 we read this and hope it make it not a shame because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. You see, love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and it's the Holy Spirit in us as we abide in Jesus Christ as we rest in Him as we trust in Him as we turn from all sins as we repent of all sins the Holy Spirit fills us and takes over our life. God tells us in Ephesians to be filled with the Spirit. Are you filled with the Spirit? Oh, that God might show us. And what a grievous thing it is to meet all these people in America and England today who claim to be filled with the Spirit and they talk about all these different experiences they've had with the Holy Spirit and yet we don't find the love. That love that forsakes all. That love that'll reach out to the ends of the earth. That love that esteems the brothers better than ourselves. That love that brings about patience and gentleness and meekness and kindness. We don't see it. And when I don't see those things, beloved I don't care what kind of experience a man claims to have had I doubt that he's experienced anything with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost, first of all brings love. The love of God has been shattered, broken apart by the Holy Spirit. Now please copy down these references to study on your own for there isn't time to complete them all. I want you to look at 1 Corinthians 13 and study it intensely. Then look at 2 Corinthians 5.14 where it tells us that the love of God constrains us. Here it is here again that same thing we saw in that first verse that we read in this message. That Jesus was moved with compassion. Here it says the love of God constrains us. Then Galatians 5.6 where it tells us that he's in faith working by love. And then read that prayer of Paul in Ephesians 3.16-21 I believe that's where he tells us to be rooted and grounded in love. And then look at Philippians 2.1-4 that tremendous unity that God wants us to have. How he wants us to be of one love. Read that. Philippians 2.1-4 and then Colossians 3 verses 12-14. Study those verses. And then 1 Thessalonians 3.12 where Paul tells us that we need to abound in love. Are you tonight? Are you this morning or this afternoon or whenever you listen to this tape? Are you abounding in love? Love is flowing over and people can feel it. I had a young man come to one of our conferences recently here in Great Britain. And when he went back he wrote us a letter and the thing that impressed him wasn't the preaching wasn't the evangelism wasn't all the activity and the distribution of thousands of pieces of literature but the thing that shook his life was the love he saw in the young people. And he said I learned more in two days than I've learned in all the past years in my Christian experience. And I found this everywhere. What youth is looking for what people are looking for today in the realm of reality is love. They hear about a church that's preaching a message of love but they aren't seeing lives of love. This is what's needed on your campus. This is what, well we've been a revolution. It isn't your preaching it isn't your knowing it all it isn't your OM vision it isn't your forsaking all and all these other things the thing that's going to make an impact on your campus in your college wherever you go is love. Are you abounding in love? If you are something's going to happen on your campus in your school. And then copy down 2 Thessalonians 3.5 and then 1 Timothy 4.12 where it says that we're not to allow people to despise our youth but we're to be examples and one of the ways we're to be examples according to this verse is in love. Study that little verse how powerful it is. And then 2 Timothy 2.22 where it tells us to flee lust and then follow after a certain thing righteousness and love. Almighty Jesus this is Christianity it's life it's holy life it's Christ life in us. Even the little book of Titus you can't hardly read it without seeing it. Look in the first chapter in the 8th verse at onward just the message of love in that little book and Philemon 1.4 and then Hebrews 12.6 and there's one thing I noticed about that verse where it tells us that because God loves us he chastens us. Remember love isn't just a wishy-washy thing it's going to be love at times that leads you to go to a brother in gentleness and humility and if you can't go like that don't go. But it will lead us to a brother in gentleness and humility and love to correct him to help him to love him. Meekness esteeming it better than ourselves. Love and light go together. You can't separate truth and love. Don't fall into the pitfall of a modernist who thinks that love is the answer even though he knows nothing of real sacrificial God sent love. He thinks he can separate love from truth. You can't and we see that in the epistles of John and many other places. And then read the book of James what a love story especially James 2.1-8 about how God condemned this thing of being a respecter of persons. How God condemned this thing of seeking honor and of giving a special place to those who are rich. Oh what God says concerning this is very very powerful. Read James 2.1-8 And then that verse I want every one of us to meditate on so important. 1 Peter 4 where it says that above everything else were to have love for love will cover a multitude of sins. You must see this as you go out on your team. You must see this as you work together there in your college. You must see this wherever you are. Love covers sin. See that with Peter the matter separates the very best of friends. But love covers a multitude of sins. Write that down. Memorize it. And the next time you go to back fight the next time you go to gossip the next time you begin to gripe about something someone's done wrong. Remember God said that love covers sin. It was the love of Jesus Christ that caused him to cover our terrible sins with the blood that he shat on Calvary's cross. And it's that same blood shed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit that will cause us to love people so that we'll cover their sins and we'll seek the good and we'll believe the good. Love believes all things. Oh, it's revolutionary. Oh, it's different. But it's the only thing that's ever going to enable us to stand together united in Jesus Christ for this tremendous battle we're faced with. And that's first John. We read these words. Before I end with these verses from first John. John down. Second John 1, 5 and 6. Third John 1 and 6. June 1, 21. And Revelation 2, 4. And now I'm closing. Let's look at first John, chapter 3. Yes, this is the chapter that calls us murderers if we don't love. This is the chapter that one verse upon the other talks about love. And I want us to close by just looking at first John 3, 16. We all don't like John 3, 16. But here's first John 3, 16. And everything I could possibly say is summed up in these powerful words. Hereby receive we the love of God because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. How thankful we are today that God loved us and gave His life for us. He redeemed us. He reconciled us. He brought us back to Himself because of terribly love that was expressed on the cross when Jesus Christ laid down His very life. We love it. We sing about it. We enjoy it. We study about it. But it's only half the message. The second half of the message is found in the second half of the verse. And that's what we've been talking about today. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. And the 17th verse follows up on it and makes it more practical. But who shall ever have this world's good and see if his brother has need and set us up in bowels of compassion from Him and how dwell the love of God in him. My little children, let us not love in words, neither in tongues, but in deed and in truth. And no doubt many have been listening to my voice. Up to now, you've loved in tongues. You've loved in words. You've talked about these things. You've meditated on some of them. You've heard messages on them. But the challenge today is to begin to love in deed. To begin to allow this revolution to take place in your life where you begin to esteem the others better than yourself. Where you begin to love your neighbor as yourself. Where you begin to do to others as you would have them do unto yourself. Where you begin to care for others as you care for yourself and in which you're consumed in the love of God, loving Him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your being. This is Christianity. This is the life. This is the revolution that Jesus brought in and with this we'll see the offensive in the warfare. With this we'll win victories in Mexico, in Europe. With this you'll bring about a spiritual revolution wherever you go. God saying, not I. This is God's message. Invite each one of us. Realize that if God has told us to do this He will give us the grace to do it. For God is not a liar and each and every command in the word has just enough grace from God to enable us to obey. Let us pray. Heavenly Father we thank you for thy word. We thank you that it's true. It's like a double-edged sword. We thank thee that God loved us and we understand his love through seeing Jesus Christ laying down his life and might each one of us in our prayer even now lay down our lives for God and for the brethren that we might see spiritual revolution in this year. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.