Fifteen ways agapé love moves.

Quick show of hands... Who here loves tacos? Okay. Who loves your favorite parent? Who loves your dog? It’s the same word. "Love." We use it for tacos, our moms, a playlist, a Starbucks drink, pets, and the person we're going to marry. That's a lot for that one word.

But the Greeks have six words for love. They have philia, which is friendship love. And philadelphia, which is brotherly love. Yes, like the city. Those are good. Anybody can love those ways.

But when we read in the bible about God's love, a different word is used: agapé. Agapé love. And the difference is: anybody can have friendship or brotherly love. But only someone born again… of God's spirit… can manifest agapé love. And that’s because agapé is the love of God. There are fifteen ways agapé love moves.

In the next few minutes, we’re going to learn four things: (1) where agapé love comes from, (2) what the love chapter in the Bible really says, (3) who's doing the loving, and (4) what does love do for a family.

Part 1: Where's It Come From?

Okay, so where does agapé love come from? Please turn to and read Romans 5:5 - And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

That phrase "shed abroad" is the Greek word ekcheō (ek-KHEH-o, Strong's G1632). It means to pour out. Like tipping a pitcher of water over and letting it spill out. 

So where does our love come from? God. God pours it… into our hearts.. by what? the holy spirit… which is given to us… when? When we're born again. We get agapé love. As a gift. From God.

When we confessed Romans 10:9 and 10, we became saved, born again, and we received the gift of holy spirit... and God's love (agapé love) came with it.

Paul tells Timothy, in a letter, the very same thing. Please turn to and read 2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love (agapé), and of a sound mind.

This agapé love comes from God. It was a gift.

It didn't come to us by trying harder. In Romans 7:18–19, Paul said, For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me (I’m willing to do good); but how to perform that which is good, I find not. For the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Paul is saying we can't produce real love out of the flesh (out of our human nature), because God’s love is a spiritual thing. 

So, the key is: You don't have to work really hard on creating… what God already poured into our hearts. You don't have to manufacture unconditional love. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is… put it on. In your heart and mind. It’s a simple decision. 

Like Colossians 3:14 says "put on charity (agapé love)." 

That's a choice we can make… by renewing our minds to what's already inside us. We put on charity (agapé love). 

Philippians 2:13 says "For it is God which worketh in you… both to will and to do… of his good pleasure."

God supplies the love… And we get to decide to put it on. And it’s that love that worketh in us. 

That's why you'll hear agapé defined this way. It’s the unconditional love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. We put God's Word in our minds, and in our hearts. It renews us, as we think it, we speak it, we act on it... and the love that's on the inside… (manifests) starts to show up on the outside. Like fruit on a tree. Love is a fruit of the spirit. 

So, where does agapé love come from? God supplies the love. We manifest it.

Part 2: Fifteen Verbs

Now turn to 1 Corinthians 13. And we'll look at the most famous love chapter in the Word and notice something most people read right past. 

There are 15 ways to manifest love.

Let's read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. In these verses, KJV says "charity," but it's the same Greek word, agapé.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 says: Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Here's what most people miss. In English, it sounds like a list of human qualities, adjectives. Patient. Kind. Not jealous. Like a description of a really nice person, right?

But in Greek, every one of those is a VERB. Fifteen verbs. In four verses. Suffers long. Does kindness. Doesn't envy. Doesn't brag. Doesn't puff up. Doesn't act ugly. Doesn't grab for itself. Doesn't get provoked. Doesn't keep score. Doesn't celebrate wrong. Celebrates truth. Bears. Believes. Hopes. Endures.

Love is a verb. Love isn't sitting still… in this chapter. It's moving. Paul didn't define love. He showed us… what it DOES. How do you know your dog loves you? He shows you. How do you prove that one person loves another? They show it. How do you know I love watching the Steelers? Watch me on any given Sunday. It's manifested, displayed. It's done in action. Love is a verb.

For example. "Suffers long" is makrothumeō (mak-roth-oo-MEH-o, G3114), means long-tempered. People can be short-tempered. Love has a long fuse.

Love "is kind.” That’s chrēsteuomai (khray-styoo'-om-ahee, G5541). It means to show yourself useful. Kindness isn't a feeling. It's an action.

"Doth not behave itself unseemly." Love is sometimes about doing things properly. Like, having good manners. Saying thank you. Holding the door open. Small stuff... but love takes care of the big stuff and the small stuff too.

"thinketh no evil." That’s logizomai (log-id'-zom-ahee, G3049). It's an accounting word. It means to count, to track, or to record. But love… doesn't keep count. "Thinks no evil." Instead, love works by thinking about people at their best, according to what God’s Word says about them. Love thinketh no evil.

And here’s my favorite... "beareth all things." That’s stegō (steh'-go, G4722). It means to cover, to protect by covering. It's related to a word for a roof. So love is like a roof. It covers people. When somebody messes up, love doesn't keep track or records it. Love covers it.

So all fifteen of those in 1 Corinthians 13 are things love DOES.

So far, we've learned that God gave us love, and it's a verb.

Part 3: The Twist... It's Christ in You

So who's doing these fifteen acts of love?

Turn to Colossians 1:27 - To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Christ in you. Paul said it this way in Galatians 2:20: Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by believing in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

So, now we can read 1 Corinthians 13 like this: Christ in me suffereth long. Christ in me is kind. Christ in me is not easily provoked... Christ in me thinketh no evil... Christ in me beareth all things.

This list of 15 things that love does… is a description of what's living… on the inside… of us. And when we renew our minds… to that… and put it on (we put on charity), then those verbs… start coming out of us.

Because I have been given the gift of holy spirit, I have Christ in me, and I can manifest unconditional love of God that's in my renewed mind.

So far, we've learned that God gave us love, it's a verb, and we've got Christ in us. 

Part 4: Love Is the Ligament

So, what does this love do for us, as members of God's family?

Now, turn to Colossians 3:12–14 - Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

The word "bond" means ligament or a joint connection. Love is the ligament of a family. Love is the joint connection between family members. Think about your own family... mom, dad, brothers, sisters, grandparents. Great - that's your family.

But… when we got born again, we joined another family. God is our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is our big brother. And everybody in this room (total strangers) is a brother or sister in Christ. 

Love is what ties us together. Without it, we're just a bunch of people sitting in the same living room. Which is fine… But…

Jesus said something about this to his disciples in John 13. Jesus gave them a command.

In John 13:34–35 (our last verse): A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another. As I have loved you, ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love, one to another.

Agapé love became fully possible on the day of Pentecost, when people could be born again of God's spirit.

And look at the result: "By this shall all men know." When we live God's love… it shows. People watch how we treat each other... and some of them are going to want to know more… about who you are, what you have inside, and what you do with it.

In Summary

Here's what we learned today. 

One... agapé is God's love, and He poured it into us. We don't make it ourselves. We put it on.

Two... love is fifteen verbs. It's long-tempered, it shows kindness, it has good manners, it thinks the best, and it roofs over people.

Three… it's Christ in you, living those verbs… through us.

And four... love is the ligament… that holds… God’s family together, and it draws other people in.

Ephesians 5 says to be imitators of God, as children. And walk continually in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us.

So, pick one of the fifteen verbs from 1 Corinthians 13. Then imitate, put on some agape love… for one person, maybe a friend or a family member. And let Christ in you do the work.

That’s what I wanted to share.

You’re God’s best. 

Amen?