Agape Love and Social Change

LIVE from the Mecca of Mormonism – Salt Lake City, Utah

THIS is Heart of the Matter, where we do all we can to help people walk toward His love. God’s love. Jesus love. The Fruit of the Spirit. And I am your host, Shawn McCraney. How about a word of prayer between us?

PRAYER

Episode Overview

Show 19B Follow-Up to Agape Love Defined
Live Show December 10th 2019

So, listen – Michael has created a new HOTM.FAITH site for your perusal. It is very easy to navigate and so we strongly recommend you consult it and its contents as you review what the ministry has produced on your behalf. The best way to navigate it, in my impression, is to resort to the MENU – and we are now going to show you how.

The Role of Agape Love in Social Movements

Okay, so we are living at a time where rising up and protesting for various causes are growing in popularity. Started in the US with the Boston Tea Party and rose up again in the sixties, and today we are still rallying around to help assist in social change. I am going to trouble some of you but I have to give my view on this – and my view is based on the BEST solution to world problems and the ORDER in which this solution enters into the human experience.

The insight is based on agape love and how it is best expended – why do I say this? I have a Christian friend who believes that getting involved in social issues is a loving thing to do. That to protest against human rights violations, or mistreatment of animals or children or women or any of these things, is the best way to both create change in the world and to show agape love. I resist this with all of my being and I want to explain why.

This same friend, in the face to face with difficult people, has a hard time truly loving them. So in his case, he is able to jump on frothing bandwagons for the homeless, screaming and shouting on the capital steps for reform, but TO individual homeless people who he gets to know, the attitude is far less benevolent. I would first suggest that this is not the most effective order to causing real change in the world.

Prioritizing Individual Love

The most effective order is to first learn to actually, effectively LOVE with selfless, sacrificial love neighbor and enemy, failure and success, and then do the same with individuals who need our help, and once we have those practices in place, then perhaps go out and support the masses in their protests. See, individual to individual is the petri dish for genuine agape love. The razzmatazz of group think, and the power and the passion of strength in numbers is what HUMANS want to feel and believe is AGAPE. But it’s really not. Anyone can love an ideal. THAT is easy.

Its in the day to day, face to face, challenge of actual love that lasting earth changing love exists. This stance swings both ways. Its why I think ranting in public against abortion is anathematic to Agape love as well. Love the abortioners. Love those getting the abortions. Several abortions. Get that relationship down first – because that is effective love – not these other empty causes where you get to feel empowered by ideals.

And this leads me to the other reason why I think believers can spend their sacred time on a far more effective solution to the problems in this world than protesting.

And what is that? Sharing Jesus. Why? Because He is the solution and He reaches into the hearts of people (when truly there) and causes those who are His to actually love – I suggest that those who are truly Sons and Daughters of God would recoil at animal abuse, polluting the environment selfishly, abusing women or children in any way or form. I take this to an extreme too as I do not believe that any human driven cause can hold a candle to what Jesus could accomplish with the same group involved. Therefore I am not in awe at social movers and shakers who fight against social injustice. I don’t hate them, but to me they have or are shining the brass on the Titanic – no matter HOW good the cause seems to be. There is a better solution to civil rights, and human rights, and the environment, and crime and on and on and on.

It’s Jesus TRULY understood and taught.

My friend responded and said that most people don’t respond to Jesus.

Exploring Agape Love

me that is irrelevant. Its like saying that most people with cancer won’t do chemotherapy so lets just give them painkillers and watch them eventually die.

Jesus is the solution – primary and end all, first in our own lives and toward all others, and then in our outreach to the world. His message is simple – your sins and failures have been paid for in total, making you right with God. Now love others in the face of that. Forgive. Be patient. Longsuffering. Kind. Gentle.

Responses to Agape Love

So we got some responses from last nights show on the formula to Agape love (which I said could be best understood through one verse, John 3:16

Comments from the Audience

The comments were:

J. Huff Humble wrote:

“Agape love – that’s it Shawn !!! Great show brother !!!!!”

Thanks J Huff.

It is it – truly. Agape love. And we have made it about more, haven’t we? That is what we are trying to say here in all of these shows. Christians are to love with the love that God is. We learn how to love by looking at how Jesus loved, don’t we?

We have taken His ways of love and reconfigured them to be only to some. We have allowed so many things to become hindrances to His love:

• Doctrines
• Denominational demands
• Self self self
• Covenants and rituals
• Lifestyles and appearances

We have esteemed the rich and powerful as worthy and the poor and broken unworthy. We have added the world to our faith – and all that it is in it.

No, Huff is correct – Agape love. If you are willing to submit to it, to comply with its relentless demands, to suffer and sacrifice for it, in the Name and faith of Christ, you’ve got it down – all other THANGS excluded.

We got another comment I found really interesting: It is from Shamoa Krasieski and she asks:

“Are love and good intentions two different things? I've heard it said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. So, can you believe that your actions are loving even if they cause more harm than good? And in such a case, is it truly love?”

This question has caused me to really think about the statement or phrase. First of all, it is certainly not biblical. What is biblical are passages like:

1st Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

1st Kings 8:39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

So, intentions are VERY important in the Christian life as God determines so much from the contents of the heart or the intentions.

I am not surprised that it is believed that the origin of the phrase was a French Catholic Priest St Bernard of Clairvaux, who was of an order that based itself off the Benedictine monks. And what were the Benedictine Monks all about:

• the public celebration of the liturgy of the hours
• dedicated reading and . . . . (that’s right)
• manual labor

In a faith approach where manual labor – works and working – like Catholicism and Mormonism, as a means to please God, the popularity of a phrase like: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” which means, “who cares what your heart wanted to do, what did you actually do,” is understandable.

People and faith approaches that enjoy the phrase often appeal to the parable Jesus told in Matthew 21, where he said at verse 28-32:

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And

Understanding Agape Love

"even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.”

So, to the question of Shamoa Krasiesk: “Are love and good intentions two different things? I've heard it said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. So, can you believe that your actions are loving even if they cause more harm than good? And in such a case, is it truly love?”

From what I can tell, taking as much of scripture in the equation as possible, agape love comes from the heart, but not the human heart full of emotions and passion but a heart for God. That is where it begins. Does a person, above all things, want to please God? And how does a person please Him. By doing what He wants us to do. Which is to choose the verb called love in our lives. So in some ways, agape love is both the heart (intentions – which God judges) and the actions, which He rewards. That's why we have passages like

Scriptural Insights

Jeremiah 17:10 which says: I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, (there’s intention) even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (which is the act of love).

But I would throw out that old man-made quote, the Road to Hell is paved with Good intentions. It's manipulative and tries to force people into action – which is NEVER a product of Agape love.

Wyoming Trailer Trash Pray for your Enemy's, Amen! Even those who make a bad lane change… AMEN BROTHER!

Sarah Leann Young 14 hours ago I love how after nearly wasting months on bickering with Jason Wallace, you're making an about face turn and instead talking non-stop about agape love. I was salivating over the anticipation of that fight like the bloodthirsty Christian that I am, and as a result of your change in tone from fighting to seeking peace and love, the other bloodthirsty Christians have basically stopped watching, calling this kind of presentation too "boring", like audience members at a UFC Match or a WWE show that doesn't satisfy their craving for blood sufficiently. Sorry, guys.

Shawn remembered that he isn't doing this to satiate our fleshly cravings for blood, but to satiate our spirit's craving for love. This kind of show is only boring to those looking for a fight. Thanks for the reminder, Shawn!

Recognizing the Challenge of Genuine Connection

Thanks for recognizing that I recognized that I was wrong. Let’s be honest – we all want to be popular and to see lots of hits and views and likes on the stuff we believe is important. And in the arena of social media that is what it is all about, right? NUMBERS. But it's really no different than what pastors are willing to do to grow and increase in the community. And there is a daily battle on whom we will serve – HIM and His cause or our own. I fail, have failed, and will continue to fail, allowing my desires to be met rather than His. My prayer and my request of your prayers is that I will always – at least eventually – come to my Jesus senses and promote peace, love and understanding. If I can’t do that, I am nothing. Love you sister.

ExMormon4 ChristAlone 8 hours ago (edited) Shawn. I'm glad to hear this message. Since my family left the LDS church, it's been a challenge to find a church community that wholly adheres to this message. I have met some nice people, but in all practicality, I've witnessed too much doctrinal back and forth, anti-gay and anti-anything other than Christianity messages. It doesn't seem like anyone is interested in knowing me or my family outside any of the "programs" (aka ministries) where we have attended. I've been unchurching (not attending anywhere), experiencing genuine agape experiences with my family and friends. People are craving genuine experiences, not the same institutionally dispensed community. Look, I'm not saying there is no value there, but it's been a real challenge to genuinely connect with people outside of the "program," aka church.

Artifact Hunter 48 minutes ago You read John 3:16, you need to read the next verse to understand it, please everyone define the words in your bible!!

So, lets read the next verse to “understand it,” It says

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The Impact of God's Love

agree with this passage more and think my exegesis of verse 16 was in harmony with what is said here. The world through Him has been saved. So let’s love God and each other in light of this glorious proclamation.

Reflections on Love and Unity

Brother Tyler wrote

In a day and age where prejudice is strong and the divide of how people should treat each other is vast, it is good to hear a thought on love that is not from a political extreme. God’s love for us can sometimes be hard to understand because he blesses us with trials and chastens those he loves. But as a parent I understand that love doesn't just mean soft and sweet. Judgement and patience are tough parts of love. Loved the show Shawn!

And I, we, love you. With the heart of love that God gives us. Unconditionally, in spite of differences, doctrines and divides. This is the command and I, like you, take it seriously.

Upcoming Discussion

So tune in this coming Monday night as we discuss whether God wants us to be Lawyers or Lovers. Yes, LOVE again!

Here on Heart of the Matter!