Love in Acts

[jambo]

My co-elder and I are preaching through a series on the cities of Acts and the churches planted there. This Sunday we arrive at Ephesus and its my turn to preach.

Thinking of Ephesus as the church that lost its first love (Rev 2) I counted the occurances of 'love' in Ephesians and it holds the highest number in any of Paul's epistles (17) Romans is next with 14 but then it has 16 chapters. Only John's gospel is higher with 46 and his first epistle with 37 however as John's gospel has 21 chapters compared to 6 of Ephesians, as a ratio love is mentioned more in Ephesians. (Yes, I know, I need to get out more)

However what I found astonishing is that the word 'love' does not appear at all in Acts. Yet this is the book of the great expansion of the church and it all takes place without the word love being mentioned. It makes me wonder about the gross inadaquacy of some modern so called evangelism where the content sometimes ammounts to nothing more than "smile God loves you"

 

[Pergamum]

I think it would be a bad tactic to attack modern evangelism with this tool.

To say that the early Christians did not spread the Gospel out of love for God and man is not accurate. To say that the love of God is not displayed in Acts by His saving power is also not accurate. The message of John 3:16 was what these men preached as the early church expanded.

God is loving and does have a wonderful plan. No need to emphasize the BUTS as we reflect on the glorious spread of the Gospel in Acts. I would much rather hear what evangelism IS rather than hearing a list of what it is NOT. Too much of reformed preaching consists of us telling about what the other guys are doing wrong rather than explaining what is right about what we believe.

 

[jambo]

What I was getting at was first of all the sense of amazement that the word 'love' does not occur once in the whole book of Acts, the only book in the NT where this is the case. I have no doubt that in every chapter of Acts we see the fruit of the disciples love for and obediance to God. I have no doubt that it was out of love for their fellow man that the disciples preached and underwent hardships in order to proclaim the gospel. No doubt the disciples spoke of God's love to the crowds but scripture does not actually record it.

With regard to modern evangelism: there is in some circles a woolly headedness about it. I have actually been stopped in the street and asked if I knew God loved me. Although always loathe to be critical of those attempting to do things for the kingdom, a bit like Priscilla and Aquilla taking Apollos aside to explain the way of God more accurately (I do not mean this to sound at all arrogant) so I believe it is inadaquate and defective to simply say "God loves you"

Looking at the preaching of Peter and Paul throughout Acts we see that Jesus was proclaimed as the Messiah and the fulfilment of OT promise. There was the need to repent, to turn to Christ from idols and to believe in the unique Lord Jesus and only Saviour. This is positive preaching, focused on Christ and should be reflected in evangelistic endeavours today.