It was from the words of Jesus Christ that we have “Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.” Jesus spoke about the need for genuine love for each other throughout His ministry on the earth. Even what we know of today as the “Golden Rule” is taken from the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:12: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them…”
People respond more by the examples around them than from simple instruction. If we want to see those around us treat us fairly and with love and respect, we have to embrace Jesus’ teaching and love and care and sacrifice for them like Jesus has for us.
Jesus set the greatest example. He loved us so much that He put our needs before His own. He lived a pure and sinless life while on the earth, which means that He never once disobeyed God’s law - He always obeyed; He sacrificed His needs for the sake of others, and He loved others. Jesus sacrificed and loved others in His life and by His death.
When Jesus went to the cross to die, He took upon Himself all of the sins of mankind: every disobedience, every evil deed, every curse word spoken, every form of corruption, each and every sin. Even though He was perfect and never broke any of God’s laws, He chose to take the penalty of mankind’s sin upon Himself and paid all of our sin debts. Jesus did this out of love for us. You are loved. Jesus loves us all.
At Campbell Bible Church, we strive to put into practice Jesus’ commands, such as John 13:34: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” How do we love? By following Jesus’ example: by loving those in our community, by helping others, by doing what we can to help, by putting others first, and by sacrificing for others. Too many people today only love themselves with little to no regard for anyone else. We want to set the example by following Jesus’ example. We want to act upon the love that God has given us by loving others as much as we love ourselves. And we want to encourage you to love others as much as you love yourself.
This year our church focus is “Love One Another.” Each month we have a theme that reflects this purpose. In January, we gave out bracelets to those that we prayed with. In February, we met together to make blankets for NICU babies. In March, we handed out the Gospel of John, a portion from the Bible, to others. In April, we are hosting an Easter Breakfast for any and all that would like to come and fellowship with us. As the months continue, we have different activities to continue to remind us to love others and encourage others to follow Jesus’ example of genuine love. We would encourage you to check out our calendar—there’s going to be a Ladies Luncheon and a Men’s BBQ, as well as opportunities to put together items for others in need.
In today’s world of hate and fear, we want to remind everyone that there is still genuine love. Yes, we are all human and some are more selfish than others. But God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die to pay the penalty for our sins. You are important to Him, even if you have flaws. God loves you. Jesus loves you. And Campbell Bible Church loves you. You are important to us.