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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

Verses 5-7 build on one another, building up to LOVE as the pinacle trait. Truly loving in an "agape" manner is the most difficult trait to embody. The other traits listed flow out of love. Love is not easy, and when we set up expectations on others, it becomes even more difficult. Often we set up expectations for "church members" and contort true love into a conditional sort of love.

Loving others is all or nothing. Love does not set up expectations. Love is a fruit that is produced by every Christian, because it is defining. --

John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch [CHRISTIAN] can bear fruit [LOVE] by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Even a basic maturity cannot be gained without Love. In John 15:2, Jesus says, "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,"

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Personally I have found both agape love and brotherly kindness difficult. Its in my nature to feels the hurts and rejections from some of my family in Christ but I do pray about it when I am aware of it when I have identified it and if possible try to make it right. I think the more mature we are in Christ the more we can show brotherly kindness.

I have many times been in places where there are no churches and that's why a disciplined devotional life is so important to keep growing and maturing. I also think it is important to be in a church where brotherly kindness is practised by the members. Not all will but certainly some should.

As always these questions make me reflect on areas where I need more work in my own life.

God Bless!

Lets continue praying for each person on this Bible study. I love reading each others answers and learn so much from everyone of you!

Grow in grace so we don't groan in disgrace.

Jen

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It is hard at times to love church members because of what they (people) do, say, and act. People regardless if they are Christians or not can be very cruel and if people proclaim to be Christians, for me, it hurts much more. If people do not have love or brotherly love in their hearts, they can not treat others godly with love.

Can not mature because avoiding church because of being hurt by someone means that you are placing a human's feelings, actions, and thoughts over God. Have to admit it is very hard because its more hurtful coming from a person who's suppose to be a Christian.

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I think loving undconditionally is the hardest and requires the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to address all hurts in the church by prayer and by communicating with those responsible. If we can't get along in the body of Christ something is really wrong. For God is a God of peace not of chaos and the Holy Spirit brings unity, satan brings division. If we allow satan to divide us, separation occurs not growth and separation eventually leads to death.

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We imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members because it is easier to love manking in general than it is to love a specific person. If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, we cannot mature fully in Christ because God will never give us anything we cannot bear and will never do anything that will hurt us. If someone abuses us, God will turn that situation around into our favor.

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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

B) Agape Love as we see it is sometning that takes no effort, we have nothing to put out. God's love and Grace gives us a commitment and an direction to go to stay within His Commands. The second greatest commandment is to Love Your neighbor as you love your self. It does not say choose whom you want to love, it teills us to Love. God Does not choose who he is going to Love, He loves all his children who Love the Lord Jesus Christ with all their being. So I don't see a problem, God says do ti, so Do it!!!!!

It was written and so let it be done. Gods Love to All B)

:) To avoid going to Church because someone said something you did not like, is like when you were growing up and the boy/girl down the street said that you were a ?????. You ran home to mommy, wake up and be a Christina and let Tell God to give you the strength to not let it hurt you and carry on, going to church is were we get the strength to face each day. Going to church is my way of charging my batteries for the next week, and if someone said something bad about me, I trun it over to God and Pray. ;)

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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

My understanding of "agape love" describes Gods' love for us! I also use it when expressing my love for others - no pretense!

As far as the church goes. I don't allow the sin's of the congrigation to determine if I stay or not, that is as long as the Pastor is teaching & speaking the Truth Of God! Now if the Pastor minimizes Jesus' sufferings, and does not believe in the gifts of The Spirit, then I'm outta there!

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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

Agape love is strong affection or love for our Heavenly Father and His Son. I believe it is because we can not see God or see Jesus but we can feel their power, love, wisdom, compassion and see justice. With church members, its more difficult and complicated because as individuals when we do not like what the other person has done and said we do not want to look at them or be around them because we believe that one day that person or persons will do or say that again. But with God and Jesus Christ, they would never ever leave us, deceive us, and everything that has been spoken from the mouth is the absolute truth.

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IF WE GET INTO LOVING CHURCH MORE

THAT WHAT WE CAN LOVE A MEMBER

WE ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE AND

NOTHING OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING

HAS PENETRATED IN THE MIND MUCH LESS OUR

HEARTS.

SECOND GREATEST COMAND

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

IF WE THINK THAT WE HAVE LOVE IN OUR HEARTS

BETTER NOT THINK BECAUSE LOVE IS ELUSIVE AND

ONE THAT THINKS OF HAVING LOVE, HAS NOTHING

BUT THOUGHTS, AND THOUGHTS COME AND GO.

CAN WE MATURE AWAY FROM THE CHURCH?

ARE WE CHALLENGING GOD'S POWER?

WE CAN MATURE IN THE MIDST OF SINNERS

JESUS DID.

MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU.

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IF WE GET INTO LOVING CHURCH MORE

THAN WE CAN LOVE A FELLOW MEMBER

WE ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE AND

NOTHING OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING

HAS PENETRATED IN THE MIND MUCH LESS

OUR HEARTS.

SECOND GREATEST COMAND:

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

IF WE THINK THAT WE HAVE LOVE IN OUR HEARTS

BTTER NOT THINK BECAUSE LOE IS ELUSIVE AND

ONE THIAT THINKS OF HAVING LOVE, HAS NOTHING

BUT THOUGHTS, AND THOUGHTS COME AND GO

CAN WE MATURE AWAY FROM CHURCH?

ARE WE CHALLENGING GOD'S POWER?

WE CAN MATURE IN THE MIDST OF SINNERS

JESUS DID.

MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU.

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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

Agape love is the hardest thing to do because it is unconditional and it takes a lot of sacrifice to have that kind of love. That is the love that Jesus gave us, He gave even His own life for us.

If we do not love our brothers and sisters we deceive ourselves, because godliness leads to love for other christians and in loving them we will grow fully in Christ.

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:D 2PETER 1:7 Q3----- AGAPE LOVE IS WITHOUT ANY DISTINCTION OF POSITION, WEALTH OR CULTURE,AND ARE TO MEET AS MEMBERS OF ONE FAMILY; THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY SOME CHRISTIANS DON'T ATTEND CHURCH, AND ONE IS BECAUSE OF A MINORITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST ARE ONLY THERE FOR A POSITION, WHICH THEY CANNOT GET OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH, ANOTHER REASON IS THAT IT IS GETTING HARDER TO FIND A CHURCH WHERE THE WORD OF GOD(BIBLE) IS TAUGHT, THAT IS TWO OF THE REASONS WHY I HAVE NOT ATTENDED A CHURCH FOR SOMETIME,BUT IAM STILL IN THE WORD OF GOD; :rolleyes: AMEN
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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

It should not be. We should love church members always. If we don't love them, they might be lost and that would not set well with me. I am for winning all people. We should not avoid Church because of hurts. If I avoided Church because of hurts, I would not be there very often. When someone hurts us in someway, we should, and I do, pray for them and go on our way. If we avoid Church for this reason, we cannot fully mature in Christ.

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A lot of Christians have a hard time loving those who despise them. Many in the church slander and gossip about other Christians in their church. Thus breaking true fellowship among the believers. Many Christians have a hard time overcoming that, despite Jesus saying love and pray for those that despitefully use you. The problem is, we cannot grow fully in Christ if we distance ourselves from church because of the unbiblical behavior displayed by many in the church. We must be an example of true Christianity -- true followers of Christ. We love others whether they love or even like us.

In loving and ministering to these people God develops our character. A part of that process is that we look to God for the strength and courage to minister to people that we could not minister to otherwise. God stretches our limitations in every way. Praise God!!!!!!

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In my case I live with my brothers and church members and since I do, or we do, we are all exposed to one anothers idiosyncrasies, you know, those strange little personal habits that we pick up during ours lives. I don't believe that I am imagining anything when I say it is more difficult to love church members than offer the same agape love to strangers. Strangers are more often than not a fleeting moment in one's walk, an opportunity presented by the Lord to plant good seed. Family members (the body of Christ) on the other hand help us to mature by revealling our faults to each other, and by giving us the ability to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us to overcome those faults and establish lifetime relationships. At the same time, our brothers and sisters are able to help us to see our own infirmities that are often blinded by pride so that we too can be overcomers. We grow together.

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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

This is because many people do not understant what we mean by Love. Love is the the greatest of all human quality and is an attribute of God Himself. Love invovles unselfish service tom others. Real Love is an action, not a feeling.

If we what to be mature in our Christian walk with Jesus, we should possess that Love of God.

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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

1) I suppose people who imagine "agape love" as easier than loving church members do so because they imagine persecution from one not a church member as being less hurtful at the heart level, since the person doing the persecuting is imagined to be not of God's family. Such a person has forgotten that his sins were forgiven and that he too was once an enemy of God and has forgotten his first love. In addition, such a person must not be aware of the fact that when we are persecuted for righteousness we have a great reward in heaven - and that great reward is the person who persecuted us. I suspect that a person without "agape love" is altogether unable to win converts for Christ, because they lack the motivation of heart sufficient to perservere under persecution and do not see or believe God's promise of converting those who persecute us into God's family.

2) If we reject our brothers for any reason, we drink condemnation on ourself. This is true because we have the same Father. For instance, in the natural realm, a child born to his parents is quite literally his parents; he has both his mother and his father in him. Because of this, a child cannot reject either of his parents without rejecting himself since his parents are in him, and if he rejects himself then he must reject both parents. The converse is true relative to parents; if one spouse rejects another spouse, he necessarily rejects his child who has the rejected spouse in him and since he rejects his child, he necessarily rejects himself since he is in his child. The same is true of siblings! A person cannot reject his brother or sister without also rejecting his own parents, since his own parents are in his sibling and, since his parents are in him also, he necessarily drinks condemnation on himself. Therefore, since "both He who makes men holy and they who are made holy are of the same family, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers" - and we must not be ashamed of our brothers and reject them, for to do so is to reject Jesus who is in them. And since Jesus is in us too, we would drink condemnation on ourselves. Rather, we must overlook the offense in love and win our brother back.

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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

It is always easy to love your family members because that is what you are taught from a child. You are expected to love your family members. Your relationship with church members is different then from your own family. Avoiding the church is not good for your growth in your faith. Because God ask "How can we love God that we don't see and not love our brother that we see everyday?" We are one body in Christ for a reason we need each other.

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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7)

Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members?

If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ?

Why or why not?

I battled with this. I was inclined to think of all Christians as perfect, forgetting that they are sinners just like me. When hurt by church members I used to immediately want to change churches. Until I learned to overlook their various faults, just as I hoped others would overlook my faults. Also it was not up to me to judge others; remembering the verse in Matthew 7:1, when Jesus said: "Judge not, that you be not judged.

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Q3. (2 Peter 1:7) Why do we imagine that "agape love" is easier than loving church members? If we avoid church because of our hurts at the hands of church members, can we mature fully in Christ? Why or why not?

What we learn is God's plan for us, even when we learn it. Who created the elements, the stars, our unique DNA? Who is givng grace to billions every day, every moment? We can imagine about agape love, but will we be like Peter when they took Jess away, or will we be a saint when the moment comes to love as God commands us to do? It depends on the moment and where God has led us to. A pastor at my church said when she is tested, she tries to remember the lesson, especially if she fails. The idea to avoid church to avoid hurt full memories is sadly very common. The only solution is to go to GOD with the hurt and to let it flow from the heart. HE will heal and HE will teach.

Can we say, "it is well with my soul?" Sometimes it is not so easy, and if you listen to this you may have an experience, and you may not, it depends on God's plan for you.

God bless you

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