Navigating Life's Trials with Christian Faith

What sets agape love apart from worldly love? Join me, B.R.Maul, as we unpack the divine and transformative nature of love in 1 John 5:1-5. Discover how agape love, empowered by the Holy Spirit, transcends mere emotions and self-interest, forming the backbone of Christianity. We'll delve into the importance of obedience to God's commandments as a true demonstration of our love for Him and for others, and the vital role of discipleship in today's increasingly ungodly world.

In this episode, we'll also explore how faith in Jesus allows us to not just survive but thrive in life's challenges. Hear how keeping God's commandments isn't about earning salvation but naturally living out godly virtues like joy, peace, and kindness through the Holy Spirit. Plus, we'll discuss the empowering truth that through faith, we have already achieved victory over the world. Tune in to strengthen your faith, gain a deeper understanding of love in a Christian context, and learn how to effectively navigate spiritual warfare with confidence and peace.

Chapters

• 0:28 Love
• 13:53 Overcoming the World Through Faith
• 26:23 Podcast Communication and Support

Transcript

B.R.Maul: 0:28

Hello and good day. I am BR Maul and this is Living God's Way in an Ungodly World. Thank you so much for joining me. We are currently in the book of 1 John. We are starting chapter 5. Today We'll be covering verses 1 through 5.

B.R.Maul: 0:48

John has been talking a lot about love and I know for a lot of guys, well, sometimes that can seem like a boring topic, but that is because we're usually thinking of the world's kind of love. We're usually thinking of the world's kind of love, the kind of love that, as long as you give to me, I'll give to you, and a love that's all about feelings, which, of course, us guys when it comes to feelings, well, that can be more of a challenge. But the good news about the love of God, the agape love, is that it's not about feelings. In fact, contrary to that, it is about choices. We choose to love people with agape love and that should bring a refreshing thought to all men, because we don't rely on our emotions, to all men, because we don't rely on our emotions With the love of the world, we rely on emotions, but not the love of God. So this type of love it's a whole different topic and of course this isn't just for men, but as a man, that is something that I can relate to and I understand. So I brought it up.

B.R.Maul: 2:05

But the reason John talks extensively about love in the book of John is because love is the pillar of Christianity. We can view the blood of Christ as the foundation. So without the foundation, there's well, there's nothing. You can't put a building, you can't put a strong structure on just regular ground. You need a strong foundation to keep it in place, and that's the blood of Christ, because we're not even able to love without the blood of Christ, because we must be born again, which means having the Spirit dwelling in us, and the only reason we can do that is from the grace of God. And as we believe on Christ and the blood that he shed for us, well then we are given that ability to love, that ability to make that choice, to love others and to love God, for that matter. So the blood of Christ is the foundation of Christianity, but love is the pillar, it's what holds everything else up. Once we have the foundation, well, you need that strong pillar, and that's what love is.

B.R.Maul: 3:19

We know that because we are told as born-again believers that we must love the Lord, our God, with all of our heart, with all of our soul and with all of our might or strength, and then we must also love our neighbor as ourself. So there you have it. Love, that is the pillar. So, brothers and sisters in the faith, without love we have nothing, because we even have to question whether or not we are born again Without the blood of Christ. Well, we already know we're incapable of loving, at least God's way of loving. Yes, we can love people on the surface level. We can love people passionately, romantically, and we can even dedicate some of our self to that. But that's all built from emotions and that kind of love is always self-centered. The worldly love we will offer that as long as we get something in return for it. But with agape love, it's a choice and we receive that ability as soon as we receive the Holy Spirit. So that's why John talks so extensively on love, and in this podcast, that's what I focus on. I focus on what we need to do as Christians in this world, in this world that doesn't have the love of God. In fact, this world hates God, and it's becoming more and more evident with every passing week, month and year as we get closer to the day, the second coming. As usual, I'll go ahead and read the scripture, then I'll back up and I'll break it down.

B.R.Maul: 5:10

1 John 5, verse 1. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves him, who begot, also loves him, who is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

B.R.Maul: 5:58

So we focus, brothers and sisters, on what it is to be disciples, not just believers, but disciples of Jesus Christ. Isn't that what Jesus told us to do before he ascended? The last thing he said before he left earth is to go out to all nations and make disciples. And a disciple is somebody who learns, and that's intentionally. A disciple is somebody who is eager to learn, who goes out of his or her way to learn and to grow in whatever it is they're being taught. So, in this case, disciples of Jesus. So we are disciples of God's Word, we are learning God's Word because that is how he continues to speak directly to us today.

B.R.Maul: 6:51

And so in this podcast, I am starting to turn direction just a little bit to focus more on that discipleship. I understand I've been teaching to that point, but I want to reiterate the importance of discipleship. I understand I've been teaching to that point, but I want to reiterate the importance of discipleship Because, as we are disciples, we must also grow in our walk and then disciple others. That's how Jesus chose to do this. He wants us to spread the gospel. He could have done it many other ways, but this is what he chose to do. He wants us to spread the gospel. He could have done it many other ways, but this is what he chose to do. So we have a responsibility, do we not? As his disciples, is to obey him, and that can be challenging. The reason it can be challenging is because, yes, even born-again believers, we are tempted with the world around us.

B.R.Maul: 7:42

There is so much going on, so much to be entertained with. Especially with technology, we can move around the world faster, we can get place to place more comfortably, quicker and because of that there's more to see, more people to meet, more different foods to eat, different sites, to see different things, to do all kinds of it. We have no problem whatsoever filling up our time that the Lord has given us. We can fill it with all kinds of things to do, and those things in and of themselves well, many of them, there are plenty that are wicked and evil. But trying different foods and traveling and doing this and that and entertainment and having fun in and of itself is not bad. But the problem is it easily overcomes the time with our Lord and when that happens, beloved, then it becomes an idol. Now, that entertainment, what we used to just enjoy some time. But now we have to do it and we are willing to give up the time of reading God's Word, we're willing to give up time meeting with brothers and sisters, and well, we certainly don't want to pray to God too much, because then that makes us remember Him. So it's easy to give that up. We can write that off, as, oh, the Lord understands, but as his disciples we have that obligation.

B.R.Maul: 9:12

We need to keep learning, all right, so let's back up and break down these verses. So, in verse 1, whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves him, who begot, also loves him, who is begotten of him. Last week, looking into 1 John, chapter 4, at the end of that chapter, john was telling us that proof is in the pudding. We must love one another, we must love other children of God, or we don't love him. And now we're learning that whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.

B.R.Maul: 9:55

Born of God, born of God, is born of the Spirit. Born of the Spirit is being born again. Right, that happens one time. We're not born again over and over and over. That happens once when a person believes on the blood of Jesus Christ and in their heart, knows that he was resurrected from the dead by the Holy Father in heaven. Well then, we know that you are born again, you are born of God, and everyone who loves him, that's loves Jesus, who begot also loves him, who is begotten of him, and that would be our brothers and sisters. To be begot is to be born of, and so we love those who are born again as well. So all of our brothers and sisters in the faith.

B.R.Maul: 10:48

All of this goes hand in hand, right, there's no gaps in there. We don't just love God and we don't just love God when it's convenient or when we feel like it. If we're born again and as we read his word, he gives us the understanding, the wisdom and the knowledge to know and to change the very fact that love is a choice and we learn to love God every day, all the time. And as you continue to walk and grow and your faith becomes stronger, well, we learn also that applies to our brothers and sisters in the faith that we must choose to love them Doesn't mean you have to like them I joke about it sometimes, but that is so true.

B.R.Maul: 11:36

We don't all get along Doesn't mean we fight. We certainly are not supposed to be doing that. But we're not going to enjoy everything that the next person enjoys just because we're family. It doesn't happen with our families of blood, right, so why would it happen in our spiritual family? But the difference is agape love. We still love them, and I know love is not always easy, especially when somebody that we do love is being very difficult to deal with.

B.R.Maul: 12:08

And that can be even harder to understand when we're talking about our spiritual family being in the body of Christ and that body of Christ we can look at in different views. There is the ultimate body of Christ. That's every single believer around the world who is alive is in the body of Christ, because God uses the body of Christ to do his work. That's how he has chosen. To get the gospel message out, the body of Christ. To get the gospel message out the body of Christ, individual believers. But then we have our church homes.

B.R.Maul: 12:48

When we come together and we worship, hopefully you are participating in a church every Sunday and that you're worshiping God together, you're singing and you're being joyous together, because even when we worship God, that's a choice, that's agape love. You might not be in the mood to worship God, but you know it's the right thing to do. So you get to church and you worship and for anybody who's done that long enough, we learn that. Wow, you know what I feel way better when I do that. God doesn't need it, we need it. But even though love can be challenging at times, with Jesus it's so much easier and we're actually able to do it. So look to Jesus when you are with brothers and sisters and you need that help around somebody who the two of you just may be opposite in so many ways that sometimes you just rub each other the wrong way. You don't have to like each other, but you do need to love one another. That goes both ways.

B.R.Maul: 13:53

So verse two by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. That can sound like our own works, like we're working to get in right Into heaven Because we keep his commandments, it says. But John isn't talking about that. He's not talking about doing good works to get into heaven, but we keep his commandments. Now, those commandments, I certainly believe, entails the Ten Commandments.

B.R.Maul: 14:25

But, like I said earlier, jesus made it simple and said you know what, if you love God and if you love one another, you're fulfilling the law, because you're not going to murder somebody, you're not going to envy them, you're going to be happy for them by loving. We are keeping his commandments and other such precepts, such as having joy and peace and kindness and goodness and patience. Those are results of having the Holy Spirit in us. They don't come automatically, but we keep those as well and that's how we love God. Simple, isn't it? He doesn't make it difficult to love him and it says this is how we know that we love the children of God, in other words our brothers and sisters in the faith, because we want to follow God's way, we want to walk the path of righteousness, we are following Jesus, and verse 3 expands a little bit more.

B.R.Maul: 15:42

So I don't think John is saying that they're burdensome in the sense of they're hard to do. I mean, they can be a challenge at times, but they're not a burden. But more importantly it's by following his commandments it takes the burden of this world, this life, off of us. And think about that. When we're not living a life where we covet other people's property or other people's relationships, we don't carry that guilt with us. When we don't lie and cheat, we don't feel bad about ourselves, and when we don't murder and hurt people, we're not living fearful of others, we're not looking over our shoulder wondering if somebody's coming back to take revenge upon us. So by keeping his commandments, life is not burdensome. And, with the help of the Holy Spirit, not only is doing them not burdensome but desirable. We want to do that Because the more that you live a wholesome life, a good life, the more a person looks back and realizes I can't believe, I used to act this way, or I used to talk that way and I used to do this, or I used to do that, because even your anxieties melt away.

B.R.Maul: 17:03

I use the example at times about parenting and when you have little children. For those who have had little children, you know a little child can get pretty upset when he or she doesn't get what they want. But see, mom and dad know what's best for them, and so they may want to eat a whole bunch of candy, but mom and dad have their rules. Nope, you can only have three pieces. And that little child might be like, well, I want more. But they don't understand that by eating more they're going to get a stomachache, that it's not going to help them and that in the long run, if a person keeps eating a whole bunch of candy every day, then of course our health starts to decline and all that fun stuff which you can never explain to a young child, because not only do they not understand, but they don't care. But that's where following rules, and in this case God's commandments, come in and they make life easier for us All.

B.R.Maul: 18:05

Right, verse 4, For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. Come the world, our faith. Now it's interesting because John says for whatever is born of God overcomes the world, not whoever. Now I looked that word up and in the Greek it actually encompasses everything. So what? And whoever is born of God overcomes the world? In this case, well, what is it that overcomes the world? Well, we're told, and this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. So faith is what overcomes the world. Also, note that John says and this is the victory that has overcome the world, it's done, not will, that has overcome the world. It's done, not will, but has overcome the world.

B.R.Maul: 19:03

Now there's another place that we heard this, something similar, and that is in John, in chapter 16, verse 33,. Jesus is speaking. He says these things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace, and we certainly will. In the world you will have tribulation. That's a promise With Christ. We have peace In the world, we have tribulation. But then Jesus says be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, isn't that great? He doesn't say I will be overcoming the world, but I have, I have overcome the world. And so we can look at this. Now, back at 1 John 5, verse 4, and we're told that the victory this is the victory that has overcome the world. Our faith, so, since Jesus has already overcome the world, our faith in him continues on. It carries that through. Think about that.

B.R.Maul: 20:15

We live a life and we often feel like we are the victims, that have been defeated and that the world is winning. I'm guilty of that. I feel that so often in life, but in moments like this, when I'm teaching the Word of God or reading the Word of God, discussing the Word of God with brothers or sisters, or meditating on the Word of God, well, that pulls me out of that feeling of being defeated, because I'm not defeated. It's a war that we're fighting Spiritual warfare, definitely, but it's a war that we have already won, and Christ said it I have overcome the world. It's done.

B.R.Maul: 21:03

We just need to go through the motions. We need just to do what we were told to do and have faith in Jesus while doing it. Now, of course, we all have jobs, careers, businesses, whatever it might be, families that we're taking care of. All of that is part of making ends meet, being with one another, living, putting food on the table, and God continues to give us the means to do that, but a reminder that we are not here to focus on just the means. We are here to focus on why we are here, and that is to make sure that everyone else that we can reach out to hears the gospel message, that they too get to make an educated decision.

B.R.Maul: 21:50

Am I going to follow Jesus? Who is this Jesus? We are to go out to all nations, all people, in other words, but all nations, all people, and that is our job. While we are here, we are to do God's work. Have you thought about that? Have you thought about what God is telling you to do, beloved? Because once you are born again, listen very carefully, learn to listen to what the Lord is telling you. If there's somebody he wants you to talk to, or maybe there's an organization he wants you to give money to, to support, or maybe it's to volunteer for that organization or get a job at that organization and help them, for whatever reason that God has in store, it's tough to listen to. It really is. It's hard to hear someone say you know, you're not here just to make money, you're not here to get as much as you can in this world. The reason that's difficult is because most of us are brought up that way, because the world is so loud, and the more you learn of God's way, not only is it loud, it's obnoxious, very annoying because it screams out everything false, but that's because Satan is still the king, the ruler, the small g God of this world, and so the world's message will continue to be the opposite of what God is telling us to do.

B.R.Maul: 23:22

Verse 5,. Who is he who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. There's that belief again, and of course, that belief is in Jesus. That's how we overcome the world. And overcoming the world doesn't mean that we're always going to be financially successful. No, that's not overcoming the world. Overcoming the world is not falling for the temptations of spending the majority of our time making money, making a living, as some say.

B.R.Maul: 23:57

Overcoming the world is loving your neighbor, even when that neighbor is somebody that you don't like at all, but taking the time to show them love and, if they are a brother or a sister in the Lord, to love them for no other reason than they are your brother or sister. Overcoming the world is giving our time to others. It's so easy to want to keep all that time to ourself. It's very tempting. Overcoming the world is using our skills to better the world around us. And how do we better the world? Well, we make it. Look to Jesus, using our skills to help those in need, to glorify God. Not to make ourself look good, but to make our Lord and Savior glorified. So people look to him and they see the goodness that you are doing, because you are keeping God's commandments and you are loving your brothers and sisters in the faith and you are reaching out to those who God tells you to reach out to.

B.R.Maul: 25:00

Ultimately, it comes down to discipleship. Once you are born again, you just open up that Bible and you keep on reading beloved, do not stop. You will be changed, god's Word, the Bible will transform you. If you believe in Jesus Christ and you're reading God's Word. The Bible will transform you. If you believe in Jesus Christ and you're reading God's Word, it's impossible not to be transformed because it's the power of God, the Holy Spirit, dwelling in you. God sanctifies you. I mean not only are you justified, which means your sins, your debt, is paid for, but he is sanctifying you. That is an ongoing process and you will continue to change. You will look back. Sometimes those changes are more evident and within a week, wow, you can feel a big change. Other times you can look back and see that, well, things that months ago you used to do you don't do anymore Because that stuff was of the world, and now you're living for the spirit. You're living for God, not for the flesh.

B.R.Maul: 26:06

And when it comes to resources, I'm here for you. You can go to my website, brmaulcom. You can click on contact. Put your email there and your question or comment. Get a hold of me. I'm here for you.

B.R.Maul: 26:23

Or if you are listening off of a podcast directory, on many of the podcasts, the directories that I am in, there is a tab or a little button. It says message me. Click on that and that will text me a message, not using your phone number, it uses an anonymous number and that is a one-way communication. All right, it's like sending me a letter. I can read it, but I can't do anything. I can respond if you leave me an email, but other than that, otherwise I can't respond. But I'm here for you and I want to help you. And if you can support this ministry, I ask you to do that as well, even $5 or $10 a month is a huge, huge help for me to pay the bills, to make sure that this message continues to stay out there and to get out there. Please share this with all your friends and family and until next time, god bless.