Covenant: God, Me, & Us | Rev. Elisha Satvinder

You know we started with Genesis, uh, Adam and Eve, the issues there. So actually, we continue in that vein, trying to connect the dots together, and today the main thought, of course, is covenant. God made a covenant with us, with us individually, with us as a community, but in it, he gives us this sense of what true fellowship is. You know, uh, it’s called to that. We go beyond where we are at, and we rediscover God’s truth, God’s understanding. Because if we look at it, the Lord is returning. Uh, those who want to put dates, uh, go ahead, put dates, because we don’t know when. But obviously, the signs point towards it. You know, each day, it’s closer to his return. But to be ready for his return, we must make sure that we are connected to him, his truth. But we also cannot go the journey by ourselves. We need to be connected with one another.

So often, when we look at the end of the year, I want us to do one thing today. There’ll be a bunch of questions for us to reflect together, but I want us to think about this. Let us have a look at, uh, our walk with God. A lot of, uh, business people or other companies will be doing audits, right? Audit of the year and then, you know, what worked, what didn’t work, uh, where they failed, where they can do better, and start projecting for next year.

So it’s good for us in this week or in this season—not two seasons, maybe just think of a few weeks to quiet ourselves down and really say, “Hey, how has the year been? How has my walk been with the Lord? How has it been, my connection with others? How has it been?” So not only do we want to finish the year well, we want to begin the new year well, amen? We want to start the new year well. We want to do well, so we want to build it with optimism, whatever it may be. But the overarching thing is this: we want to be ready for the Lord’s return.

We want to be ready and make sure we are there with each other. You know, when we read the book of Acts, uh, after the four Gospels, yeah, we see this profound happening in the early church. The believers came together, and we will look at some scriptures afterward. And they not just came together, but they worshipped together. Something like what we did just now, huh? But they shared their lives. They went beyond just coming together and just a superficial time. They went beyond that. They began to share their lives. The, the scripture uses the word “devoted.” They, they were devoted to each other. They took a radical step. They sold possessions to help out those who were in need, and they lived with awe, with gladness, which sometimes I feel is very absent from our lives—joy, true joy, gladness.

Because many times we hope there will be external things that make us happy when actually God comes and works within us and gives us a joy that many a time we miss. This morning, when I was reading, uh, John chapter 4 with the children, and it’s about the woman at the well, the Samaritan woman, and just imagine Jesus asking her for a drink. She didn’t have bottles of mineral water; she didn’t have five cups there. That was just one cup, and she’s baffled, you know. She says, “You, a Jew…” because the sense of discrimination, racism—the Jews were very racist towards people other than themselves.

And Jesus, she asked Jesus a question: “You, a Jew, asking me for a drink?” But Jesus says something so profound to her: If you knew who was asking, you would ask me for living water. So I was asking the children to think about what he was talking about here because we look for so many things to satisfy us. But Jesus is saying to her, If you know the deep sense of what you really need, only I can satisfy that. Only I can satisfy that.

So I want us to come into a place and say, “God, I want to find my true north. I want to find that place in the center of your heart, your love, your presence.”

So the early church actually gives us a profound picture of how God blesses them, and people see this—those who are not believers—and they’re impacted. They’re impacted.

But what about us? What about us?

Do we experience a deep sense of fellowship today? And I want us to think about it. Do we experience a deep sense of fellowship, satisfying, meaningful friendship? Or is it something elusive or something that we don’t think is—it’s not possible? Do we live in such a friendship, a fellowship, that unity draws people to say, “There’s something different about these characters”?

You know, have you seen how the Kelantanese behave? Or, my wife is a Kelantanese. They can be anywhere, and the moment they realize you’re a Kelantanese, that’s it. It doesn’t matter who you are—Chinese, Indian, whatever it is—their rallying point is you’re a Kelantanese. It’s something I saw the Indonesians do when I was in the US. Whatever they were doing, wherever they worked, studied, they always connected. They, they drew themselves to—and people actually were drawn to their sense of fellowship and camaraderie.

And they, they actually, they, they lived in a—I, I thought they lived Acts 2:42 out so well.

So well.

So what can—is it achievable? Or have we grown so comfortable or maybe disconnected, uh, that we, we, we expect to receive, but we are reluctant to give?

Are we holding back because of disappointments, hurts, anger, or just simply afraid to open up ourselves?

You know, I came to my office sometime ago, and, uh, I said, “What’s wrong with this computer? I’m turning it on, everything’s on, but there’s no sound.” I’m like, “What’s wrong here?” Oh, of course, I call up Peter, “Wait, what’s, what’s happening?”

“Uh, check your plug.”

Looked down. When they came to clean my room and they were mopping, they hit the plug. So the plug is there, but it’s not completely in. So when I turned it on, the sound came. It’s like, “Ah-ha!”

Yes.

So sometimes we can be that way. Uh, we seem to be together, but there’s no connection.

So sometimes we can be that way. Uh, we seem to be together, but there’s no connection.

And that can be with God, isn’t it? I, I can have a B—I can, I can seem to be in church, I can seem to be, you know, following the motions as a believer, but there is no—like the young people say—there’s no juice. There’s no electrical current passing through to bring the volume up and say, “It’s alive. It’s alive!”

So covenant connects. Covenant says, “Hey, come on. Get, get plugged up, switch it on, and bring it to life.” So that’s the place.

So God calls us to rediscover true fellowship.

I just spoke in a conference in Myanmar with about 100 pastors and leaders, and, uh, again, one of the—and, and actually, I kind of spoke part of what I’m bringing to you. And I said we can have very surface friendship, family. We can be very surface, isn’t it, sometimes? Even marriage can be surface.

We avoid things. So many things can be surface.

And there are reasons—sometimes we dare not go deeper.

So fellowship, when we think of fellowship, it’s not about attending church occasionally or sitting in chairs here. We smile at each other; we high-five; we get fist bumps. Uh, but our hearts can remain distant. Our hearts can remain very distant.

But it’s about opening up our lives to one another, loving sacrificially, forgiving deeply, and reflecting on God’s love so that it transforms us and those around us.

And I want to look at that a bit today.

So we’re going to look at two scriptures today as we go a bit deeper, uh, about true fellowship—what does this covenant mean? What am I missing? Is my plug there, but it’s—it’s not all the way where I’m getting the life of it? How can we rediscover it?

1 John 4:16-21, and of course, Acts 2:42-47.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

And so we know—we have knowledge of it—and we rely on it. I trust it. I’m connected to it.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us.

This is how love daily works.

So that we will have confidence on the day of judgment. In this world, we are like Jesus.

We, our mission—living like Jesus, sharing his love.

So in this world, we live like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.

That means he enables us. What it’s saying is there is a possibility. We don’t have to say, “I cannot.” But because he is love, and because he has loved us, and because we are connected to that love now, and we allow that love to work in us.

But what’s his love about? Is it what Hollywood says? Is it what we read? Is it what we see in movies?

What is this?

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or a sister is a liar.

That’s a strong word, isn’t it? Because I think lurking in our hearts can be bitterness, unforgiveness, anger.

For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom they have seen cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

And he has given us this command: anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Where do we begin? I want to begin with this first thought, and it’s this: Fellowship begins with love.

Sounds, “Oh, yeah, we know that,” but not just any love—God’s love.

Dear friends, we cannot have authentic fellowship if it doesn’t come from us understanding God’s love.

Because if I build friendships now, it’s based on my biased view. It’s based on my feelings. It’s based on what I think it should be, okay.

So in 1 John 4:16, he’s talking about—he says what?

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.

So when I live in God—what does that mean?

If God is love and I live in love, it means I’m living in the presence of God, lah, in that one sense, huh?

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

John is not talking about some shallow love—smiles, we wave at each other—yeah, because we do that, isn’t it? We, we, we can be very surface; we can be very shallow. Why? Because we also protect ourselves. Okay. We can do that.

He’s not talking about that.

He’s talking about God’s love. For God so loved the world that he gave. God’s love is very demonstrative. God’s love is deep. It’s sacrificial.

God’s love is very different, isn’t it?

So when we read the scriptures, we begin to encounter the living word. From the written word, we encounter the living word.

And that word tells us how God sees us, how he sees others, how he sees issues, how he sees everything.

So God’s love is so profound, it’s so sacrificial, but yet it is transforming, and it requires us to give it fully.

Let me explain this a bit. We talk about relationships. Let’s talk about, uh, marriage, okay. Can one person love the other person a bit more or a bit less?

Possible.

Marriage can be convenience. Marriage can, marriage can happen in so many different ways. But yet, when we look at scripture, what marriage is—it is life-giving and life-receiving. It is on an equal basis.

So when God says, “I am the bridegroom, you are the bride,” he’s defining a certain kind of love and acceptance that sometimes is too profound for us. And yet, if that is the measuring rod, do you realize we will live very differently?

And, and when we look at this, if God is love and we love that way, how would we love our children, our different people? Just think of how it would—it will revolutionize life. Are you with me?

It will change everything.

And that’s why Jesus could say, “Forgive them, you know. As God has sent me, so I send you. I have shown you how to love.”

So it’s actually really so profound, it frightens us. It frightens us so much that we avoid wanting to understand it. That I will take my humanity and say, “I’m only human,” but God says, “Yes, but if you abide in my love, you will learn how to love.”

Look, everybody, please have a look here.

Does anybody need to teach you to hate?

Does anybody need to teach you how to be upset, to be unforgiving?

No need, what.

It’s so easy—it comes.

But tell me, how hard can it be to release people sincerely from our hearts, to really love like God loves?

That is challenging.

And yet God says that is the love that will break things—it will set us free.

But I can never understand that love if I am not surrendering my heart.

And you will hear this—we will explore this together today.

This word here, he says, Whoever lives in love lives in God.

It means to abide, to remain.

We think of John 15.

This isn’t a fleeting feeling of warmth, fuzzy feelings, you know. But it’s actually very deep—it’s permanent.

So if, if, if once a week I wait to come—if I come to plug in and get God’s presence—then actually, from Monday till Saturday, I live an unplugged life, full of myself.

I live a very unplugged life that’s based on my feelings and my emotions and my preferences and my biases. I live that way.

So it’s deep here—it’s a state of remaining in God, in God’s love.

So if I look at it as reading daily Bible reading, daily devotion—no, it’s my daily connection.

It’s my daily connection.

I look forward to it.

We can look forward toward things—meeting people, fellowship with people, talking with people, the person I love.

Hey, we look forward. We find ways.

So if, if we are love-struck, imagine how we behave in the mornings.

So sometimes people put it, “Oh, the Bible is a love letter.” But if you really look at it, then you say, “God is speaking to my heart. He’s telling me where I’m unplugged, where I’m connected.”

So we allow him to work in our lives and through our lives.

Now, this, this next paragraph that I wrote, I really kind of boxed it up here, and, uh, because I thought, “Ah, kind of captures what I really want to say.”

I said, we—you and I—must face or listen to something very difficult. And this is what I want to say:

We often confuse church attendance, eating together, or friendly gestures, you know, as true fellowship.

In fact, what do we call it?

“Come, let’s go and have fellowship.”

But that’s surface one.

Food is not fellowship. Food is just meeting together, eating, and talking.

So can I, can I say, don’t confuse these two things? Because we can have very surface conversation and not deep connections.

So the thing is this. When I was looking at it, I said, “Yeah, we confuse it. Are we happy?”

“Oh, am I happy? Okay, everybody showed up to church.”

Actually, the more I think about it—no.

But if you show up, and you have come on Sunday connected to God, I know you—you’re going to connect with others.

Now, that’s where we demonstrate true fellowship—not coming with our agenda, not coming with our opinions. Why?

Because when I’m connected to God, I’m connected to his purpose.

I don’t come to do anything else.

So the issue is this: I cannot confuse church attendance, eating, drinking, friendly gestures as true fellowship.

We come to church, we shake hands, we exchange pleasantries, but our hearts remain untouched.

Why?

Because we haven’t really first opened ourselves to God’s love.

Why?

Because we haven’t really first opened ourselves to God’s love.

We are afraid to do it.

We’ve not allowed that love to transform us because that love will help us to relate with one another. It will change us. Because when you look at a disagreement, you’ll ask, “Do I really want to carry this thing?”

This is one of the issues I brought up when I was speaking. And thank you for those of you who prayed for me.

A prominent leader in the country, a Christian leader—we had some very sharp disagreements. The disagreement was very sharp.

And I thought, “Hmm, you know what? I’m going to stand my ground with this issue.”

And really, the Lord convicted my heart and said, “Are you so arrogant that you think you got it right?”

Wow.

I couldn’t sleep for a few days.

Oh, it was a stern struggle.

I finally called him. I said, “Let’s have coffee.”

Maybe, obviously, it was a very bad in a, in a certain meeting.

And we met for coffee. And I said, “I know you are upset with me.”

“No, no…”

I said, “Look, let’s be honest with each other, yeah?”

I said, “Let me explain that issue.”

He said, “Oh, okay, I see it.”

I said, “Anyway, I am resigning from all my positions.”

He looked at me. “Why?”

I said, “Because your friendship means more to me than that blinking position.”

Because I said, “When we work together, at that, I said, we’re definitely going to have disagreements. But I said, if we cannot see those disagreements as something that we work through and understand and move forward, then I said, I cannot give the devil a room. I won’t. And your friendship means more.”

You know, ever since that, it’s been years.

We’ve become amazing friends.

We trust each other.

We watch each other’s back.

Why should this matter to us? Why should it matter to us?

Because we must ask ourselves, have we truly abided in God’s love, or are we merely going through the motions?

See, I can stand here and be judgmental, watching. You can sit there and be judgmental of me.

Wow. How sad.

How sad is our behavior?

How sad, isn’t it? How damaging, that kind of attitude.

Should we not have the fear of God in our hearts? Should we not have some sense of God’s love in our hearts and say, “God, is this worth it? Is it worth it for me to behave like that?”

You know, this year alone, how many Christian leaders have fallen? Some globally.

This morning, I was sitting there in my room, thinking, “God, this is horrible. This is horrible. This is not a testimony to you. What’s wrong with us?”

And then we throw it on social media. We run them down. And thinking, how sad. We don’t even know how to cover and stand for each other.

How sad.

Have we truly abided in God’s love, or are we just going through the motions?

Why Sunday comes, “Hey, connect group comes,” we vent with our friends.

Let’s connect back to God’s love.

That’s where it begins. That’s where it begins.

If we are not living in God’s love—meaning abiding in it—how can we ever expect to offer genuine love to others?

How?

How can we offer genuine, sincere, authentic care, concern?

Because we’re judging each other.

We’re holding grouses.

We’re doing all kinds of things to each other.

And then we say, “We’ve come to the house of God.”

I don’t know about you. I think I need a lot of repenting.

Do you think we need some repenting?

I think we need a lot of repenting in our hearts.

We really need to deal with our hearts. We need to get plugged back into God’s love because that is the game-changer.

That’s the difference. That’s the game-changer.

Real fellowship doesn’t begin with us or with our efforts. It begins with us surrendering to God’s love.

That’s where it begins.

It’s not saying, “Going to end the year, let’s do these seven things,” and they are disconnected to God.

Sometimes the prayer is hyped up. We don’t know how to be quiet and love God. We don’t know how to bask in his love. We don’t know why we’re all so confused, so strung up with different things.

Church, this 30-day thing that I prepared—I’ve done it for the children, I’ve done it for the Chinese group, I’ve done it for the English congregation, we’re doing it for the Bahasa.

I’m just saying, come. Recalibrate.

Let’s connect back to God. Let’s do it.

Only when I abide in his love can I love others.

Only when I abide in his love can I love others.

Now, this sounds so simple. Let me say it again: Only when I abide in his love can I love others selflessly, deeply, without prejudice, healing myself of offenses.

If I do not experience God’s true love, then the love that I know is inferior—it’s superficial, it’s shallow.

So when we look at this, we may just say, “Huh, what is this living like Jesus?” But to live like Jesus, I need to know Jesus, right?

It’s not just salvation, right?

I really need to connect with Jesus, right?

How can I share his love when I don’t know his love?

Imagine NCC—what would we look like if we took this abiding in his love seriously?

If we took this abiding seriously. That means daily, we—we know we want to engage God, come before him, his word—not so that I can bind and loose or do something else and get my business deal and breakthrough in my job and all that.

No.

It’s, “God, I’m sitting here with you.”

You know, it’s like a husband and wife go out for a meal, and then they’re both on their headphones.

But we’re supposed to have a quiet dinner together, but we are talking about other things or quarreling.

So when was the last time we sat down and actually, “Hey, connect”?

Have you sat down with somebody—a friend, family, whatever—you actually sit down and connect from the heart?

“How’s your day?”

Now really, “How was your day?”

I’ve got four points. I’ve not finished number one.

I’m so sorry. But I will.

Daily, when I come before him, I’m asking him to fill me.

And this is the next thing: I’m asking him to change me.

I’m asking him to shape me into being a person who would love like he loves.

Wow.

That’s frightening.

How many of you feel the way I feel?

That’s frightening.

“Lord, help me love the way you love.”

Wow.

And he’s saying, “Ah, I was waiting for you to ask me that.”

When we are rooted in that love, we no longer come to church wondering, “What am I going to get out of church this week?”

Instead, when I come to church, I’m going to come with a heart so full of his love that I’m ready now to communicate that love.

Engage with each other.

Now, this can be through encouragement, it can be through simple prayer, or simply being present with somebody who is hurting.

Because when I pursue God, when I abide in him (John 15), it changes me.

The whole issue is this: Unforgiveness, criticism—always damages.

That means I have not been changed by his love.

I’m disconnected, like my computer speakers.

It’s disconnected. When I look down, it’s there, it’s connected, but actually, it’s come out, and I don’t even realize it.

And sometimes, I can be distant from God, and I don’t even realize it.

My heart is dry. My heart is cold. My passion is not there.

And I’m always bargaining on how I want to serve God.

See, grudges will melt. Walls will come down. Forgiveness will begin to flow. And we will willingly serve.

This is what abiding in his love does.

This is what it does—it brings a connection.

When I abide in his love, from that place, I’m able to do it.

So why?

Because this is what happens: Perfect love casts out fear.

Fear that keeps us apart.

What is this? So, 1 John 4:18, he says, okay:

There is no fear in love.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love…

You say, “How perfect love?”

I’ll give you a—I’ll explain that word to you.

Perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Again, the whole thing is: If I don’t connect with God, I’m missing it.

Fear is one of the biggest barriers to fellowship.

We fear being vulnerable.

We cannot show each other we are vulnerable.

I struggle when pastors and leaders have to show themselves so strong and not talk about their frailties.

Celebrity pastors—we become people who look so thorough on the stage.

I tell you, that is so dangerous.

We are fearful of being vulnerable.

We don’t want—“I’m okay. I’m okay, yeah, all right, all right, I’m okay. I’m okay.”

Actually, inside, you’re not okay.

You’re disconnected.

So we learn the lingo to be surface: “Oh, praise God!”

Actually, it’s a disconnection inside there. You’re not okay.

We are fearful of being hurt.

We are fearful of being rejected.

We fear that if we open up ourselves, we might be judged or misunderstood.

Adam and Eve operated from fear in Genesis 3:8.

You remember we read this, and this is where I began with a few months ago.

This is where I began with, and I’m pushing it further through.

They hid themselves.

It says, when they heard the sound of him walking in the garden (verse 8, chapter 3), they hid themselves.

And God says, “Adam, where are you?”

“We are hiding.”

“Why are you hiding?”

“We’re afraid.”

“Why are you afraid?”

“We’re naked.”

“Who told you you’re naked?”

Afraid.

And sometimes, this thing also disconnects us from God.

So we fear that we have to admit that we are actually bitter people.

“No, I die, I die, I’m going to say I’m right. I have been wronged! Until I die, I’m going to stand.”

What is that?

That’s operating through fear.

Actually, you’re so fearful to say, “I’m wrong.”

You’re so fearful to say, “I’m actually a bitter person.”

Because if that unforgiveness and bitterness is lurking in us, I can’t—I’m disconnected from the love.

Because I cannot say I love God, and he says, “You—if you say you love God but hate somebody, you’re a liar.”

That’s strong words, isn’t it?

But again, it’s God’s word—it helps us.

It helps us connect with that.

When we get disappointed with God, we get disappointed with people. We fail to understand.

So often, fear causes us to hold back to engage authentic, true fellowship.

Imagine how many marriages will heal if actually both can say, “You know what? Yeah, I’m a bit hard-headed. I’m sorry.”

We keep our relationships at arm’s length, and in doing so—listen here—we do two things:

We rob ourselves.

We rob others out of what true joy that comes from real friendship.

So John tells us this: Perfect love.

But what is this perfect love, actually?

When we look at it and understand it, it’s mature love.

So young people, that love that you have sometimes is maybe lust for love, or loneliness—you want, and you just, because it’s all everybody.

But when you grow up, when you get married, wherever it is—you look—if the love doesn’t mature, there are a lot of problems.

If the love doesn’t mature.

So it’s not perfect love—it’s mature love.

When I understand who I’m connected to, when I begin to understand daily, I’m daily connecting to God’s love, truth, understanding, then it begins.

It’s not the silly confidence, “I’m a child of God, hoo-ha-hoo, you know, thousand in the jungle!”

You know, that is just sheer stupidity.

Because when you get problems—

“Ahhh, yesterday it was okay!”

Some of you are seeing somebody running around online swinging now, okay? Yeah.

Why?

Because I’m disconnected.

The plug is there, but it’s not connected, and I don’t understand the love.

Mature love comes from God, and it drives out fear.

Imagine that.

When we are filled with God’s love, we no longer need to be afraid of opening up ourselves.

But we are so afraid to be authentic.

God’s love gives us the assurance of what?

He forgives us.

His grace is there.

And when I find that, I find freedom.

Him who the Son sets free is free indeed.

But I walk like I’m in bondage.

I dare not—I dare not sit with somebody and say, “Will you walk me through this season?”

Some say, “Oh, you cannot say tired.”

I, I say to different people who can hear it.

I said, “I’m actually very tired. Trina and I are very tired. We’ve gone through too many things. We’re tired. We can be discouraged. We can be disappointed. But we—hey, we need to plow on.”

But we cherish good, authentic fellowship and friendship—people who watch our backs.

And if there’s one thing we need from you, it’s for you to watch our backs.

Not stab me in the back.

Not rant about me behind my back.

We watch each other’s backs.

It drives out fear, which means we no longer hold on to old wounds and grudges.

Why?

Because God’s love gives us the power to forgive.

We don’t need the fear of rejection because God’s acceptance really brings confidence.

Why should this matter to us?

Why?

Because too often, we let fear dictate how we engage in fellowship.

So as you say, “Hey, once a month, come.” You can be thrilled to your bones and say, “Hey, fantastic! We’re all going to go back after today, after church.”

It’s a long time I’ve—I’ve spoken to somebody.

Or you can say, “I don’t need it. Connect groups? Why? Why? Why? Why?”

You realize, but the moment I’m connected, I say, “Hey,” then we think of Acts. We look forward to it.

Why should it matter?

Maybe we’ve been hurt, or we have hurt someone.

Let us down—past issues, offenses linger.

So instead of stepping into the fullness of community unity, we hold back.

But God is calling us to something deeper.

Why?

Perfect love does not just make us feel good.

Please listen: Mature love doesn’t make me just feel good.

It doesn’t do that.

What does mature love do? What does perfect love do?

It compels me to let go of fear—all these issues—and step in, in faith, trusting that God is at work, even in the messiness of relationships.

I think Jesus demonstrated even to the extent on the cross, isn’t it?

Judas, my goodness.

Somebody you walk through so closely, betraying you.

He says, “Father, forgive.”

Wow.

And that’s why the cross is first the place of death before it’s the place of power.

I want the power minus dying.

Even if you look at football, you can see teams that really play solid as a team. Even one fellow who hardly scores will score—all 10 others will jump on him, and they all celebrate.

Sometimes the other fellow, who always wants to score, doesn’t get to score. The other fellow scores, and you can see he’s just walking like, “Hmm, you know, this fellow is so full of himself, he doesn’t know how to celebrate the other guy who scored.”

Why?

It’s for the team, right?

It’s for the team.

Think of that.

What would it look like, you know?

Just imagine that.

What would it look like to let go of fear and embrace love in our relationships?

What would it look like?

What would it look like to let go?

The next one, please.

Who are the people we’ve been avoiding because we fear conflict or rejection?

What do we need to let go of?

What do you need to let go of?

If you’re still holding on, I say go and check the plug.

I think you’re not connected to God’s love, or the connection is there, but you didn’t switch on.

When we let perfect love—mature love—cast out fear in our lives, we are free to engage in true fellowship.

Ask God.

So this week, ask God one thing today.

Ask, “Do I need to release people from my heart? I’ve held such a grudge, God. It’s a cancer in my heart, and that cancer actually has affected me resting in your love, receiving your love.”

Do I need to pursue reconciliation, Lord?

Do I need to go and build some good relationships?

I know I cannot finish my sermon, so I’ll do the other two points next week.

But I want us to pause here.

Worship team, I want us to pause here and ask ourselves:

Am I maturing in God’s love?

Because his love is mature—it’s perfect. It keeps growing in us.

But maybe today, the first thing you and I need to do is this:

It’s to connect back again to him.

Say, “God, I’ve been distant in my heart. I’ve just gone through the motions.

Church, you know, okay, when I’m serving, or I don’t want to serve, or I’m here, I’m not here, I’m there.

God, I just go through the motions with people, but actually, my heart… God, Lord, will you pour your love on my heart again, Lord?”