Relying On God’s Love Unlocks the Courage to Share the Good News

By Pastor Rick Warren

Here’s an important truth in evangelism: only changed people can change the world. 

Before we look to share the good news with the whole world, we need to make sure our own hearts have been revived. Why? Because it’s only when you are filled with love that you can share the love of Christ with the world. Love empowers us and gives us the courage to be used by God to reach others.

That’s why personal revival always comes before church-wide and cultural revival. 

So how do you know if you’re relying on God’s love, and if you aren’t, what do you do about it?

 

When Love Grows Cold

The most important text in the Bible on revival is in the book of Revelation 2. Jesus is speaking to the church at Ephesus – a great church. he says: I love everything about you. I know the hard work you do. I know you never give up. You don’t put up with false teachings. You stay true to God’s word. You have endured hardship. You’ve put up with persecution. You’ve endured many hard problems. He says, “But I have one complaint: You don’t love me like you used to love me. You’re not as close to me as you used to be.”

Jesus then gives them, and us,  three simple steps to revival:

• Remember what it was like when you were close.
• Repent—change your mind and direction.
• Return to the things you did at first.

If you have ever lost your love for anything—or anyone—these steps apply. And the same is true in our relationship with God.

So here’s an important question: Was there ever a time when you felt closer to God than you do right now?

If the answer is yes, then you need revival. And it begins with remembering, repenting, and restarting.

 

It’s Not That You Don’t Love God Enough

I’ve had many people tell me, “Rick, I know what my problem is. I don’t love God enough.”

But that’s not your problem.

Your problem is that you don’t realize how much he loves you.

The Bible says, “We love because he first loved us.” If you truly understood—if you really felt—how much God loves you, you couldn’t help but love him back.

Before we talk about taking God’s love to the world, we have to stop and remember how much God loves us personally, because when you feel his love, you’ll respond with love.

Sometimes we think God only smiles when we’re doing something spiritual—going to church, praying, reading the Bible, serving the poor. But that’s not true. God enjoys watching you be you. He made you to love you.

God will never love you more than he does right now, and he will never love you less. His love is unconditional. You can’t make God stop loving you—because his love for you is not based on what you do. It’s based on what Christ has already done.

When you finally understand this—when you realize there has never been one second of your life when God did not love you—you will want to tell other people about it.

That’s how revival begins.

Revival doesn’t start with something I do for God. It starts in my heart when I fall in love with Jesus again by remembering that there has never been one moment of my life when he didn’t love me.

 

You Were Made to Be Loved—and Sent

God created you for five purposes. These are the reasons you exist:

First, you were created to be loved and to love—to love God with all your heart and to love others.
Second, you were created to belong—to be part of God’s family.
Third, you were created to become—to grow to be like Christ.
Fourth, you were created to bless others—to serve using the gifts God has given you.
And fifth, you were created to be sent—to tell others the good news of Jesus.

Now here’s what’s important to understand. 

You can worship in heaven. You can pray in heaven. You can fellowship and grow spiritually and serve God in heaven.

But there is one purpose you will never fulfill in heaven: you will never again have the opportunity to tell the good news to someone who doesn’t know Jesus.

Jesus said, “Just as the Father sent me, now I am sending you.” So why does God leave us here on earth? He leaves us here to tell others.

You were made to be loved—and you were made to be sent. But the order matters. You cannot give away what you have not first received.

 

What Changes When You Live in God’s Love

When you begin to live in God’s unconditional love, your life starts to change in very practical ways:

First, you feel accepted instead of ashamed.

A lot of people walk around with shame in their life, but when you realize how much God loves you, it really doesn’t matter what others think of you.

Many of you are depressed all the time because you’re on social media all the time comparing yourself to everybody else. But you don’t need anybody’s approval to be happy. You are as happy as you choose to be. If God likes me and I like me, and you don’t – that’s your problem. You’re acceptable to God in Christ. I have acceptance, not shame.

Romans 5:1, “By faith, we have been made acceptable to God, and now because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God.” This will set you free from the addiction to approval. You stop worrying about what everybody else thinks about you.

You see, criticism will not bother you so much if you realize that the Creator of the universe says this, Romans 8:33-34, “If God says His chosen ones are acceptable to Him, can anyone bring charges against them?” No. Or can anybody condemn them? No. So when I understand God’s love for me I feel accepted rather than ashamed.

Second, you worship instead of worry.

You’re going to go through life with a lot of problems. You can worship or you can worry. You can panic, or you can pray. Worship is expressing my love to God. Anytime you’re telling God you love him, you are worshiping — by yourself, with a small group, or in a crowd.

Matthew 6 says this, Jesus is talking, “Don’t worry about having enough food, or drink, or clothing. He will give you all you need. If you live for Him, if you seek first the kingdom of God, you make it your primary concern, so don’t worry about tomorrow.”

This is Jesus talking. “For tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” When I realize how much God loves me, and as Jude said, “I live in the love of God,” I feel accepted, not ashamed. I worship instead of worrying.

Third, you become bold in asking God for help.

You’re not afraid to ask God for anything because you’re a child of God. Children have access to their father. God is never too busy for you. God never says, “Call me back later.” He’s there listening every time His son or daughter has a request. So, don’t panic, pray. 

The Bible says this: “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God so you should not be fearful slaves. Instead, you should behave like God’s very own children, adopted into His family, calling Him Abba, Father.” 

Fourth, you experience peace in the middle of pain.

When I live in God’s unconditional love, I have peace even in the middle of pain and problems. The Bible calls it the peace that passes understanding. What does that mean? It means you’re at peace when there’s no logical reason for you to be at peace. 

Your heavenly Father can do everything. He not only has unlimited love. He has unlimited power. When we encounter a problem and understand that our father can handle it, it brings peace.

Fifth, you gain courage to take great risks.

God wants to use you. You may say, “But I’m afraid.” The Bible says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear.” Fear and love cannot exist in the same heart. When you invite fear into your life, love goes out the back. But when you bring love into your heart, fear has to go out the back.

We’ve all heard of these stories about people running into burning buildings to save people. We think, “What would motivate someone to risk their life?” There’s only one answer: love. Love is what sends us out to the world.

 

God Wants to Use You

You are not really ready to tell the good news to anyone else until you begin relying on the love of God in your own life. When you know you are loved—fully, freely, forever—you will want others to know it too.

God brought you to this moment in history. He wants you to know: “You matter to me. I have never stopped loving you. And I want to use you to help change the world.”

You can pray this prayer today: 

Dear God, I’m amazed at how much you love me. Thank you that your love is wide enough to be everywhere I go. Thank you that your love for me is long enough to last forever. Thank you that your love is deep enough to handle my worst problems. Thank you that your love is high enough to overlook my sins because of Jesus.

Thank you that there’s never been a moment in my life when you didn’t love me. I’m asking you to anoint me as an ambassador of love. Send me out to my community and the world. May I be a model of your love. May I love people who don’t know you as much as you love me. What you’ve called me to do, may I be equipped to do. I pray this in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.