To love with the greater love

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

John 15:13

Jesus teaches us what is the "greater love". To love with the "greater love" is not hugging, kissing, staying together, having relationship, etc.

To love with the "greater love" is to lay down the life. The love that the text speaks about is the agape, i.e., a love that is not produced by man, but by the Spirit of God.

The life that the text speaks about is not the life on the body, but the psyche, which is the soul. The soul represents one's intellect, emotions, desires, etc.

When I lay down my life for a brother of mine, I demonstrate that the love of God is in me.

When I don't lay down my life for my brother, when my soul well-being is more important than someone's life, I demonstrate that the love of God is not in me. When my comfort and finances are more important than someone's salvation, I demonstrate that the love of God is not in me. My attitudes demonstrate if the greater love is in me. Even my prayers demonstrate if the love of God is in me or not. When my rest, my sleep, my possessions, my stuff, my feelings, and etc., that is, my life, my psyche has the first place, the greater love is not manifested in me.

Love, with agape, is an expression of the Spirit of God, it is fruit of the Spirit, and only can be produced by Him. Our role is to surrender and to allow Him to love. Let us lay down our lives, our psyche, for the one's next to us; let us take our eyes off of ourselves, let us take our souls out of the throne of our lives, let us pray and cry for the ones that suffer, let us surrender and allow the love of God to reach those.

Stay in the peace of Jesus Christ!

Saulo.

I know nothing, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified

1 Corinthians 2:1-5. “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power.”.

Preaching the Gospel has nothing to do with personality. Preaching the Gospel has nothing to do with methods. Preaching the Gospel has nothing to do with individual talents. Preaching the Gospel has to do with only one thing: Jesus Christ, and him crucified.


Paul, one of the greatest evangelists of all time, didn't use any evangelization method of those we consider the fundamental ones. Paul didn't mask the message with emotional appeals. Paul did preach the one thing that was scandal: Christ, and him crucified. Paul experienced the cross, and about that cross he spoke; crucified with Christ, he allowed the life of Jesus to flow through him.

Stay in the peace of Jesus Christ!
Saulo Oliveira Santos.