主内列位同道及朋友们平安：
信望爱聚会第一年的开始许顺明牧师带给会众「最伟大的就是爱」的信息。第五年的开始教会再次请许牧师重讲「伟大的爱」。彼此相爱是「主耶稣的命令」，特将主在约十三章34～35节所讲的话分享如下：
提到基督教就提到“爱”，“爱”是基督教信仰的中心，信徒生活的准则和动力，基督教的具体不能没有“爱”，没有“爱”就没有意义，也失去见证。主耶稣说：「我赐给你们一条新命令，乃是叫你们彼此相爱，我怎样爱你们，你们也要怎样相爱。你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了。」（约十三：34～35）。
1)彼此相爱的动机---彼此相爱必须除去个人感情上的满足。有关「相爱」所提到的赏赐，报答或称赞都不能成为追求的目标。「相爱」不是一个「建议」，不是主对你的一个期望或是一项「请求」，而是「命令」。既然是主的命令就要遵从；比方一个仆人听命於主人，一个士兵服从官长一样。一个尊主为大，尊敬主为王的信徒，首要的命令必须无条件的顺从，首要的功课是「彼此相爱」，这是动机。
2)彼此相爱的标准---主说：「我怎样爱你们，你们也要怎样相爱」。用礼貌礼让一起相处还不能达到标准，但一个披戴基督，照主所行的去行的信徒是主怎样显示爱心，他们也怎样显示爱心。约翰壹书三：16告诉我们爱的定义；「主为我们舍命，我们从此就知道何为爱，我们也当为弟兄舍命」。爱是放下自己，对别人有所给，肯分享。建立和睦是最快乐的事，相反的，相争制造双方面的痛苦。以下的三点很重要：宽容饶恕是给予别人的第一个功课，照顾服侍人是第二课，彼此代祷是追求灵里合一的第三课，主在受难前的祷告，一共有五次求上帝使信的人合二为一，合一的程度与成功是根据主耶稣与天父的合一。信主耶稣立志行道的信徒应避免破坏圣灵所赐合二为一的心，只有藉着和睦、合一才能证明自己是上帝的儿子。
3)彼此相爱的果效---主说：「你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了」。
作为门徒的一个记号就是彼此相爱。当基督徒遭受逼害的时候，罗马的官长便说，我无法消灭基督徒，因他们的家有属灵的力量。这力量就是在一起祷告，生活，活出彼此相爱的见证的结果。教会太注重人数、物质、组织、关系、活动、工作，结果是带来了失去相爱的见证。恩赐不能没有见证，工作不能没有圣灵，圣灵的果子就是以爱为开始的，没有爱就没有盐的味道，光的功用，为此就失去吸引人的因素，主耶稣是藉着爱吸引万人来归向他，我们承继了他的工作也不能例外。传福音的使命是爱的使命，是还福音的债，但也是爱心的债，求主让我们对主有信靠的心，藉着爱他去爱人，也通过爱人表示爱主。这样才会有真正的果效。
本主日（十一月二日）下午六时请预备心到主桌前虔守圣餐纪念主。盼望接受家讯的同道及朋友们能带领亲友参加聚会，每月或双月出席一次或多次。主应许聚会的好处是享受主的同在。敬祝
热心爱主 信望爱聚会全体
及牧师黄鹏远 敬上
2008-10-28
Dear fellow Christians and friends
Peace be unto you!
Rev Koh Soon Meng shared the message “Love is the greatest of all” when Faith, Hope and Love just established. The beginning of the fifth year, he was once again invited to share “Love is the Greatest”. To love one another is the Lord’s commandment to all. Allow me to share what the Lord said in John 13:34-35:
Christianity and love are inseparable. Whenever Christianity is mentioned, the subject of love is inevitably raised. Love is the heart of the Christian faith. Love is the standard criterion and the motivation for Christian living. The Body of Christ cannot exist without love. Without love, the Christian witness is lost and all things are futile and meaningless. Our Lord Jesus says, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35). There are three aspects to these teachings on “loving one another” in this short passage.
1. The Motivation of Loving One Another
To love one another, we need to set aside our self-seeking ways and selfish desires. That is we are not seeking self-gratification or self-glorification. God’s directive to us to “love one another” is not a suggestion, an expectation or even an appeal. It is a command from God that we should love one another. We ought to honour God’s commandment to us just as a servant listens to his master and a soldier obeys his commander. If we accept the sovereignty of God in our lives, his commandment is absolutely our rule for life, faith and obedience.
2. The Standard of Loving One Another
The words of Jesus are as follows: “Love one another as I have loved you”. Acting with civility to one another does not measure up to God’s love. His imperative for us is to love one another as He has loved us. 1 John 3:16 states: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” To love as Christ loves is to lay down oneself and willingly give and share with others. To live harmoniously with one another brings much peace and joy while to live in disunity brings much strife and pain. Loving a person entails three vital lessons: to forgive is the first step. The second step is to care for one another. This is followed by the third step to pray for one another. Before his death on the cross, Jesus prayer altogether five times for the unity of his believers. Our unity as a body of believers is to reflect the unity of the Father and the Son. It is clearly Christ’s directive to us not to destroy the unity of the Spirit but to attain oneness in our life and witness for His Son.
3. The Consequence of Loving One Another
The words of Jesus are as follows: “By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” A true disciple is characterized by his genuine love for one another. In the face of Christians persecution, the Roman soldiers realized that there was no way of annihilating the Christians because their love for one another has forged such a formidable, indestructible strength among themselves; their oneness consolidated through fervent prayer, communal living, generous giving and selflessly sharing. When a church is overly concerned with numbers, materialistic gains, organization, status quo, activities and job per se, the church loses her witness, her credibility and the ability to love one another. It is impossible to do the Lord’s work without His Spirit enabling. Love is the starting point in the process of bearing fruit for the Lord. Without love, we cannot be as salt of the earth and light of the world. Without love, we cannot draw others to Christ. It was the love of God that drew many to our Lord Jesus. To continue His work, we cannot do otherwise than to continue in His love. God’s love for us came to us with a price. It costs Him His only Son. To share the good news is to shed abroad His love. Let us love God and trust God fully as we share the love which God has loved us so that through this love, more people will know Him. In so doing, we will indeed bear much fruit for Him.
This Sunday, 2 November 2008 at 6.00pm, lets us prepare our hearts to come before the Lord’s Table to partake in the Holy Communion in remembrance of our Lord. I hope fellow believers and friends are able to invite your friends or relatives to attend our service at least once monthly or bi-monthly. God’s promise is that where we meet, there His presence is with us.
May you love the Lord fervently.
Rev Bunyan Oey
Faith, Hope and Love Service
28 October 2008
Faith, Hope and Love Services
