One man - I've probably shared this story, it's still a good one to tell - first year pastoring, and one of the young men in the church, we had a boy who was a bit older, he used to play with our kids, and play with Peter. Then he had a baby, and we were so excited about the baby, and three months later I got a call in the night, he said our baby just died. I couldn't even believe what I was hearing. How could a baby die? I mean how could a baby die! I didn't know anything in those days, and I went out there in the car to see him and God, what do I say? I don't know what to say. How do I pray? I didn't know what to do, and the Lord said don't say anything. I want you just to go to him and hug him. As I went to him, I began to think I wonder what he's going through, and began to think of my own children as I was going there, and I began to start to feel what it would be like to lose a child.
I went there and I got to the house and he saw the car pull up because the lights were on and so on, so he came out to see me. I went over to him - we walked together and I still remember as clear as it was yesterday - put my arms around him, and I just hugged him and we both cried. I didn't know what else to say. We just got our way through it the best we could, and got through the service and everything. Years later he told me, all my life I'd been so shut down I never was ever able to experience being loved, but that day when you said nothing and just hugged me, I felt the love of God for the first time, and he cried. It changed his life. He became trained later and become a Pastor. Isn't that amazing? Amazing, just the love of God, so it's got a very spiritual dimension to it, and it's got an incredibly practical part to it as well.
I can remember one time, we were very low in our life in ministry and I'd been through tremendous stress and pressure, and we went away for a break and a holiday. I didn't actually have enough money to get back, and I said well I'm going Lord, if you want me back You've got to provide the dough. That's it, so I'm out of here. So we went there, and we were looked after up in a camp up in Whangarei. Anyway, one night someone said hey, won't you come around for a meal? I said that sounds pretty good, and so we'll come round. We got around their place, they said well actually it's a surprise and you're not coming with us. There's something else we've got in mind, it's a surprise. Oh, fantastic, so they said well follow these directions to this house. Oh wow, that's mysterious. Followed these directions to this house, and got to this house, and there were lights on and we came in, the door was open and there was a sign up, welcome Mike and Joy. I thought that's unusual, and I guess that means we should go in - knocked on the door, no one answers, we came in, and there's music and there's soft lights, and this table set for two people, and there's a meal laid out.
We had a note with a scripture of encouragement, saying we'll come and we'll give you coffee later on at 9.30, but we want you just to enjoy the meal the Lord's provided for you both. So the practical - they said later on, they said God has put it into our heart to help couples under stress by just putting on a special meal. He said the only condition is, you can't tell anyone who we are. We sat at the table, and just wept that someone we didn't know, cared for us, and we knew that past that and beyond that, it was God showing His love through someone, so that's over spiritualised. We are all people, and we need the love of God through one another, as well as through personal encounter and sometimes when you can't get it through personal encounter, it comes the other way. God loves us, and we can become a community that love people.
That brings us to the last one, if we want to keep in the love of God, we have to practice loving people. John 14 tells us that Jesus said if you love Me You'll keep My commandments and here's the one, God commanding you to love one another. He said oh Lord, He said well if you'll do this My love will abide with you, we'll manifest ourself. He said well how - we'll love one another, well that's not so easy Lord you know? Some people are pretty nasty, not very nice. He said well you know, when you love, you'll learn to forgive them. How are you going to learn to forgive? Because love forgives. I'm going to send some people and they're going to offend you and upset you, and you've got a chance to learn what real love is, and to grow in forgiveness. There'll be some people upset you, and you'll get irritated, and it'll be a chance for you to grow in patience. There'll be some people and they don't deserve anything and you'll give them kindness, and you'll learn what it is to grow in kindness, so it's impossible to grow mature in love, without some people to practice on.