Welcome to Impact Church, where our mission is simple: to live like Jesus and love like Jesus. You’ll hear that phrase a lot because it’s the heart of God and the message of Christ. Jesus didn’t just preach about love—He lived it every day. If salvation was His only mission, He could have gone straight to the cross, but instead, He modeled a life of love so we could follow in His footsteps.

So, what does it actually look like to live love?

  • It means being so full of Christ’s love that it compels us into action (2 Corinthians 5:14).

  • It looks like the four friends in Mark 2, who carried a lame man to Jesus through the roof.

  • It means dying to ourselves so we can be fully alive in Christ (Galatians 2:20).

  • It looks like the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, going out of our way to help those in need.

  • It’s seeing and believing the best in people (1 Corinthians 13:7).

  • It’s generous like the early church in Acts, meeting both spiritual and practical needs.

  • It means not just saying, “I’ll pray for you,” but actually stopping to pray.

  • It means our Monday-Saturday matches our Sunday.

  • It means being so moved with compassion—like Jesus was—that we take action (Matthew 9:36).

But how do we live love? It starts with one thing: Living Loved.

1. We Can Only Live Love by Living Loved

We cannot pour out love until we first receive it. 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love,” and when we know Him personally, we experience His love. 1 John 4:7 (AMP) tells us, “Everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience].” The word “knows” here (ginosko in Greek) refers to experiential knowledge—not just head knowledge.

Ephesians 3:19 (NLT) says, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.” Christianity isn’t about being a fan of Jesus but a follower. Fans know facts, but followers know His heart.

Like any relationship, love grows through time and experience. I didn’t truly know my wife, Carling, just from her Facebook profile—I got to know her by spending time with her. The same goes for our relationship with God. The more we experience His love, the more we reflect it.

Sadly, many people—even within the church—think they have to work for God’s love. But Christianity is not about climbing a ladder to God; it’s about God coming down to us. Revelation 2:4 (NLT) reminds us that even hard work for God is meaningless without love: “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!”

When we live loved, it transforms every part of our lives. Here’s how:

2. Christ’s Love Affects Our Motives

2 John 1:5-6 (NLT) says, “Love means doing what God has commanded us, and He has commanded us to love one another.” But if we see God’s commandments as restrictive rules, we’ll struggle to obey. When we realize His commands are for our protection, they become easier to follow.

Think of speed limit signs. As a young driver, I saw them as mere suggestions—until I had kids. Suddenly, I was driving like a grandma through school zones! My motive changed because of relationship. The same is true with God’s love—it changes our heart, and love becomes our motivation, not obligation.

1 John 4:21 (NIV) says, “Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” Even the difficult ones. That person who popped into your head? That’s your mission field!

3. Christ’s Love Affects Our Speech

Our culture loves to talk about “truth,” but it often lacks love. Ephesians 4:15 says we are to “speak the truth in love.” Truth without love builds walls, while love without truth leads to deception. But together, they build a bridge to Jesus.

Picture two paddles: one is truth, the other is love. If you row with only one, you’ll go in circles. You need both to move forward.

Jesus always spoke truth, but He did it in love. If we love someone, we tell them the truth, but we do it in a way that builds up, not tears down.

Live Love Every Day

1 John 4:19 reminds us, “We love because He first loved us.” Our love for others comes from Him. When we stop striving for God’s approval and simply receive His love, it flows naturally to those around us.

I challenge you: Every morning, take a moment and pray, “God, show me Your love today.” When you live loved, you will live love. And that will change everything.