Love on Purpose
LXM XV 5/19/2026
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47:39
Summary
This sermon explores the relentless and intentional nature of God's love, moving from our predestined adoption as children of God to our calling to reflect that same 'on purpose' love to a broken world. through personal testimonies and the biblical narrative of Hosea, the speakers emphasize that God's love is a pursuing force that matures through every season of life.
Key points
- •God's selection and adoption of us were established before the foundation of the world, signaling an intentional, predestined love.
- •Love is not a static switch but a dynamic force that matures through seasons of ease, trial, waiting, and harvest.
- •True Christlike love (Agape) is a fruit of the Spirit that flows naturally from a healthy connection to the 'Vine' rather than through outward performance.
- •God's love is relentless and pursuing, as demonstrated in the biblical story of Hosea and Gomer, where God pays the price to redeem those who have strayed.
- •Believers are called to 'love on purpose' by seeing the spiritual potential in others and acting as the light of the world to the lost and broken.
Scripture
God's Intentionality
Redemption
Spiritual Maturity
The Love of God
Adoption
Life application
This week, identify one person in your life who feels 'difficult' to love-perhaps a coworker or a wayward family member-and intentionally choose to extend kindness or prayer to them, viewing them through the lens of their spiritual potential rather than their current actions.
Reflection questions
- In which season of love (ease, trial, waiting, or harvest) do you currently find yourself in your relationship with God?
- When you replace the word 'Love' with your own name in 1 Corinthians 13, which qualities feel most challenging to live out?
- The speaker mentioned that 'untested love is reactive.' How has a trial in your life actually strengthened your commitment to God or others?
- Is there a 'Gomer' in your life that God is asking you to pursue with grace instead of judgment?
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Full transcript
0:00Thank you so much. So, without any
0:00further delay, I'd like to introduce
0:01Sister Sujeidy Alexandra Saladin to come
0:04up here and open up for LXM 15. Amen.
0:10Nice.
0:13Praise the Lord, church.
0:16We're um going to start off with reading
0:19uh the scripture from Ephesians chapter
0:221 verses 3 to 5.
0:27Blessed be the God and Father of our
0:29Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us
0:31with every spiritual blessing in the
0:33heavenly places in Christ.
0:35Just as he chose us in him before the
0:37foundation of the world that we should
0:39be holy and without blame before him in
0:42love.
0:43Having predestined us to the adoption as
0:46sons by Jesus Christ to himself
0:50according to the good pleasure of his
0:52will.
0:54I am so thankful to have a God that
0:56chose us before we've done anything,
0:59before we've been anyone. He
1:01single-handedly chose you. He selects
1:05us, and that selection just give gives
1:08us the assurance of his
1:10love towards us.
1:12We had a um Move the Mission rally here
1:15a few weeks ago.
1:17And the speaker for that rally
1:20um opened the service with a children's
1:22book.
1:24And he mentioned that he reads this book
1:27to his child every single night. And I
1:29don't know what it was about this book.
1:31I don't know if it's me becoming more
1:34sensitive as I get a little bit older
1:36and closer to 30.
1:37Um but he's reading this book to us, and
1:41I'm saying, "Amen." And I'm looking over
1:44to Faith, and I'm like, "This book can
1:46preach." And Faith is like over here
1:48laughing at me because I'm being moved
1:51by this children's book.
1:53And um this book is about a mother who
1:57leaves her unhatched egg to go find food
2:00for the baby.
2:01Now, while the mom is gone, the baby
2:04hatches from its egg, and it begins to
2:07look for his mother. So, the baby flies
2:09out of its nest, and it goes to like all
2:11these different types of animals. It
2:13goes to a dog and a cat, and he goes up
2:17to them and he says, "Are you my mom?"
2:19And the dog goes, "No, I'm not your mom,
2:21silly. I'm a dog." And then he goes to
2:23like you all these other animals. And
2:25then he goes to these bigger objects,
2:27like a car and a truck. And he goes up
2:29to them and says, "Are you my mom?" And
2:31of course, they're not his mom. He's
2:33never seen his mom, so he doesn't know
2:35what his mom looks like. So, he's just
2:37asking anything that he possibly can,
2:40"Are you my mother?" And they're all
2:41saying, "No, we're something completely
2:44different."
2:45And it just
2:48this book is not spiritual. It's not
2:52it's not anything, you know, that's
2:54Christian but
2:56when the the bird baby bird ends up
2:59coming back to its nest, he
3:02he's like, "Where are you?
3:03I can't find my mom." And all he needed
3:07was to hear his mother's voice.
3:10And he knew that that was his mom.
3:13Before ever seeing his mom's face, he
3:14just heard her voice, and he knew, "Oh,
3:17that's my mom."
3:18And
3:20she was nearby, and he knew that he
3:22found what who he was looking for all
3:24this time.
3:26Now, again, this book is not
3:28Christian or seemingly Christian. It
3:30isn't outwardly about God, but it struck
3:32me because I thought, "Man, that's just
3:33our relationship with God." We may not
3:36see him, but we can surely feel him, and
3:39we know his voice.
3:41And it doesn't matter how far I I go or
3:44where I go looking, I can hear God's
3:47voice. He speaks to me. I can feel his
3:50presence. He's near to me, and I know
3:52that my father is near.
3:55I wasn't raised in church. I wasn't
3:57taught how to pray, but when I was
3:58younger, I somehow knew that when I was
4:00feeling lonely, when I was afraid, I
4:03could call on God. No one ever taught
4:05me. No one ever said, "Oh, you can
4:08pray." I I wasn't raised that way, but I
4:11could feel his nearness, and I knew that
4:13there was a name that I could call upon.
4:16Now, what is that? How is it that at the
4:19young age of what? Like 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
4:23years old, that I knew I could call on
4:25Jesus without anyone ever saying, "Hey,
4:28do you know you can pray?" or ever
4:30teaching me how to pray?
4:32That was before I knew him, and yet I
4:35still knew him.
4:37It is this longing in each and every
4:39single one of our souls to be connected
4:42with our father, to hear his voice,
4:44because in Jeremiah, he says, "Before I
4:46formed you in the Before I formed you in
4:49the womb, I knew you. Before you were
4:52born, I sanctified you." Meaning he set
4:54you apart to be his own.
4:57His love is the thread throughout all of
4:59creation. Our text from Ephesians says
5:02that God has predestined us to adoption,
5:05to be sons of God, children of God.
5:09God's choosing is not random, but it is
5:11intentional.
5:14In that same verse, Paul writes that he
5:15predestined us according to his own
5:19will.
5:21The good pleasure of his will. God
5:23choosing you is intentional.
5:25That there is a thread that connects us
5:27to the beginning of creation, the
5:29beginning of time when God had thought
5:32of you, when God had called you by name.
5:36He predestined you to be a child of God,
5:38to be adopted into his body, and to be
5:41set apart as his
5:43very own child.
5:46His love reached for you from the
5:48beginning of creation, the very moment
5:50he thought of your name.
5:52Psalm 139 says, "For you formed my
5:54inward parts. You covered me in my
5:57mother's womb. Marvelous are your works,
6:00and that my soul knows well."
6:03So, how is it that even when I've never
6:06seen him,
6:07I may not know him, and yet my soul
6:10knows that he is near.
6:14We all know it, church. I'm not the I
6:15know I'm not the only one with that
6:17testimony. The first time you felt God's
6:19presence, the first time you felt his
6:22presence, you heard his voice. It may
6:24have been at an altar, it may have been
6:26in your car, it may have been in your
6:28house, it may have been when you were
6:30strung out on on drugs or drunk, it may
6:33have been like me when you were a little
6:35child and you knew that there was a name
6:37that you could call upon. Whatever it
6:39was, it was your first time, and yet it
6:43was familiar.
6:45We were lost, we were orphans because
6:48our sin separated us from our father,
6:50but all along God was right beside us,
6:53waiting for us to hear his voice.
6:56And my soul knows it. It feels it
6:59because it is the very fingerprint of
7:03God's handiwork over your life.
7:07The enemy thought he could separate us
7:08from the love of God. He thought he had
7:10a one-up on God when he when he deceived
7:13Adam and Eve, but nothing can separate
7:16us from the love of God.
7:18Not death, not life,
7:21not angels, not demons, not worries,
7:26not even the powers of hell. No power
7:29that is in heaven or that is in hell can
7:32separate us from the love of God. Paul
7:35says it like this, "I am convinced that
7:38nothing can separate us from the love of
7:40God.
7:41The enemy can try and try and try to to
7:45separate us from God, but there is no
7:47power that can separate you from God's
7:49love. He loves you so much.
7:52And when the enemy thought he had won in
7:54deceiving Adam and Eve, all along God
7:56had a plan.
7:58For God so loved the world that whoever
8:01believes in him should not perish, but
8:04have everlasting
8:06life. That was his plan from the
8:08beginning of creation.
8:10Jesus loves you and he loves you on
8:12purpose from the moment of creation.
8:16The topic for this 15th iteration of
8:19Alex is love on purpose.
8:23You're about to hear different
8:24demonstration of God's love from Alan
8:27Perdomo, our first speaker,
8:29Mindy Segoff, Lucinda Green,
8:32Randy Ramos, who is our guest alumni
8:35speaker from the fourth year,
8:37and Morgan Robertson.
8:39They have all prayed, consecrated, and
8:41fasted for this message that you are
8:43about to hear tonight, and it's straight
8:46from God.
8:47It is a message that we all need to
8:49hear. It is so important for the
8:51believer, for the non-believer. God
8:53loves you.
8:55He loves you so much that he came down
8:57from heaven, robed himself in flesh, and
9:00died for our sins. So, will you pray uh
9:03with me, church, um over this class and
9:06over this message? Will we all pray
9:08together in Jesus name? God, first and
9:10foremost, I want to thank you, Lord.
9:12I want to thank you, God, for your love.
9:15I want to thank you, Lord, for all that
9:17you've done in my life, for the
9:18testimonies that you have placed in this
9:20room, Jesus, because each and every
9:22single one of us have a testimony, and
9:24not anything, oh Lord, can can take us
9:26away from our Nothing can destroy our
9:28testimony, oh God, but we can overcome
9:31the enemy. We can overcome by the blood
9:33of the lamb and by the word of our
9:35testimony. And we're about to hear a
9:37word from you this morning, this
9:39evening, oh Lord Jesus, and I pray that
9:41this word will fall on good soil. Lord,
9:44I pray that we are ready to hear
9:45whatever it is that you have to say to
9:47us tonight, that our ears will be
9:49inclined to your word and that our
9:50hearts will be softened. I pray that you
9:52will touch each and every single Alex
9:54Center as they bring this word forth. In
9:56Jesus' name, amen.
10:05What an honor it is to be in the house
10:07of the Lord today.
10:09Amen. In Jesus' name.
10:13Love is often referred to as a a fixed
10:16thing. It's like a switch. You either
10:18have it or you don't. Either people
10:20either have it for you or they don't.
10:24Your boss either loves you or they
10:25don't. Your family either loves you or
10:27they don't. Your kids either love you or
10:29they don't.
10:31The cat The cat either loves you or it
10:33doesn't.
10:36>> [laughter]
10:37>> Usually doesn't.
10:40But it's it's not. It's dynamic. It
10:42grows. It's refined. It expands over
10:44time. It's molded and informed by
10:47experience.
10:48There's many marriages in this church.
10:51Amen.
10:52Many of which have been around longer
10:54than I've been alive.
10:58And I'm sure there's a testimony in each
10:59and every single one of them that
11:02this that the love you have for each
11:04other isn't the same as the love you had
11:06when you first started dating
11:08or when you got married.
11:11After time, your love refines. If your
11:14spouse is sitting next to you, tell
11:15them, "I love you better than I did."
11:21In 1 Thessalonians, Paul writes, "May
11:23the Lord make your love increase and
11:25overflow."
11:27Our love for each other, our love for
11:28God
11:30is meant to grow, is meant to increase,
11:32is meant to mature.
11:34Because I don't love the same way I did
11:36as when I was a child.
11:38Um I remember attending Brother
11:39Moncayo's church with Sister Vicky's
11:42parents. Um
11:44Sister Carmen and and Brother Julio. And
11:47when I was when I was a little kid
11:49uh they used to give me these caramel
11:51candies. I'm not sure if anybody's
11:52familiar.
11:53But those things are are so so
11:55addictive. Uh
11:57I I every time I'd go up to them and
11:59give Sister Carmen a hug and Brother
12:01Julio a handshake and they'd give me
12:02these candies.
12:03But as I I grew up over time
12:06uh they stopped coming. The candies
12:08dried up.
12:11And uh but my brother still got them and
12:13sometimes once or twice I'd I'd take
12:15them cuz you know, but I I repented but
12:18I I
12:19I admit to it. Uh but as time passed I
12:22realized that I I loved them for
12:24different reasons. I grew to love them
12:27for what they represented to my parents
12:29as parents to them and grandparents to
12:32us and
12:33man, what a set of people worthy of of
12:35recognition for their longevity and and
12:38their walk with Christ.
12:40>> [applause]
12:43>> Childlike love says, I love because I
12:46feel.
12:47Mature love says, I love because I've
12:49been called to.
12:51Christlike love says, I love even when
12:54it hurts because he loved me first.
12:57So even when we come to understand what
12:59that Christlike love is meant to be or
13:02meant to look like there's always tests
13:05along the way.
13:06Um Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, there is a
13:09time and season for every activity
13:12under the heavens.
13:14And same as the season of of life
13:16there are uh
13:18seasons of love.
13:20Amen.
13:21Um and our love is meant to be forged
13:25and and tested through each of these
13:27seasons in different ways. And I've
13:28chosen to break this down into four
13:30seasons.
13:31Um first up, the seasons of ease
13:34where love feels natural. It's like your
13:36your first love with with God, with
13:38Christ. You come to church, everything's
13:40smooth sailing. Your your family's in
13:43church. You're spiritually strong.
13:46But easy love is untrustworthy.
13:50Amen.
13:52It's
13:54it's like that comparison of building
13:55your house on on a bed of sand versus a
13:58bed of rock. Untested love
14:01is
14:02reactive. It changes quick.
14:05Next up, you have seasons of trial where
14:07love becomes difficult. You're you're
14:10hurt. Maybe it's church hurt. Maybe
14:12you're disappointed in yourself
14:14or even in God.
14:17Um but this is the moment where love is
14:19no longer an emotion. It's a It's a
14:22decision. It becomes a decision.
14:25This is where God asks you, will you
14:28love me
14:29even when it costs you something?
14:33Then you have seasons of waiting where
14:35you're you're pouring out your Maybe
14:37you're praying every Sunday at the altar
14:40for others. You're this
14:44essence is is flowing out of you, but
14:47for others, and you feel maybe unseen.
14:51You see miracles, signs, and wonders
14:52around you, but not in you.
14:56And Brother Austin said something that
14:58Sunday that stuck with me. You Maybe it
15:00doesn't feel like he's pulling you out,
15:03but trust that he's in the fire with
15:05you. Amen.
15:07Because love is not based on what you
15:09receive, but on who God is.
15:12And who is he? He's He's worthy of it.
15:14He's He's the Lord above all. He's He
15:17gives and takes away.
15:20Who's more worthy than that?
15:23And then you have the seasons of
15:24harvest.
15:26Where you begin to see fruit. There's
15:28growth in your character.
15:30This is what you work for. This is what
15:33why God put you through those trials
15:35before. There's a deeper understanding
15:36of what love is.
15:38But it wasn't just teaching you how to
15:40love your neighbor. It was teaching you
15:41how to love God.
15:43First Thessalonians says, "May the Lord
15:45make your love increase."
15:47God is doing something through every
15:49season.
15:51Because every season asks you a question
15:53that you have to answer.
15:55Will you love God even when life isn't
15:58good?
15:59When you have to trust him when you have
16:01to endure through the fire?
16:03When you have to endure through the
16:04through the silence, through the wait?
16:07Cuz real love doesn't remain shallow.
16:10It grows. It stretches. It refines.
16:14It surrenders.
16:17So,
16:18why don't we aim to be a reflection of
16:20that?
16:21Why don't we let it move us into a place
16:23of surrender? A place that reveals the
16:25difference between trusting God and and
16:27truly walking by faith.
16:30Amen.
16:34>> [applause]
16:40>> Praise the Lord, everyone.
16:43Grateful to God to be in this moment
16:46with you all right now.
16:51All right. If love only shows when it's
16:53convenient or visible,
16:55is it truly flowing from God within us?
16:58Or is it just an outward performance?
17:021 John 4:8 says, "God is love."
17:07This tells us that if we want to truly
17:09know what love is, we must look at what
17:12God says that love is.
17:15To know what love is is to know who he
17:18is.
17:21First Corinthians 13:4-7
17:24is a clear picture of love in action.
17:28So, if God is love and these verses give
17:31a clear picture of what love is, then we
17:33should be able to easily replace the
17:35word love with God.
17:40So, 1 Corinthians 13:4 says,
17:43Love endures long and is patient and
17:45kind.
17:48We could replace it with God, but can we
17:50also replace it with our names?
17:53Mindy never is envious, nor boils over
17:56with jealousy.
17:58Is not boastful or
18:00vain glorious, does not display itself
18:02haughtily.
18:06Morgan is not conceited, arrogant, and
18:09inflated with pride.
18:12Sister Holmes is not rude, unmannerly,
18:14and does not act unbecomingly.
18:18Winter
18:20does not insist on
18:22her own rights or her own way.
18:24For it is not self-seeking.
18:27Brother Johnny is not touchy or fretful
18:30or resentful.
18:31Takes no account of the evil done
18:34to it, pays no attention to a suffered
18:36wrong.
18:39Irene does not rejoice at injustice
18:43and un
18:44and un right righteousness,
18:47but rejoices when right and truth
18:49prevail.
18:52Brother Allen bears up under anything
18:54and everything that comes.
18:56Is ever ready to believe the best of
18:58every person.
19:01Pastor Holmes hopes are fadeless
19:04under all circumstances.
19:08And endures everything without
19:10weakening.
19:15How many of us have fallen short of
19:17these qualities daily?
19:19Because I'll be the first one to raise
19:21my hand.
19:23Although we cannot pour out God's true
19:25and perfect agape love,
19:29because we're human and flawed,
19:31God still calls us to live a life where
19:33he can pour out to others through us.
19:37What does the Bible say is required
19:39first for this to be able to happen?
19:42John 7:38-39
19:44says, "He that believeth on me, as the
19:46scripture hath said, out of his belly
19:49shall flow rivers of living water. But
19:51this spake he of the Spirit."
19:54This tells us that the Holy Spirit must
19:56fill us first inwardly
19:59before it can flow outwardly.
20:03So, if we humble ourselves, submit
20:04ourselves, and repent and turn from our
20:06sinful ways, God's Spirit flowing
20:09through us will naturally produce love.
20:13Because that's who God is.
20:16So, what is the evidence of this? Jesus
20:19said, "You will know them by their
20:20fruit."
20:22How does fruit grow?
20:24Fruit grows first through connection.
20:27A branch must stay connected to the
20:29vine.
20:30That is the source for the next element.
20:33Nourishment.
20:36Fruit continually receives water and
20:39nutrients and is exposed to sunlight.
20:43Time.
20:44It goes through seasons of growth.
20:49It doesn't appear overnight. Has to
20:51mature.
20:54Pruning, which is probably the most
20:56important part
20:57>> [laughter]
20:58>> all of
21:00I'm like a semi gardener, not a real
21:01gardener, but all of us gardeners out
21:03here.
21:04>> [laughter]
21:05>> Pruning away the dead or harmful parts.
21:08They're cut away for healthier growth to
21:10come.
21:12And then, this is tested
21:15in the pressure and seasons to
21:17strengthen the roots.
21:21In John 15:5, Jesus says,
21:24"I am the vine.
21:26Ye are the branches. He that abideth in
21:29me, and I in him,
21:32the same bringeth forth much fruit. For
21:34without me, you can do nothing."
21:41Healthy fruit, in essence, is simply the
21:44evidence of a healthy connection to the
21:46source.
21:48The perfect source.
21:51Galatians 5:22 speaks about the fruit of
21:53the Spirit. Love, peace, patience,
21:56kindness, goodness, etc. But notice
21:59which one is listed first.
22:02Love.
22:03This is on purpose.
22:06God's love is on purpose. It's
22:08intentional. It's unwavering.
22:11This love is evidence in Romans 5:8 when
22:14the Bible says, "But God commended his
22:16love toward us in that while we were
22:21sinners,
22:23Christ died for us. Yet sinners didn't
22:26deserve a thing."
22:28God's love is a type of love that
22:30forgives when your flesh wants to hold a
22:33grudge. Who has been there? I know that
22:36I have. It's very hard sometimes.
22:39It's the type of love that stops what
22:40they're doing to help someone in need
22:42when they're busy and having a stressful
22:44day.
22:46God made us in His image and instructed
22:48us to be like Him.
22:511 John 2:6 says, "He that sayeth he
22:54abided in abideth in him ought himself
22:57also to walk even as he walked. A daily
23:01decision to pick up our cross and follow
23:04him. A daily decision to separate
23:06ourselves, a daily decision to die to
23:10our flesh.
23:12And you want to know what the most
23:13beautiful thing about it is?
23:17His mercies are new
23:19How many mornings?
23:21Every Tuesday morning?
23:23Every morning. Every morning. How how
23:26incredible is that to Just think about
23:28that for a second. Every single morning.
23:33So, you failed yesterday? Keep seeking.
23:37You failed today? Keep trying. You might
23:40fail tomorrow. Keep going.
23:43Because the only time that you fail is
23:46when you actually walk away and give up.
23:50So, in closing,
23:52fruit is never taped onto a tree for
23:55appearance.
23:57It grows naturally from what the tree is
24:00connected to.
24:02What fruit is being produced within you?
24:19Well, praise the Lord again, church.
24:22It's such a such a honor to stand in
24:25front in front of you all.
24:28And
24:29for y'all coming out on a Tuesday night
24:31after long day of work.
24:34Oh my.
24:35That's so commendable.
24:38So, I would like to start out with an
24:40activity.
24:42I want everyone to close their eyes.
24:45I want you to imagine yourself in a
24:47dark,
24:49unfamiliar room
24:51trying to find the light switch.
24:54You may stub your toe
24:57or you may bump into the wall.
25:00Now, open your eyes
25:02and think about so many people
25:05who are aimlessly meandering through
25:08life
25:09trying to find their way.
25:12But, to what?
25:13Their purpose.
25:15Their meaning in life.
25:17Let me let you in on a little secret.
25:21We have the solution to their problem.
25:26How, you ask?
25:28When we love on purpose.
25:31Matthew 5 and 14 through 16 states,
25:35"Ye are the light of the world.
25:39A city that is set on a hill cannot be
25:43hid.
25:45Neither do men light a candle
25:48and put it under a bushel,
25:51but on a candlestick and it giveth light
25:55to all that are in the house.
25:59Let your light so shine before men that
26:02they may see your good works and glorify
26:06your father which is in heaven."
26:12There is no other story that embodies
26:16loving on purpose than that of John Red
26:20Fuller.
26:22So, in his youth,
26:24him and a friend
26:26were burglarizing a house
26:28and in the midst of their burglary,
26:30the owner of the house came home. So, it
26:34startled him, so he killed her. He shot
26:37her and killed her cold-blooded.
26:39So, he was sentenced to prison.
26:42While in prison, he became a
26:44executioner.
26:45That's how he got the name John Red
26:48Fuller because of all the blood that he
26:50shed and his hair was red as well.
26:53But in that prison there was a old blind
26:57preacher who would come there every week
27:00preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
27:04And while he was preaching the gospel of
27:06Jesus Christ the infamy of Red Fuller
27:09reached him. So he asked the guards
27:13to take him to John Red Fuller.
27:16And the guard says no, nobody wants to
27:18see Fuller. And he said take me to John
27:22Red Fuller. So they would lead the old
27:25blind preacher to John Red Fuller's
27:27cell. He would put his hands on the bars
27:29and he would scream
27:31Fuller
27:32God is going to fill you with the Holy
27:34Ghost.
27:35And he would say get away from me you
27:37old blind preacher and curse and say
27:39derogatory things to him. Week after
27:42week when he finished his sermon he'd
27:44say Fuller
27:46God is going to fill you with the gift
27:48of the Holy Ghost.
27:50He was relentless over and over and over
27:54again
27:55until one day
27:58Fuller asked the guards to take him to
28:01the service.
28:03He was going just to get the old
28:04preacher off his back.
28:06So he went to the service one night.
28:09But his heart wasn't right.
28:11And something got a hold of John Fuller.
28:16Hallelujah.
28:18He lifted up his hands. He repented of
28:21his sins. He got baptized in the name of
28:24Jesus.
28:25And he received the gift of the Holy
28:28Ghost.
28:30Thank you Jesus. Hallelujah.
28:32Thank you Jesus.
28:34That old blind preacher reached down in
28:37his briefcase
28:39and he got out a Bible
28:41that was inscribed Reverend John Fuller
28:47that
28:48shows
28:50loving on purpose
28:52through a old blind preacher who
28:54couldn't see but he could see
28:56spiritually beyond where he Fuller was
28:59at. He could see the potential that he
29:02had.
29:04Thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah.
29:05Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
29:08Thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah.
29:10So, he went back in the prison
29:13and he started preaching the gospel of
29:15Jesus Christ.
29:16He started baptizing in Jesus' name. He
29:19started casting out devils.
29:21Hallelujah. The Tennessee
29:24board of the UPC came
29:27to Brushy Mountain prison and licensed
29:30John Fuller while he was in jail.
29:34After 25
29:36years
29:37he was paroled
29:39because it was evident
29:41he wasn't just a changed man, he was a
29:44new man.
29:45Hallelujah.
29:47Thank you, Jesus.
29:49>> [applause]
29:49>> Hallelujah.
29:51Thank you, Lord.
29:53So, thank God for that old blind
29:56preacher
29:57who could see the potential in John
30:00Fuller.
30:01He could see beyond his
30:03natural spiritual eyes cuz he couldn't
30:05see.
30:06>> [laughter]
30:07[clears throat]
30:08>> He could see the potential of God in him
30:11or where he could be.
30:13And the model of the Cathedral of of
30:15Pentecost is helping people become.
30:20But that becoming is ultimately up to
30:24God.
30:26So, in closing, I repeat
30:29let your light so shine before men that
30:32they may see your good works and glorify
30:35your father in heaven.
30:37Let us all use that blind preacher as an
30:40example
30:41to love on purpose that unsaved loved
30:43one, to love on purpose.
30:46That wayward child, to love on purpose.
30:50That unsaved spouse, to love on purpose.
30:53Hallelujah. That disgruntled co-worker,
30:57to love on purpose.
30:59In spite of what it seems, who knows?
31:02That person might just become the next
31:06Reverend John Fuller.
31:14Thank you, Jesus. How many are thankful
31:15for the love of God?
31:17How many are thankful that the love of
31:18God has not left?
31:21How many are thankful that the love of
31:22God exists right now in this place? How
31:24many are thankful that the love of God
31:26is sitting right next to you?
31:28>> [cheering]
31:32>> I want to speak on a topic called love
31:34that won't let go.
31:36What would you do with someone that you
31:37love completely betrayed you?
31:40Not just a mistake, not just an
31:42argument, I mean a deep betrayal.
31:46Have you ever had someone break your
31:47trust?
31:49Maybe your friend ignored you.
31:51Someone who said they cared about you,
31:52but hurt you.
31:54Maybe it was a breakup. Maybe a parent
31:56who bailed out on you.
31:58Maybe even a Christian who acted nothing
31:59like Jesus.
32:01Now, imagine that person is your spouse.
32:04They cheated, they left,
32:06they were they were someone else.
32:08And then God tells you, "Go love them
32:11again."
32:13What would you say?
32:16Because it's that's exactly what God
32:18tells the prophet Hosea to do in Hosea
32:20chapter 3.
32:21In verse 1, then the Lord said to me,
32:23"Go again, love a woman who is loved by
32:25a lover and is committing adultery, just
32:27like the love of the Lord for the
32:29children of Israel who look to other
32:31gods and they love of raisin cakes of
32:33the pagans.
32:35At first it sounds crazy
32:37until you realize this story is not just
32:39about Hosea and Gomer.
32:41It's about us.
32:44Hosea was a prophet during the time when
32:46Israel looked successful on the outside,
32:49but spiritually they were falling apart.
32:52The people had turned from God.
32:54They chased idols, fake gods, pleasure,
32:57status, everything except the one who
32:59truly loved them.
33:01Doesn't that sound familiar in today's
33:02world?
33:03We seek we search for social media
33:06approval things status cars
33:10but it doesn't satisfy us.
33:12So God gives Hosea a message to preach,
33:14but not just with words.
33:16God tells Hosea to marry a woman named
33:18Gomer, knowing she would be unfaithful,
33:21and she was. She cheated, she left him,
33:24she chased other lovers.
33:25She ended up broken and trapped, but
33:27instead of telling Hosea to forget her,
33:30God says, "Go again and love her."
33:34Hosea's life became a picture of of the
33:36love of the love of God has for his
33:38people.
33:39A relentless love, a pursuing love, a
33:41love that refuses to give up.
33:45Hosea had every reason to walk away.
33:48Gomer cheated, she left him, and she
33:50broke the trust, but God told Hosea, "Go
33:53again, love her."
33:56To me that sounds like grace.
33:59But is that that's exactly how God loves
34:01us.
34:03We chase other things instead of him.
34:05Approval relationships popularity
34:07addiction, pride, sin, and yet God still
34:10pursues us with love.
34:14And honestly,
34:15this message hits me personally.
34:18There was a time in my life where I
34:20truly didn't understand the love of God.
34:22I grew up in a broken home with two
34:24brothers, and although my father lived
34:27with us, we were practically raised by a
34:28single mom.
34:30My father struggled with alcohol and our
34:32home was filled with pain, verbal abuse,
34:35and very difficult moments.
34:37For years, I blamed my father, but as I
34:39got older and realized it wasn't just
34:41him, it was the grip of addiction that
34:43had on his life.
34:45My mom worked hard to raise us, put food
34:47on the table, hold our family together.
34:50I remember the seasons where we had no
34:51heat during the winter season.
34:53Barely enough food. And as a kid, I
34:56wondered God, where are you? Where is
34:58your love?
35:01What I didn't realize that was even when
35:03I couldn't feel God's love,
35:05it was surrounding me.
35:08God placed father figures and mentors in
35:10my life that were in the church who
35:12helped shape me and show me what love
35:14really looks like.
35:17But even while I was active in church, I
35:19was living a lukewarm life, caught
35:21between God and the world.
35:23From a young age, I was involved in
35:25things that could have destroyed my
35:26life.
35:28At 21, I lost my mom and that loss
35:31shattered my life.
35:34About a month later, I was standing in
35:36subway station in Manhattan on the
35:38corner of 34th Avenue and 6th Avenue,
35:4034th Street and 6th Avenue,
35:43thinking about ending my life.
35:46I felt hopeless,
35:48broken, and completely lost.
35:51But before I acted on those thoughts, I
35:52made one phone call to a friend.
35:55And before I can even speak, they said,
35:58"Randy, whatever you thinking about
35:59doing is not worth it."
36:04At the time, I didn't fully understand,
36:05but I know now that was the love of God
36:08reaching for me.
36:13And now, years later, after losing
36:15family members, battling anxiety, fear,
36:17stress, and pain, I can honestly say
36:20this, life sometimes is hard, but now I
36:22recognize the love of God in the middle
36:25of it.
36:27And that's why the story of Hosea means
36:28so much to me.
36:30But because even I was I was lost,
36:32broken, running in the wrong direction,
36:34God never stopped pursuing me with his
36:35love.
36:37Somebody here tonight needs to hear
36:39that.
36:40Whether you're broken, lost, confused,
36:42or frustrated, God's love is pursuing
36:44you.
36:49At the end of chapter 2, verse 13, it
36:52says, "She went after her lovers, but
36:54she forgot for me. She forgot."
36:57Sounds familiar?
36:59Yet God doesn't say, "I'm done with
37:00you."
37:01He says, "Come back. I still love you."
37:04That's the kind of love that God has for
37:05us. It doesn't make sense, but that's
37:07why it's so powerful.
37:10The story gets even deeper. Gomer isn't
37:12just not gone anymore. She's enslaved,
37:14broken, owned by somebody else. And
37:16Hosea does something unbelievable.
37:19In chapter 3, verse 2, so I bought her
37:22for myself for 15 shekels of silver and
37:241 and 1/2 homers of barley. Think about
37:28it.
37:29Hosea paid a price for someone who
37:31already belonged to him.
37:34He could have said, "She made her
37:35choice. She can deal with the
37:36consequences." But instead, he says,
37:38"I'll buy her back."
37:41That's what Jesus did for us. He died on
37:43the cross for your sins.
37:46He paid a price
37:48for you.
37:50He paid a price for me.
37:54We're the Gomer.
37:56We're broken. We're lost. We're stuck in
37:58sin.
37:59Far from God. And Jesus didn't say,
38:00"Figure it out yourself."
38:02He stepped into our mess and paid the
38:04price.
38:07Jesus paid with his blood so we could
38:08come home.
38:10When we run, he pursues. When we fall,
38:12he reaches down. When we sell ourselves
38:14short, he says, "You're still mine."
38:17Maybe you feel too far gone, too messed
38:19up, too ashamed, too late, but hear this
38:22tonight.
38:24You're not beyond God's love.
38:28If God was willing to pursue Gomer,
38:31he was willing to pursue a kid in New
38:33York City named Randy Ramos.
38:36I'm here to tell you tonight he's
38:37willing to pursue you.
38:40>> [cheering]
38:47>> Hosea doesn't just rescue Gomer and walk
38:50away. He restored a relationship.
38:53God doesn't just save you for something.
38:55He saves you for something.
38:58Love is not just a rescue moment. It's
39:00about relationship.
39:02God just doesn't want a Sunday version
39:04of you. He wants your heart. He wants to
39:06rebuild your life. He wants to heal
39:09what's broken. He wants to free you from
39:11what you what from what you're trapped
39:13from.
39:16So, let me ask you, what is God asking
39:17you to leave behind tonight?
39:19What things from the past are you still
39:21holding on to?
39:22What sin have gotten comfortable with?
39:25Because God loves you so much to leave
39:27you where you are.
39:30Even while Israel was running away, God
39:32was already preparing a way back.
39:34That's the beauty of God's love. He knew
39:37we would fail. He He would still make a
39:38way.
39:39He sees everything we hide, every
39:41struggle, every fear, every secret. And
39:44he still says, "I'm not done with you."
39:48You have been distant from God, but hear
39:50this clearly.
39:51He's not wanting to shame you. He's
39:53waiting to welcome you.
39:55Like the father of the prodigal son, God
39:57ran towards his children. He doesn't
39:59punish your distance. He closes it with
40:01love.
40:04So, let me ask you honestly, are you
40:05Gomer right now? Have you been chasing
40:07things that can never satisfy? Do you
40:09feel distant from God? Do you feel
40:11stuck?
40:13Because God's message tonight is simple.
40:15Come back. Not when you're perfect. Not
40:18when you clean yourself up. Not next
40:20month. Right now, just as you are.
40:24Right now, on this Tuesday night, he
40:26wanted he's wanting you to come back.
40:29Because the love of God is relentless.
40:31It pursues. It pays the price. It
40:33restores. And it would never give up.
40:38>> [applause]
40:42>> Praise the Lord, church. Oh, I'm so
40:45grateful for a loving God. Um I want to
40:48give honor to my pastor tonight, first
40:50and foremost. This is um a huge
40:52privilege. I don't feel worthy to be up
40:54here, but God called me worthy.
40:57And I got a pastor who had a great
40:58vision and created this amazing program.
41:01And
41:02I am just honored by the privilege to be
41:04up here.
41:06Have you ever experienced love at first
41:08sight?
41:09Many parents can remember You did.
41:11[laughter]
41:12Many parents can remember the moment
41:13they first laid eyes on their newborn
41:15baby and felt an overwhelming sense of
41:18love.
41:19Others will recall the first
41:20conversation they had with someone who
41:22would later become their partner,
41:24sensing something special from the very
41:25beginning.
41:27And then there are other moments,
41:29like sitting at a restaurant, catching
41:31sight of your waiter coming around the
41:33corner with a hot plate of food.
41:36And then it touches the table.
41:38>> [laughter]
41:38>> Love at first bite. Amen.
41:41I like that one.
41:43In different ways, we've all encountered
41:45that sudden, powerful connection that
41:48captures our hearts in an instant.
41:51I'm blessed to have come from a very
41:52loving family, who's here tonight.
41:55And I want to highlight my relationship
41:57with my mother in particular.
42:00>> [laughter]
42:00>> We are the best of friends now, but
42:03growing up, I was very much not her
42:05little friend.
42:07>> [laughter]
42:08>> From my middle school days to my high
42:10school days, all I can remember is her
42:12constantly telling me no.
42:14"No, you can't go here. No, you can't do
42:17that."
42:18But it seemed like my brother could go
42:21anywhere and do anything at any given
42:25time.
42:26Can any other daughters in the house
42:28relate? Raquel, I know you can relate.
42:30That's my sister.
42:32>> [laughter]
42:33>> It was something. For the longest I
42:35thought, "Wow, this lady must really
42:37dislike me."
42:39And then finally, graduated high school,
42:41went off to college out of state, and it
42:43took me all of 2 weeks to call my mom
42:46and say, "Mommy, I miss you so much. I
42:50want to come home right now."
42:53During my time away from her, I realized
42:55that it was love the whole time.
42:58All she wanted to do was protect me.
43:00Protect me from this world, from myself.
43:04She knew things that I couldn't have
43:05possibly known at my age, and she was
43:07just doing her best as a parent, as a
43:09mother.
43:10My relationship with God went a little
43:12something like that, too.
43:14I vaguely knew the things of God from
43:17when I was a child, but growing up, I
43:18had very little reverence for his word,
43:20and I knew nothing about living a
43:22surrendered life.
43:23And then fast forward to 2023,
43:26the Lord revealed himself to me in the
43:28middle of the sky on a plane, and I
43:30remember with tears in my eyes,
43:32it was love the whole time.
43:35Hebrews 12:6 reminds us, "For whom the
43:38Lord loves, he chastens." In other
43:40words, God's love is not passive, it's
43:43active, and it at times is corrective.
43:47He sets boundaries for us and warns us
43:48away from certain paths, not to restrict
43:51us, but to protect us.
43:53His discipline is not a sign of
43:55abandonment or hatred, but of deep care,
43:58shaping us and leading us toward a life
44:01of hope and righteousness.
44:03God loves us so deeply that he didn't
44:05leave us without direction. He gave us
44:07his word as a guide
44:09and a covering against the dangers of
44:11this world and our own selves. Nothing
44:14in his word is random.
44:16What he calls sin, he calls sin for a
44:18reason because he sees what we cannot
44:20see.
44:21And he loves us too much to let us walk
44:23blindly into destruction.
44:25Our God is intentional and his love is
44:27not just a passing emotion, it is on
44:29purpose.
44:31When he wrapped himself in flesh to
44:33dwell among us, that was on purpose.
44:36When he healed the sick, that was on
44:38purpose. When he raised the dead, that
44:40was on purpose. Jesus endured the
44:42beatings and the mockery and carried the
44:45weight of the cross and our sin, my sin,
44:48your sin on purpose.
44:51He conquered death, hell, and the grave
44:53on purpose.
44:55>> [snorts]
44:56>> He loved those who persecuted him on
44:58purpose.
45:00Oh hallelujah.
45:01He sent his spirit down to live inside
45:04of us on purpose.
45:06Thank you, Jesus, for the Holy Ghost.
45:09The plan of salvation was not a
45:11reaction, it was a decision made with
45:14you and me in minds
45:16because he loves us on purpose.
45:18Hallelujah.
45:19Nothing about his love is accidental.
45:22Every step he took and every word he
45:24spoke, every sacrifice he made, it was
45:27intentional.
45:28And that should stir something in us
45:30because if his love was intentional then
45:32it's intentional now, today. That means
45:35that God is moving in your life right
45:37now. He is restoring you on purpose.
45:39He's calling you on purpose. He's making
45:42a way for you and he is loving you on
45:44purpose. And if you know that you are
45:46loved on purpose, not by chance, not by
45:49luck, but by a deliberate and faithful
45:52God, then that's a reason to give him
45:54praise right now. Hallelujah. Thank you,
45:56Jesus. I didn't know this before, but I
45:59know it now. The Lord was keeping me as
46:02I was sitting all of these years and it
46:04was love that kept me. He loved me
46:07through alcohol abuse. He loved me
46:09through lustful living. He loved me when
46:12I thought I had to smoke three times a
46:14day on every occasion. He loved me when
46:17I looked to the world for answers
46:19instead of him.
46:21He loved me every single day and he's
46:23still loving me today. He's still loving
46:26you today. His relentless love is still
46:29reaching, still saving, and still
46:31changing lives today. I know this
46:34because he changed mine.
46:38Hallelujah. He changed my life.
46:42In closing,
46:44if we are to be the hands and feet of
46:46Jesus, then we have to love like him.
46:49With purpose, on purpose. We have to see
46:52people the way that he sees people.
46:55I have to see people the way that he
46:57sees people. Matthew 9:36 says, "But
47:01when he saw the multitudes, he was moved
47:04with compassion for them because they
47:06fainted and were scattered abroad as
47:09sheep having no shepherd." I was once a
47:11sheep with no shepherd.
47:13Or there was a shepherd all along, but I
47:14didn't know him.
47:16We have to look at the lost soul at work
47:19or the family [snorts] member always
47:20causing problems with compassion rather
47:23than judgment. That one is for me.
47:26Because that's how Jesus sees all of us.
47:28That is the purposeful love
47:31that we should take with us and shower
47:33others with through every season of
47:35life.
47:36Hallelujah.