March 01, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms
1 Thes 5:23
23 May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together - spirit, soul, and body - and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.
Progress only begins when we perceive our incompleteness…
The Greek philosophers gave us five loves, the bible only accepts four of them:
• Storge: Affection Love
• Phileo: Friendship Love (today)
• Agape: Divine Love.
• Eros: Romantic Love.
What is false love?
• Epithumia: lust, desire. (the bible does not accept this as love)
As individuals, we emerge from chaos into order… we become who we are…
This is true individually… This is true spiritually…
The first five years of a child's life are fundamentally important. They are the foundation that shapes children's future health, happiness, growth, development and learning achievement at school, in the family and community, and in life in general.
Recent research confirms that the first five years are particularly important for the development of the child's brain, and the first three years are the most critical in shaping the child's brain architecture. Early experiences provide the base for the brain's organizational development and functioning throughout life. They have a direct impact on how children develop learning skills as well as social and emotional abilities.
Children learn more quickly during their early years than at any other time in life. They need love and nurturing to develop a sense of trust and security that turns into confidence as they grow.
Babies and young children grow, learn and develop rapidly when they receive love and affection, attention, encouragement and mental stimulation, as well as nutritious meals and good health care.
Remember the four loves? What can we learn from them considering that we must become as children to enter the kingdom of God? These loves are like layers, they build upon each other.
• The first love we receive is Agape love (as close as we will ever understand it in this life)… This is God’s love, self-less, unconditionally...
• The second love we receive is Storge… This is affection from family, siblings, etc.
• The third love we experience is Phileo… the love of friendship…
• The last love we experience is Eros… this is romantic love… We are adults (or nearly so) before we experience this.
Remember, we all begin in chaos, and then we slowly and arduously become…
