I consider the utmost honor to spend an hour in God's Presence with the third person of the Godhead as he creates a supernatural language on the inside of my spirit, because with every syllable I speak in that language, the holy spirit is working a miraculous transformation within me.

 You see, years ago I thought tongues (Baptist in the Holy Spirit) for personal edification had to do strictly with speaking mysteries and divine secrets and building myself up with revelation knowledge. Only later did I find out that it has just as much to do with purging me so I can learn to walk in agape love, the kind of love that seeks not its own and denies itself on behalf of others.

I have no goal in life more important than to learn how to walk in this God-kind of love, so I want to know more about it. I know a lot about "PHILEO" love but I want to know about agape.

We usually don’t have trouble with Phileo love. Phileo can be a strong love but it has its own interests at stake, as well as those of the one loved. Its more of a conditional love that says "I can love you if somehow you bring me pleasure" or "I will love you, but I want something back from you".

So most of us know how to love people with Phileo, but we haven't done very well at walking in agape. Agape is a self-denying love. Its total focus is the interests and welfare of the beloved.  Phileo love may send me to war because I love my country. I may even give my body to be burned for the hope of a better life for my children. I will sacrifice my life on that altar.

But if agape love goes to war, its with higher motives, I may still sacrifice my life so my children can live free from threat of harm. But at the same time I have the enemy soldier on my heart. My prayer is that the war would cease and that my enemy would be born again.

Most marriages are based on Phileo, not agape. The spouses love each other for what they can receive from each other. If marriages were always based on God's selfless, agape kind love, there would be no more divorces.

Agape love says, "be merciful just as your heavenly father is merciful". How merciful is our heavenly father? Well, you and I were lost and headed for hell, we had nothing to bargain with, we had absolutely no right to approach god. We were not capable of bridging the gap on our own.

But god had mercy on you and me, we didn’t deserve and couldn’t earn his mercy; we had no way to approach an infallible God but he approached us in his mercy, he crossed that void with Jesus blood.

So how do you obey Jesus Command to be merciful even as the father is merciful, Jesus provided the guidelines in Luke 6:27-38:

(27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.")

When someone sues you for your coat, you give him the cloak you are wearing, when he slaps you on the cheek, you turn the other cheek. When he takes away your goods you give him more than he asked for. When he despitefully uses you, you pray for him and forgive him, when he hates you, you keep walking in love.

Why? because you are having mercy on him, you are bridging the gap with the blood of Jesus when the person doesn't deserve it. That is Agape.

Jesus was saying this "If you will be children of the Most High, who is merciful even to the evil and the unthankful, and give agape love to others, then my father will restore whatever you may have lost …… pressed down, shaken together and running over. While the thief is talking your money out the back door because you extended mercy. My father will march in the front door with agape and restore to overflowing all that you lost. That’s why agape cannot fail.

However walking in agape love is easier said than done, for most of us if someone came against us with a lawsuit our first reaction would be "Oh yeah?! Well, go ahead and sue me .. but you will know that you have been to court.

So how do ever attain that place of agape where we are merciful just as the Father is merciful?? The Scriptures teach us that praying in tongues is a major key to help purge us as we journey through a progression of steps toward the agape kind of love.

                                                        To be continued….