0:00:01.882,0:00:04.062
How you respond to that person

0:00:04.062,0:00:06.758
who disagrees with [br]your doctrinal position;

0:00:06.758,0:00:08.782
how you respond to that person

0:00:08.782,0:00:10.789
who comes to a different conclusion

0:00:10.789,0:00:13.307
on how you should educate your children

0:00:13.307,0:00:18.733
or what premarital relationships [br]should look like;

0:00:18.733,0:00:21.032
how you respond to that person

0:00:21.032,0:00:23.602
is the evidence and depth of your love

0:00:23.602,0:00:25.609
in the local church.

0:00:25.609,0:00:27.862
You see, if we just keep [br]surrounding ourselves

0:00:27.862,0:00:29.134
within the church

0:00:29.134,0:00:30.852
with little subcultures -

0:00:30.852,0:00:33.217
well, we're the homeschooling group.

0:00:33.217,0:00:35.096
We're the courtship group.

0:00:35.096,0:00:37.232
We're the amillenial group.

0:00:37.232,0:00:39.001
We're this group. We're that group.

0:00:39.001,0:00:41.662
And anyone who doesn't [br]agree with you in those areas,

0:00:41.662,0:00:44.371
although you do have [br]union with them in Christ,

0:00:44.371,0:00:46.748
that's not good enough [br]for fellowship anymore.

0:00:46.748,0:00:48.525
I won't let my kids be around anyone

0:00:48.525,0:00:49.804
who doesn't homeschool.

0:00:49.804,0:00:52.097
What are you teaching your children?

0:00:52.097,0:00:53.850
That homeschool is more important

0:00:53.850,0:00:56.626
than union in Jesus Christ.

0:00:56.626,0:00:59.043
I think some of us are [br]going to wake up one day

0:00:59.043,0:01:01.414
and realize we put all [br]of our hope and faith

0:01:01.414,0:01:03.347
in educating our children at home.

0:01:03.347,0:01:07.339
Homeschooling doesn't save anybody.

0:01:07.339,0:01:12.600
It's Jesus Christ that saves.

0:01:12.600,0:01:23.718
And I homeschool my kids.

0:01:23.718,0:01:26.793
Listen, I'm not implying

0:01:26.793,0:01:28.369
that the love you have

0:01:28.369,0:01:31.648
with the group of people [br]you've surrounded yourself with,

0:01:31.648,0:01:34.076
that hold to those same convictions -

0:01:34.076,0:01:36.604
I'm not saying it's not love.

0:01:36.604,0:01:39.069
It is love. I think it's love.

0:01:39.069,0:01:40.879
What I want us to look at is this:

0:01:40.879,0:01:43.286
But what's the depth of my love?

0:01:43.286,0:01:44.876
And Paul seems to think

0:01:44.876,0:01:47.176
the depth of your love is revealed

0:01:47.176,0:01:49.147
not with those you've gathered

0:01:49.147,0:01:52.049
around yourself who affirm you all day,

0:01:52.049,0:01:54.853
but the one who doesn't [br]see it the same way

0:01:54.853,0:01:57.230
and how you treat that brother or sister

0:01:57.230,0:01:59.259
is the reality of the depth of your love

0:01:59.259,0:02:01.268
for the local church.

0:02:01.268,0:02:03.776
Let's look at it in v. 4.

0:02:03.776,0:02:08.269
Paul says, "Love is patient."

0:02:08.269,0:02:14.140
"Love suffers long."

0:02:14.140,0:02:16.890
Assumed in this first characteristic

0:02:16.890,0:02:20.295
of love is offense.

0:02:20.295,0:02:22.485
He assumes that there's provocation here

0:02:22.485,0:02:23.789
between two people.

0:02:23.789,0:02:25.410
He assumes there's differences

0:02:25.410,0:02:27.347
and disagreements here.

0:02:27.347,0:02:28.897
Why do we say that?

0:02:28.897,0:02:30.206
Because know this,

0:02:30.206,0:02:33.731
you don't have to suffer long with people

0:02:33.731,0:02:35.927
who agree with you in [br]every point of doctrine

0:02:35.927,0:02:38.369
and live out the same way you do.

0:02:38.369,0:02:40.216
You don't suffer with those people.

0:02:40.216,0:02:42.834
You just sit around and affirm each other.

0:02:42.834,0:02:45.027
Look how spiritual we are!

0:02:45.027,0:02:48.310
Look how unspiritual they are.

0:02:48.310,0:02:49.514
I don't suffer long

0:02:49.514,0:02:51.162
if you just build me up all day

0:02:51.162,0:02:53.162
and agree with me in every area.

0:02:53.162,0:02:55.318
That's not suffering.

0:02:55.318,0:03:01.841
But Paul says genuine love suffers long.

0:03:01.841,0:03:03.814
Genuine love is revealed

0:03:03.814,0:03:07.509
in the face of adversity;

0:03:07.509,0:03:12.282
in the face of disagreement.

0:03:12.282,0:03:14.259
So how long are we suffering

0:03:14.259,0:03:16.771
with those who disagree with us

0:03:16.771,0:03:17.882
or have offended us

0:03:17.882,0:03:21.638
because they haven't come [br]to the same conclusions?

0:03:21.638,0:03:26.471
Well, that's the reality [br]of the depth of your love.