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How you respond to that person

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who disagrees with 
your doctrinal position;

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how you respond to that person

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who comes to a different conclusion

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on how you should educate your children

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or what premarital relationships 
should look like;

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how you respond to that person

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is the evidence and depth of your love

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in the local church.

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You see, if we just keep 
surrounding ourselves

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within the church

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with little subcultures -

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well, we're the homeschooling group.

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We're the courtship group.

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We're the amillenial group.

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We're this group. We're that group.

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And anyone who doesn't 
agree with you in those areas,

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although you do have 
union with them in Christ,

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that's not good enough 
for fellowship anymore.

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I won't let my kids be around anyone

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who doesn't homeschool.

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What are you teaching your children?

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That homeschool is more important

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than union in Jesus Christ.

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I think some of us are 
going to wake up one day

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and realize we put all 
of our hope and faith

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in educating our children at home.

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Homeschooling doesn't save anybody.

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It's Jesus Christ that saves.

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And I homeschool my kids.

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Listen, I'm not implying

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that the love you have

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with the group of people 
you've surrounded yourself with,

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that hold to those same convictions -

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I'm not saying it's not love.

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It is love. I think it's love.

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What I want us to look at is this:

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But what's the depth of my love?

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And Paul seems to think

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the depth of your love is revealed

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not with those you've gathered

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around yourself who affirm you all day,

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but the one who doesn't 
see it the same way

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and how you treat that brother or sister

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is the reality of the depth of your love

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for the local church.

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Let's look at it in v. 4.

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Paul says, "Love is patient."

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"Love suffers long."

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Assumed in this first characteristic

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of love is offense.

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He assumes that there's provocation here

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between two people.

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He assumes there's differences

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and disagreements here.

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Why do we say that?

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Because know this,

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you don't have to suffer long with people

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who agree with you in 
every point of doctrine

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and live out the same way you do.

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You don't suffer with those people.

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You just sit around and affirm each other.

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Look how spiritual we are!

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Look how unspiritual they are.

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I don't suffer long

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if you just build me up all day

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and agree with me in every area.

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That's not suffering.

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But Paul says genuine love suffers long.

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Genuine love is revealed

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in the face of adversity;

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in the face of disagreement.

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So how long are we suffering

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with those who disagree with us

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or have offended us

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because they haven't come 
to the same conclusions?

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Well, that's the reality 
of the depth of your love.