About Us
Agape (noun). Unearned unconditional love.
Agape is one of the four Greek words for love. Agape is the purest kind of love because it requires you to love and care for someone even if that person does not love and care about you. Agape was used in the original language of the New Testament to describe the love God has for us: unconditional and unearned love. God loves all of us including those that do not love Him. This is because “God is love” (I John 4: 8-10). faith.
True, pure love is not just a feeling because feelings are fleeting. True love is an action where you demonstrate to someone that you care deeply for them no matter what. Love is a commitment. God does not just have a sentimental feeling of affection for us. God is committed to us through thick or thin. God showed us just how much He loves us by sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). God’s love is not earned, but freely given to those that will receive Him through
The question is: are you committed to God? How much do you love God? During the breakfast at the sea, Jesus asked Simon Peter, one of the twelve disciplines, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” (John 21:16). Peter replied “Yes, Lord; You know that I love you.” Jesus then said, “Tend my sheep” (John 21:16). 1 John 4:11 says “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love [agape] one another.” God is calling us as followers of Christ to show His love to the world, even to those that are unkind to us. If God can love us, then we need to love others in return. In Mark 10:45, Jesus tells us that “For even the Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.” During Jesus’s ministry on earth, Jesus looked for opportunities to serve people, and spread the love of God. Jesus came to earth to bring deliverance to those held captive, save the lost, heal the sick, provide for those in need, to bring hope, to bring peace, to bring joy and to show God’s love. In Matthew 22: 37-38, Jesus tells us that the first great commandment is “You shall love [agape] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” The second commandment is “You shall love [agape] your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). If we love God with all our heart, then God’s love should radiate from us. If God’s love is radiating from us, we should be able to show God’s love to others. If we are showing God’s love to others, we can spread the Gospel. So, fellow believer, do you love God? Will you feed His sheep?
A.G.A.P.E is also a acronym. The acronym stands for the following: Acts of kindness, Give to those in need, Ask nothing in return, Pray for others, and Explain God’s love. The acronym is explained further in the challenge section, and is simply a model of how we can witness to others.
We decided to initiate the A.G.A.P.E Challenge because we wanted to create a challenge to help spread the love of Jesus Christ and His Gospel. We wanted everyone to be able to do a challenge that was fun and also brings honor to God. God has called us to love each other, and to kindness to everyone. We need to help those in need. Our job as believers is to tell others about God, and help win souls. We believe that actions speak louder then words. Instead of just telling someone God loves them, lets show them God’s love. We believe that kindness is contagious. We are hoping the A.G.A.P.E Challenge will help spark a wild fire of kindness and charity across the nation. Thus opening more hearts to the good news of Jesus. We want to see revival across the globe. We want to see the power of God move like never before. Revival comes through unity and unity comes through love, the love of God.
THE CHALLENGE
The A.G.A.P.E Challenge is based on the Bible but more specifically James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” We are charged to read, hear and apply God’s Word to our lives. This means God is commanding us to show people His love, and to tell people about salvation through Jesus. Actions speak louder than words. Don’t just tell someone God loves them, but show them God’s love through your actions.
Acts of kindness
Ephesians 4: 32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
Galatians 6:9 “And, let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Give to those in need
Proverbs 19:17 “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.”
1 John 3:17 “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
Ask nothing in return
Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”
Matthew 6:1-4 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound the trumpet before as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be seen in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
Pray for others
James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
1 Timothy 2:1 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,”
Explain God’s love
Mark 10:16 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.’”
2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching
The Challenge is simple. Do something kind for someone. If the person will listen, tell them about God. If the person is comfortable, pray with them, but if not pray for them on your own. Give them an A.G.A.P.E Challenge card. The purpose of the Challenge card is for the recipient to pay the act of kindness forward, and to learn more about God through the resources on the website. Even if the recipient does not want to hear about God at the time, we are believing that you planted a seed in their heart. Romans 12: 5 says “so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” We are the body of Jesus, so instead of just being a mouth for Jesus, let’s be Jesus’ s hands and feet. We want an army of seed planters to rise and start planting the seed of salvation in people’s hearts. We must plant the seed and allow God to grow that seed in the person’s heart. When Jesus returns, we want Him to return for a full harvest of believers!!
We encourage you before you act, to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance. The acts of kindness can be towards fellow believers, but especially be kind to the unbelievers! The Ultimate Challenge is to do something kind to someone that is not kind to you. Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome with evil but overcome evil with good.” This is the true testament of God’s love if we can respond to enemies with love, and compassion. This is exactly what agape is all about. Finally remember, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17). Remember, God gets the glory and not us.
Feel free to share how the A.G.A.P.E Challenge has impacted your life. We want your stories to inspire other believers to take part in the challenge, and spread God’s love.