{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Houston's First Baptist Church","title":"Love Is Something You Do","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1878,"description":"The preacher begins by interpreting Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor as a call to action rather than a mere feeling. Using Matthew 22:35‑40, he emphasizes that love is a commanded practice, illustrated by his recent experience at the Campus Crusade for Christ conference in Arrowhead Springs. There he was reminded that world evangelism remains possible and that the Great Commission is a practical mandate: believers are to go, preach, baptize, and disciple, empowered by modern media. He urges the congregation to start locally—first in Houston, then in surrounding cities—by employing simple evangelistic tools that can lead each person to win three souls a day, and he announces a September 10‑12 Lay Institute for Evangelism to train members in these methods.\n\nThe sermon then shifts to the source of love’s power, the Holy Spirit, asserting that without the Spirit we can do nothing. He connects self‑respect, love for God, and love for neighbor, explaining that healthy self‑esteem is biblical and essential for mental health. He distinguishes the various Greek words for love, culminating in agape—the self‑sacrificial love that flows from the Spirit. By acting lovingly toward others, even those we dislike, the preacher claims the feeling of love will follow, and he illustrates this with stories from Dr. Bill Bright’s youth outreach and other cultural observations. The overall message is that love is an active, Spirit‑empowered command that transforms individuals and communities.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/o5yzRQYlXr9ParDz0W15WXJmDEyj_QNDo8tzYNqSRoc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wN2Ew/Yjg4MTI1YTdmNDVi/Mjc2NWZiNDkwYTBi/OTU4MS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}