Pastor AJ Valdez shares a powerful and deeply personal message on one of Jesus' most difficult commands: Love your enemies.
Drawing from Matthew 5:43–48, Pastor AJ reflects on his recent season of grief after losing his father and shows how God's grace made forgiveness possible—even toward people who had caused deep pain.
In this message you'll discover:
Who Jesus calls our enemies
Why Christians are commanded to love them
Practical ways to respond with prayer, forgiveness, and grace
How the cross gives us the power to do what feels impossible
Loving your enemies isn't about pretending the hurt never happened. It's about allowing Christ to transform your heart so you can reflect the Father's love.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction & Personal Update
02:28 Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:43–48
03:41 Who Is My Enemy?
09:15 Personal Story: Choosing Forgiveness
11:12 Why Should We Love Our Enemies?
14:37 How Do We Love Our Enemies?
18:10 The Cross Makes It Possible
21:11 Responding to Hurt with Grace
23:41 Final Encouragement
25:01 Closing Prayer
Welcome to XP Church, the world's first church for gamers! Whether you are looking to explore faith for the first time or grow in your faith, you are welcome here!
If you are looking to connect with our church or if you made a decision to follow Christ, let us know by clicking the link below. We would love to connect and see how we can pray for you, serve you and get you connected with our church!
https://xpchurch.com/connect/
To financially support this ministry and help us reach gamers around the world, click here: Through our Website: https://xpchurch.com/give/
Through Paypal: https://streamlabs.com/xpchurchforgamers/tip
You can also listen to an audio version of this message on any podcast platforms!
Check out our Level Up Podcast helping gamers level up in life, faith and leadership:
https://xpchurch.com/podcast/
——————
Get Connected!
Website: https://xpchurch.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/xpchurch
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/xpchurchforgamers
X: https://twitter.com/xpgamerchurch
Facebook: https://facebook.com/gaming/xpchurchforgamers
Instagram: https://instagram.com/xpchurchforgamers
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@xpchurchforgamers