Lesson 179. The Experience of Love’s Offensive

A little earlier, I described my experience of gaining friends at the dining table during the camp meeting in Novi Obikhody, Ukraine. Encouraged by the success of that victory, I ventured to take another step. I decided to return the following year, 2012, for the next gathering and, this time, to give my love to strangers instead of friendship. I was no longer worried about failure, but I decided to pray about this new experience throughout the year. All kinds of thoughts came to me during the time of preparation, and the most persistent one sounded like this: ‘Why do you need this?’ But I desired to have this experience. It was also interesting to understand that words about friendship differ greatly from words about love. When you tell someone directly that you are his friend, it produces one kind of feeling; but when you tell him that you love him, it is an entirely different experience. Yet I wanted to have such an experience, and I approached it very responsibly. I am now writing that there is no defense against love and that the one who loves is victorious in everything, and I have repeatedly become convinced of this through my small experiences and observations. Therefore, I now speak about it with confidence, knowing that this is truly so. And if we also take into account that this is a commandment and the fulfillment of God’s will for the last days, then success is guaranteed from above to a loving heart. However, I must decide how necessary this is for me. Am I ready to be the person God desires me to be? Will I allow Him to pour this wonderful power into our world through me?

And then the long-awaited day arrived, and I was at the meeting place. I chose the emptiest table and rejoiced over the new friends whom I did not yet know. It was Friday, lunchtime, and there were still nine days of getting acquainted ahead. Then the people whom I had decided to love arrived. I had already been carrying them in my heart even before meeting them, knowing what I would do with them, while at that moment they suspected nothing.

I sat down, prayed for a blessing upon the food, and began our acquaintance with these words: ‘My name is Andrey, and you are the answer to my prayer. You are the people whom I have decided to love, and now there is no getting away from me. I will do this throughout the entire camp meeting and all my life.’ Then I began explaining to my new friends how I loved them and what that meant. Considering that our meals lasted about forty minutes and that we stayed even longer, until we were asked to leave, we had a very interesting seminar on love during that time.

At first, however, I saw very astonished faces, and everyone made it clear to me that I was very strange and that nothing would come of this. I agreed that I did not have the strength to continue this war—but God did. I took Christ as my Helper and confidently moved toward the goal, toward hearts buried deep beneath layers of stereotypes, hearts that had grown weary of living without love and did not even know what it was. I looked at these impregnable cliffs and wondered why the Lord had sent me these particular people, for all around there were such pleasant men and women who simply radiated happiness, while sitting with me were little hedgehogs who had curled themselves into balls and were even trying to prick me. One friend, Volodya, did not know Russian at all, yet somehow understood me perfectly well and answered in Ukrainian.

But the choice had been made, and I did not plan to retreat. Day after day, I spoke about my love for these people and became more and more firmly established in my decision. I noticed that during our fellowship, the Lord gave so many revelations about what love is like, how it acts, where it comes from, and how it never ends. I was learning together with my new beloved friends. On the third day, they began to understand what I was talking about, and on the fourth day, they began to open up. Then the most interesting part began. I started discovering the inner world of these new people. It turned out that they were beautiful in their souls, but because of sorrowful experiences in life, they had decided to remain closed. Love, however, convinced them to open up, and they themselves were amazed at how wonderful it was to love without expecting anything in return. We simply enjoyed fellowship with one another throughout all the remaining days.

Unfortunately, the number of places at our table was limited, and I could reach only those who were fortunate enough to find a seat there. Some of my friends from the previous gathering sat at another table this time, and I was able to fellowship with them only during breaks and walks.

Try to imagine a stranger who sees you for the first time and confidently declares that he loves you, that he has prayed about it for an entire year, that he has no intention of treating you any differently or leaving you alone, and that he actually behaves accordingly, confidently assuring you that he loves you and has no intention of changing his attitude. You do not often meet such ‘peculiar’ people. This was approximately how my friends saw their new friend.

At the same time, I understood that I was dealing with free people who could reject me and had the right to do so. But they did not do this. Instead, they decided to open up and accept what was being offered to them, and they did not regret it. Love enters the heart and settles there very tenderly, seeking to live within the boundaries established for it; at the same time, it permeates everything around it and makes plans for further cooperation and advancement. Most interesting of all, through this love God is revealed very clearly—His true beauty, His involvement, and His attitude toward people, expressed through human words and actions. This is a very great responsibility. If I decide to play at love, without understanding the power of its influence and its consequences, in order to achieve my personal aims and whims, and then refuse to continue in the same spirit, I dishonor God and His holy Name by using His power for selfish interests. This is precisely what people encounter most often. Afterward, they close themselves off and no longer believe that genuine relationships, genuine love, or genuine friendship exist.

As we study in the School of Love, we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. Yet it is possible that we may never encounter this love among those around us, and no one may ever give us his heart as a friend or as a loving person. But the purpose of the school is not to seek love in people; it is to learn to love people ourselves and to learn to give them what we receive abundantly from God. If you have other expectations, they are mistaken. Love is an action directed toward the happiness and spiritual comfort of one’s neighbor, and as I perform this action, I have greater joy, because through it I glorify God, and He reveals Himself in me and works miracles and victories through me. Even if no one loves me in response to my love, despite how painful this is to endure, I am a victor because I allowed the Holy Spirit to use me in this conflict, and I acted not according to the rules of the flesh but by applying God’s power. But since people have chosen evil, their choice should be respected.

Yet I want to assure you, friends, that love kindles a fire in the hearts of other people. It sows good seed that springs up and bears good fruit. Do not be afraid to love. In the world and in the church, there are very many people who are waiting to open up in the light of your love and to blossom in all the beauty of their inner world, delighting you and others with the depth of their attitude and the beauty of feelings that have gone unappreciated, yet are wonderful—feelings that have been given to everyone but are buried beneath the debris of fear and unbelief.

Love, and you will receive.

1. What did you discover for yourself in this lesson?

2. What do you expect from God as you learn His love? Do you have any plans and goals?

3. Have you ever had an experience in which you tried to make someone happy? What came of it?

4. Is it worth spending your time learning to love those who do not know you or are indifferent toward you?

5. Does Jesus seek new friends for Himself, or does He wait for them to come to Him on their own?

6. What should you do with people who love you and constantly tell you so, but whom you cannot love in the same way?

7. What new things have you discovered for yourself while studying in this school?

8. Please pray for our School of Love, for those who are studying in it, and for those who will soon enroll.

9. Please read Matthew 7:7–8; Romans 5:5–10; Luke 15:4, 8, 20, 24; Luke 16:9–12; 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 in the light of our lesson.