Who Do I Have To Love? - ReCreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley - Service - February 8, 2026

Who Do I Have to Love? Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 3:10-15 Episode Summary Pastor Michael tackles one of the hardest questions in modern Christianity: Who do we have to love? Using hilarious stories about "little brother coded" behavior (including a three-hour car ride of relentless poking), he addresses how American culture has circled back to ancient tribalism - viewing everything through red or blue-tinted glasses. But Jesus tears down tribal walls and calls us to love even our enemies. Key Points – God's children show family resemblance through two patterns: practicing righteousness and loving their brothers and sisters in Christ – Loving people doesn't mean celebrating every decision or validating every desire - it means wanting their ultimate good – Modern tribalism makes us suspicious of other "tribes" while justifying our own, but Jesus erases tribal lines through the Cross – The Gospel, not culture or politics, must be our framework for understanding the world and treating people – If we're living by Biblical principles, opposition will come - but we can't take up the ways of Cain in response – Love is proof we've passed from death to life; where there's no love, there's no spiritual life Main Takeaway The Cross crosses the lines we draw around love. While the world divides into tribes, Jesus reconciles. At the Cross, we were the enemy, yet He redeemed us. The mark of God's children isn't loving people who deserve it - it's loving people who don't. We must refuse to dehumanize, mock, or treat anyone as disposable because Jesus didn't treat us that way. Our calling is to see other tribes not as enemies but as the mission field. Memorable Quotes – "The Cross crosses the lines we draw around love." – "Little brothers invented rage-bait long before social media trolls." – "Don't let fake Church people stop you from getting to know the real Jesus." – "If you call yourself a Christian, culture and politics are NOT your framework for understanding the world. THE GOSPEL is your framework." – "You can't stop seeing people on the other side as human beings created in the image of God." – "The mark of God's children isn't loving people who deserve it. It's loving people who don't." – "At the Cross, we were the enemy. We were the sinners. Jesus didn't cancel us. He redeemed us." Reflection Question Who are the people you struggle to love because they're in the "wrong tribe"? Can you pray for their salvation while actively hating them, or will you let the Cross cross the lines you've drawn around love? Tune in to hear why little brothers are proof humanity needs redemption, what "little brother coded" really means, and Pastor Michael's powerful challenge about viewing the world through the Gospel instead of red or blue-tinted glasses in our deeply divided culture. Connect & Give Learn more about ReCreate Church at www.recreatechurch.org Give online easily and securely through Tithe.ly