“May the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows.” — 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (BSB)
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.” — 1 John 4:11–12 (BSB)
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight…” — Philippians 1:9 (BSB)
Love matures when I choose to serve others rather than myself, to forgive instead of retaliate, to speak the truth in gentleness, and to carry burdens not my own. It grows when I pray for those who hurt me, share with those in need, and pursue peace even when it costs me something. The Holy Spirit teaches me this love and enables me to live it.
Canon Dr. Joel Scandrett (Trinity School for Ministry) writes, “We don’t grow in love by trying harder—we grow in love by drawing nearer to Christ. The more we are conformed to Him, the more His love becomes our own.”
Bishop Julian Dobbs (Diocese of the Living Word, ACNA) explains, “To grow in love is to grow in likeness to Jesus. His love was truthful, holy, courageous, and sacrificial. When the Church loves like that, the world sees Christ.”
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer guides us in this growth through the daily confession of sin, the hearing of God’s Word, and the prayers that ask for grace to “love thee with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves.” The Collect for Quinquagesima Sunday prays, “Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity.”
J.C. Ryle wrote, “Love is the truest evidence of grace. A man may have knowledge, zeal, or even gifts, but if he does not grow in love, his soul is not prospering.” (Holiness, 1877)
Archbishop Foley Beach (ACNA) has said, “We grow in love by walking closely with Jesus. His Spirit softens our hearts, expands our vision, and teaches us to love the unlovely with His love.”
Growing in love glorifies Christ because it reveals the heart of the Gospel—a heart that gives, serves, and lays itself down in truth and grace.
St. Basil the Great (c. 330–379 AD): “Love is perfected by practice. Let us begin with small deeds of kindness, and God will increase our hearts.” — The Long Rules, 2.3
St. Gregory the Great (c. 540–604 AD): “When we love those who are difficult to love, we are becoming like Christ. Love is not proven in ease but in trial.” — Moral Reflections on Job, 25.45
St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407 AD): “Do you want to love more? Then serve more. For love is not learned in theory but in action.” — Homily on 1 Corinthians, 33
An Anglican Catechism (Expanded) offers over 350+ Scripture-based answers to the core truths of the Christian faith. Each entry includes biblical texts, theological insight, and reflections from historic and contemporary Anglican voices. Rooted in the classical tradition, it is designed for teaching, discipleship, and spiritual formation.
An Ancient Worship Movement invites readers into the rich, historic worship of the early Church rediscovered through the Anglican tradition. This book calls believers into a deeper, Spirit-filled encounter with Christ through timeless practices.
St. Thomas Church
PO Box 873
Abbotsford, BC,
V2T 7A2, Canada
If you are interested in starting a St. Thomas Church in your area and or ordination path fill the contact card form.
St. Thomas Church is a Church planting movement in ancient tradition.
