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Discussion Forum : Scriptures and Doctrine : A REVOLUTION OF LOVE

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 A REVOLUTION OF LOVE

A REVOLUTION OF LOVE


There is, I believe, a basic ingredient which is largely lacking in Christianity today, and the lack of it is the source of most of our problems. It is the cancer which is eating away at the Church, but it is no secret. In fact it is so non-secretive that it is written on almost every page of the New Testament. And yet, because the heart of man is so deceitful and desperately wicked, and because we are so bent on our own way we do not see (or seeing we do not believe) that the basic message of the New Testament is LOVE!

It is my absolute conviction that most of us miss this most obvious and most repeated message, even while laying great emphasis on 'sound doctrine'. Well, I would like to ask you, 'What is sound doctrine?' We have long discussions on the Second Coming, on the Atoning Work of Christ, on the Church, the Holy Spirit, etc., etc. But what about love and humility and brokenness? These usually go into a separate category, but I want to tell you that if your doctrine does not include love and humility and brokenness, then your doctrine is not sound.

There are thousands, even millions, of people who claim to be 'orthodox Christians' because they cling to a certain set of beliefs in accord with the Bible. They are aware that they do not practise much humility, but they do not think that makes them any less orthodox. They are aware that they do not really love the brethren in Christ (especially those who are different from them), but that does not cause them to think their doctrine is not sound. They admit that they know nothing of 'laying down their lives' for the brethren and esteeming the other as better than themselves, and yet they consider themselves fundamental, orthodox Christians.

Oh, what an error is this! This false concept -- thinking that we can be orthodox without having humility, thinking we can be sound in doctrine without having love, thinking we can be fundamental evangelicals though our lives do not show forth the fruit of the Spirit -- this is the greatest error that has hit Christianity even before or since the Reformation! Doctrine cannot be separated from practical living. Brethren, I do not see Jesus Christ as a dual personality, partly doctrine and partly moral, trying to bring two separate realms of truth into our minds. He was not on the one hand trying to teach us what we call doctrine, and on the other hand trying to make us morally right. It is completely wrong to think of doctrine as being apart from living.

'Oh', someone says, 'there is a good, evangelical Christian ... he has good sound doctrine. He does not have much love for others, and he is not very humble, but he's sound in doctrine.' He is not sound in doctrine if he does not love the brethren. What do we read in 1 John 4:8? "He that loveth not knoweth not God", There is no sounder doctrine than love, and apart from love there is no sound doctrine. This is the basis [1/2] of all Bible doctrine. You take the base out and everything you build will eventually collapse.

George Verwer

http://www.austin-sparks.net/mags/ttm08-1.html


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Redi

 2009/11/3 19:52Profile
Leo_Grace
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 Re: A REVOLUTION OF LOVE

The simple truth:

[i]1Jn 4:7-8 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.[/i]

You may have all the doctrines down pat, and you may have all the miracles, the healing, the tongues, the prophecy, and all the other bells and whistles of a "Christian", but if you have no love for God and for your fellow men, you are not yet born-again; you are not yet saved; you do not know God; and God does not know you.

 2009/11/3 20:52Profile
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 Re:

What is the essence of christianity after all but knowing God and loving Him with all of our heart and loving others with pure heart.Love God and love your neighbor is the sum of the moral law of OT and God's will for us. Love is the fruit of the Spirit, love is supernatural. It does not come from us but from God. If Jesus is enthroned in our heart, love will be our natural expression ane we will be radiant with the glory of Jesus reflecting in our life.

God's Love is a holy flame that purges our hearts from sin, its the distinguished true mark of the Holy Spirit. How you know that someone is a christian? By its fruits and the first and foremost fruit of the Spirit is love.How will the world know that we our Christ disciples? By the love we have for each other in the family of God.

Agape love is a powerful thing, even a lost sinner will be more convinced to come to the bleeding Saviour on the cross by the love that we show him.

What made God send his only begotten Son to be a missionary on this world and die on a cruel death on a cross but love for his poor fallen creatures. "For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shuld not perish but have eternal life."

How much praise and Glory will God get thru those dear saints who love God with all their being and reflect the image of his Son in their daily life?

Perfect love casts out fear, love is merciful and bears no record of wrong. Love is holy and makes no compromise.Love is forgiving because its divine. Love lives in the light and God's light exposes the darkness.

The secret to stay close to Jesus is to love him like apostle John loved Him. Paul burned with the desire to know & love Him more and more.

May God's love rekindle our heart and consume it for his Glory, that we may shine and bring his light in this dark world.

Blessings,
Redi


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Redi

 2009/11/4 4:21Profile
enid
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Joined: 2006/5/22
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 Re:

Real pious article isn't it?

Whose love do we show people? Our own, or God's?

If it is God's love, how do we know?

Don't even humanist love and show love for their fellow man?

Doesn't Jesus say, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.",, Matt 7v11.

If the evil give good things, does it mean they have God's love in them, or their own love?

All I'm trying to do, is to define God's unconditional love, as opposed to the popular idea of love among Christians.

No doubt, most have heard the saying, 'love is a verb'.

Romans 5v8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

That is the love of God. Do we have that?

God bless.

 2009/11/4 5:07Profile
Leo_Grace
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 Re:

Quote:
Whose love do we show people? Our own, or God's? If it is God's love, how do we know? Don't even humanist love and show love for their fellow man?



God's love is definitely not the shallow temporary expression that we usually see when people meet and automatically smile and greet each other, "How are you?", when they really don't care either way about the answer. They normally don't even bother to stand still long enough to get a response.

Neither is it the ritualistic "Let us go around and greet each other" type of love which we see in church every Sunday. It is done with much smiling, conversing and even embracing, but rapidly evaporates as the worship program proceeds, and is gone by the the time the service ends.

God's love is unconditional, total, and eternal. It is a love that surpasses human knowledge and can only be given through the power of God's Spirit in us. It is not human love - it is divine. It is Jesus expressing himself through our lives. It happens when we are fully surrendered to His will.

[i]Jn 15:12-13 [color=CC3300]"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."[/color][/i]

 2009/11/4 12:32Profile
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 Re:

Enid:
"All I'm trying to do, is to define God's unconditional love, as opposed to the popular idea of love among Christians.

No doubt, most have heard the saying, 'love is a verb'.

Romans 5v8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

That is the love of God. Do we have that?"


I have read years ago the book of George Verwer, "A Revelution of Love" and it it very balanced and sound in its focus on the love of God.

I was reflecting about the love of God and posted something myself here that comes from the heart. Noone in this post is talking about worldly love and i gave a modest definition of agape love myself as i undertand it.Read 1 Corinthians 13 and you will see that im very sound in doctrine of God's love. The love i have in mind is not cheap at all, its a free and sovereign gift of grace that comes from God and is shead in our hearts thru the Holy Spirit.

If we have the Spirit living in us, if we do not quench its fire or greive him, someone will know what im talking about and will give their wholehearted amen.

God is love and God is just and God is holy.
I can talk about the justice of God the same way i talk about his love.

If i emphasize the love of God it does not mean i neglect his holiness or justice.
His love is holy.

If christians have lost today the true meaning and sense of Love of God in their hearts and if they dont taste and see that the Lord is good. They need to examine themselves in the light of God's word and make things right before God and man.

The same Jesus who overtuned the tables of money-changers in the Temple, weeped with compassion for the lost sheep of Izrael.

It was pure love that motivated Paul to wish himself even be accurced from God's presence so that the Jews might be saved. Who of us can even dare to think or say that to God?

What is the cheaf aim of man? "To glorify God and enjoy him forever." How do we glorify God in our lives? By bearing fruits and doing the good works he has preordained for us before the foundation of the world.

If we really love Him, we will obey his commandments and love righteousness and truth.If we really love God we will renounce sin and ungodliness and the world with its evil passions and keep our garments of righteousness he has given us clean and holy.

If we walk in lawlesness its a prove that we don't know him in out hearts and dont walk in the light as He is in the light.

I hope i made it clear about what kind of love im talkin about.

Blessings,
Redi


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Redi

 2009/11/4 13:04Profile
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 Re:

Leo_Grace:

Quote:
God's love is unconditional, total, and eternal. It is a love that surpasses human knowledge and can only be given through the power of God's Spirit in us. It is not human love - it is divine. It is Jesus expressing himself through our lives. It happens when we are fully surrendered to His will.



Amen. Today we are so zealous about knowledge and gifts of the Spirit. It was not a coincidence that Paul wrote 1 corinthians 13 when he was talking about the gifts of the Spirit. Many people focus in speaking in tongues today or are so "impeccable" and orthodox in their sound foundamental doctrines but so void of God's love that makes you wonder what kind of spirit or "fruits" do they have.

Galatians 5:14,15 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "you shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed bu one another.


Walk by the Spirit
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, [4] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

What we do reveals what we really are.




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Redi

 2009/11/4 14:45Profile









 Re: A REVOLUTION OF LOVE

Thank you and bless you for bringing that good word, to which i say amen.

 2009/11/4 20:18
Lysa
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Joined: 2008/10/25
Posts: 3699
East TN for now!

 Re: A REVOLUTION of Love

Quote:
enid wrote:

Whose love do we show people? Our own, or God's?

If it is God's love, how do we know?

Don't even humanist love and show love for their fellow man?

Doesn't Jesus say, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.",, Matt 7v11.

If the evil give good things, does it mean they have God's love in them, or their own love?

All I'm trying to do, is to define God's unconditional love, as opposed to the popular idea of love among Christians.

No doubt, most have heard the saying, 'love is a verb'.

Romans 5v8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

That is the love of God. Do we have that?

God bless.


Love covers a multitude of sin.

It might one day come to us physically dying for someone else but I don't think to be like Jesus we have to die physically; it's dying to 'our will' and 'our personal feelings' about the situation and/or person.

Anything that has ownership in the front of it would be considered worth of death (death to self)! Example: I am really disgusted by.... My hurt... My car... my house... my money... you hurt my feelings, etc.

THAT is hard to do... The Word says if the little finger hurts the WHOLE BODY should hurt but does it? I know I've repented many times over not hurting when someone else hurts. No we judge them... get a job!

We never consider that the Lord might have allowed them to get into that situation to see what WE might do for them (or say about them), to test how other Christians would react toward them. Yes, I beleive God is in the business of setting us up sometimes!! LOL I've come to believe that after failing miserably so many, many times.

Anyway... those are just a few thoughts. Off to work now!

God bless us all to do better than we are doing!


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 2009/11/5 7:37Profile





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