Love

[MrSnow]

There is a thread in the debate sub-forum that had a tangent about people leaving the church and why so many leave.

I believe that the over-arching principle for the decay is due to the church having problems with ...

love

We either love the wrong things (the self, the world, a pet doctrine, etc) too much or do not love the right things (or Thing) enough.

I believe that this spills out into everthing else.

1Jn 3:11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

 

[Moriah_Conquering_Wind]

Because of the message of Christ and the early apostles being overwhelmingly filled with exhortations to love one another abundantly, sincerely, and practically in word, attitude, and deed, many coming to "the church" when they have come to Christ expect to find themselves being drawn into a loving community filled with opportunities for them to express their newfound hope and enjoy an abundant life filled with giving and receiving this precious Love that presumably surpasses any other on earth.

The reality they find, for possibly a statistical majority even, would be quite different.

The world has made wrack and ruin of love, abounding in abuse, gossip, ulterior motives, tricks, traps, cliques, mind-games, selfishness, petty social sabotages and convoluted social dance-step requirements nobody can hope to keep up with these days. The newly born-again believer flees to the church in the hope of Christ, hoping to find sanctuary there -- only to find everything he wishes to leave behind about the world even more firmly entrenched in there than anywhere else, and cruelly and despicably given divine sanction on top of it all, heaven help us!!!

And as further proof of the source of the problem, as if we needed any? When it gets told that lack of love drove yet another soul out of the church, the dedicated church-mice draw themselves up self-righteously and proclaim judgment not rightfully upon themselves for their failures, in humility and repentance, but haughtily upon the ones they've wounded and driven away, claiming the fault to be theirs for "looking to men rather than to God" or whatever other convenient holy-sounding lie makes itself available and can be used to discredit the witness who has seen their shame. For shame!

 

[Seeking Him]

The Spirit gives life. I think when people are truly filled with the Spirit, the love of Christ will be there. The living waters will be flowing. But it seems as though many churches try to control the Spirit and tie it down, when it has to have its freedom like the wind and blow where God will have it go. Like Jesus said " the wind blows where it will, so is everyone born of the Spirit."

 

[Elijah2]

There is a thread in the debate sub-forum that had a tangent about people leaving the church and why so many leave.

I believe that the over-arching principle for the decay is due to the church having problems with ...

love

We either love the wrong things (the self, the world, a pet doctrine, etc) too much or do not love the right things (or Thing) enough.

I believe that this spills out into everthing else.

1Jn 3:11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Mr Snow, love is a wonderful word, but sadly not used much these days. many say the words, but do they really mean it.

“So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs’. He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep.’ (john 21:15-17)

I guess when the pastors and church leaders begin to love HIM, and feed HIS Lambs, tend HIS Sheep, and feed His Sheep, then the exodus from the churches will cease.

 

[Moriah_Conquering_Wind]

(john 21:15-17)

I guess when the pastors and church leaders begin to love HIM, and feed HIS Lambs, tend HIS Sheep, and feed His Sheep, then the exodus from the churches will cease.

 

[enoch son]

There a simple test for this "love". Would you die for someone else?

 

[Elijah2]

There a simple test for this "love". Would you die for someone else?

I suppose that is why they are leaving the churches! Those who teach this don't walk the talk!