Here is a question we all need to ponder. If Love is the real acid test of our Christianity, how are we doing?
We are told that love is the true test of the validity of our Christian walk. Not our doctrine. Not our church affiliation. It is simply whether we love God with all of our hearts and whether we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Some say this is a moot point because God sees us as holy, then regardless, all is fine. But is that really the truth?
Let’s be real here. In the book of Acts, men would exclaimed those in the early church "Behold how they love one another!" The love of God was manifested through them so that God would be glorified. Can we honestly say the same, or are we reduced to hiding under our "positional" love when it cannot be seen by any in the world? Is it any wonder they often call us hypocrites? As was foretold, the children of darkness are wiser than the children of light. Ah, but there is good news…. not for long!
Is our situation irreversible? Absolutely not. God longs to make us fruitful, and adorn us with love, joy, peace, and yes, praise God, even self control for those overcome by black addictive sins as I was. BUT..... these fruits cannot grow in the rocky soul of the flesh nature. We must finally bow low before our God and admit what is obvious to everyone except ourselves. We are NOT loving God with all of our hearts. Nor are we loving others as we love ourselves. Self still rules the roost and self must die.
We have heard the call to pick up our cross and deny ourselves. But how?? We cannot kill it, discipline it, ignore it, or tie it up tight enough to allow us to let God love through us. There is a narrow way, and obviously the early church was walking in it. What are we missing? Look, as long as we refuse to admit we need an infusion of God’s love, it will never happen, for it is only when we finally break before Him and cry out for Him to fill us and change us with out WHOLE heart will we find what we so desperately need. Let us remember, He dwells with those who are of a contrite heart, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
When we finally confess to Him that we need new hearts, loving hearts, hearts that He can FULLY possess, we will witness..... no, no..... be a part of... the greatest move of God the world has ever seen, and yes, that includes the book of Acts. Impossible, you say? Look, I get it, in this age of a Christianity that only wants to tickle our ears, how can we ever hope to see the joy of our salvation brought back from lukewarm to a full boil, spilling out on others. Many see only the great falling away, and not the promised end gathering that will precede our Lord’s return.
But praise God, even now the Lord is beginning to awaken us to what He has for us in these last days. We as His church have not been born in unity, power, and great love, only to see us limp across the finish line, with self quite intact, sin still overcoming us, with the world laughing at our multitude of divisions, which we call denominations, all bickering and arguing.
And why has this sad state occurred? It is simple. We have limited the Holy one of Israel by our unbelief. We have become satisfied with having our names written in Heaven, but with precious few truly lamenting their fleshliness or hungering after God to change us from the inside out. Jesus has promised to set us free indeed and longs to according to HIS definition, not ours. He has assured us that He will keep us from falling and He will change us from carnal children to overcoming saints. This is our destiny. But we simply have not believed it possible.
But that is all about to change. No more trading our birthright of walking as true overcomers for a mess of pottage. It is time we take possession of the land He has promised us. No more running laps in the wilderness of worldliness, compromise and lukewarm Sunday-go-to-church Christianity. It makes God sick. Should it not do the same to us? He is awakening us to who we are, and who He is in us. And when we do… and believe me, we will, the world will again say "Look! That which bore only briars and thorns has become again like the garden of Eden!" I cannot wait! How about you?
Let it be so, Lord. We are dry bones, but praise God, life is about to flow through us again. The world will marvel, but praise God, we will marvel more. Amaze us Lord with how potent your grace really is. Open our blinded eyes and break our satisfied hearts. Let us, like Paul, see ourselves as wretched men without real victory. And to all who do, wash away their unbelief and realize that we serve the God who will do abundantly above and beyond all that we ask or even think.
Live, bones, live.
Blessings to all.
Gideon
It starts by defining love the way Jesus did, not the way it is defined today. Then, we can check what we think by the way the early church lived it.
First, here is what Jesus said: "Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34, 15:12). As one example, Jesus washed the disciples feet. It wasn't the service as much as it was the humility of putting another before yourself that He was teaching. He had the position, but He didn't use it for His own gain. As another, He laid down His life "for His friends" and then He defined what made them a friend: "You are My friends, if you do whatever I command you." (John 15:14) Jesus defined loving Him, too: "He that has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (John 14:21) "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; continue in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love." (John 15:9-10) "These things I command you, that you love one another" (John 15:17).
They reached outside the church, because the church grew. When they weren't thinking big enough, God moved (dispersing believers, Peter's vision, Saul/Paul); but, they were genuinely concerned with taking care of those who were in their own body, not just expanding. I don't see anywhere in Scripture where the monetary resources of the church were given out to non-Christians in evangelistic efforts. I don't see any mention of a pig roast or turkey dinner or hot dogs for all comers. People came because God showed up in powerful ways and they came for that AND God's testimony is what led to their want to convert not that they liked the hot dogs and the people were nice. Apostles and Evangelists went out. I am sure the house churches grew because those in them talked with others, too. Scripture says that the money and food resources were distributed as those in the church had need, so nobody was lacking. When people were lacking, a fix was put in place. I don't see anywhere in Scripture where the church building or pastor's homes were so extravagant that they couldn't allow fellow Christians to come in or in time of a "natural disaster"--allow the community to partake of the shelter, because they have too much of value they are afraid to have stolen.
Today, look in most visible american churches and you will see the "haves" and the "have nots" sitting in the same church and leaving just as they came--the haves and the havenots. But, that isn't what the earliest church looked like at all. Granted and sadly, that seems to have changed once the gentile churches started arriving on the scene. But, prior to the addition of the gentiles, there were minimal questions on whose doctrine was right, because God was confirming the Word preached with accompanying signs. Now, much of the visible church would call those who have those same accompanying signs frauds or at least completely disregard them to protect their own income stream. Even before the church kicked off, John the Baptist didn't worry about losing his to Jesus. He wasn't trying to win a people or baptism war with Jesus. He was trying to do what he was called to do and acknowledged: "He must increase and I must decrease." If only that could be seen consistently somewhere in what calls itself the visible church. Though they were used by God to do mighty deeds, Peter and Paul would never let anyone bow to them or worship them. Now, there are people who expect and encourage bowing to them leading what calls itself a church. You say doctrine doesn't matter. But, that isn't what the early church thought. In fact, though I don't subscribe to "scholars", most believe the epistles were written to correct errors and warn against errors. Paul, Himself, in his last address to the Ephesian elders--knowing he would never see them again (Acts 20) includes: "For I know this, that fter my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also OF YOUR OWN SELVES SHALL MEN ARISE, SPEAKING PERVERSE THINGS, TO DRAW AWAY DISCIPLES AFTER THEM." (Acts 20:29-30). And, it wasn't only Paul that warned of stuff like that. Jesus, Himself, and almost every New Testament writer did. Even Jesus addressing the churches in Revelation refers to "doctrine". The Apostles appointed Deacons in Acts 6, because they said: "It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables.... But, we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word." (Acts 6:2, 4) "And, daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (Acts 5:42).
The biggest differences between them and most, if not all, visible churches today: "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common. And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made to every man according as he had need. (Acts 4:32-35)
Do you know of one example of that today? That is the love that people saw from the outside that those who were on the inside had toward each other. They didn't protect themselves, their retirement, their success. They sold it and gave it to the group to distribute as people needed. Wow! You rarely, if ever, see that today. You see people who donate some of their overabundance, but rarely someone who sells what they have and gives it away for the sake of those in need.
So, it is important that we understand what Jesus called love and what His closest followers actively displayed as love. So, it is easy to talk about love, but we have to know what love is from God's perspective. And it is a lot more sacrificial than what is around today.
How do you get back to that, when you have people so indoctrinated into capitalism that the idea of sharing commonly among Christians will be declared socialism or communism?
