God's Definition of Love

Someone who abuses does not love. There can be no love in someone who enjoys controlling and falsely judging others.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.

5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,

6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

When we love others and they love us we weep with them and they with us, and we laugh with them as they laugh with us. They love our happiness and seek to be an asset to us just as we love their happiness and seek to be happy for them.

When two people love one another their focus will be more interested in the other person than they are in themselves.

And, when we love someone we will be more focused on the salvation of the one we love.

A Famine in the Land of the Word of God

Amos 8:11 "Behold the days are coming,' says the Lord God, "That I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but of hearing of the Words of the Lord God."

We have a lot of preaching in our day, even using the Bible but most of the ideas coming from the preachers are based on human traditions.

The preaching is on the word of God but interpreted according to Western thinking without regard to what God meant.

Amos 8:12 "They shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east; They shall run to and fro seeking the Word of the Lord, but shall not find it."

People in our generation to not ask the Lord to reveal His meaning, they take on the writings of famous people who are elevated as special above others. Often these preachers are not Holy Spirit-led, we know this by the misuse of Scripture that deceives many people.

I stopped attending women's Bible studies because far too often I heard the words; "what does this passage mean to you." When I would speak out that it doesn't matter what we like for it to mean, it only matters what God meant by what He said, I was treated with contempt as though I had done something wrong and avoided by the women in the group.

People have said many things to me that were patently wrong, lies against the Word of God and resistant to correction about those things.

Things like;

"Trust your heart"

"It's alright to be a part of the world, we don't have to be different."

"I want to be remembered like that woman is being praised."

"You must look at pornography to obey your unsaved husband."

"It's alright to boast about yourself a little."

"Just tell God what you want and He has to give it to you."

"If you don't attend a church you are in sin."

"It is wrong to correct others."

"Religion is a personal matter."

"Just live a good life and God will take you to heaven."

"it's alright to worship angels."

"He/She is in a better place now" (at the funerals of the unsaved)

"God wants us to be wealthy"

"Only the pastor can know the truth because he went to seminary."

"You cannot know the truth because you didn't go to seminary."

"Roaring laughter" when I suggested we should seek the Holy Spirit, as though I said something foolish.

"We are not a liar just because we told one lie."

"Sin is not a problem anymore because we are under the blood."

"you must love yourself before you can love anyone else."

"you must obey your husband even if he tells you to sin."

"women are not to speak the things of the Lord to anyone, only men do this."

And many more equally silly things I have heard from those who say they are Christians and even been in churches all their lives, but do not know God, have never been born-again but are convinced they are going to heaven.

These people do not know the Bible and become angry when we use the Word of God to prove our point.

The evidence that they are not born-again is their disdain for the truths of God using the Scriptures in a twisted way to justify their desired belief.

Rarely have I heard someone speak of seeking Christ through the Holy Spirit and obeying what He says. Often I have been met with anger and even rage when I confronted a wrong teaching. Never has anyone disagreed with me desiring to sit with the Bible and search the Word to come to an agreement.

Amos 3:3

“Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?"

2 Corinthians 6:16

"What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

1 Corinthians 1:10

"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment."

Believers are not to argue and fight over disagreements, we are to go to the Word of God with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and seek Him in prayer. If someone will not do this then we are to walk away and leave them to God. If the Bible is not our basis for everything we cannot have a relationship.

1 John 4:18

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."

Proverbs 18:1-3 "1 He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment. 2 A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in airing his opinions. 3 With a wicked man comes contempt as well, and shame is accompanied by disgrace."

Conversation Means Lifestyle

Matthew 5:22 "That whosoever is angry with his

brother without a cause shall be in danger of the

judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca,

shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall

say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.:

It seems that speaking words does not express what God meant in this passage. Treating someone as if they are a fool when they are not must be the meaning of this passage. Attitudes are behind the words that demean another human being who loves God.

Falsely judging someone of wrongdoing without clear evidence and two witnesses is a sin in God's eyes.

1 Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;"

The word conversation here ought to be translated as "lifestyle."

Treating the Holy Spirit with contempt rather than just saying words against Him is an attitude of superiority to Him as well as contempt for him.

Mark 3:28–30: "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin—for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit.""

The Pharisees who accused Jesus Christ of doing His miracles by the power of the devil were showing contempt for Christ as well as speaking against Him. The attitudes came first then the speaking and then the actions. They are all connected and will eventually reveal themselves, no one can hide their intent forever.

We experience often the attitude of contempt from those who wish to walk according to their own flesh. They accuse believers of mistreating the Word of God when they are the ones who malign the Word of God through worldly wisdom. Instead of seeking Christ they reject His Word by using it dishonorably to justify their sin of pride. They change what God said and live by their own idea of what He said.

Attitudes in the heart always lead to actions that prove the attitude. Sometimes the actions are very subtle, they are covertly designed to be hard to detect but nonetheless, they are actions that discerning believers can see.

In 1 Corinthians 12:10 we see that God gives a special gift of discernment to some who are able to detect things that others are unaware of. " and to another the distinguishing of spirits,"

The important thing in our lives is that we not negate the gifts of others just because we don't happen to have that gift. The gifts God gave for helping the body of Christ are being largely ignored today because of the hierarchy system that only allows "educated" people to work within the body has quenched the Spirit in others.

1 Corinthians 12:15-26

15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.

16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired.

19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?

20 But now there are many parts, but one body.

21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;

23 and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,

24 whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,

25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another.

26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it."

To tie this all together we might say that people within the body are being treated as foolish when they may have a gift that is needed for the rest of the body.

Many godly Christians are being treated with contempt through treatment that denies their gifts.

Treatment is far more devastating than words. The devil knows that encouragement comes through actions of respect. We all know that actions prove words and without actions, the words are dead and meaningless.

James 2:14-18 "14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"

Faith without works is dead just as words without actions are dead.

1 John 3:18

"18 Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."

If we love someone we show them by our acts of respect and kindness. We encourage them in their gift. So often today believers are being treated contemptuously as though they have no gift because they do not do what others think they should be doing. Such foolishness to negate someone else because they are not us.

Those who want to pretend they have love and respect but act as though they have contempt are living a lie, a pretense that eventually will be exposed.

Let us encourage those with gifts that we don't have, to develop them and express them. Let's now allow pride to enter into the judgment of another human being, as though they are worthless without a gift.

Lastly, every born-again believer walking in the Spirit has gifts, to act as though someone does not is to deny Christ's work in others.