Nothing can be understood scripturally or by experience concerning Jesus Christ unless there is an understanding that the love of Jesus Christ is so complete and thorough, that it has been rarely comprehended and responded to by natural Israel and those professing a faith in Christ.
If you've ever read the prophets of the Old Testament, you'll find that in the end, the reason for the wrath and judgement of God Israel was because they rejected the love relationship God initiated with them. Throughout God expresses His disappointment and righteous anger over the casting aside of their love for Him for other gods.
That is extended in the New Testament with the numerous warnings of the apostles concerning those saying they believe in Jesus Christ as well.
We must see and understand that the reason for creation in the first place came from the inability of God to keep His amazing love, which was expressed between the Godhead, but because of what that love was and is, couldn't be kept to itself, so creation had to be enacted so that man could be created in the image of God for the purpose of deep love and fellowship with God Himself, as well as with one another; based upon the character and person of God Himself, which was revealed ultimately and fully in Jesus Christ.
Since we use the terms of the Bible concerning love so loosely at times, because of repetition and familiarity, we are apt to not come close to understanding, experiencing and having a revelation of how deep this love of God is.
He is love personified, and so it is impossible not to be who He is. That love consequently pours forth upon His creation, even as it largely rejects Him; as even do the majority who claim His name and the salvation connected to and with it.
What is desperately needed by those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is to "comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:18,19)
This love is so great that Paul adds that he is "persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38,39)
We could go on and on with scriptures like these to reinforce the fact that God is love, and that love is something we may never fully grasp as to its nature, but can participate in and receive that love, and together learn the width and length and depth and height of it.
The only way that can be done is by dying to self and allowing the Spirit of God within us to live that love out towards one another, and from their to the dying, lost world we live in.
This has zero to do with what most would call "the ministry," or finding some so-called purpose to fulfill. What this is is call to the raw love of God that has nothing to do with anything official, but a practical involvement with the people of God on a daily basis, which is the only way we can learn how the love of Christ is meant to be given, shared and understood.
Anybody can do stuff, very few people can truly love with the aching that God loves us with and reaches out and yearns for us because of it.
When talking of God's love, forget that sentimental slush that passes for what many believe is the love of God. It isn't. The love of God is real and is demanding because every bit of who God is is expressed in it towards us. That's why a real relationship with God includes the fellowship of His sufferings, as true love will hurt, and even in the best of circumstances and mountainous heights reached, there will always be this great burden of love that falls upon our hearts when that love is initiated from God.
Think of some people you may deeply love but don't get to see very often. I remember many years ago when I was only able to see someone about once every couple of years. When they came the friendship and interaction was exquisite. Even the anticipation of their coming caused a response within that was not only positive, but painful in having to wait to interact with the mutual love for one another.
Some of that is reflective of the amazing love that is the only God of the universe and His Christ that was given for us in the ultimate act of love, which was by His own words, the greatest of all in that He laid down His life for us. Love can't be expressed at any higher level than that practically, and someone moved by the love of God can never be without a nagging anguish and pain in the suffering and pain He shares with those He opens His heart up to.
Anyone can be such a person, but the walk of this type of love isn't easy, and when you bear some of that extraordinary love of God, which is beyond understanding, you receive a closeness with the living God that is unmeasurable, and by extension, will begin to see and feel how He focuses that on those created in His very own image.
What does all of this mean? The love of God is pain. The pain of a being that is love in Himself. A love so selfless that it is truly fierce in its nature, and in reaching out with that love towards His children, first allows those willing to embrace that love by faith to be placed under His potter's hand and to be shaped into His very image.
That's what Paul saw and attempted to communicate by saying together we need to embrace and pursue this magnificent love this is God. We won't reach the end of the eternal purpose of God if we don't fellowship with Christ directly and with one another from that love, as it's only there that we will be filled with all the fullness of God, and He becomes all in all.
Showing posts with label Love of Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love of Christ. Show all posts
Friday, January 4, 2013
Friday, February 25, 2011
In seeking out the Lord Jesus Christ and desiring more of Him, there have been tendencies by some to throw away foundations learned as a young Christian; apparently with the idea one doesn't take those things along on the journey.
Hebrews 6:1 says:
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. (NAS)
Leaving the elementary teachings about Christ doesn't mean dropping them, it means we don't linger there for the entirety of our Christian walk, while not growing deeper into the things that are Christ.
It's like any type of training we may receive in sports, a job, parenting, etc. You learn the basics, but retain them as you move on to excellence. It's not like you can throw the foundational things away just because you're learning more about what you're applying yourself to.
They're where you start, and are stepping stones to where you're going. You hold onto them while you continue on the journey, but don't allow them to keep you from progressing further by never building upon them.
With that in mind, I want to throw out some other elements of Christ we are to embrace and hold onto while traveling through this life in Christ.
These are things we need to continue to embrace in our walk with the Lord, and we never let them go, but rather, in some cases, learn more the depth, heigth and width of Christ within them. For example - love.
What I've done is taken some of the lists provided by the Apostles throughout the New Testament and placed them below; one using the New American Standard version, and the other the New Living Translation.
Keep in mind that whatever it is Jesus Christ is doing in our lives, these will remain a part of us, as they are in essence, a revelation of Christ Himself.
I would recommend printing these out and using them on a consistent basis as points of reference; reading them and asking the Lord to build them into your life: individually and corporately as a body of believers.
Fruits of the Spirit:
Galatians 5:22-26 - NAS
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:22-26 - NLT
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
The Excellence of Love (NAS)
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13 (New Living Translation)
Love Is the Greatest
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
2 Peter 1:3-7 - NAS
Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
2 Peter 1:3-7 - NLT
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
Phillipians 4:8 NAS
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Phillipians 4:8 NLT
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
1 Timothy 6:11 - NAS
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have (U)wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
New Living Translation
10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Paul’s Final Instructions
11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
=============
In this post we'll focus only on the postive side of life in Christ, and not on the negative of sin that can so easily beset us.
With another post we'll look at the various descriptions of sin the New Testament shows in order to keep you from being deceived as to what is of Christ and what isn't.
For now, if we focus on the scriptures describing Christ and walking in Christ above, we'll find ourselves turning above from the lure of sin and this world toward the amazing Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 6:1 says:
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. (NAS)
Leaving the elementary teachings about Christ doesn't mean dropping them, it means we don't linger there for the entirety of our Christian walk, while not growing deeper into the things that are Christ.
It's like any type of training we may receive in sports, a job, parenting, etc. You learn the basics, but retain them as you move on to excellence. It's not like you can throw the foundational things away just because you're learning more about what you're applying yourself to.
They're where you start, and are stepping stones to where you're going. You hold onto them while you continue on the journey, but don't allow them to keep you from progressing further by never building upon them.
With that in mind, I want to throw out some other elements of Christ we are to embrace and hold onto while traveling through this life in Christ.
These are things we need to continue to embrace in our walk with the Lord, and we never let them go, but rather, in some cases, learn more the depth, heigth and width of Christ within them. For example - love.
What I've done is taken some of the lists provided by the Apostles throughout the New Testament and placed them below; one using the New American Standard version, and the other the New Living Translation.
Keep in mind that whatever it is Jesus Christ is doing in our lives, these will remain a part of us, as they are in essence, a revelation of Christ Himself.
I would recommend printing these out and using them on a consistent basis as points of reference; reading them and asking the Lord to build them into your life: individually and corporately as a body of believers.
Fruits of the Spirit:
Galatians 5:22-26 - NAS
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:22-26 - NLT
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
The Excellence of Love (NAS)
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13 (New Living Translation)
Love Is the Greatest
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
2 Peter 1:3-7 - NAS
Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
2 Peter 1:3-7 - NLT
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
Phillipians 4:8 NAS
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Phillipians 4:8 NLT
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
1 Timothy 6:11 - NAS
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have (U)wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
New Living Translation
10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Paul’s Final Instructions
11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
=============
In this post we'll focus only on the postive side of life in Christ, and not on the negative of sin that can so easily beset us.
With another post we'll look at the various descriptions of sin the New Testament shows in order to keep you from being deceived as to what is of Christ and what isn't.
For now, if we focus on the scriptures describing Christ and walking in Christ above, we'll find ourselves turning above from the lure of sin and this world toward the amazing Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Last post we talked a little about the reason why Christ dwells within us. I did want to follow it up to clarify that while there is definitely a transformation that happens when we pursue union with Christ, at the same time, it's not a negative thing to simply enjoy the general presence of God as well.
In reality, what I termed the general presence of Christ within us was for the sake of understanding, in practice we really can't separate them, as if we enter into union with Christ , we can't escape the change that will come.
How much we change depends on the type of ground the seed falls into, as Christ Himself is the perfect seed without blemish, and He will transform us practically into His image as much as we allow the cross to work itself within us; removing the love of self so the love of Christ, and Christ alone becomes our focus, while we become like Him as we fellowship with Him.
I mention this because it could have been misunderstood that simply enjoying being with the Lord isn't the greatest end in itself. It's just that when we are with Him (which can be always), it will end up with us changing - it's impossible that we don't if we open our hearts to Him and focus on Him on a consistent basis.
In reality, what I termed the general presence of Christ within us was for the sake of understanding, in practice we really can't separate them, as if we enter into union with Christ , we can't escape the change that will come.
How much we change depends on the type of ground the seed falls into, as Christ Himself is the perfect seed without blemish, and He will transform us practically into His image as much as we allow the cross to work itself within us; removing the love of self so the love of Christ, and Christ alone becomes our focus, while we become like Him as we fellowship with Him.
I mention this because it could have been misunderstood that simply enjoying being with the Lord isn't the greatest end in itself. It's just that when we are with Him (which can be always), it will end up with us changing - it's impossible that we don't if we open our hearts to Him and focus on Him on a consistent basis.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Talking about his inner core group of disciples one time, Jesus in prayer to the Father said they weren't of this world, just like He and the Father weren't of this world.
This is an extraordinary statement talking about His people and who they were to be.
Many people professing Christ don't want to face this conclusion of Jesus about those that had surrounded Him when he was physically on the earth, because the implications are devastating to those that love this world.
We are a people called to be in this world, but not of this world. We are to live from a life totally contrary to the way this world functions and what its endless fears and concerns are.
One thing that may shock people was Jesus never moved based on need, only on the word and actions of His Father. If He heard it from the Father, or saw the Father doing it, Jesus would do it. If not, He would say or do nothing unless it was the Father saying or doing it in Him.
Jesus went so far as to say without the Father He could do nothing. Nothing means what it says. That's the life we are also called to live while on this earth.
A major problem Christianity faces today is they are intimidated by the world and its ranting against the Lord and His Christ, to the point where they are trying to please the world and prove something to them. We aren't called to that as a purpose, and we aren't called to please this world.
The only thing Jesus says is they'll know we are of Him because of the love we have for one another.
But we don't love one another to prove it or to please the world, we do it because it's what Christ and the Father are. They are love. The love we then organically express to one another is seen as being from God. We simply don't pay attention to that seeing. When the Father wants the love we have for one another to be seen by the world, He'll make sure it's seen.
For us we simply live our lives quietly and peaceably on the earth, like we're called to do. The world will take true notice of a people that live life from another world than their own. They won't notice or care about those that name the name of Christ and yet are just like them. We are called to a higher calling than that.
Only Christ can do this as we hold to Him as our head within us. It's not something we can make happen.
Don't be afraid to be different than what this world is, we don't live from the same source they do. We are not to be of this world - and we aren't. We live from another life source that doesn't originate here. We need to cooperate and allow the Lord Jesus to live his life in us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
