Let's Talk About Love!

What is love? It's not just the subject of sappy songs or emotions that one can feel. Love is something that God gives in varying ways. The type of love that is the subject of this teaching is the love that is translated from the Greek word "agape." The definition of this word, "agape," is "the love of and for God in the renewed mind in manifestation."

What does that mean? How do we employ that love? What the heck does this have to do with us? Let's look at God's Word for the answer.

Known as "the love chapter," I Corininthians 13 gives a great starting point for this study.

I Corinthians 13:1-13 [Young's literal translation]

If with the tongues of men and of messengers I speak, and have not love, I have become brass sounding, or a cymbal tinkling; and if I have prophecy, and know all the secrets, and all the knowledge, and if I have all the faith, so as to remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing; and if I give away to feed others all my goods, and if I give up my body that I may be burned, and have not love, I am profited nothing. The love is long-suffering, it is kind, the love doth not envy, the love doth not vaunt itself, is not puffed up, doth not act unseemly, doth not seek its own things, is not provoked, doth not impute evil, rejoiceth not over the unrighteousness, and rejoiceth with the truth; all things it beareth, all it believeth, all it hopeth, all it endureth. The love doth never fail; and whether there be prophecies, they shall become useless; whether tongues, they shall cease; whether knowledge, it shall become useless; for in part we know, and in part we prophecy; and when that which is perfect may come, then that which is in part shall become useless.When I was a babe, as a babe I was speaking, as a babe I was thinking, as a babe I was reasoning, and when I have become a man, I have made useless the things of the babe; for we see now through a mirror obscurely, and then face to face; now I know in part, and then I shall fully know, as also I was known; and now there doth remain faith, hope, love--these three; and the greatest of these is love.

This is wonderful!...If understood. Let's break this down. Verses one through three state very clearly that it doesn't matter what I am doing, if I'm not doing it with God's love, there is no profit. Thinking about this, it doesn't seem to make sense, does it? If I'm giving to people, regardless of my attitude, they are still getting that stuff or those services, right? They are. Other people my benefit from my giving or serving, but if I'm not doing it with that agape love, I get no benefit. That's not God's will. God's will is for me to have the more abundant life! That means that God wants me to grow and be blessed as I give. This can be clearly seen both in the immediate context of I Corinthians 12-14 as well as in the whole Word of God. In John 10:10 we see that God sent his son so that we could have a life more than abundant. In Ephesians 3:20 we see that God will do for us things that are exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ever ask or even think. We see various promises throughout The Word that state that God will answer our prayers. We see that God wants the best for us! In Malachi 3:10, God tells his people that if they even just tithe, he will pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. With this knowledge, it is clear that God does want us to benefit from our giving. Let's look at an extremely clear and vivid example of a person not giving in love and not getting any benefit from their giving.

Acts 5:1-10 (KJV)

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

They gave. They had indeed sold one of their possessions, and they did give of that to the church. Would you say though, that they benefited from that giving? I would say...NO!!! Ananias and Sephira had a heart problem in this section. Their actions were not fueled by love, not at all. They were giving for unloving reasons, and in this case, that actually opened the door for the adversary to do some very destructive things. They even died! Peter said, "Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." They lied to God and to men. Remember what it says about love in I Corinthians 13? Let's look at verses five and six again:

[Love] doth not act unseemly, doth not seek its own things, is not provoked, doth not impute evil, rejoiceth not over the unrighteousness, and rejoiceth with the truth;

Would you say that Ananias and Sephira were rejoicing in truth or behaving themselves in a seemly way? Would you say that they were seeking the things of others first instead of their own things? Certainly not! Their giving was not motivated by love, so they did not receive the benefits of their giving and the final consequence of their broken fellowship with The Father was that He was not able to protect them, and the adversary was able to get into their hearts and kill them.They had a heart problem that led to a fatal end.

Now, if they had been honest and had been giving the same part of what they had received, if their actions had been the same, but their hearts were right, this story would have gone very differently. If they had been acting in exactly the same manner, but with hearts motivated by love, God would have been able to bless them greatly! If they had been acting in love, they would not have lied. When we give in love, there is no reason to lie. There just isn't!

The Word doesn't expound on the thought patterns that led up to their deception. They may have been fearful of what the elders would say if the elders knew that they hadn't given all that they received for the sale. They may have been searching after glory. They may have really needed the amount that they kept from the sale. The bottom line is that the Word doesn't say. What God's Word says about this is that they forged an agreement together to lie to the men of God about how much they received and say that they were giving to the church 100% of what they received rather than the portion that they were actually giving.

From this section, we saw a clear example of what giving in love is not. What is an example for us to follow? There are several in God's Word. The greatest example, of course, is Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:2 

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

John 15:9-13

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Mark 12:28-33

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

 Very clearly, we see that God wants us to love Him and others. He has given a tremendous example for us to follow in that love, namely his Son Christ Jesus.

How do we do this?

Romans 12:9-18

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil [detest the things that don't line up with God's word]; cleave to that which is good ['to glue, to glue together, cement, fasten together'-Thayer's Critical Lexicon]. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient [' to endure, bear bravely and calmly: ill treatments'-Thayer's] in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

God gives a tremendous blueprint for us in how to love one another and Him. We do our best and check ourselves to see if our actions are or are not motivated by love and make changes accordingly. When we are acting out of love for one another, ourselves and The Father we are going to be blessed. It's a beautiful thing!

How are we known by God?

God is very clear in His Word about how He sees us and how we can see ourselves. He is so clear, in fact, that He authored seven epistles just to tell us who he has called us to be and how he sees us!

What God's perspective is our state. Our state, once we are born again and are God's children, can never, ever change. According to God, all of the members of the body of Christ are His wonderful children!

Ephesians 1:4-6

According as he hath chosen [selected, picked, called] us in him before the foundation [(Greek word) katabolē: overthrow or destruction] of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having [by His foreknowledge since he is all-knowing] predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Our standing, however, can and does fluctuate. Just like my mother will always love me regardless of my actions, and I will always be her daughter, we will always be loved by our heavenly father. There are times, though, when my mother doesn't approve of the things that I do. My actions don't affect whether or not I am her daughter (anyone that looks at our faces can clearly see that). They do affect the quality and sweetness of our relationship. Our relation doesn't change, just the relationship. The relation took very little effort. All that had to happen for me to be her daughter was for me to be born. The relationship takes work to maintain and keep sweet. This concept applies directly to our standing with God. The quality of our actions directly affect our standing, our relationship, with God.

If we know what our state is by reading the Church epistles (Romans through Thessalonians), how do we find out about our standing and whether our relationship is sweet with the Father? Let's go to the Word to find the answer.

John 15:5,8

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.- Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

 Philippians 1:9-11

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

 Matthew 7:17-18, 20

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.-Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

 The context of the passage from Matthew is in light of false prophets, but this is true of people in general. The fruit being referenced is the manifestation in the senses realm of the effect that those people are producing. It's what can be seen in their walk day by day and moment by moment. It's the effect of their thoughts, actions and words. We know people's fruit and are able to get insight into what is going on behind the scenes in their lives. What type of fruit is there, and what does that fruit indicate?

God's Word gives very clear answers.

Galatians 5:17, 19-23

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.-Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence), Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (always changing or disagreeing with the truth), emulations (an envious and contentious rivalry, imitation or mocking, jealousy), wrath, strife (conflict or competition), seditions (rebelliousness), heresies (lying or blaspheming), Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings (letting loose, rioting), and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

  When we are observing ourselves and others in the body, we can look at the fruit we or they are producing. If the thoughts and motivations behind the actions we take are godly, the fruit that we produce will reflect that. We will be manifesting the more than abundant life in our quality of living and love. The opposite is also true. When we miss the mark and our deeds and words are being motivated by less than godly influences, we will not be manifesting the more than abundant quality of life. God is wonderfully clear! We are always his children, and that never  changes, but we can use our 5 senses to see what is going on in our walk with the Father. All that we have to do is look at the fruit!

so, I know that it's been a while...

Life has simply been tremendous and a push lately. In the area where I live, The Word has been moving very quickly and dynamically. We ran a Defeating the Adversary class, and it was awesome! The Word that was taught was prepared so simply and wonderfully that it was inspiring to the students that were sitting through the class for their first time as well as those that were taking it again. At the close of the class, one of the teachers of the class shared with the students a challenge. This challenge was to speak God's Word mightily and dynamically and to reach people that were hungry for the truth of God's Word. The goal of the challenge was to unify the body of people there in the aspect of outreach. The desired effect was the growth of the individuals in our area as well as the growth of the body of believers in this area. One measurement of this goal was the upcoming foundational class that we are going to run in April. The teacher that laid down this challenge said that we want to reach enough people that are really wanting The Word NOW, and to be able to sign the number of students necessary to run this class in a short period of time...two weeks. That would mean that we would be registering at least one person for the class every two days.

The gauntlet was laid, and the race began. It has been so fulfilling and amazing to see the lives of the believers increase in quality as they have worked to satisfy and meet this goal! Seeing people really get excited about speaking for God and being His ambassadors has been both wonderful and inspiring. God's Word really does stand always!

 Php 3:12-15

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect [mature], be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

p.s. I'll let you know later how the class goes...