Spirit Led Love

Indeed… where is the love?

is your love according to the word of the spirit

Is Your Love According to the Word of the Spirit?

The recent events surrounding the pulpit preacher, elders, and members at the Fourth Avenue Church of Christ in Franklin, Tennessee, regarding their utilization of a female preaching intern from Lipscomb University sent waves of shock and dismay throughout much of our beloved brotherhood. But why? Perhaps because this came as such a sudden and abrupt “wake-up” call to so many who did not previously understand just how far this insidious infection of insubordination and rebellion against the God of all glory and His eternal and timeless word had already fully spread within His beloved Son’s once united, but now being divided by such, blood-bought body.

But such departures from the divine truth, faith, and commandments, which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself promised the Spirit of Truth would – and later did – finish delivering (John 16:7-12; II Timothy 3:12-4:4; 2 Peter 1:16-2:3; Jude 3), should come as no such surprise at all (I Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Peter 3:14-18). In fact, there is even a website which appears quite proudly devoted to divulging the identities of some “churches of Christ” which are, and in some cases have been for several decades, allowing themselves to be completely and complacently deceived into being led by a spirit other than that of the Lord God Almighty’s and what His Holy Spirit of Truth specifically dictated in His divinely-inspired word – http://www.wherethespiritleads.org/gender_inclusive_churches.htm – (See 2 Corinthians 14:33-37 for example). “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). In the same spirit as that of the ancient congregation at Corinth (See 1 Corinthians 5:1-8), instead of mourning, they are proud, “puffed up,” and seem to be well-bent on proudly spreading and parading their spirit of soul-destroying disobedience to almighty God, both into and before the entire world.

A truly “Spirit-led” congregation of God’s people is quite different from – and in fact, exactly the opposite of – the picture some are portraying. I serve a completely “Spirit-led” congregation. We read and study what the Spirit said – God’s word – (2 Peter 1:16-21), and then seek to humbly and obediently submit to, and put it into practice. This is what it truly means to be “Spirit-led.” Being led by a spirit other than that, or any spirit which contradicts the divinely-inspired commandments dictated by God’s Holy Spirit of Truth and which are written in God’s holy word (such as we see in 1 Corinthians 14:33-37), is contrary to what God’s Holy Spirit of Truth said and says, and therefore is, by definition, “…according to the working of Satan… and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

Now of course when those of us who still place our faith in the fact that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, [and] for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work,” and therefore follow the Apostle Paul’s divinely-inspired instructions to “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 4:2-4) as I just did above, we are instantly and automatically judged and labeled as “harsh,” “unloving,” “hateful,” and “judgmental,” by those who want to continue in their disobedience uncorrected, and who also loudly and proudly want to continue to consider and proclaim themselves to be far more loving and far less judgmental than they judge us – in their abhorrence of our adherence to Scripture – to be. How is that even possible? Because they apparently do not understand the entirety of the biblical term “love,” anymore than they fully understand the epitome of what it means to be truly “Spirit-led.”

In the Apostle Paul’s infinitely beautiful and divinely-inspired and dictated description of what godly love looks like in 1 Corinthians 13, he includes an essential but oft-overlooked element of true love, without which, whatever other elements of love you may possess, leaves you with something far less. Besides not parading itself and not being puffed up (vs. 4), one of true biblical love’s essential elements which simply cannot be overlooked, neutralized, or minimized, is found in verse 6, wherein it says love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.”

Biblical love is not, and cannot be, happy about iniquity; it is not pleased, and cannot remain quiet and complacent with willful, ongoing, pride-justified disobedience and any of the sinful practices which defy the Spirit-Inspired, eternal word of our holy God (Psalm 19:7-11; 119:89) and therefore separate the people He loves from Him (Isaiah 59:1-2; Ephesians 2:1-3; Hebrews 10:26-31). True love simply can’t stand by and do that! Instead, it “rejoices with the truth.” “The truth,” according to the Jesus of the bible whom those who are defying Him claim to be worshipping, is God’s word (John 17:17).

And so we see that according to God’s definition of love – not man’s – that those who truly love will not, and cannot, in any way, shape, or form, rejoice and be happy when the sin of direct and willful disobedience is taking place (such as when those congregations who insist on defying and disobeying God’s commandments as found in such places as 1 Timothy 2:8-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:33-37 proudly persist in so doing). Instead, when faced with such iniquity, those who truly love – according to God – can only rejoice when: the Spirit-inspired truth of the word of God is preached, the hearts of those in error are pricked, and the sincerest of repentance is practiced (Acts 2:36-42; 2 Corinthians 7:8-11; 2 Peter 3:9). Indeed… where is the love?

True, biblically-defined love, does not and cannot allow sin and iniquity to simply go unchastened, unchallenged, and uncorrected. In this vein, consider God. Is God love? Yes (I John 4:8)! Does He chasten, discipline, and correct? Of course! That’s also what Jesus did (Matthew 22:29)! But why? Because that’s what real love does when someone is wrong! Consider, “…you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed” (Heb 12:5-13).

Where is the love? It is found in those earthly fathers, the Heavenly Father, and those of the heavenly Father’s children who see willful sin, iniquity, and disobedience to the truth and word of God, and seek to challenge, rebuke, chasten and correct that sin and disobedience, bringing it into complete compliance with God’s word. Where is the love? Within those who so righteously (not “self-righteously,” but “Scripturally-righteously” judge – see John 7:24) correct and discipline.

Another vital aspect of biblical love which we must take into account when considering some congregations’ outright and wholesale rejection of the commandments of God (for example, as given in 1 Corinthians 14:33-37 and 1 Timothy 2:8-15), is Jesus’ direct “red-letter” definition of what true love for Him truly looks like: “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments” (John 14:6). As one of those preachers recently said, “We must listen to Jesus.” Indeed! We must! And so, once again, we would ask our beloved brethren in those congregations which are elevating and enshrining their “women of gifts” above the eternal word of God… “Indeed… where is the love… for their Lord;” the Lord Who said: “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments” (John 14:6)?

We know where the love is – according to Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit, all three of which are in complete agreement, being One. The love is in those who preach and teach the commandments of God as written, and are ready in season and out, to biblically challenge, convince, rebuke, and correct, the course of those who have strayed from those commandments. And to condemn and dismiss such biblically-accurate articles and sentiments as these (and so many which came out in the aftermath of the Fourth Avenue video), or the faithful-to-the-scriptures brethren who made them, as either “unloving,” “hateful,” and/or “judgmental,” is to put on display, for all the world to see, a powerful biblical ignorance of what true and godly love really is and does; a biblical ignorance born of self-deception and a desire to do what one wants instead of what God commands – and to unequivocally prove the very points such a one undeniably seeks to deny! Indeed… where is the love?

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A Burr Under My Saddle

A burr is a small seed which has stiff bristles or hooks around it.  Burrs are most frequently found in brushy, unkempt areas.  When an individual walks through the area, the burrs attach themselves to hair, fur, and clothing.  Once a burr has grabbed on to something, it does not want to let go.  The individual must labor over his clothing until every last burr is gone and yet, later, there will likely still be one that was overlooked.  Interestingly enough, Velcro was designed after the properties of burrs.

have you had a burr under your saddle

Have you had a burr under your saddle?

“A burr under my saddle” is an idiomatic phrase which is defined as something which annoys you or spurs you to action according to the website “Usingenglish.com”.  Understanding the property of burrs lends itself to understanding the phrase’s meaning.  When a burr gets under a horses saddle, it annoys the animal causing it to be unwieldy as the burr digs into its flesh causing discomfort.  This same reaction occurs in the human, as the burrs scratch into his flesh.

The consequences of sin can very easily be compared to the burr.  First, consequences of sin are like a burr because they are not comfortable.  They are supposed to be uncomfortable bringing about repentance.  In the life of a Christian, the discomfort should be felt from the conscience and from caring brothers and sisters who reprove the sin.

 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 – I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter.

Second, the consequences of sin are like a burr in that they often do not easily go away:

Acts 9:10-14 – Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said unto him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth; and he hath seen a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight. But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to thy saints at Jerusalem:  and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy name.

Acts 9:26 – And when he was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

Adam brought a life of toil into the world because of his sin.  Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness because of their disobedience.  King David sinned with Bathsheba and felt the consequences the rest of his life.  An individual who does not repent of sin, feels the consequences of his sin for eternity.

Third, like a burr, sin is easier to obtain than it is be discard:

Matthew 10:21-22 – And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father his child: and children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

Jesus spoke of a narrow way and a wide way:

Matthew 7:13-14 – Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby.  For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.

It seems so much easier to walk the wide way.  Why walk the narrow way?  All the pleasure of the world seems to be there.  A new way of thinking is required to get off the wide way and few want to change.

Finally, sin like a burr, is best avoided by staying from away from its environment.

I Corinthians, 6:18 – Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

I Corinthians 10:14 – Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

I Corinthians 15:33 – Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals.

2 Timothy 2:22 – But flee youthful lusts, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

If you want to smell like the roses, stay away from the pigs.

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The End Approaches

As The End Approaches

When Paul wrote his epistle to the church at Rome, he reminded them of the urgency of being prepared for whatever was in their future. The Romans knew the times that lay before them (13:11), and Paul told them how to prepare. Their approaching trial may be different from one each of us faces—the end of our lives—but Paul’s words seem so applicable to what each of us must do as we see the end approaching.

The end approaches

The End Approaches…

As the end approaches, we must awake out of our sleep (13:11). Paul said, “It is high time to awake out of sleep for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” There is a grave danger of complacency overtaking us spiritually. We may be like the apostles in Gethsemane who failed to listen to the Lord’s admonition, “Watch and pray.” Yet, they slept! As the end comes closer to each of us, let us watch and be sober.

As the end approaches, we must lay aside six fleshly sins (13:14). Paul said, “Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness . . . let us walk properly . . . not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.”  Our God created us as eternal souls residing in fleshly bodies, but it is so easy to forget this and live fleshly lives. One of life’s greatest sorrows is to see those who were once steadfast in their devotion now allow the flesh to gain supremacy over their souls. Look at the six sins Paul lists and guard against them. Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed, but so is our condemnation if worldliness destroys our spiritually. Christianity is a life of continual growth which began at our spiritual birth and ends with our physical death. The end is coming!

As the end approaches, we must clothe ourselves in an armor of light (13:12). Paul said, “Let us put on the armor of light.” The words “put on” are set in contrast to that which we must “cast off.” The six sins he lists are called the “works of darkness,” and our guarantee of victory is found in the armor of light. Paul amplified these two verses later when he said, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Becoming like Christ begins when we put on Christ in baptism (Gal. 3:27), but it does not end there. We walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7), and we are transformed every day to be more like Him. As the end approaches, let us put on Christ.

As the end approaches, we cannot make any provision to compromise with sin (13:14). Paul said, “Make no provision for the flesh.” There is no room to compromise when it comes to truth. Truth is absolute, and it is always right to do right. That determination we had to stand for truth when we first believed must never leave us.

The end is approaching: watch, pray and be sober!

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Harmless Sins?

Seemingly Harmless Sins

When the subtle serpent tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, she knew not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Nevertheless, “the serpent said unto the woman, ‘Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil’” (Gen. 3:4-5). In other words, the serpent told Eve, “Eating of the tree is harmless!” From that day forward, Satan has been deceiving people into believing that certain sins are harmless. To illustrate, many people believe that some lies are harmless, referring to them as “little white lies.” Moreover, it seems as if many in the greater religious world believes that doctrinal sins are not nearly as threatening to God as moral sins. Thus, most rational people realize that moral sins, such as murder, adultery and stealing, are deadly sins. Yet, many sins seem harmless to many people, but are very deadly.

harmless sins

Harmless Sins?

Notice a few examples of seemingly harmless sins in the Bible.

• In Numbers 13:32-36, a man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath Day. This was in direct opposition to the will of God. Therefore, when they brought his case before the Lord, God sentenced him to death by stoning. Did it seem harmless to gather sticks? Sure, but it was very deadly.

• In Second Samuel 6:6-7, the ark of God was brought to Nachon’s threshingfloor on a cart drawn by a team of oxen. When the oxen shook, the ark was about to fall and Uzzah reached out to steady the ark by simply touching it. Did it seem harmless to touch the ark to steady it? Sure, but it was very deadly, because God struck Uzzah dead right on the spot. God had commanded that only Aaron’s descendants could carry the ark (Num. 4:1-15).

• In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira sold one of their possessions to give to the church, but kept back part of the price. This is what we would consider “a little white lie.” It certainly must have seemed harmless to them, since they were doing a good deed by giving a portion of the price, but it turned out to be deadly. God struck both of them dead.

• Even when Satan tempted Jesus in Matthew 4, his temptation to turn stones into bread seemed harmless. “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).

What can we learn? Just because something seems harmless in our eyes does not mean that it is satisfactory with God, because even seemingly harmless things can be very deadly. Sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:1-2), and is transgression of His law (1 John 3:4). Many people, especially young people, are deceived into thinking that if it seems harmless, it must be acceptable. Dancing seems harmless, but it is very deadly! Fondling with the opposite sex seems harmless, but it is very deadly! Gossiping seems harmless, but it is very deadly! Many sins seem harmless, but watch out! They are deadly!

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The Life of Christ

I Gave My Life For Thee

“He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

He Gave His Life for Use

He Gave His Life for Us.

Located in the Bayerische Staatsmuseum in Munich hangs a painting Italian painter Domenico Feti (1589–1623) entitled Ecce Homo (“Behold the Man”). At the bottom of the canvas the Latin inscription, “Ego pro te haec passus sum, Tu vero quid fecisti pro me: This have I suffered for you; now what will you do for me?” After seeing this painting Francis Havergal was moved to pen the words to the beautiful hymn “I Gave My Life For Thee.” It is time that we as Christians not only sing these hymns but truly commit to meaning what we sing by making the necessary changes in our lives.

We need to be reminded that Jesus said, “whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). We come to Christ to be saved and are required to submit to His will, to give up our own selfish ambitions, and put God and others above ourselves. Yet, few do. And sadly many of the problems we see in the church are solely due to the fact that we have to have things done our way or we pout and/or throw a fit. Paul admonishes us to “put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Just as egregious are those who sing the last stanza of the great hymn stating “None of self, and all of thee” and are for all intents and purposes lying to themselves and God.

There are two types of people I would like for us to consider:

Those Who Have Never Forsaken Anything: Like the Rich Young Man who comes to Jesus desiring eternal life (Matthew 19:16–22; Luke 18:18–23). When Jesus told him that in order to be perfected he would need to go and “sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22) he “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:22).

Those Who Have Returned To Their Old Life: Much like the prodigal son who wasted his father’s inheritance (Luke 15:11–32), are those who forsake their Lord in order to return to the love of the world. Yes, we know the Bible says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). Nonetheless we are “choked cares and riches and pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14). Indeed, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The fact remains that you and I have either forsaken all for Him or we have not. There is no middle ground! What do I treasure in my heart more than heaven; Family, friends, sinful behavior, selfish ambition (even that which is disguised in righteousness)? “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).

Be faithful my friends!

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