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The weight of what we say, is often no
more then the breath with which we say it. With words we speak out our thoughts but do we realize we communicate our values by what we choose to talk about. Jesus says just how important words are
and that they should be weighted in view of eternity. For
we shall be judged for the words we speak. In view of our words how much louder do
our actions or inaction’s speak? Words are the
foundation of our communication but not the only
means… "Be
doers of the word" God speaks, so we act on what He says. The folly in the midst of the Church today is this idea that wisdom can be anything other then the Spirit. We narrow wisdom down to the carnal or worldly interpretation of logic and reason using knowledge to impress ourselves, more then we impress others. Thus self satisfied we can never learn the truth. Blindly Happy with our self love how can we see? Wisdom is the manifestation of the Spirit in the words we speak or in the deeds performed at His leading. The magnification of God being seen in our good works led by the Spirit comes, when we the body, work together. Two or more gives light to His presence in our midst and opportunity for those observing to give God glory. God is still speaking… in and
through His people. What comes out of our mouth should come
from the Spirit of love, but to often comes from an
uncontrolled bitter disillusionment of a selfishly
motivated depraved heart. How could this be? Are we
carnal or Christian? Can we be carnal Christians? When God spoke the creation into being,
His words were instruments of immense power. God’s
words, spoke life/love, He created by love. Creation in
man is to continue in that same selfless love. God breathed life into man, and that power of His breath, that entered within us… filled us with the Spirit, giving us life and inclusion into eternity. The sin of man separated us from God and His dwelling place. Ergo Paradise. Sin is a choice to disobey, yet God in His infinite mercy gives us opportunity through faithful obedience to regain loving relationship. Simply… "love as I love." Again Jesus in the upper room breathed on the disciples (new opportunity)… at Pentecost the power of God in the words Peter spoke touched the hearts of three thousand people. The power of those words radically changed their lives. Why don’t we speak like that? Or is it, why can’t we speak like that? The question is how is that power in us released? Conviction is not found in our minds but in our hearts surrendered like the twelve, when what Jesus spoke is lived, then dead to self and alive to Him is actual faith and words of the Spirit are in truth and deed. We would rather just repeat the words
of Jesus and contend we’re holy and justified. We lack faith. And the conviction that
faith gives to our words. We lack living a life of faith
because we talk faith more then we live in faith. Most of us want unity but not at the
cost of unconditional love for our brother. We do not
want unity more then our selfish ambition in holding to
the differences in the baggage we needlessly carry. Words come from our mouths that are of
the Spirit and they bless others, but this sometimes only
supports our failure to love. This power of God to bless
others is what we are created for this is the God in us,
blessing others with encouragement, but not necessarily
blessing us with everlasting life. Everlasting life comes
in death to self and our words will have power because
our lives of love are living examples to join in
following. We offer direction, to others with words that
satisfy us in they are of God, forgetting… you can
teach, preach, prophecy even lay down your life but
without love we have done it for nothing! Those we speak
to may be blessed but not us, if it’s done without
love. We meet and we greet and try to make ourselves believe that is enough. We hide behind all kinds of mechanisms that man has contrived to appear holy. Jesus has warned us of it all the poor fruitless use of words, from long pious prayers to calling down fire, all of the selfish flesh. And so He reminds you… "of what spirit are you?" But what belies this fault is our
unwillingness to love. The separation within the Church exists
now and is ever widening. Some are growing in the love of
God and moving toward one another while others cling to
their selfish independence and religiosity. There is a
false unity that is growing without the love of God and
that is an agreement to meet and greet and stay separate
and independent. This brand of unity is a sham; it plays
to knowing the truth but insulates itself in talking
about it, finding more excuses not to change. The battle
of egos is in each believing that meeting together is
until they come around to my way of doing things. The
unity of thieves is better in their honesty to share what
they have. More words and little action is the byway of
the loveless. The more it is exposed to the truth the
more it learns how to sidestep it while talking about it.
Words that separate begin in
name-calling. What do we call ourselves and why? Or do we follow Jesus! What is God’s priority? It’s all about Jesus! Jesus, is the Word, the name that came
from heaven. God with us… Savior… Son of
man… Son of God. There is absolute unfathomable
power in this word. That power is love! It is Jesus that God calls us to follow… and Jesus alone. Men have left paths for us… and these to inspire us and to encourage us… to Jesus! God gave us scripture written by men that were led of the Spirit; do we follow Matthew, Mark, Luke or John? Do we follow Paul? They in all of there words and lives point to Jesus not themselves. They lived like Him obeying the words He spoke. If men call us to follow them then their intent must be not to them, but to follow Jesus. To many confuse ego with grace, self-gratification instead of the selfless love of God. We are allured by the pomp, regality, rituals and words but where do we see the love of God? They speak the words of Jesus without the love of Jesus and their poor example perpetuates the error. The church today uses words, void of
love. We have become the Church that speaks about grace
in so many words… and with words only, but in truth
lives by mammon. Giving lip service to the truth and
living carnally. Pointing to themselves more then
pointing to Jesus. The good ones point to themselves and
to Jesus equally. A shared lordship? There are no
under-shepherds. The protesters of the then
"Reformation" pointed to the scriptural errors
of Rome, bypassed the Eastern Church as if it didn’t
exist and than ignored or rather excepted and emulated
its political corruption. The want of mammon, and of
physical protection, left it privy to the carnality of
political alliances. This was nothing but a lack of faith
and a renunciation of the Kingdom within for the Kingdom
without. Trading the Kingdom of God for creature
comforts. Words replaced actions once again. Although
everything is explained away in our having gone back to
our foundational roots of "we live by faith" it had circumvented "Faith works by love" And so it left one corruption for yet another
and proclaiming itself righteous for doing so. It held
the scripture in its hand speaking the Kingdom of God and
lived under the government of man. Trading eternal love
for temporal comfort. And it killed men in the name of
God who did otherwise. Not much different then the Roman
Church. What started out with God, led by His Spirit to
breath anew on the Church turned very quickly into
political alliances and self justification. The Church
and the government were separate but in need of each
other more than their need of God. And so the mind over
came the heart. And so it became what it rebelled
against with one sinister twist, it gave ground to
recurrence. Separation begot separation. The unifying love of Christ was and still is dissolved into so many empty words. Words like doctrine, evangelism and tradition have all but replaced love as a focal point to act upon. The words of love are gently blended in but not in a living example. The motive of God, which is perfect selfless love, is only talked about, in our haste continue to on, lukewarm, cooling and ever waxing cold, certainly we have lost our purpose. The posture of the Church became self centered with Jesus outside the circle rather then in our midst. We so proudly returned Jesus to heaven and left man void, abounding in our carnal ego. Putting us in a justified position of needing Jesus but never quite attaining Him for the wants of our selfish flesh. We bemoan our self-made plight of need and separation and have made it a focal point of our existence. We are in constant need of God… but alas… He is outside us. Without love we were quickly led by the words of those of much learning and intellect, the scholars of the day. We replaced the leading of the Spirit and food for our souls, with the carnality of creature comforts. And here we remain. Division became a way back, a method to reform the Church. The words of the gospel became selected and the rest redefined or omitted from teaching… Heretical heart, pointing to the errors of others… screaming Heretic! Covering their own sin by propagating fear, in killing those who thought differently. The lesson exampled by separatists: When you’re discontented with Church government split it seditiously or leave in a huff, telling everyone of your discontent, planting seeds of rebellion, then begin anew. Finding another Church that does everything better or help start a Church and do it better. The search for the right Church begins with "please me." It is a mask for what is comfortable. The quest of ear ticklers is caused by selfish seekers, finding those selfish enough to tell them what they want to hear. Why do we ignore separation? Why do we deny that it’s a major problem? Have we become so blind as to not see it’s in opposition to God? How can we do what is right without
love. And denial of the love of God as a means of unity
has now over time been placed out of reach, not possible
or omitted entirely of all real hope and is just given
lip service. Meetings on unity have been going on for 30
years or more and they still can’t find love as the
binding force; so much flesh. Egos abound in
self-righteousness at the denial of truth. Proving it’s failure or worse
it’s absolute diversionary attitude became a
theology in itself, as if this is what God who is perfect
unity, wants or has planned. Exclusion breeds exclusion
for you are not good enough or right enough for me to be
with. Division says you are not my brother, you are not a
brother so you must belong to the enemy. Jesus showed us
this attitude… Mark 9: 38. John said to Jesus,
``Teacher, we saw someone throwing out demons by using
your name. He was not following us! We kept telling him
to stop because he was not following us.'' Confusing unity, the divine nature of God… with separation, the divisive nature of man… Rebellion begets rebellion for it is
loveless. The pride of man keeps us proudly separated, rejoicing in our division. Who is the lord of separation? Did not Jesus die for us all…
nonbelievers included! Can we prove otherwise? Follow the error… or follow the truth… Jesus! The Word… The word is to be obeyed. The power of the impossible is in
asking Jesus in faith… but not for a moment
forgetting that faith works by love. Peter asks and He
receives… but what has He received and what have we
learned? The Church of Philadelphia in its
simple love for one another will be kept from the trial
that is coming to us all. Why? The bond of love sustains
us. Bless you!
Jesus Christ’s Community at Hebron www.jesuschrists.com |
