Talk of JESUS . com

Tag: corinthians

My Love – 7 – Love never ends…

1 Corinthians 13

The Way of Love (agape)

7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends.

Once again, the ‘love‘ we proclaim though scripture from this letter of Paul to the church at Corinth is the agape love of God. Christ’s love and perfect earthly example should permeate every kind of love relationship we have with others, including of course, the love of a husband for his wife and a wife for her husband.

You can never love too much.

You can love in the wrong way,

but never too much.

Suppose we take the famous scripture of the ‘love chapter’ and put it into the context of ‘The Four Loves’ described by C.S. Lewis of the four Greek words for love. And let’s take this a step further for a moment and begin with the way the world first thinks when the word love is mentioned:

Eros bears all things, Eros believes all things, Eros hopes all things, Eros endures all things. Eros love never ends.

Is this true?

I can testify by my own divorces that eros love (romantic love) often bears little, believes only at first, hopes less and less and indeed Eros love does end. This, of course, is why our vows before God are so important to our Christian marriages.

The same could be said of friendship love or affectionate love. Friendships certainly end and so all-too-often does the affectionate love of a parent for a child or child for parent. These tragic endings fill counseling offices and psychiatrist couches.

Love frequently does end; the other loves fail.

Therefore I caution us that we can indeed love in the wrong way. We often do not, as sinful and unfaithful human souls, look at love from the perspective of God.

We think that we have only so much love we can give – only so much friendship we can give – only so much love for one child or for our mom or for our dad to give – only so much we can endure and hope and believe for the love of our life, the wife or husband of our vows. After all, ‘we are only human.’ We are limited in the flesh; we are limited in our love for one another.

All this would be true, except for the one love for which we were created by God – agape love, which permeates our very being and relationships to every other.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength and all your mind. (Sound familiar?)

Other loves only become timeless in the overflowing love of Jesus Christ when the deep well of God’s love pours forth from our sinful hearts into the love-starved souls of others.

We are made for Him and we are made for each other. We are created to love each and all; but only in the right way and with the love of God pouring from us.

When we are empty, God will give us more.

When we have given all, God will give us more.

When we cannot bear this soul, God will give us more.

When we can no longer believe, God will give us more.

When we have lost all hope, God will give us more.

When we cannot endure, God will give us more.

When we think our Eros romance

or our Philia friendship

or our Storge affection

will end;

God will give us more.

For Agape love is not only unconditional,

the Agape love of God is eternal.

Agape love never ends.

The King James English actually encourages us in God by assuring:

Charity never faileth.

And the NASB & other versions translate agape: Love never fails.

Yes, Paul points out that other signs of God working in the lives of the church may fail at times. (We are just a gathering of His imperfect sinners.)

God gives us His gifts to use in His way in our mortal time.

Pour forth the unfailing love of Christ Jesus. Embrace every soul in His love.

(Love one another, as I have loved you, our Lord commands.)

The love of the church may be evident through varying gifts to different saints (Christians) as different times. Yet Love never fails. God’s own love and charity towards us never fails His purpose.

It is appropriate reminder to us as I conclude this 7-part series on My Love, to remind us of the love of God for me, a sinner, and for you.

God has not failed us.

The Cross of Christ Jesus never fails.

We are saved by the grace of the sacrifice of our Lord, Christ Jesus.

As we near the end of these last days I appeal once more to your faithfulness to the Lord Who IS faithful to those who love Him. Be faithful to God in every kind of love God so richly gives to you from the deep spring of His eternal love.

Have you failed in your love? Have you failed God? Have you failed your beloved to whom you are wed? Have you failed a friend? Have you failed a parent or a child who needs your unconditional love?

ekpiptō – to fall out of, to fall down from, to fall off; to fall from a thing, to lose it; to perish, to fall: from a place from which one cannot keep, from a position, to fall powerless, to fall to the ground, be without effect of the divine promise of salvation

In Christ Jesus, we have God’s unfailing love. By grace we cannot fall. God’s love never fails.

Peter reminds the faithful of the importance of us not failing Christ Jesus, if indeed He IS our LORD.

2 Peter 3: NKJV

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand,

beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;

18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

February 23, 2015
My Love – 6 – If I have not love

‘I’m not happy.’

‘I met someone’

IF you claim to be a follower of the Bridegroom of the church, Jesus Christ and things don’t go quite your way, would you tell Jesus to ‘get out’?

Would you look for someone better, who might make you happy in this world?

(Did God really say, “Don’t eat of the fruit of that tree?”)

IF you are unfaithful to Christ’s love, would it not be adultery?

Though you claim to be a follower of Jesus, so had Judas!

This is the unfortunate false witness of some with a cross in front of their home, ‘christianity’ claimed before ‘friends’ as religion, their stamp of approval before the world. These claim many things by the ‘Blood of Jesus,’ yet their more bold witness of worldly sins again crucifies hope in His body and true Bride, the church.

Some have heard the following, even at weddings, known as the ‘love chapter.’

IF Jesus Christ is your love, listen then to true love, you adulterers of Christ!

1 Corinthians 13

The Way of Love

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

I have heard in churches the noisy gongs of ‘single moms,’ divorced grandmas and others clanging the noise of their own ‘higher’ worship, ‘tongues of angels,’ God’s messengers; as if we should follow these women, rather than Christ Jesus as Lord. Will they who are not bowed down to their husband or any man in Christ not lead the faith astray with their babel?

²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

I have heard prophesy given in the church. Is it from God? Why then did the church not record the very prediction of God given? Is the prophesy confirmed and witnessed to the glory of our Lord, Christ Jesus? Yes, sometimes; but believer beware of the wolves in our midst.

Have you not endured some claiming such superior knowledge and understanding of mysteries who would teach us of their ‘faith to remove mountains’ in their Sunday school class or church small group?

Did you experience the embrace of Christ’s love in their Pharisaical instruction? Did you hear love for you in their teaching or prophesy?

I, too, have received prophesy and spoken it. The revelation of the Lord is a terrible and awesome thing!

Some prophesy has not yet come to pass. For all I know, I may have been given some spirit of deception to accomplish the Lord’s overpowering purpose. Yet in these last days we must fear the Lord, always listening for the approaching trumpet of truth over the blaring cries of some claiming ‘understanding.’

Read your Bible and pray for revelation by the Spirit of Truth in scripture.

³If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

‘And though I bestow,‘ states the King James; bestow, an interesting word more related to charity as we understand it – charity, agape love of God, used in application throughout these verses of the love chapter.

Bestow: to feed by putting a bit or crumb (of food) into the mouth; of infants, young animals etc.; to feed, nourish to give a thing; to feed someone, feed out to

Feed on God’s word in scripture. Nourish your spirit in prayer.

Does this not also bring to mind the love a father and a mother, given to their child, their teen, their grown adult children, even their spouse given in marriage into your own family? Is this not also the gift of adoption given by our Heavenly Father through Christ to gentile believers (like most of us)?

Are we not all poor and needy, dependent on our Father’s forgiving gracious love?

Though I give to the poor, but have not love…

Is that our charity of witness?

Now that I have shared the seriousness of God’s love for us, allow me to share the more familiar actions of love often and appropriately shared at weddings:

⁴Love is patient and kind;

love does not envy or boast;

it is not arrogant ⁵

or rude.

Are you patient to your spouse, to whom you are joined to each other and God by your vows?

Is your husband (or wife) patient with you – patient for you?

Is your love for your beloved partner until death – kind?

Are you, dear father, and you, dear mother, kind to your son – kind to your daughter – kind to each and all of your children (obedient and faithful, or rebellious and hateful)? Are you kind to your adopted child, your step-child, your child (even an adult child) given into your nurture by God to raise and guide in the Lord, Christ Jesus?

Is your love patient and kind even to your prodigal teen?

Is your love for your spouse, your children, your brothers and sisters in Christ ALWAYS patient and kind? Lord help us, impatient and unkind sinners!

It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Are you just another ‘spoiled child’ of God in your relationships with others in your daily life?

⁷Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Lord: Convict us and forgive us, for the sake of your Son, our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Help me – help us to love you more and more; help us, miserable saved sinners, to love those you love with your overflowing agape love.

⁸Love never ends.

To be continued…

February 16, 2015
but you have withheld your love

Dearly beloved, dear sister in the Lord,

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

This is the urging of Paul and Timothy to Christ’s bride, His church at Corinth (therefore they speak in the plural to the brothers, who ought to instruct in the Lord their own Christian wife and children). Their urging is for all, yet I echo their heart by paraphrase and address it to you personally, rather than as my child in the faith as do Paul and Timothy. I speak to you as Christ’s bride singularly.

For I am not your Pastor and you are a child of your own faith, following whoever you will in the ways of the Lord or in ways of your own choosing. I therefore appeal to you as ‘my beloved,’ for your dear soul is joined to my own by your vow and your word: Jesus is Lord.

2 Corinthians 6

Dearly beloved,

I have spoken honestly with you, and my heart is open to you. There is no lack of love on my part, but you have withheld your love from me. I am asking you to respond as if you were my own beloved wife. Open your heart to me!

(You may see that my meaning is no different from the letter of scripture.) I will add some here.)

Who are your friends? Are they of the same vow as you and me? Is Christ Jesus their Lord, as well?

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?

(Again, I will augment.)

I understand. I have so few friends. Christian friends, too, are so involved and so far from community when I most need them. I understand. I am alone with broken heart without you.

Yet I stand against the unbelievers where I work. They know and reject my witness. They stand against me at times. I would befriend them in times of my own need, yet again, ‘What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil?’

What have these revelers and lovers of their bold sin have to do with one who detests the wickedness of the world and the overwhelming deceit of the devil?

I am a believer and your partner in the Lord. You are a believer and a partner in my love, a blessing in my life and a constant plea of my prayers.

Dearly beloved, How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?

I appeal to you in the Name of Jesus: Be reconciled in love with me; with Christ and with the praying souls who intercede in love for you each day and each night.

Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.

Because we have these promises, [dearly beloved], let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.

Please open your heart to me.

I said before that you are in my heart, and I live or die together with you. I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.

Even Paul changes to the singular in 2 Corinthians 7:3, pointedly appealing to you as an individual to be part of the body of Christ and to have nothing to do with those who set the example of the hardheartedness of the devil (worshiping instead, idols of their choosing).

2 Corinthians 7 King James Version (KJV)

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2 Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

3 I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.

4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

[Returning to my paraphrased appeal from the NLT:]

I am not sorry that I send this severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it may be painful to you for a little while.

9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.

10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

11 Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you!

I know the true joy to which you would cling in your own heart. It is the hope and promise of Christ.

Is your own promise to the Bridegroom so far from your heart that you do not keep a lamp lit for his return?

Why is your answer silent to his gift?

What is your answer to his love?

Dare your heart keep so silent as stone?

Has He not already forgiven your sin? Has our Lord not called out to you, dear sheep of His fold? Has He not already offered His love and humbled himself for the bride of his own promise? Will you not join Him once more, dear prodigal daughter?

Dearly beloved, my betrothed blessing in the Lord,

I forgive you and call out to your dear heart. Please forgive me and accept the gift of the Bridegroom, who was and is and is to come.

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

Love,

Roger

October 10, 2014