Encouragement
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We have named our ministry Beloved Of God Ministries. It’s a wonderful name, for we are beloved of God. But in reality the beloved of God far exceeds our little corporation.
John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I would not be so bold as to say Who God does not love. That would be foolish. But, I would like to consider those who desire to show love back to Him. Who seek to endear themselves to Him. These are referred to Biblically as beloved ones. If there is ever a break in the love relationship between God and man, it is always on man’s part. Fear not! It will not change our Father son (or daughter) relationship but It places our fellowship in an uncomfortable position. However, through our repentance and His forgiveness, that fellowship may always be restored.
Wherever there are sons of God, they are beloved of God. We are not exclusive. Though Beloved Of God is a wonderful name for a ministry, and certainly something that we should be and live like, the act of incorporating doesn’t make us beloved. Nor does the act of incorporating even make us spiritual. What makes us spiritual is the Word Of God that we live and the Word Of God that we manifest. Simply, the Word of God we believe.
The blessing of the love of God that we live daily is what will make us spiritual men and women. That is what really evidences the truth that we are beloved of God.
Corporations, even churches, which are corporations or businesses, are not necessarily spiritual. The corporation itself is something man-made. Here in the United States the rules for incorporating as a church may not even be made by Christians. So the rules and requirements for a non-profit corporation may not reflect Biblical principles.
The ministry that we receive from God, that we live and walk in, is what makes us spiritual. But churches, from a legal standpoint are actually in the carnal category of life. Corporations are something that our culture allows where certain benefits such as tax deductions, tax exemptions, and things of that nature exist. Our focus can’t be on a ministry and it can’t be on being a corporation with tax benefits.
Thus, our center of focus always has to be on the Word of God that we are living. Corporate ministries in our day and time come and go. It is the Word that “…liveth and abideth forever…” Long after this little corporation of ours that we enjoy is gone, the love of God remains and there will still be beloved of God.
We are thankful to have the opportunity to live in a country where we have the freedom to meet as we do. We have the joy to be under one name or title. We are allowed this designation so we can tell people where we are meeting. And if we live according to the Word of God we will continue to be a spiritual group.
But, no matter we will always be loved by God; whether we manifest it or not. If we live like ones who are beloved, we will see the blessed fruit of it in our lives as we love Him back for being so gracious. It will also reflect in the lives of people around us.
As sons of God who want to fellowship around the Word of God, who want to fully share in the love of God, we certainly should be representing our Father. As His dear children, His love should live in our hearts and be manifested in this world.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus sets a new dynamic for living for his disciples:
John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
There are two major points to consider here. First, Jesus gives them a new commandment and secondly, he gives them an example on how it is to be applied. This word “new” is the Greek word kainos and it means new in kind: different from that which was formerly, coming in place of and not yet used.
The word “love” is a form of the Greek word agapao, which means the love of God. It is an unconditional, selfless, spiritual love. It is not “brand new” because God has always existed and so has His love. But, it is “new” in that mankind could not put it into action until Jesus Christ ascended and the new-birth became available at Pentecost.
God had always loved man with this agapao love but it was not manifested man to man until Jesus Christ. Not only were the disciples to receive this love but, they were to manifest it toward one another.
Once we are born of God we have this spirit of God within us. We received God’s love, a spiritual love that we can now manifest. It’s a new commandment because it’s new in kind.
The second point is the way Jesus loved. The standard for manifesting this love is, as Jesus Christ loved. Our Lord redefined every aspect of life and service.
He was willing to lay down his life in service to the disciples. That is, he utilized every God given ability, every right to live as a prince was set aside to bring God’s love and promises to reality in the hearts of people.
He had compassion upon the sufferings of humanity and healed their bodies; he delivered them from their bondage and set them upon their high places. He did this all because the love of the Father so moved in his very soul.
And then the scripture goes on to further state:
John 13:35
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
It is not a nametag that we wear or a pin that adorns our lapel that will ever prove we are his disciples. If we do not have his kind of love, one for another, we fall short of his discipleship. The proof of this love is “do we love the Father as deeply and have that compassion for mankind”? This love and concern reaches beyond our fellowships. It must extend past our ministry group to those hungering and thirsting: anywhere and everywhere.
Culture endeavors to break our lives into multiple compartments. We have our home life, our work life and once a week our church life. Society tells us that your religion is a private matter. That is not what the word of God declares.
Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Being a disciple is not a secret part of life that only takes place in our thoughts and prayers in a church. It IS our life. Our life as a disciple of Jesus Christ is not a “sometimes” thing; it is an “all the time, anywhere and everywhere” thing. The key place this discipleship starts is in your own home with your own family. We are to love as he loved.
Discipleship doesn’t stop at our front door. It leads us in our community, on the streets, at our jobs and of course, in our fellowships. A disciple is what we are and it should be evident in the way we live.
An apple doesn’t need a nametag to show it is an apple. It’s an apple on the tree, on display in a grocery shelf, in your refrigerator or in a basket on the table. No one mistakes it for anything else.
The word “disciple” means a disciplined follower or a disciplined one. What are we to discipline ourselves to? Well, the simple truth is we’re to discipline ourselves to love. We are disciples of the love of God.
We seem to want everyone else to discipline themselves or perhaps, we’d like to discipline them. But the greatness of life and probably the most difficult part of life is to learn to really discipline ourselves to His love.
When we have disciplined ourselves to love, we will not fear. When we discipline ourselves to love, we will not worry. When we discipline ourselves to love, we will not be afraid and we will not doubt.
That’s the real challenge to a born again one is to have the discipline of love within yourself to the end that doubt, worry, and fear find no place in your life. Perfect love casts out fear with the accompanying doubt and worry. Being confident and secure that God loves you is the key to fearless living. It is this same confidence that made the beloved of the first century so dynamic and effective as witnesses.
1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him.
If we walked through our neighborhood and asked people, “Do you know “God loves you?” I suspect many would quickly say, “Yes, of course!” The real question is—do we believe it?
When the believing ones of the first century church knew God loved them and believed, they started to live like men and women whom God loves and their fears left, perceived inability vanished and condemnation held no place. They had evidence of God’s presence within them and fear no longer had a place in their lives. It showed in their bold living.
1 John 4:17
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
The Bible tells us that today is man’s day. It is the day in which man does the judging and boy, does man judge! But, the believing ones had boldness just the same because “…as he is…” so were they while still in this world.
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
They had God, who is love, dwelling in them by way of His gift of holy spirit. When they recognized God was present within them and would “never leave or forsake them” fears were cast out. They were made perfect (mature or grown up) in His love.
There exists a craving innate in man to love and be loved. He tries to fill it with so many different things, but he never finds what it is until he comes to God. Man needs to be loved. He needs the presence and the power of God, and the power of the love of God. Why? Because God is love!
The question to ask ourselves is: Have I so disciplined my life to that love that I may say, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father?” Can they see His presence in me as they could see it in Jesus Christ?
The Gospel of John declares “No man hath seen God at any time.” If no man has seen God, then man’s contact to God has to be through what they see in disciplined ones who have decided to live the love of God.
The life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated God as a loving Father. The reason Jesus was able to say, “…he that has seen me hath seen the Father…” was because Jesus lived God’s love and unconditionally shared it. When you saw Jesus, you observed the way he walked, the way he lived, the way he treated people. Then, men could see what God, who is spirit, is all about. It really was the first time men saw God as He truly is, love and light.
For the most part, men have always imagined God as a strict disciplinarian or harsh judge and stern ruler. Even among some of the most devout Christian people, after they confess their sin, expect some sort of punishment from the Lord. They live as if God has closed His eyes and ears unto them until some period of time has passed and somehow, His displeasure is abated. Or He has left them vulnerable to Satan’s attacks as a sentence for sin.
Though they may not be cognizant of their thoughts, it is certainly how they live. That is no way to live in Christ’s victory!
Jesus Christ revealed Him as a loving Father and a God who is
light. The “prince of darkness” wants to veil the love of God and obscure its beauty from men through cultural taboos, racial prejudices, ethnic biases, religious superstitions, familial traditions, and tribal customs.
We ought not forget the second part in John 13:34 is “,,,that you love one another….”
Are you spiritually minded enough to overtake these strongholds of societies and culture? Are you determined to walk right through a “wall of enemy fire” to bring deliverance and healing? Are you as bold as love?
We appreciate people who have made attempts to be kind. I remember riding behind a vehicle one day that had a bumper sticker that said: “Practice Random Acts of Kindness.” But, why be random about it? Why not be deliberate, persuaded, determined? It sounded good - Practice random acts of kindness. You did do one last year, maybe you can do one next month, and perhaps another in a few years. That should be random enough.
It can be difficult to navigate through the rising tides of criticism and skepticism that engulf those that swim against the sullen streams of political correctness.
How about a deliberate walk in love?
God’s love will never fail you. It can stand and withstand anything. At some point a beloved one recognizes the power and force of God’s love and a fire so burns in his heart he just will not allow himself to turn back. He can no longer sit silently in the face of our spiritual enemies’ slander of our gracious Father and the denigration of our savior’s wonderful name. When his lips can no longer forbear and his heart must speak out to the glory and goodness of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
My mind recalls the beautiful testimony of Jeremiah when fears had so risen in Jerusalem and the houses of Judah:
Jeremiah 20:8-10a
For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and I was in derision [mocked] daily.
Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side.
Who or what will quell the fear? What has the power to cast out fear? This wonderful love of God in the heart of a disciple can end the torments of fear.
Love is not the end of all Christian endeavor, it is the beginning!
1 John 4:10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.
It is not our love or goodness that brought his love but His goodness and love that initiated in us. It is the beginning point for all our earnest effort. Love is, and should always be, the Christian’s motivational force. If the love God has for you cannot move you, there is no force on “God’s green earth” that will.
If love cannot provide the passion for our actions, and the strength that will see us through, there is no power upon earth nor mission worthy to propel us.
People have told me, “I’m afraid to give my heart because I always get it broken.” I’m not talking about giving your heart. Our sacred service is to give God’s love in large doses. The true beauty and joy in the love life of a believing one involves the full participation of a heart caressed by God. Don’t miss out on the greatest joy of Christian living—The love life of a believing one.
When the love of God dwells in you, fear goes. Light and darkness cannot occupy the same place. Disappointment is replaced by resurging hope. Frustration gives way to absolute faith, and loneliness is washed away with the fellowship of the family of God. The possibilities of His promises become the inevitabilities of the more abundant life (John 10:10).
If you think, “I have no love for so-and-so,” God’s supply of love is unending. There is enough love reserve to love the unlovable. God is so rich in love He can even provide for us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27). There is not a situation in this life, or the life to come, that we will be at a loss for love. The French version of 1 Corinthian 13:8, Charity [the love of God] never fails” is “love is eternal.”
God’s act of love to send His only begotten son to be the propitiation [a payment in full on behalf of another] for our sins even covers the debt of love.
Romans 13:8
Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
We worry about car debt, credit card debt, national debt, mortgage debt, maybe even other debts. How about paying on the debt of love? What would you think about paying off someone’s debt of love? God through His son Jesus Christ did that for us. Remember 1 John 4:10? He “…sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Christ even paid our debt of love. Do you think you might you pick up the payment for someone else’s lack of love?
In a society and world where it is very easy to be critical, condescending, ungrateful and unforgiving, there is a tremendous need for a benefactor of love. Everyone has had enough of hate, sarcasm, cynicism and faultfinding in their lives.
People have told me they have studied me and have found fault in me. I wonder what took them so long! My goodness, just a glance should provide them with enough flaws to keep them busy for quite a while.
Everyone has weaknesses and imperfections. But can you love me enough to cover my blemishes? Wouldn’t it be lovely to find Christians conducting themselves in a Christian way when the supply of perfect love so clearly abounds.
We all may participate in beloved of God ministries right where we live; in our homes and families, at our church fellowship and among our communities.
As good as our intentions may be our own love will never be sufficient nor carry the power to heal a wounded society nor free the prisoners taken captive in the spiritual battles.
What cannot be done with the cleverest of argumentation or most forceful of preaching; will be accomplished by the simple walk in the love life of a believing one.
God is a fountain and our supply of love will not run out.
We invite to consider the message of the power of God’s love at our website: http://www.myinternetchapel.org
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