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| What is Christian love? |
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The concept of Christian love is defined by Paul very beautifully in the 13th Chapter of I Corinthians.
We may operate the gift of tongues and speak in the languages of angels or speak in foreign languages. But if we have not love, God will hear our prayers being said through such languages or our messages being made through flowery languages “as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal”. You may claim to have wonderful communication with God through your prayer language or to have made wonderful messages through your language. But all such prayers or messages are as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
We may perform wonderful deliverance ministries through signs and wonders; we may prophesy in the Name of Jesus Christ and thus reveal the secrets in the hearts of others and the future events; we may understand “all mysteries” and knowledge through the word of wisdom. People may be wondering at the revelations made by us through the gift of the word of wisdom. We may have all faith so as to remove mountains. We may be ministering words of faith to the millions in the world through our television/electronic ministries.
We may also bestow all our goods to feed the poor; we may also sacrifice our bodies to be burned. But if our social outreach program is not motivated out of true love, it profits us nothing. Even you can sacrifice your body for a great cause or for the sake of the gospel. But if you are not motivated by love in your heart, it profits you nothing. In other words, you will not receive any reward from God for your sacrifice which was made without love.
Despite all these wonderful gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit for different kinds of ministries, if we do not have “love” we are nothing in the sight of God and it profits us nothing. People may get healed or may receive great miracles. But if there is no love in the heart of the servant of God concerned who has performed these wonderful ministries, it profits him nothing. He will not receive any reward from God.
As the members of the body of Christ, we are supposed to love the other members of His body i.e. the universal Church. You may say and confess through your mouth, “Jesus, I love You”. But if you do not love His body, you are only a hypocrite.
Let us now replace the word charity with “you”. Charity suffers long and is kind. You suffer long and are kind. Though you suffer in your body for a long time, you should love His body and should be kind towards the other members of His body. You should also be kind towards your neighbour.
Charity envies not. When the other members of His body are glorified and praised, you should not envy them. When God uses the other members of His body through signs and wonders, you should not envy them.
Charity does not vaunt itself and is not puffed up. If you have a little pride in your life, you do not have the love as defined by Paul. You may have both pride and love in your life. If you think that you are better than other members of the Body of Christ in matters of revelation or doctrine, you are puffed up and do not have charity.
Charity does not behave itself unseemly. If you snub a member of the Body of Christ without any reason, you do behave unseemly or rudely. If your behavior is not in conformity with the standard expected of a man of common prudence, you do behave rudely. Many people of God behave in this manner.
Charity seeks not her own. In my life, the Lord has taught me to help other children of God, and not to promote my own ministry. As the Lord helps me, I use to create websites for other servants of God without charging anything from them or without expecting anything from them. The Lord also leads me to help the poor saints and to promote their ministries. An old woman of God who was used of God mightily when she was in her forties and fifties was living in penury without a proper living house. Many servants of God who witnessed her wonderful ministry and who had benefited from her ministry did not come forward to help her build a house. When I came in contact with her, the Lord led me to collect donations for her ministry and to help her. When I approached a popular evangelist in Tamil Nadu seeking help for her, I did not receive any reply from him. I created a website for her and started introducing her ministry to the thousands of people through my email ministry. Some precious servants of God from USA, Northern Ireland, etc. visited the website and saw the wonderful things that the Lord performed through her ministry and gave their sacrificial offerings to her. Today, she is building a house along with a prayer hall on her land.
Many servants of God are ministry-minded and not Christ minded because they are engaged in building up their own kingdoms and do not bother to give a helping hand to those poor servants of God who struggle to do their work in His vineyard due to paucity of funds. They expect others to donate funds but they do not donate to the poor saints in their midst.
Charity is not easily provoked. If you have the true love for Christ and His body, you will never be easily provoked. You will forgive those who have wronged you and will forget such incidents. Recently, a dear member of the Body of Christ to whom I was serving out of my love behaved unseemly towards me but the Lord taught me to bear the insult meted out to me and to forgive that person. He did not allow me to be easily provoked. When I felt hurt, I did not even share this with my close co-workers in the ministry. I kept it to myself. After prayers, I pointed out the iniquity to that beloved person in a humble manner. That person also apologized to me.
Charity thinks no evil. Even if we think of harming someone who does not agree with us or who has harmed you, we do not have the love in our heart as defined by Paul.
Charity rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. These days, the people of God commit iniquities by not doing what God wants them to. A child of God who loves the Body of Christ will never condone the iniquity but will expose it. These days, we find condoning of iniquities. If you know that some servant of God is not doing the right thing in the sight of God, you may hesitate to point out this to him due to fear of losing favor in his sight. This means that you do not love the servant of God concerned. Secondly, a child of God who loves the Body of Christ rejoices in the truth when people abide in the truth of the Word. I will not rejoice when the people of God divorce their spouses and remarry during the life time of their spouses divorced.
Charity bears all things. If someone harms you, if you have the true love in your heart, you will bear it. If someone rebuffs you without any cause, you will bear it.
Charity believes all things. You will believe in every child of God around you and will never look at him/her with suspicion lurking in your heart. You will believe in every thing, except the untruth propagated by the devil. You will always see the good things in others. Trust is an integral part of our Christian foundation without which we cannot build our Christian ministries at all. If I do not trust my co-workers in the ministry, I cannot run my ministry. Even if one of my co-workers is not honest, I have to trust him/her as the Lord trusted all His disciples including Judas. He entrusted the work of treasurer to Judas even after knowing that he was a thief. Can you do so? If one of your staff members entrusted with the finance has misappropriated the funds, you would immediately sack him/her. Some miscreants used to pilfer the funds received by Mother Teresa in India. When it was brought to her notice, she simply replied that those who were in need took that money and that she did not want to lodge a complaint with the police.
Charity hopes all things. You will hope all things. If somebody is passing through a furnace of afflictions, you will hope that the former would come out of it very soon because you love that person. You will expect the impossible things happen before your eyes.
Charity endures all things. You will endure every suffering in your body for the sake of Christ and His body. You will endure suffering in your body for the sake of the glorious gospel. All things mean all things. It may be enduring a sickness in your body. It may be enduring a financial crisis in your life. It may be enduring a loss suffered by you.
Charity never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they shall fail; whether there are tongues, they shall cease; whether there is knowledge, it shall vanish away. Prophesies shall fail. Prophecies made by many servants of God have failed. At times, a servant of God prophesies good things in the life of the person to whom he ministers. Such prophecies may fail but his love for the person to whom he prophesied never fails. Tongues of a particular child of God shall also cease when the same are not required. But the love of that child of God never fails. Similarly, knowledge of a child of God shall vanish away when it is not required. But his/her love never fails. Love is part of our Christian life as it will never die even after our death whereas the gifts of the Holy Spirit vanish after our death. In the heaven, we find only love and not the gifts of the Spirit because the same would not be required there. Nowadays, the servants of God manifest only the gifts of the Spirit and do not manifest Christ through their lives. Their life-style does not manifest the life of Christ through them. They covet offerings from poor saints to build their own kingdoms by inducing them to contribute towards their building projects through instalments. Woe unto those who manifest only the gifts of the Spirit and not the Christ of the gospels!
Of all these three great i.e. faith, hope and charity, charity is the greatest of these.
I have witnessed charity in the life of a servant of God in Tamil Nadu, South India. My early days of Christian life were influenced by the life of this dear servant of God. Every year he visits the Himalayan countries at the risk of his life for preaching the glorious gospel, carrying and smuggling heavy bundles of Gospel literature into these countries where propagation of the gospel is prohibited.
Brother N.Samuel
Many years ago, this dear servant of God after finishing his evangelical work in the Himalayan countries was on his way to the South India via Delhi. His train stopped at Delhi. At that time, the Holy Spirit led me to call on him in the Railway Station. Immediately, I went to the Railway Station and ministered to him by giving him some money. (He is not in the habit of demanding money or appealing for funds). When I offered him money, he told me that since he had no money left with him, he had decided to travel in the train without taking any food, and to tell God "If it is Thy will that I should go hungry, I will do so".
For a number of years, he has been publishing a Tamil Monthly, which contains messages giving an account of his experiences in the evangelical field, similar to the Acts of Apostles. He has never bothered to build or establish his own magazine ministry, because he treats his magazine ministry only as a means to the Kingdom of God.
Whenever this servant of God visits the houses of the people to whom he ministers, he would take some gifts to their houses, and would not expect gifts from them. He does not hanker after church pulpits or evangelistic dais. In this regard, what does Christ teach us? He would never open his mouth and ask for an offering for his ministry. He only gives a true account of his missionary journeys in his magazine but never brags about what he has been doing for the Lord.
Who is a minister under the New Testament? Jesus said, whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matt.20: 26-28).
What is prevalent today in our churches? We find ministers occupying positions of authority and power over the people to whom they are supposed to minister. They expect their congregations to serve them with their tithes. Though the Levitical priesthood was done away with by Christ Jesus, His ministers still perform the Levitical duties, and seek services from their congregations.
This trend is also visible in evangelistic circles and conferences of ministers. The evangelists or the ministers who are called to minister covet prominent places on the dais. They love the best places and the best seats (Matt.23: 6). At times, we find a large number of seats placed on the dais just to please them. They do not want to sit in the audience. They want themselves to be introduced to the audience.
Some time ago, while interacting with some Christian brethren in the USA who argued that the apostolic age was over and that there were no more apostles today, I told them that if they left their computers and came to India, I would show them the true apostles in our nation.
This servant of God does not seek his own. He does not promote his own ministry. He spurned offers for going abroad for ministry when I find many servants of God in this nation coveting invitations from abroad for ministry. He goes every year to the places not reached by the gospel of Christ in India even in his old age when the servants of God in India want to go abroad for ministry – to those nations where they get a lot of gifts and offerings and when the servants of God in the west do not move out of their comfort zones for the sake of the gospel. His beloved wife was suffering from a mental illness for a very long time. But this dear servant of God was looking after her with all the love and affection. He has endured all the things in his life. She left for her heavenly abode during 1998. When I wanted to write a few words of praise about him in my book, he did not allow me to do so. I see the living Christ in him. During 1999, my wife and I visited his house. He showered his love upon us. He is truly an apostle of Christ in our midst and I am in fellowship with him. Let us carry on our ministries always through love! |
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| To add a comment to "What is Christian love?" |
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| October 11, 2007 |
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| Beautiful, Job. I especially appreciated the paragraph on trust, which could have been a separate blog unto itself! ~mike |
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| October 11, 2007 |
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Pastor Mike,
Thank you for your comments. The need of the hour is trust amongst the people of God. We have to trust one another in Christ Jesus.
Job Anbalagan |
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| October 11, 2007 |
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| My dear Brother , this is a great Word from the Lord, some of the things you talked about reminded me of the ways i have been treated in ministry by Brothers and Sisters in Christ, but i have learned to just keep on Loving them and praying for them and the Lord has shown me great things. thank you for posting this and i am going to send it to all the people i know . Also i have learned a great lesson as well! |
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| October 11, 2007 |
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Pastor Tim, I love you from the depth of my heart. Surely God will do a new thing in your ministry. Amen.
Evangelist, I love you too and pray that the Lord may use you mightily in a manner never imagined by you in your nation. Since you love the people who had rejected you, God will make the same people fall at your feet. Amen. |
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| October 11, 2007 |
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| Without love, we are nothing. Great blog! |
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| October 11, 2007 |
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God bless you, God bless you. This has truly blessed my soul today. Through your writing of this blog, God has shown me that I'm not as alone and I think I am. I am a rebel for Christ, which at times makes me feel isolated and at times lonely. Yes, I know that with Jesus I'm never alone, but what He has shown me, what the Lord reveals to me, which is so different from the church in general.... it's hard going against main stream. Yet I must obey Him.
It's all about Love. Nothing else matters. Not about me, or you, or this church or that church, but about the Love that God gave to the world, so that whosoever believes will not perish but have ever lasting life.
God Bless you my brother,
Pastor Aminata |
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| October 11, 2007 |
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Your message was one I needed badly today. Thank you. |
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| October 11, 2007 |
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Mr.Job Anbalagan
Excellent blog
May I add
Christian Love is
John 15:13 . . . Here is how to measure it-the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.
Love is willing to sacrifice for the good of others, even to death.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 . . . Love is patient and kind . . . Love does not demand its own way . . . Love never gives up.
This famous chapter about love gives us one of the most eloquent descriptions of love ever written.
CHRISTIAN LOVE INCLUDES A LOVE FOR ENEMIES.
Matthew 5:43-44 . . . You have heard that the law of Moses says, “Love your neighbor” and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Only in Christ’s love can we love enemies.
WHERE CAN I GET A TRUE LOVE FOR OTHERS? WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM?
Colossians 1:8 . . . He is the one who told us about the great love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 . . . May the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows toward you.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 . . . God himself has taught you to love one another.
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| October 12, 2007 |
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Thank you, my dear friends for all your lovely comments. This shows your love for me, an unworthy servant of God. It is only through love that we can serve one another in this wonderful ministry.
Job Anbalagan |
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| October 14, 2007 |
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| The brethren need to apply the whole truth of God's word in their lives. Certain denominations pick or reject parts of the scriptures. Certain denominations speak of ministry gift offices, but deny the spiritual gifts for various reasons. Other ministries focus on love in 1Cor. 13:13; relative to faith, hope,charity, the greatest of these is charity. These 3,faith,hope,charity; but the greatest of these is charity.Yet the complete truth is 1Cor.12:1-31; 1Cor.13:1-13;, 1Cor.14:1-40; The ministry gifts, following after love gift, desire spiritual gifts. These 3 chapters should be obeyed and received as the Holy Spirit wills. If you obey God, you will love God by keeping his commandments in the new testament, read 1 John 3:24; You get Gal. 5:22-23; also, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: The Body of Christ should received all gifts per believer as given through the Holy Spirit. God's word should not be what we want or don't want. The truth is God's, completed truth as lined up or written, not parts we want or not. In Romans 15:18-19; ministers or brethern should fully preached the gospel of Christ. That is where the word full gospel came from, not a partial gospel without mighty signs, wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. The gospel covers many subject matters in the new testament. Jesus stated in Matthew 24:12;...and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. The love of many shall wax cold, ( brethren need to focus on their relationship with the Lord), and he that shall endure to the end, in Mat. 24:13; the same shall be saved. |
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| October 21, 2007 |
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What makes the faith of Christianity from the other numerous faiths around us is LOVE. Its not just emotional but also in actions. Its not enough if I say I love the poor. I need to give and share my resources with others who are in need. The Bible tells us clearly even pagans return the favour and this is not to be considered as 'love'.
In my opinion 'neighbour' means any one around us and Jesus Christ has commanded us to love our 'neighbours'. To these neighbours when we know that our favours wont be returned, we need to love them.
Next comes the commandment, Love your enemies. I know how difficult is this to be practised. I need to come out of my ego, self, covetousness to practise this.
The more I realise this, it shows me where I am and how inadequate I am. Thanks Job for the words of reminder. |
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| October 22, 2007 |
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Disciple,
I can understand the agony in your heart. You have to love those who have rejected you. I pray that the Lord may fill your heart with the same divine love that was in the heart of Jesus when He was crucified by the religious zealots.
Ragland and Chung, thank you for your wonderful comments. It is easy to preach "Love your enemies". But when it comes to me or you, it becomes practically not possible. We need to pray to God to fill our hearts with the love of Christ Jesus. Really we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Many people claim to have been baptized with the Holy Spirit or filled with the Holy Spirit. The real test is to truly love your enemies.
Job Anbalagan |
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| November 27, 2007 |
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| Lara, I do see the prophetic anoining on you. |
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| February 04, 2008 |
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| May the Lord unite our hearts together with the bonds of love. Amen. |
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| June 24, 2008 |
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I have a questions:
You wrote:
"These days, the people of God commit iniquities by not doing what God wants them to. A child of God who loves the Body of Christ will never condone the iniquity but will expose it"
After exposing the sin: do we restore the same sinner into our fellowship, knowing that at some future point they will be fallible and it is possible, even probable that they will make that same mistake, repeat that same sin again?
Or does a true Christian develop the attitude of "I don't want to be hurt by you ever again, so I will end the fellowship now and forever?" Isn't this really an anti-christ attitude?
Which one of the above is the correct and truthful way of a Christian?
Futhermore, after exposing the sin, should we, as Christians, be obsessed over the fact that someone (anyone) has sinned against us, and carry that hurt inside of us forever? Isn't that really not forgiving a person?
If a person in our past (whether that person is a Christian or not) has hurt us, is it not a Christian's duty to completely forgive that person?
Do we curse the ministry and future walk of another because they have hurt us so many times?
Is the attitude of saying "Your walk with God will go no further?" or should it be, "You need a closer walk with the Lord?"
You wrote:
They expect their congregations to serve them with their tithes. Though the Levitical priesthood was done away with by Christ Jesus, His ministers still perform the Levitical duties, and seek services from their congregations
In this case, does "tithes" mean finances, or does it go further than finances and mean something more?
How many times should I forgive my brother? Seventy times Seven? If I have forgiven my brother seventy times seven, do I stop forgiving him? What is the true lesson behind the seventy times seven? Doesn't the lesson mean that it should come easy for a Christian to forgive by the time they have reached counting to around the number 70?
When Jesus told/commanded the prostitute and us "Go and sin no more" will He stop forgiving the prostitute because she has encountered a stumbling stone? If we stumble at a sin, does not Jesus, in His pure, unadulterated love for us, come and pick us up and wash us clean again?
Should not we, as Christians, show the same mercy to our failing brothers and sisters?
If I have been shown the law, and by the law have been convicted of a sin, knowing that Jesus has fulfilled the law, even though I repent, should I carry the guilt and the shame for the rest of my life because an unforgiving Christian choses to always point their finger? Or is God's mercy to me not new every morning? In this case, whose authority is greater? God's authority, or the Christian's authority? |
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| June 25, 2008 |
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| Yes, dear brother, after exposing the sin, we have to get that person restored to grace through repentance. We have to lead him to repentance. Why should you carry the guilt and the sake for the rest of your life simply because an unforgiving Christian choses to always point his/her finger at you? When Jesus has forgiven and restored you, you need not bother about the attitude of the unforgiving person if you had really sought the forgiveness from that person. God's authority alone stands. |
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