Follow After Love

Chip Brogden sent out a beautiful note this morning to his "Inifinite Supply" distribution list. I thought I would share it with you. Here's what Chip wrote:

"And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved" (II Corinthians 12:15).

Paul gave us an example to follow. Don't just look at his calling and his gifting and his revelation. Look at his heart of love. He gave all - not just for the Lord, but for the Lord's people. And they were a most carnal, unappreciative bunch of people. Even so, the heart of a father is demonstrated. That is the reason he had authority. I tell you his authority was not in his title, his position, or his status as having founded the church. His authority was not in his calling, gift, or revelation. His authority was in the abundant love he showed.

Make no mistake: I am not there yet. I still struggle with how to be a good brother, much less a spiritual father with abundant love for everyone. I obviously have a long way to go, but now I see the missing ingredient and I am following after love. How about you?

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Following after love is what those in Christ do. For many Christians, it is the missing ingredient, as Chip noted. If we have not love in our hearts, we are nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)

God is love. (1 John 4:8). Love is the fullfilment of the law (Romans 13:10). The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6).

Scripture makes abundantly clear that love is the greatest. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

May you follow after love.

Agape,

Steve

Postscript: Here's a link to sign up to recieve Chip's "Infinite Supply." Click link and scroll down a bit.

http://www.watchman.net/join.html

The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation

I wanted to share some profound light with you this morning. The light is from the preface to Watchman Nee's book "The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation." It goes right to the heart of walking in love. Here's the light:

"There is no way of knowing God and His eternal will except through revelation. Neither is there any means of knowing Christ other than by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Revelation alone imparts to us spiritual realities."

So much of what is called Christianity today is bound up with people who have not had revelation of the Spirit who are doing things for God in the name of Jesus. These people may have good intentions with their works, but their activities fall outside of the Spiritual realm. They are activities driven by self - not Spirit. In short, they are outside of Christ, not in Christ.

Revelation alone imparts to us spiritual realities.

That is a powerful and true statement. Revelation is an act of seeing - not with our physical eyes, but with the eyes of our heart. When the eyes of our heart are opened and we become entangled with God through the Spirit, we become new creations. Christ becomes a Reality for us. The only Reality.

In Christ, there is Love. In Christ, there is Light. In Christ, there is Life - eternal Life. Great Life.

May the Lord give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Agape,

Steve

Chambers on the Church

I was reading a collection of Oswald Chambers' works this morning and came across this gem that I wanted to share with readers. Mr. Chambers said:

There is only one thing as futile as the Roman Catholic Church and that is Protestantism. In Roman Catholicism the great dominating authority is Churchianity; the Church is vested with all authority. In Protestantism it is what the Book says that is the supreme authority, and a man gets rest when he decides for either. "I am going to give up all the turmoil and let my Church do my thinking for me." If you put your faith in a Church, it will solve your problems for you. Or you may stake your faith in Bibliolatry with the same result. "Ye search the scriptures, because ye think in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of Me, and ye will not come to Me that ye may have life" (John 5:39-40 RV). Jesus Christ says neither the Church nor the Bible is the authority, but "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"; the Church and the Bible are secondary. The context of the Bible is Jesus Christ, and a personal relationship with Him interprets the Bible in a man's life. (Source: The Shadow of an Agony, 1173 R)

I don't think many folks are in tune with this message, but they should be. It's right on the money.

May Christ be enough for you.

Agape,

Steve