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

Foundations

I came across a beautiful essay titled, "The Foundations of an Exemplary Christian Life," written by T. Austin-Sparks. It is evident that the Spirit was pouring greatly through Spark's while he was composing. Here's a passage that resonated strongly with my surrendered heart:

After all, the Lord does not accept our head knowledge of Christianity and all its aspects. The Lord does not accept all our informed mind about the church and the cross and what not. The Lord looks right into our hearts, and says, "How much have I got of you? How much are you still holding on to your own way and your own will, your own course and your own programme and your own interests? I do not ask how much you have got into your head, but how much have I got of your heart?"

May the Lord have our whole hearts.

Agape,

Steve

A Lovely Encounter

I just had an interesting encounter with a person here at the office I have never seen before. I was taking some boxes out to my car when she came into the elevator and asked me point blank: "Do you work here? What do you do for a living?" I paused and then felt the Spirit moving in my heart. I looked at her and said: "Yes I work here. I love."

She look puzzled and said, "No, how do you make money in your job here?"

I said: "All I do is love. I take whatever the Lord provides me. Whatever He gives me is enough."

She said: "Ah, I see, you don't do things for money."

I said "No, I let love lead the way."

As we were getting off the elevator, she looked at me and said I had an interesting perspective on things. I smiled and said: "My perspective is very simple: "Love is Life."

As I was heading back into the office building, a car pulled up next to me. It was the woman I spoke to in the elevator. She looked at me and said:

"Thank you for sharing your perspective with me. It helped. It helped a lot!"

I smiled and said: "God bless you."

What a wonderful encounter! The Lord touched another heart today.

May the Lord touch your heart.

Agape,

Steve

Religion vs. Spirit

Throughout my travels, I often hear people speaking about those who have seen God through revelation and are now walking in love as being "religious." I shudder when I hear this. There is nothing religious about walking in love. Those who walk in love are in Christ. It's a Spiritual existence. There is no religion inside Christ. There is only love, for God is love (1 John 4:8) and God is spirit (John 4:24). We worship God in spirit - not in religion. In fact, we must worship Him in spirit (John 4:24).

Now, this is not to say that there is no religion on this planet. In fact, there is far too much of it! Chip Brogden at The School of Christ has a nice description of the difference between religion and the Spirit. Here's how Chip puts it:

Religion is based on what I have accomplished and what I am doing, while spirituality is based on what Christ has accomplished and what He is doing.

Religious hearts haven't been crucified with Christ via the Cross. Spiritual hearts have been crucified with Christ. That's the key difference!

As Paul told the Galatians:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
(Galatians 2:20)

Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) was one of the most religious men on the planet before he saw Christ. Listen to what Paul says about his religious past:

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:4-11)

Paul's religion became "rubbish" when he saw Christ. Hallelujah!!! That is precisely what happens when you see God and become entangled with Christ through the Spirit. Religion and religious things fall away. They aren't important. You don't need them. All you need is Christ. His love reigns supreme. He is enough!

May you see God and may His love reign supreme in your surrendered heart.

Agape,

Steve

The Cause of Misery

A good friend of mine recommended some books by Dr. Stephen Crosby. I haven't read anything by Crosby before, but I have to say I'm enjoying what I'm reading. I came across this little gem from his book "Silent Killers of Faith:"

"Religion without love has been responsible for most of the world's misery."

I think this is right on the money. You think about all the darkness that has been generated by religious authorities and fundamentalist followers in the name of God and you see one thing in common: there is no love in their heart.

May you have nothing but the Lord's never-failing love in your heart.

Agape,

Steve