I believe we are coming into a season of time where the love of God is going to be expressed through believers in levels we have only dreamed of. God is love, and as followers of
Mankind desperately needs a touch from the loving arms of
Everywhere I travel, whether America or abroad, I find that people are very critical towards the Church, organized religion, or Christians in general. I just returned from the Netherlands, and some great friends of mine shared about the fear they have even bringing up the name
I Corinthians 13:13 -- “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
Moving in the opposite spirit
During my time with YWAM (Youth with a Mission), I was taught over and over again to respond in the opposite spirit when I am tempted to react in the flesh. If you are a greedy person, then try purchasing someone’s groceries in front of you the next time you are in the checkout line, and watch the look on their face--it will amaze you. You will notice as you make these random acts of kindness, the Lord will turn you into an extravagant giver.
One of the most powerful weapons we have as believers is the unconditional love of
One of the keys to gaining victory over the image the world and media has painted of us is a Fresh Baptism of God’s love. Mankind is desperately in need of love that is pure, asking for nothing in return. How much of the love of God do you receive and manifest on the earth today? I know there is always more when we ask Him. “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” (
Love for the Body of Christ
Many of us are familiar with the term “friendly fire.” This is a military term that describes when a soldier is accidentally shot by a fellow soldier. This term is also used in the Church when one believer attacks another. If you have been around long enough, you have probably heard too many stories about one member of the Body talking about another in a nonproductive way. This is a very painful and damaging method the devil has used for years to wrap chains around the hearts of believers, holding them captive. Wounded people wound others, and often we keep shooting at our wounded instead of coming with an embrace of unconditional love.
I have seen in recent years a greater amount of love being expressed across denominational lines than ever before. We may worship and pray differently and have different ministry styles than the church across town, but our ultimate goal is the same: loving God with all our hearts and making Him known around the planet.
I am able to learn volumes of truths from my Baptist and Lutheran friends. They have completely different styles of worship and ministry, but I still learn from them and value their amazing ministries. I see many people who choose to focus more on our similarities then our slight differences. We all want to see the lost saved and healed. There is plenty of space on this planet for each of our unique “Jesus-centered” ministries.
Ask the Lord to give you an amazing love for those ministries and churches around you that worship and act a little differently than you. The funny thing is that you may think they are odd, but they more than likely feel the same about you. The Lord is not worried about our slight differences. He gave each of us a personality, and many of us are drawn to different streams. I personally like to take a swim in many of the streams out there; I enjoy a wide variety of ministry styles and cultures. The cool thing about the Lord’s grand design is this: all the streams eventually end up in a river, and then all the rivers will wind up in the ocean. We are all part of the same Body, so let us grow in love for each other.
Winning the lost through God’s Love
Have you ever mustered up your courage to step out and share
I understand that there will always be people who oppose the Gospel, no matter how many signs and wonders they see that are motivated by the love of God.
I fully support witnessing, power evangelism, words of knowledge, prophecy, and healing to lead people to
The
“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
There is access in this hour to move deeper into the loving heart of our Father. As the gifts of the Spirit flow through the lives of believers in increased levels, it is critical that the love of God increase in our lives. The invitation has always been there, but I see a greater amount of people stepping into the love of God than every before. We are His body, and His love will shine through us like never before. Let us pursue love like we never have before. Make the pursuit of love a priority in your life. You will find the gifts of the spirit in you dramatically more effective when they are dripping with the love of God.
Lord, I ask that You would fill us with the fresh river of Your love. I pray that You would touch our hearts and baptize us with Your never-ending love. Lord, let Your love shine through us like never before and anoint us with creative ways to see souls around this planet saved by the power of Your love. Amen
I
Jason Phillips
Revival Town Ministries
