============================================================================ = = = = = = ***-------->> FAITH EXPRESSING ITSELF THROUGH LOVE : <<---------*** = ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ = = = = = = = ============================================================================ Most peolpe in the church today are not missing the 'faith message' in the ways that we are being taught. What I mean is that we are all trying very hard to attain strong faith in our Lord and obedience with wholeheart- edness. We are not missing it in our confession, as I'm sure you are aware of if you have been standing on the word of God in the Confession of your mouth. We also have been faithful to searching out what the word of God is saying to our generation, but the area that we-I know I'm certainly speaking of myself first-have missed the whole faith message in that we do not know how to walk in love! ------------- FAITH = the hand that receives the things that we need from God. ~~~~~~~ This includes everything that Jesus purchaced for us on calvery. ( see Philipians 4:19 ) *** These benifits / promises are; (1) SALVATION (2) HEALING (3) FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT (4) VICTORY OVER : a) The World -system- b) The Flesh c) The Devil d) All the Powers of Darkness All of the previously stated promises come by faith, don't they? You can't obtain any of them without faith, can you? But the point I would like to make is that the correct kind of faith mixture must be used, like a car engine uses a fuel and air mixture. This is what C.S. Lewis said: "God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it woun't run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself.He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to feed on. There isn't any other." By using his example of a car engine I am going to add one little part. The fuel must be mixed with oxygen in order to combust when it reaches the cylinder. In the same way our faith must mix with something very important when we apply it in the Spirit in order for it to combust-dynamo, the greek word for power, in which we get the word dynomite from. That very, very important element is L O V E . This love is not to be confused with a worldly love our lust. I'm talk- ing about a love that will cause us to 'lay down our life' for our brother. GALATIANS 5:6, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith express- ing itself through love." (NIV) This is the biggest reason why faith is not working like we have heard and read in the scriptures that it is suppose to work. Simply because in our modern world of instant everything we want the Spirit of God to behave like our instant pudding or instant coffee. And you know what I'm finding out? HE WON'T DO IT! We have got to learn how to love one another if we are going to move with God any further. Faith that works by love will measure up to all of the standards set down in the word of God. If I want to bad enough, I can take some old testement and new testement scriptures out of context and make them quote, "prove", anything that my mind or flesh desires. But that does not mean that I'm right, does it ? Likewise, if I'm believing for a million dollars and have got all my verses to prove that I'm goin to get it, doesn't mean that it is going to happen. Why? Because if I have a desire like this in the first place proves that I am in the flesh not the faith. Now, enugh on this ridiculous issue. The word of God clearly tells us not to even worry about food, cloths, and shelter, because God will automaticly provide it for us (Matt 6:25-33) if we seek Him first. In order to seek Him we must do what He commands of us, like this; (Matt 22:37-40), "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and --------------- with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'. All the Law and the prophets hang on these two." (John 13:35) , "All men will know that you are my disciples if you --------------- love one another." *** Also see Gal 5:22-26 : 'The Fruit of the Spirit' 1 John 1:9 : ' we have fellowship with one another ' It is very clear that the focal point of the christian walk after conv- ersion is loving one another. Even Jesus Himself taught this as the sumary to all the commandments of God (see Matt 22:37-40 again). vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv **************************************************************************** ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ So then, as I was stating earlier, love is the air in which the fuel, faith, needs to be mixed with in order to combust or literaly br set into motion. L OOOOO V V EEEEE L O O V V E L O O V V EEE L O O V V E LLLLL OOOOO V EEEEE LOVE GOD FIRST AND FOREMOST, THEN OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS AS OURSELVES and then we will all see a dramatic differance in our and others lives. I ask your deepest prayers that I will walk in this love without a hint of wavering or double mindedness. I pray for it to be the same with you and your whole family. Know Christ, his joy, even his suffering, and his great benifits!!! In the Love of Christ Jesus; Mike Erwin ============================================================================ ============================================================================ ============================================================================