Sunday, September 28, 2014

It's all Downhill without Love

Why is the church not functioning to its full potential?

The Body of Christ as a whole is bankrupt in love. We do not value others unless it is associated with status and wealth. We think big names mean Big Gains, so we operate out of a spirit of “I,” instead of “us.” Our gifts and purpose within the body are used to hustle those that are broken and without understanding, or as a means to promote our own agenda. The WORD of GOD is no longer the message. The message is “Give to Get”. We often become discontent with what our roles within the church are, and begin to operate in error to pacify our own emotional needs of accolades and praise. If your job is to usher the people to their seats, it should be done with great pride and excellence to the glory of the LORD. If your position is to evangelize the world, it should be done so unto the LORD with confidence and boldness to win souls for the kingdom of GOD. How can they call themselves Evangelists when one has not witnessed in love to bring one to confess Christ? Let us examine the roles that we are playing to ensure they line up with the character that we are displaying. Instead of wanting to feel good all the time, we should desire correction and truth. One cannot be the Body of Christ if it still desires to be oneself.

Msg Bible-Romans 12 4-6
In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't. 

Why are some Leaders spiritually unstable?

They are not rooted in God's love. They are walking in their own standard of love while preaching, evangelizing, teaching, and prophesying their own agenda. They lack the maturity needed in respective positions, or are self-promoted. They tend to become dissatisfied with their ministry, because it lacks the accolades they seek. Most Leaders ministries are not just established solely by their gifts, but by their experiences before they came to Christ to reach a certain group. If it's something they are still ashamed of they will not minister about it or be effective in outreach. Outreach is not about gathering a group of people together to hear you preach or to say, "I did this or that." Outreach is about making permanent change in the lives of people that will in return impact their environment. Leaders such as this tend to function best around those that are familiar to them, they over inflate themselves to others, and tend to refuse to work with or submit to Church Leaders that are sincere and Christ centered, out of fear of being exposed as a fake. Eventually everything comes down to appearance and status, and that becomes the ultimate delusion of grandeur.

-Romans 12 Msg Bible
6-8 If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13 Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. 

What is the responsibility of the Christian?

It is your responsibility to seek God through Christ on your own, not through man/woman. It is your responsibility to read your bible, and pray for understanding. It's your responsibility to surround yourself around a Body of Christ that is rooted in God's love to help you reach the mark of your high calling in Christ Jesus. It's your responsibility to not be deceived or led astray. It's your responsibility to spread the Gospel by your actions and conversation. It's on you if you die, and end up in the wrong place. It's on you if you are without God's love.

Mark 12 Amp Bible
29 Jesus answered, The first and principal one of all commands is: Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord;30 And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment. 31 The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. 

Romans 14 Amp Bible
12 And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God.

1 Peter 4 Msg Bible
1-2 Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.
1 Peter 4
7-11 Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes! 

Friends,
It is never too late to fall on your face to seek, and receive the unchanging, unbreakable, and forgiving Power of GOD's LOVE in your life.

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