LOVE NEVER FAILS

There is no greater command in the Bible, given by Jesus Christ, than for us to love one another…including our enemies. The church must not be forced into a place where we choose anything else but love. Yes, we need to take a stand against sin, but we must not compromise our love of people in the process. If we’re going to proclaim that our position on certain subjects are Biblical, then let us not forget our responsibility to love.

In the past, I have been criticized for my tolerance in certain situations. I always ask my congregation this question, “How can I go wrong with loving someone and showing them mercy?” Jesus said to “PREACH THE GOSPEL” not your opinion. If we are saying anything that makes us look like we do not care, then we need to change how we are saying it. If God were to grade the church today, I wonder what the report card would look like.

Preaching the gospel means, we are sharing the greatest love story of all time. Please don’t mess that up. A sinner’s opinion of Jesus will be in how you portray Him, so get it right!!! No matter who came to Him or how bad of a sinner they were, Jesus was always kind to them and forgave them. After He showed love and mercy to them, He would kindly say, “Go and sin no more”. Maybe people would stop sinning more if we approached their lifestyles like Jesus did.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many things that I see that are very offensive to me and my love for the Word of God, but loving isn’t always easy…in fact, sometimes it’s a difficult challenge. However, Jesus let us know that above everything else…SHOW LOVE!!! If you’re struggling with loving certain people, begin praying to Jesus for help. Ask the one that loved and forgave the people that were screaming ‘CRUCIFY HIM” and were taking Him to a cross to be killed. If we proclaim to be Spirit filled, then let us be reminded that the Spirit of God is LOVE!!!

I am confident in the words of Jesus when He said, “Upon this rock I’ll build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. We need to stop acting like the church is in danger. There isn’t anything our nation can do that will stop the church of the living God. Let’s be encouraged with those words and look at a dark and sinful world and declare, through our actions, the love of God. The sinner may not be expecting that response. So if you want to speak truth, here it is. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. THAT’S LOVE AND THAT’S OUR MESSAGE!!!