love

The Power of Oneness
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The Power of Oneness

As a Pastor, I have always ached in my heart when people, who use to attend our church, decided to come every once in a while or eventually they don’t come at all. I felt there was something wrong with me because my loveThe Power Of Oneness (WP) for them would get the better of me. Sometimes it consumed me because I knew they were missing out on what God was doing and I wanted them to be a part, also those who were faithful attenders really missed those who were not there too. “Did I do something wrong?” “Are my sermons boring or not having substance?” “Don’t they long to be in the presence of God?” “Is it because I am a woman?” These and more questions I would ask myself.

So many people have an independent spirit about them and believe they can come and go from church whenever they so choose, and they think it doesn’t effect anyone or anything. American Christians are notorious for this behavior.

God showed me the reasons why I was aching so much over these people. I found in the Book of Acts my answer and it has nothing to do with me, but it has to do with us.

Appearing to the Disciples after His death and resurrection, Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem.

Luke 24:49 NKJV
Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.

In the beginning of Acts we see Jesus assembled together with them and He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. (Acts 1:4 – 5)

Jesus knew they needed to receive power from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses for Him. He also knew what was ahead of them, they didn’t. He was preparing them for more. More people to teach and disciple, more miracles, signs, and wonders, more power, and more of His Spirit.

It was important for all of them to be together and to stay together and wait together.

Acts 1:14 NKJV
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

The phrase, “one accord” is translated from the Greek: homothumadon (hom-oth-oo-mad-on’) and it means, unanimously: – with one accord (mind) [Adverb from a compound of the base of G3674 and G2372].

This is something we can learn and glean for our own lives and church in that phrase, “One Accord.” To all come together with one mind, unanimously expecting God to move in our midsts should be our mindset. Most people won’t tarry. Most people have other things on their mind instead of waiting for something they don’t even know what it is. It is easy to wait for something you know is coming… Holidays, package coming in the mail, a certain event, but to wait for an unknown promise, in todays instant culture, is hard and challenging.

Acts 2:1 NKJV
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

What a powerful manifestation of the Holy Spirit on each of the one hundred and twenty in the upper room waiting together for the promise of the Father which Jesus told them about. There oneness kept them there together, and they all were seeking what God wanted for all of them.

As we read more about what happened after that powerful event, we see how their oneness produced great results for the Kingdom of God.

On the Day of Pentecost there were people from all nations under heaven and they heard them speaking in their own language the praises of God. They were all amazed and marveled and wondered what it could be. At the same time there were others who were seeing it all and they mocked the disciples saying, “They are full of new wine” (Acts 2:13).

I found it interesting that there were mockers who instantly criticized the power of God and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. We, as a church, need to be aware that critics will criticize what God will do and stay in oneness no matter what.

In spite of any mockery, there were those who gladly received Peter’s words and were baptized and 3000 souls were added to them that day (Acts 2:41)! I would say the Disciples oneness produced powerful results.

Acts 2:42 – 47 NKJV
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear (awe) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. []So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

The phrase “continued steadfastly” means to continually devote themselves to one another. It means to be earnest towards one another, to persevere, constantly diligent, and attend assiduously. (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Definitions)

Continually means that they did these things consistently, while devoting means there was a strong focus on these things that deeply consumed them. They chose not to scatter their energy and investment of time into all kinds of other concerns and commitments.

I believe this is where the church, as a whole, has failed. We have not continually devoted ourselves to one another or there would not be church splits, or indifference in coming to church, or a lack of desire to be together. We all have to work on this. It is biblical. Oneness set the church of Acts on a solid foundation and I believe we need to do the same.

The more they were together, they realized how important each other was. They saw the value of being together because it knit their hearts as one. Never underestimate the power of fellowshipping together.

There is more to being in One Accord then being in one mind and purpose. It also is being one soul, or a covenant community. We make a covenant when we marry our spouse saying I will be with you always and there is no other. God established a new covenant with us by sending His Son to save the world from damnation and we no longer have to follow the law and rules of the old covenant. God’s new covenant will not change. It abides forever. But have you ever considered to make a covenant with the body of Christ you attend on Sunday? I challenge you to establish that covenant with one another and keep it at all costs! Not to be legalistic but to create a bond that will produce results! Amen!

Each week we come together to worship God and to learn from His Word. But there is so much more then that. We come together to see and fellowship with one another.

Fellowship means spending time together with other believers in a connected and vulnerable way, sharing lives and being accountable to people with whom you have chosen to share life. Even a quick reading of the books of Acts will show the people of the early church spent a lot of time just being together, everyday, often.

Acts 2:42 – 44 Amplified Bible
“And they steadfastly persevered, devoting themselves constantly to the instruction and fellowship of the apostles, to the breaking of bread [including the Lord’s Supper] and prayers. And a sense of awe (reverential fear) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were performed through the apostles (the special messengers). And all who believed (who adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus Christ) were united and [together] they had everything in common;”

“Devoting themselves constantly to…” The first thing on the list to which the early church gave its devotion was the apostles’ teaching. In other words they devoted themselves to hearing and absorbing what would later become the New Testament. They were constantly getting fed and allowing the word of God to become a part of their soul. You could say they were absorbing or being saturated in good teaching of God’s Word.

The important thing here is that they were being taught the same thing. If one person left and received a teaching from another place, contrary to what the disciples were teaching, it wasn’t the same. Being taught the same thing brings unity and oneness. You are a part and you understand where your fellowship is going.

Then comes fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer which implies, and even requires consistent, deep, passionate covenant relationship between people inspired and filled by the Holy Spirit.

I talked about fellowshipping, now lets look at breaking of bread. It’s more then observing communion and/or eating together. In the Bible times, sharing a meal meant much more than our own casual invitation to “do lunch” together. For people in the Bible, sharing a meal constituted one of the most intimate forms of fellowship possible. You ate together only with people to whom you felt willing to commit in a covenant way. I think that’s why churches love potlucks. There were many jokes about potlucks at church in the past, but seeing how the early church came together often and broke bread and communed together, we should do the same. Enjoy days where the church has a potluck or lunch/dinner. Enjoy those you are eating with. Find out more about them. Truly care about them and have compassion for them. This is being biblical and it pleases God’s heart!

Finally, prayer seemed most often to be something they did together as a unified body. The time leading up to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost the apostles and a few others were praying together in the upper room and ended with 120 pouring out their hearts to God in one accord, or oneness. Just like it states in Acts 2, verse 1, that they were all with one accord in one place. This is a picture of unity! Prayer is vital for your breakthrough!

Just as soon as the Holy Spirit fell on that original one hundred and twenty a deep, passionate and strong sense of community resulted.

Acts 2:43
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

Notice the sense of awe came before the signs and wonders. The awe was a direct result of their depth and power of the love and fellowship they experienced. The wonders and signs did not produce the awe. The passage only mentions wonders and signs only once, while the remainder of the passages focuses on all the things they did together in love, and on the sacrifices they made for one another as they lived out their faith in covenant relationship, consistently and deeply pursued.

God calls us to oneness in relationship powered by the heart and Spirit of Jesus. Oneness with God leads directly to oneness with each other. The effect is prophetic, producing the fruit that is beyond our needs so that the world may believe.

Our focused covenant community affects others in a great way. Your part is so vital in the scheme of things. All are needed, and all were filed with the Holy Spirit, and all fellowshipped and broke bread together.

What if I, the wife of my husband of almost 30 years, decide to live half of the time at another man’s home? What if I said to him, Honey, I love you. You are my husband and this is my home but I just need to live part-time at John’s house because he has something I need right now? How stable and effective would our household be? How would that impact our children? How would it impact my covenant with my husband?

Or what if I informed my husband, “You will always be my first husband, but I just feel I need to be married to this other one, too? We all know it wouldn’t work. Our marriage would resolve and it would effect my entire family, and possibly community.

Spiritual polygamy does not build the Kingdom of God. It only keeps us fragmented, ineffective and unproductive at making a prophetic impact on this world. Spiritual polygamy means you are not planted anywhere. You become a vagabond (wondering from place to place without a home).

Why do I say all of this? The majority of modern Christians attend and even commit themselves to more than one church in a year. I have heard that the average number of churches christians attend is six. This can never build stable and effective covenant community any more than the kind of living arrangements I described about my husband and I could create or sustain a stable home.

The kind of church life many Christians practice might be more aptly described as spiritual promiscuity, hopping from church bed to church bed seeking the next thrill or perhaps to have personal needs met without real concern for selfless sacrifice, depth of relationships or effective ministry for the sake of others. Personal trust, of others, so necessary to life changing ministry over time, can only be built in being consistent in oneness and covenant community.

God calls us to focused commitment that builds strong relationships in love. The sense of awe the early church experienced flowed not from the signs and wonders but from the love they practiced, the connection, the continual devotion to things that made for relationship in the power of the Holy Spirit. Prophetic community cannot develop without this kind of “continually devoting.”

I have been thinking why don’t we see miracles and healings? Why don’t we see amazing things; signs and wonders in today’s church? I believe it is in part because no one wants to commit to each other and to love one another deeply. We are so concerned with ourselves.

In Romans 12, the apostle Paul understood and taught the value, power and practice of community.

Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

No longer can the Christian walk be built around “me,” feeding “me,” entertaining “me.” I must become the sacrifice given up to God for His use and His purposes.

The world practices a way of thinking which revolves around self and pushes away anything that has to do with commitment or covenant. We are not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that we may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2). We must absorb God’s mind – which begins and ends in covenant.

Covenant love makes us a prophetic people, a people with something to say, a light house, or city of refuge of God’s healing grace, a people who will change our world. In covenant love we will make a difference. Very few members of the first church in Acts 2 could be said to be prophetic individually, but they functioned as part of a prophetic community. What they did together and how they lived out their bond of love made a statement to the world that changed things forever. Without the bonded community meeting regularly, fellowshipping, loving, and praying and breaking bread together, all the signs and wonders would have been meaningless. When real devotion to one another develops, a prophetic statement is made. This is Church, and we are one!

If you have been gifted as one of those few who are truly prophetic, but without a solid foundation in a covenant with God that bonds you to one specific local expression of the Body of Christ, you will fail to make whole and accurate prophetic statements. Trying to be committed in covenant to more than one body at once is like practicing polygamy. You end up being truly close to no one and hindered in your effectiveness to anyone.

Being a part of a local church is one of the great joys and responsibilities of every believer. However, it involves more than showing up on Sunday! How do you participate in the life of your church? While you experience different levels of involvement in a church during different seasons of your life, be sure to consistently avail yourself of opportunities to fellowship, worship, serve, and receive teaching of the Word of God.

Romans 15:5 – 7 NKJV
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be likeminded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.

There is a song that was written back in the seventy’s that, as a little child, I remember singing in church. I think it is very appropriate to read the words of this song for the message.

They will know we are Christians by our love

1. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.

Refrain
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

2. We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land.

Refrain
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

3. We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
And we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride.

Refrain
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

4. All praise to the Father, from whom all things come,
And all praise to Christ Jesus, his only Son,
And all praise to the Spirit, who makes us one.

Refrain
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

Who will make a covenant with me, and with those who you fellowship with to continue steadfastly with each other in teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and in prayer? Let this become who we are every time we come together to worship our Lord, Amen!

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils
www.KrisBelfils.com
www.HopeFellowshipSpokane.com
www.KrisBelfils.WordPress.com

 

 

 

 

Resources: Pastor Kris Belfils, “The Prophetic Church” by Loren Sandford, and “They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love” Peter Scholtes

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Breakthrough the Threshold of the Open Door

breakthoughGod spoke to my heart back in August of 2013 that He wanted me to preach on Doors this new year. Since January I have written and preached message after message on Open Doors for 2014. In doing so, I believe I made myself a target of the devil as I have experienced attack after attack not only in my own life with my health, but in my family, and church as well. At one point I felt I was doing something wrong and even felt like giving up. But, that was not the answer. Far too many times when we are right at the threshold of our breakthrough, right at the doorway of an open door, we will experience the attack of the enemy.

Satan does not want us to take any ground from him. When we rise up and make a stance for God and taking the land for Him, it angers the enemy. Then we experience difficult circumstances and our faith weakens.

Crossing Over the Threshold of Open Doors

As I was going through the attacks of the enemy I didn’t see it as attacks. All I saw was the struggle and the hardship I had to walk through. Maybe this is you too. I pray this message ministers to you as the content ministered to me and allowed me to see more clearly what was really happening. The following is taken from Sandie Freed as well as my own writings.

Are you having to go through what you might refer to as a difficult time right now? And, even though it has been prophesied that this is a year of open doors and experiencing double blessings and breakthrough, do you feel as if your faith is weakened and that it is difficult for you to hold on to finish the race?

If you are contending for your new levels of increase and breakthrough, please allow me to give some insight as to how to properly respond to the new level of spiritual warfare needed for this season. And, let me assure you that you are not alone in this. Many Believers are experiencing difficulty crossing over into their promises in this season.

Opposition At The Threshold Of Open Doors

Sandi Freed writes: Recently I was in Katy, Texas, to minister at Wanda Roberson Ministries’ conference entitled “Stepping Through Open Doors.” When I travel, it is not unusual for me to have a dream from the Lord which exposes territorial strongholds and plans of the enemy. I love the faithfulness of God to expose any area of opposition that attempts to enslave His children! The night before I spoke at the conference, I had a dream of a threshold with an open door. At the threshold, there was a python snake that attempted to wrap itself around God’s children as they were going through the door. (More on the python spirit in a bit.) This evil spirit would attempt to weaken its victim by squeezing the life and breath out of its body. Also, there was a strong spirit of fear attached to this python spirit, and just the fear alone kept people from being empowered to cross over into enlargement and increase.

There was much contending at this threshold as the enemy would lash out with false accusations, fear, anxiety, and cause weakness (both physically and spiritually) in its attempts to hold on to each of us. Satan’s desire is to keep us from getting past our past. Saints of God, listen up – the enemy does not want you to believe God for your breakthrough. He desires to weaken your faith by creating circumstances in your life that are completely opposite of what God has promised you. Bottom line – your land of promise, your open door, awaits your arrival and crossing over, but the enemy does not like the fact that you are at a threshold of great, great breakthrough.

I read this prophecy from Marsha Burn on March 12, 2014:
“I have opened a door to the season ahead of you.  It will be a time when you will be able to see and understand spiritual truth with greater clarity–a season of freedom from bondage and past difficulties that will bring refreshment to your soul.  You stand at the very threshold of a new beginning, []but you must first put the past firmly behind before you can move ahead.  Let go of everything that is holding you back, says the Lord.”

Perilous Times

So, why are we being promised open doors, double blessings, and many of God’s “suddenlies” if we are also experiencing such difficulties? Well, I believe that we are living in what 2 Timothy 3:1 refers to as perilous times.

2 Timothy 3:1 NKJV
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:”

The word “perilous” is a Greek word chalepos (pronounced kahl-ep-os’) and it is translated as meaning “difficult, i.e. dangerous or (by implication) furious.”

I can relate to this translation as I have also been experiencing some difficult times. And, I certainly believe that satan is furious that each of us is determined to cross over into increase!

Interestingly, another interpretation of perilous is “reduction in strength.”

I can relate to feeling weak – both physically and spiritually. How so? Well, the enemy would like to squeeze the life out of me and weaken my faith; plus, I am struggling with physical strength at the same time.

And, a further study concerning perilous times reveal that it is linked to another Greek word which means “to let down, strike, and to lower (as into a void.)” Translations take this even one step further by explaining that during perilous times we even experience “chasms.” (See Strong’s Concordance #5467, #5465, and #5490.)

Did you see that? Let me make it clear. Satan desires to cause us to believe that we are not seated in heavenly places in authority over him! He desires to deceive us into believing we have a lower position! He is attacking our belief systems at the threshold of open doors.

And now, get this: He wants to “void” our promises by deception. He desires to create a chasm between us and our promises. How can he deceive us? Again, by creating situations in our life that seem to oppose our promises. Satan desires to weaken our strength, weaken our faith, and strike out with opposition at the threshold. However, we need to remember this important fact as we contend against satan and the python spirit – Jesus Christ has already won the victory. His Blood was shed so that you are empowered with grace to cross over into your Promised Land! Our minds must be renewed to that truth as we defeat every enemy that attempts to oppose us. Let me encourage you with this thought – IT IS NOT AS IT APPEARS! This truly IS your season to access the unseen!

The Python Spirit

In Greek, the term used for divination and witchcraft is “python.” It is connected to a word meaning “to twist.” A python is a large and muscular snake that will “twist” itself around its prey and kill it by squeezing or constricting until it suffocates.

“The python spirit is loosed whenever Jezebel is in the midst. It squeezes life out of hope, breakthroughs, finances, and lives. It ‘constricts’ us to the point that we are unable to move forward into our future. As the python constricts with every squeeze, we feel the restraints and therefore are contained in old patterns of behavior and hopelessness.” ~ Sandi Freed

It is very clear that a Jezebel spirit and python work together to weaken the hands of God’s children as we build His Kingdom.

Back To Perilous Times

Let’s get back to more on “perilous times.” A careful study on 2 Timothy 3:1-9 describes what is experienced during this season. Mankind will witness a season where they “love themselves,” boast in themselves, are “disobedient to parents,” ungrateful,” “loving money,” and “unholy.” It goes on to describe mankind as “unforgiving,” “without love,” “loving pleasure more than God,” and “having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

Traditions of man have robbed us of demonstrating God’s power, being unthankful and ungrateful – and how these areas rob us from experiencing freedom in Christ. For the sake of time, I will only discuss just one of these manifestations that we might be experiencing during such troubled times, because I believe it is very significant. We simply must return to our first love. Love is a powerful weapon against our enemy.

Love Is a Weapon

There is no doubt that we are in a new season of contention. We are instructed in 2 Corinthians 10:4 that our weapons of warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. However, did we really ever consider the fact that love is a weapon?

Think about this: God is love, right? And because He loved the world, He sent His Son. Yes – because He loved – the Father sent Jesus. Jesus came to earth with a purpose.
1 John 3:8 tells us that Jesus came with the purpose of destroying the works of the devil! And because Jesus also loved, He laid down His life as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Because of love – satan was defeated.

As New Covenant Believers, we are no longer under the Law. In fact, Jesus said that the greatest commandments were to “…love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31, paraphrased). Those two commandments are centered on love. Love is the greatest gift, and also the greatest tool in warfare.

Restore Your Love and Passion

It’s possible to lose our passion when we experience hard times. Yet, there is another reason we lose passion – I call it spiritual burn out. How does this occur? Well, when we are believing that what we “do” for God is more important to us than who we already “are” in God, we get completely caught up in “works.” “Works” will weaken us, wear us out, and cause us to lose passion for God. I know this from first-hand experience.

When we are burned out, our fiery passion leaves. What we need are two things in order for us to experience restored love and passion for God: The fire of God to touch us and, secondly, repentance.

To experience His fire, we simply need to lay our lives on the altar. It’s not a difficult thing, really. We have a tendency to make this action difficult. Think about this: In the Old Testament, when a sacrifice was laid upon the altar, the fire of God came to consume it! If you want God to consume you, and I believe you do – simply lay down your will and surrender to His perfect will for your life. Think about it as “total abandonment” in Him. Remember, one of the manifestations during perilous times is being “lovers of ourselves,” and the lack of love for God.

Now, let’s talk about repentance. Many believe that God is just waiting for us to mess up so that He can smack us with a big stick! I believed that for years; and a belief system like that sends us running away from God rather than to Him. Repentance is all about changing the way you think. In other words, we need to change the way we think about God and also about ourselves. If we press into the love of God, running to Him in times of trouble and difficulty, we will be empowered with grace to cross over our thresholds!
His love for us will become our weapon against any python, Jezebel, or witchcraft stronghold! And, when we are empowered with the love of God, we are also empowered to love our neighbor and ourselves! This is important because we need each other. Unity releases life (see Psalm 133)! Unity will destroy the destructive power of python that attempts to steal life from us!

Christ died to give us salvation. The Greek word for salvation is the word sozo, which basically means that His love and sacrifice provided salvation, healing, deliverance, protection, and all that Heaven has to give us! Aren’t you thankful for the love of God today? I know you are. Your threshold awaits your crossing over – today!

Breakthrough

Who doesn’t want or need a breakthrough in their life? Everyone is wanting it. Maybe you have struggled and gone through some hard times and you still are persevering? This would be a good time for a breakthrough in your life.

Lately in my life I have been praying for and believing for BREAKTHROUGHS! Breakthrough in relationships, breakthrough in my spiritual life, breakthrough in our church, and so much more. It has been something that I have brought to the Lord often.

God is working on your behalf even if we don’t see the results we are looking for. Don’t give up!

How do you press through in prayer when when it’s 11:59 p.m.—almost midnight—in your life?

Imagine this: You’re heading for destiny, moving with confidence in the right direction. Suddenly, you’re distracted by something demanding your attention. But when you stop to attend to the matter, your path is altered forever.

Such was the case with Paul and Silas in Acts chapter 16. En route to a prayer meeting, they met a fortuneteller who was rebuked by Paul because of her mockery of him and Silas as men of God. Paul commanded the evil spirit to come out of her, and the girl was set free.

She was a slave, however and because her masters were no longer able to profit from her psychic powers, they had Paul and Silas thrown in jail. The ministry duo was suddenly thrust from prayer to prison.

Think about that. On your way to what God has for you, there’s a detour in your well-constructed plan. Although painful, such times are common in the life of every believer. But what do you do when you’re passing from one season in life to another, when it’s 11:59 p.m.—almost midnight—in your life?

Transition occurs because God is altering His plans for us. There is a three-step process during such times: burden, birthing and breakthrough.

First comes the burden. On their way to jail, Paul and Silas were dragged into the marketplace to face the authorities. Even the crowds participated in their humiliation. They were beaten and stripped, and then thrown into prison. But they were not alone.
Life’s transitions may leave you feeling attacked. You may feel beaten and stripped of your spiritual and personal dreams. It may seem as though layers of divine protection have disappeared. This stripping simply means God is taking off the old and exposing  you to new life and new assignments.

Then comes the birthing. To be beaten means God is molding us into His image. Jeremiah 18:6 says: “‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?’ says the Lord. ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in My hand, O house of Israel'” (NKJV).

Think of a muscle. Have you ever had a really good workout, but the next morning felt sore? Your muscles were in a breakdown stage, which is critical. Without it, the muscles can’t rebuild themselves.

It was humiliating enough for Paul and Silas to suffer, but why did the crowd have to participate? Our transitions are often similar. It’s not enough to suffer in silence or privacy; it seems as though God chooses those broken moments to put us on display.
Paul and Silas were confined to prison, but at about midnight—perhaps it was 11:59 p.m.—their confinement birthed their true assignment: prayer and praise. In the midst of confinement, they blessed the Lord.

Lasting change is birthed out of pain and often filled with isolation. But there’s no better time to feel God’s presence than during your “spiritual 11:59 p.m.” During these times, praise God for who He is. Recall past victories, and in spite of how you feel or what you see, praise Him for His promises. Your worship will promote stability and assurance.
Then you’re ready for the breakthrough. Paul and Silas’ prayer and praise caused tremors in the realms of darkness. Suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the building, and the doors were opened.

Explosive breakthroughs will come in your life as you continue to lift up the name of Jesus. Breakthroughs bring the favor of God on your life, which releases His plans for you.

Soon, your doors will swing open, chains will fall off, and those standing by will marvel at your life. When we become a testimony of God’s faithfulness during painful transitions, not only are we blessed, but others will observe our breakthroughs and will be touched by our release. Desperation will prompt them to ask, as the jailer did, “What must I do to be saved?”

The passage in Acts concludes with the jailer restoring Paul and Silas as the magistrate sent word to release them. Likewise, God can cause the same people or situation that imprisoned you to bless you.

When your clock strikes 11:59 p.m., know that it’s time to rejoice. Whether you are in a period of burden or birthing, remember that explosive breakthroughs are born around midnight. So, let the celebration begin.

Your land of promise, your open door, awaits your arrival and crossing over, but the enemy does not like the fact that you are at a threshold of great, great breakthrough. We are in perilous times right now ,… Like it says in the book of Timothy!! We are crossing over to our promise land this year. The faint hearted wont make it,… God does not want you to shrink back!! Its time to do warfare and take it to the enemy. The devil does not want you to go into your promise land this year. He will fight you with every thing he has. I am putting you on notice,.. this is for real!!! Its time to pray,…. “church”,….. and take authority over the devil. Remember,… as long as you show up for battle you will win!! But you have to show up everyday. Bind that devil in Jesus name !

Let us pray:
Father God, today we are believing for Your empowerment of grace as we come to Your throne. We repent for settling for religious works rather than pressing into Your desire for relationship. Forgive us for losing our passion for You. We turn from dead works today. We surrender our will to Your perfect will today. Consume us with Your holy fire and restore passion. Thank You that Your love is a weapon against our enemy during these troubled times. Thank You that love has already defeated satan’s plans and that I am now empowered to enter into my future. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I will be believing with you that you will breakthrough the threshold to your open door today!

Your sister,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.KrisBelfils.com

www.HopeFellowshipSpokane.com

www.KrisBelfils.Wordpress.com 

 

Content of this article is from Sandi Freed, Pastor Kris Belfils, and Charismamag.org.

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Fruit of the Spirit – RECAP

Fruit of the Spirit RecapGal. 5:22 NKJV

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

What fruit are you producing? Fruit that looks good on the outside but is really bad on the inside? Fruit that is immature or not ripe? Fruit that is good? People will come and “pick” your fruit.

Immature (not ripe) fruit is thinking you are a wonderful person when in reality you walk immaturely in Christ and expect others to like your fruit. Immature fruit is walking around ignoring issues in your life and expecting good results. It is thinking everyone else is wrong and you are right.

We can really do a world of hurt for others if we don’t take care of any issues in our own life. Issues like; pride, complaining, gossip, un-forgiveness, and so much more, if not dealt with, will produce bitter, unripe, even toxic fruit.

If you want to live like Christ, and have given your heart to Him, there will be times of correction and rebuking. If you are like me, you know in your “knower” that you need to be corrected so that you produce the fruit of the spirit.

God chose us before we were even born. He had a purpose for our lives and that is to bear good fruit.

John 15:16 NASB

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.”

Love

Love, as a fruit of the Spirit, is a verb. It’s not a feeling, and much like faith, if only expressed in words, it’s essentially meaningless. Though we like to hear the words “I love you” they mean nothing if not accompanied by loving action. Remember actions speak louder then words. Show your love to people with your actions.

1 Jn 4:7 – 8, 16

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. … So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

This simplifies the idea of abiding if we see it as abiding in love because God is love.

Love is from God, we don’t have this kind of love if we don’t know God. If we are abiding in love, keeping it always in the forefront of all our interactions and choices, we are abiding in God.

All that Jesus did was motivated by love. His love for the Father, and His love for others.

This selfless, humble love that washes feet, seeks to build others up, is foreign to the human nature and our culture, but by the example of Christ we can practice this kind of love, and through the power of the Holy Spirit we can achieve this kind of love.

1 Cor. 13: 4

“Love is patient and kind…”

This is the character of God. Patient and kind. Life is hard and we all need a place where we can lick our wounds, be ourselves, rest, and feel safe and cared for. That is what love is supposed to do.

Love makes us feel safe and soothed rather than pressured to perform, or live up to some standard. Love comforts us when we are struggling. Jesus said he will give us rest and peace. We all need to ask ourselves, do the people I love feel soothed by me? Can my loved ones completely let down their guard around me? Are they emotionally safe?

There will be times to love those who are hard to love. Loving people with the love God has given us makes it easy to love others.

1 Cor 13: 7

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

God bears with us, he believes in us, he hopes with us, and he endures our constant disobedience and wandering away from him.

Has God forgiven you of much? Then you should love Him much, and in turn, we should love others much. It is hard to produce any of the fruit of the spirit without love. Love binds all the fruit together.

Joy

Joy is deeper then happiness. Happiness deals with what is happening. Happiness depends on circumstance. Genuine joy, on the other hand does not depend on what’s happening. Joy is an inner sense of well-being that has nothing to do with circumstance. Joy is an inside Job.

God wants to produce the fruit of joy in all of us. Often it comes with trials and struggles. James says to “count it all joy” when we experience trials. Jesus went to the cross with joy. Joy is an inner strength. It is a knowing that God is with you and you can walk through anything that you face because you are not alone.

Too often people try to find false joy. They acquire things thinking that will give them joy (Ron’s uncle). Sometimes people think they have joy when their surroundings and needs are all met. Our surroundings change daily. Other times people place their joy in relationships. This is a big false joy.  People will come and go. They will let you down. They are unstable, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

There are so many lasting things that bring true joy; our salvation, having a grateful heart, and trusting in God are just a few things.

Church remember: Pain, sorrow, trials, and tribulations, are temporary, but Joy is ETERNAL. Happiness is Outside, But Joy is Inside

Allow the fruit of Joy to grow inside of you. Walk in this promise daily. The Joy of the Lord is your strength! (Nehemiah 8:10)

Peace

Isaiah 26:3 Amplified Bible

“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.”

This is how to keep yourself in perfect peace:

  1. Keep your mind stayed on God
  2. Commit yourself to God
  3. Lean on God and hope confidently in Him

Proverbs 3:5 – 6 Amplified Bible

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.”

Trying to reason everything out will take your peace away. We will have unanswered questions. Ask God to help you stop reasoning and begin to live by faith, leaning on and trusting in Him and not on your own understanding.

Peace, when your in the Kingdom, is not the absence of conflict, rather its the assurance that in the midst of conflict, the Father has things under control. Learn to have peace with people and peace with yourself.

1 Peter 3:10 – 11 Amplified Bible

“For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good – whether apparent or not] keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile (treachery, deceit). Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]”

Patience

Patience is not an ability to wait. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that manifests while we are waiting. If patience doesn’t manifest in times of waiting, then we see the fruit of impatience.

It doesn’t matter why you are impatient. What matters is how you deal with it. Impatience is a counterfeit fruit. It can look like it is productive, but in reality, it only produces stress and turmoil for you and others. Impatience is very selfish. It only cares about itself.

James 1:4 Amplified Bible

“But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.”

We should rejoice in difficult situations, knowing that through them God tests our faith to bring out patience. Trials do eventually produce patience, but first they bring all kinds of junk to the surface such as pride, anger, rebellion, self-pity, and complaining. We need to face and deal with these ungodly traits before patience can come forth.

Waiting destroys pride. If God gave us everything the minute we wanted it, we would be so proud and haughty, we’d think it was us. We would expect our way always. God makes us wait because He is testing us.

Colossians 3:12 NASB tells us to “put on patience.” That tells me that patience is something that I have to do on purpose. Just because I don’t feel patient doesn’t mean I have to be impatient. We must put on patience.

We can’t expect our clothes to come on our bodies all by themselves. We have to put them on. Likewise, it is the same with patience. We have to choose, to purpose to walk with patience everyday.

Kindness 

Kindness is the quality of being kind. Kindness is being friendly and warm-hearted. It is truly caring about others. It is treating fellow human beings with respect and being beneficial or an asset in someone’s life.

~Pastor Kris Belfils

Kindness goes a long way! People respond positively to kindness. You will win people over with kindness. Love and kindness always go together. Love and Kindness is the opposite of selfishness.

Jesus was motivated by love and kindness. He had compassion on people and moved to heal them. Jesus always receives us and he never rejects us. This character trait is something we need to have in our life. When we show kindness people see we are real and approachable. Kindness builds the Kingdom of God.

Proverbs 20:28 CEB

“Kindness and faithfulness protect the king; he supports his throne by kindness.” 

This shows that if we allow kindness and faithfulness into our lives we will be protected and supported. It is a good foundation to stand on instead of building on a weak foundation of sandy efforts, works, and manipulation.

We are fortified when we are friendly and generous. When we are approachable instead of being an island unto ourselves. People will be strengthened around you and feel secure.

Listen to people. Hear about their life. Don’t be so quick to interrupt and share your needs or something about yourself. People want to know you care about them. Listening is showing kindness.

Kindness costs us something. It costs us our flesh. We die to what we might want to say and change it to be what God wants us to say. We realize what we are thinking will possibly hurt or hinder someone and let it go, and in turn, we say things that build up. This is kindness.

1 Thess. 5:15 Amplified Bible

“See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody.”

Goodness

The Greek meaning for goodness is: “Uprightness of heart and life, goodness, kindness” (Thayer Greek Definitions).

Goodness is the action that kindness brings. Goodness is what God is. God is Good. God can’t be anything else but good. Because He is good, he is waiting and looking for people to be good too.

Isaiah 30:18a Amplified Bible

“And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you.”

Being gracious is being good. This is what God is constantly doing everyday.

Psalm 23:6 NKJV

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Only goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life. Only! Nothing bad, nothing negative.

Exodus 33:18 – 19 Amplified Bible

“And Moses said, I beseech You, show me Your glory. And God said, I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim My name, The Lord, before you; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy and loving-kindness on whom I will show mercy and loving-kindness.”

Moses asked to see God’s glory. God said he will make all His goodness pass before him. God’s glory is His goodness. That is such an awesome thought that Moses saw all of God’s goodness pass before him. God’s goodness, His glory, goes before us. When we show goodness we literally are showing God’s glory. We shine when we are good.

Each time you have an opportunity; be good to somebody. Don’t let one occasion pass you by to be good to somebody. If you want to be good to somebody, all you’ve got to do is listen to them.

Forgiving someone is being good to them, and yourself. Forgive people when they don’t deserve it. Before someone stops offending you, you can forgive them.

Remember whenever you are good to someone you shine God’s glory everywhere you go. This takes the pride out of us. We realize we are doing it for God and not our own glory. Shine for the King wherever you go by being good to others.

Faithfulness

A faithful person knows what God has put in their heart, and even though many times they feel like quitting, they don’t give up.

A faithful person is committed to doing whatever God tells them to do no matter what it costs them personally. If you start something, finish it!

A faithful person sees something all the way through to the end. There are so many divorces and so much job-hopping and church-hopping in society today because many people don’t understand what commitment means.

A faithful person understands that no matter where they may go to church they won’t like everything that happens. Stay where God has placed you. The way we grow is to stay planted in one place.

A faithful person arrives at their commitments early or at least on time. A foolish person is constantly late.

A faithful person is someone we can depend on – someone who shows up where they say they will be at the time they say they will be there, someone whom you can count on to do something they say they will do for you. Be a faithful person! Your reputation depends on it!

Too often we start out to do the right thing and then when we don’t get the right response we change and backtrack and do something else.

Galatians 6:9 KJV

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Your faithfulness and stability benefits others. It helps build the Kingdom of God. It brings security in the hearts who are close to you. They know they can count on you.

God never gives up on us, and we should never give up. We especially shouldn’t be the kind of people that give up on something because it is hard.

Don’t expect to be promoted if you are unfaithful. Don’t expect to be promoted if you do what you want to do and not what you committed to do. Bosses, Pastors, Authority figures are looking for faithful people. Being faithful is doing the right thing over and over and over and over and over again.

Gentleness (Humility and meekness)

The word “Gentle” in the Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language: “Mild; meek; soft; bland; not rough, harsh or severe; as a gentle nature, temper or disposition; a tame; peaceable, not wild, turbulent or refractory, soothing, treating with mildness, not violent.”

Are you a gentle person? How do you respond when someone rubs you the wrong way? Are you rough, harsh, or wild in your response or are you meek, humble, and peaceable?

Phil. 4:5 NIV

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

This fruit of gentleness should be seen by the world, Christian and non-Christians alike should see you as a gentle person. Gentleness preserves us and brings peace.

Meekness is not weakness. Meekness requires great strength. What about Jesus? Scripture tells us that he was “led as a lamb to the slaughter” yet cleansed the temple with a whip! Jesus didn’t have to go to the cross. He said, “Don’t you know I can call on a legion of angles and they would deliver me.” But He humbled Himself under the mighty hand of God because He knew that was what God wanted Him to do and what was going to be best for everybody else.

Jesus didn’t use His power to get out of something but humbled Himself to go through something that He thought God wanted Him to go through. It would be like if somebody really did me dirty and it made me mad and I knew I had the ability to get them back but I refused to do that because I knew it wasn’t what God wanted me to do. That’s meekness. When you have the ability to do something but you won’t do it because you don’t believe that is what God wants you to do. Amen!

If you have the authority or ability to get even or hurt the other person who spoke badly about you this is what you need to do: Forgive, pray, and bless (FPB) and allow God to take care of the situation.

Self-Control

1 Timothy 1:7 Amplified Bible

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”

The Holy Spirit is not going to ZAP you with self-control, no, it has to be worked out in us. We have to learn to take it as our own and walk in it. It is virtually impossible to show forth the other eight fruit of the Spirit unless we walk in self-control.

How can we remain peaceful in the middle of an upsetting situation unless we exercise self-control?

Self-control allows us to be patient when we feel impatient. You don’t wait to feel patience, but choose to be patient.

How about faithfulness? People commit to do something when they’re in the height of emotions, and then when all the emotional stuff is over, they don’t feel like doing what they said they would do.

How about humility? How can I exercise humility without self-control? You can’t. Remember the “50 Fruits of Pride” we looked at when we were looking at Gentleness?

It takes a willing heart and courage to look at ourselves and see the areas we need to change in, but it is so worth the change. God can trust us with more. Our lives are more organized and blessed. We are not being lead by our emotions.

As we abide in the Vine, we will produce much fruit.

I challenge you to decide right now that you will live the remainder of your life giving glory to God in everything you do. As you make that decision and carry it out in your life, you will find your life to be exceptional beyond anything you could ever have imagined.

Love, joy, peace, faithfulness, kindness, patience, goodness, gentleness, and self-control are the elements that make our lives exceptional; they are a reward in themselves. We were born to display them, and we will never be like Christ or be fulfilled without them.

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

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Fruit of the Spirit – Love

LoveThere are many Christians who want to love with God’s love, but in many cases, they don’t know how.

The entire Bible is a love story. From the creation of the world, through love, for the protection of the Israelites because of love, to the sending of a Saviour out of love, for Jesus sacrifice in love, the Bible is a book that is trying to send us a simple but powerful message. Love God and love each other as He loves us. The greatest commandment.

If you get nothing else out of the Bible and what it means to be a Christian, it needs to be this.

The word “love” gets thrown around so much that in many ways we have lost its meaning. Fortunately the Bible helps us get it back. We’re talking here about “Agape” love which is a divine affection, as opposed to “Phileo” which is more a friendship type of love and “Eros”, which is a romantic, or sensual love.

Love as a fruit of the Spirit is a verb. It’s not a feeling, and much like faith, if only expressed in words, it’s essentially meaningless. Though we like to hear the words “I love you” they mean nothing if not accompanied by loving action. Remember actions speak louder then words. Show you love people with your actions.

Agape love 

I. Love is Sacred

1 Jn 4:7 – 8, 16

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. … So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

This simplifies the idea of abiding if we see it as abiding in love because God is love. Love is from God, we don’t have this kind of love if we don’t know God and have his Spirit in us. If we are abiding in love, keeping it always in the forefront of all our interactions and choices, we are abiding in God.

Remember the love of God towards you is a special gift he gives each of us.

So really this message is to let Christians know that if they are not loving, they are not in God, they do not know God, they are not allowing His nature to abide in them, even if they profess belief in Jesus Christ.

II. Love is Selfless 

Php 2:1-3

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Eph 3:18 – 19

“That you being rooted in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Paul says this love is difficult to comprehend and surpasses all knowledge. Yes it is. We come out of the womb entirely self absorbed, egocentric, existing to get our needs met. You know what, we don’t change much, we just find ways to make it look like getting our needs met is actually helping someone else. Until we understand this kind of love and allow it to work in our lives, it is impossible to consider others more significant than ourselves.

Perhaps another word for selfless here is humble, to show the difference from sacrificial which is coming next. Besides the sacrifice on the cross, how did Christ love us? By always acting, and teaching that others are more important than ourselves.

Until we know that survival is not our primary purpose in life, our behaviour will be motivated primarily by self-preservation. This selfless, humble love that washes feet, seeks to build others up, is foreign to the human nature and our culture, but by the example of Christ we can practice this kind of love, and through the power of the Holy Spirit we can achieve this kind of love.

So, love is selfless and humble,

III. Love is also Sacrificial

Yes these are related, but here we are specifically talking about behaviour. We can consider others more significant than ourselves, but if we don’t show it in our behaviour, it’s lost.

Eph 5: 25

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

Ro 5: 8

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 15:13 

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for a friend.”

Love always requires sacrifice, whether it be giving up our time, interests, or to the far extreme, our lives or at least some organs. If you say you love someone, but have never given up something for them, chances are it’s not real love.

But there is another aspect to this that the church should feel very guilty about. That being loving those people who are hard to love. This may be the biggest sacrifice. It’s easy to love those who are attractive and likeable, who are on our side, but what about our enemies, the poor, the uneducated, the handicapped and mentally ill. How many of these people are in our churches. Why do you think that is? Maybe we need to sacrifice our comfort and our attitudes to make these people feel loved. It’s not easy, and only the Spirit can make it happen. Only agape love can love the unlovely.

IV. Love is Supportive

2 Cor 8: 1 – 8

“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. [] Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you— see that you excel in this act of grace also.  I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.”

Grace for others is an outcome of your agape love towards people.

James 2: 15 – 16

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?”

Love is always alert to the needs of others. Agape love always gives. I said earlier that love without deeds is the same as faith without deeds as James indicates, so the words faith and love could be interchanged in that passage of James. Not only is love alert to needs, it does whatever it can to selflessly and sacrificially meet those real needs.

V. Love is Soothing

1 Cor 4: 21

“What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?”

1 Cor. 13: 4 

“Love is patient and kind…”

This is the character of God. Patient and kind. Life is hard and we all need a place where we can lick our wounds, be ourselves, rest, and feel safe and cared for. That is what love is supposed to do. Love makes us feel safe and soothed rather than pressured to perform, or live up to some standard. Love comforts us when we are struggling. Jesus said he will give us rest and peace. We all need to ask ourselves, do the people I love feel soothed by me? Can my loved ones completely let down their guard around me? Are they emotionally safe?

If we all treated each other this way we wouldn’t have to worry about not getting it back from others. We do it with babies, but I will suggest that there is never a time in our lives when we don’t need that kind of soothing, where we can just surrender and be completely exposed in the presence of another person without fear.

In my opinion, the opposite of this love is judgment. When someone says something out of turn, makes a mistake, does something that we get angry about, and we judge them, we are coming with the rod. We need to learn to let people be who they are. Not that they can do whatever they want if it is sinful, but that they can be themselves. Accept people in the middle of their mistakes. God did that with you!

This is not just with our close loved ones by the way. Christians are to display this love to all people including our enemies. You know the best way to “get” someone who hurts you? Love the part of them that hurts so much that they have to ooze that pain out to others. Why not try to sooth that part of them and help them heal as a way to get them to stop, rather than hurting them back? Be a person who others feel soothed by, and seek out those who are able to sooth you when you need it. Ideally that would be everyone in the church.

VI. Love is Sincere 

Rom 12: 9 

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”

1 Pet 1: 22

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”

In these verses we see the purity of love. Hate evil (or as we learned, worthless or hurtful things), and hold fast to what is good. Purify your soul through obedience, and love from a pure heart. Purify your soul through obedience. Interesting.

Sounds like abiding again to me. We are being told that we can only love in a genuine, earnest way when we allow only goodness into our hearts and minds, and obey the truth (Jesus is the truth). The love that only comes from God as a fruit of the Spirit cannot be manifest when our minds are focused on sin or impure thoughts.

For instance, is it a sincere and pure love if you tell your wife you love her when she goes to bed, then go to the computer and surf porn sites? Are you loving your husband when you speak in a derogatory way about him to your girlfriends? Are you loving Jesus if you are not obeying his words?

VII. Love is Stubborn

1 Cor 13: 7 

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Psalm 118:1 – 4, 29 

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

The love that is from God never ends. Could you imagine if it did? Humans would have been obliterated eons ago. God bears with us, he believes in us, he hopes with us, and he endures our constant disobedience and wandering away from him. We are the prodigals.

This love is not dependent on other’s behavior, it is unconditional for the person, but may not be accepting of sinful behavior. Unconditional love means you love the person, but still confront the behavior. That is why God’s love sometimes looks harsh, but the motive is always for our good.

I always shake my head when I hear couples split up because they are not in love anymore. What does that have to do with anything? What does “in love” mean? I think in today’s world it means; “My selfish desires are getting met.” When we fall out of love it means we’re bored with the person. That’s not love, real love cannot be shaken, you cannot stop loving if it is real agape love, the essential nature of this love is that it is endless.

Basically love never gives up on anybody, no matter what they do, no matter what we feel. … And finally,

VIII. Love is Supreme 

1 Cor 13:1 – 3 

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not 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 have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

Matt 22:37 – 38

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”

There it is. Nothing is more important to God than love. But as we have seen, it is not the cultural romantic notion of love, or the feeling of love. It is the sacrificial, humble, persevering love that he has shown throughout the history of humanity. It is the love that confronts and disciplines so that the person being loved will not stray and end up in hell.

Tough love is often looked at as harsh, but in reality it is the strongest form of love because it is given to help pull someone out of their bad behavior. Tough love is Agape love. If you truly love someone you will want them to change bad behavior for their own sake so that they can grow in Christ and live a better life. 

Pastor Kris Belfils

Vernon McGee calls Love the “energy of the Spiritual gifts,” because Paul makes it very clear that any gifts without love are useless. It is the first fruit of the Spirit because it is the only one that is absolutely required.

But let’s return to the great and first commandment in Matthew 22 for a minute. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second is like it, to love your neighbors.” When God says something is first, it is first. Love is the first or supreme fruit, and loving God is the first or supreme commandment.

He means that without this first foundational commandment, the others are unattainable, and in these first two depend all the Law and the prophets.

First of all notice it says, “the Lord your God,” emphasizing the lordship he has over us and the obedience that is our way to love him. Then it says, “with all your heart,” which is the feeling center of our being, “with all our soul,” which is the seat of our will, and “with all our mind,” the thinking part of us.

This is said in this way to represent the whole of our being. We are to love God with our feelings, our will, and our rational mind, and let me suggest that if even one of these is missing, the others are probably lacking as well. This is especially true of the soul or will. It is only by surrendering our will to the Lord that we experience Him fully.

We can love him with our mind by reading all the great things he has done for us, we can have warm loving feelings toward him because of these things, and may I suggest that this is where many Christians are stuck. The part that is lacking is an experience of Him that makes the thoughts and feelings about Him real.

Often people will only allow God so far into their heart and then no more. Is this you? If so, you have a lot of head knowledge about God and His love, but no heart knowledge, or experience. I can see how this prevents a personal relationship with God. If we did this with people we love in our lives our relationships would be shallow and cold.

Has God forgiven you of much? Do you believe that God exists? Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul, and mind? Now I know it’s easy to say yes, but if your entire life was on video tape, would anyone be able to tell that this is true?

Sometimes Christians try very hard to love other people, but their love for God is weak, and Paul says this gains us nothing. You can’t make up for not loving God by trying to love others more. You will pay an emotional price for this because you are not tapped into the source. When you drink the juice and eat the bread during communion are you really communing with Him?

You might be saying, that it’s an awfully tall order to love like this, and you would be right. It is not only the first and most important of the spiritual fruit, but it’s also the hardest to do through human will. That is why it is a spiritual fruit and not an inherent human character trait, and why we are commanded to do it so often. It is not in our nature.

The love we require in order to love God, and others like this, comes from God (It’s a bit of a dilemma, I am asked to love God but I can’t unless I get the love from him, which requires me to love him. But I remind you again that loving him is defined by obedience to his commands, something we can in our souls, will ourselves to do with the help of the Holy Spirit), so the other question is, do you have a deep intimate, obedient relationship with the Lord that allows this fruit to be manifest in your life?

Again I will suggest that if you do not love God like the commandment says, and as John tells us, you don’t really know Him, you haven’t really experienced Him, and that is why the church should exist, to help you build that relationship. God wants us to be that church, and I want us to be that church.

Are you growing in Christ and changing, or just going to church, going through the motions, smiling at people, listening to sermons, but never applying what you have heard? Truthfully, what a waste of time then! We should be growing, changing, and becoming more like Christ everyday. We should be seeing areas in our lives that need change and be determined for change to come. How can we reach out to our community when we are too self-observed and unwilling to change?  We can’t!

Open your heart to more love, Agape love, in your life. Hunger for the Fruit of the Spirit to be manifested in your life!

This is just small look at the fruit of love. Research in God’s word for yourself what all that fruit looks like, tastes like, and share it with others!

Your Sister,

Pastor Kris Belfils

http://www.krisbelfils.com

http://www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

http://www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

(My blog is usually my own writings, in this case this sermon was based off of Sean Harder’s message: “Fruit of the Spirit – Love”)

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Loving People Into Transformation

Loving People Into TransformationEvery person on this earth wants to be loved and accepted. We want to know we are valuable and cherished. Even the hardest of hearts has a weak spot… Love.

Earlier this month we celebrated Valentines day. To many, they don’t like this celebration because they may be without a Valentine. We celebrate love as a Nation every year at this time. Why? Because everyone wants to be loved.

Songwriters have written songs like; “Love is all you need,” or “Love will keep us together.” How about; “I’m all out of love, and so lost without you.”

Let’s remind ourselves of the One Who has loved us first and the most:

John 3:16 NLT

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

God loved us, so He gave… He gave up the very person he cherished the most, Jesus Christ, because God had to save the world from utter damnation. This is extravagant love. Our minds have a hard time wrapping itself around the thought of this. But God loved people enough to send His only Son to save us from spending eternity in Hell. This is powerful love!

We, as the World, need this transforming love in us and we need to show this love to others. We need to cherish people like God does. We need to love people into transformation.

LOVING PEOPLE INTO TRANSFORMATION

(Based on 1 Corinthians 13:1 – 13)

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1 – 13. In it states if we don’t have love we have nothing. Love takes its time. It is not in a hurry. It comes with no expectations. It just is.

So what is 1 Corinthians 13:1 – 13 actually saying? Love is such a simple subject, yet very complex. Matters of the heart are hard to define. In this passage of scripture we will see the very basic important points we must consider to gage our love for others and their love for us, and our love for God and His love for us, and apply it to our lives.

1.  Love is superior to speaking languages or intellect.

1 Corinthians 13:1 (CEV)

“What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 

Having the highest intellect or ability to speak languages known and unknown doesn’t mean a thing if you have no love.

People are more important then boasting about our abilities and knowledge.

What good is having the ability of speaking to any nation if you have no love for that nation? People know if you are sincere.

Noisy gong or a clanging cymbal makes a lot of noise, but really has no other use. This is what our intellect or the ability to speak in various languages has when compared to loving people. We are “noisy” when we put all of these above love. Love conquers all and sees all.

2.  Love authenticates spiritual gifts.

I Corinthians 13:2 

“What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others.”

I have seen people “prophecy” in a very judgmental, critical tone and think it is okay, but there was no love in it, not even tough love. It actually did more damage then good. Far too often Christian people put a higher priority on Spiritual gifts then they do loving people. Someone with a true Spiritual gift will flow God’s love.

We can have all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and live a very lonely life, all because we choose to be selfish and not love others. People have spent years of their life trying to gain worldly wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, but without love, all their intellect is in vain. We can’t take our intellect to heaven when Christ comes to take us home, but we can take His love that is flowing through us to others to heaven. It originated there. Combining love with our knowledge is powerful. It will help you make godly decisions instead of worldly ones.

God knows what motivates us to do things. If you are ministering or confronting people and there is no love, it will come across as harsh, stale, and very mean. People respond to correction that is given in love. Correction that is given in just intellect or without love will have a negative affect on the receiver. People will listen and respond easier to correction given in love.

If you are correcting your children when they have done something wrong, but don’t have love, you are in the wrong. It will scar their lives forever. Yes, you need to correct your children, but take a moment to relax your anger. Take a moment to respond to them in a loving way. There are too many grown adults who were corrected and abused from their parents all because there was no love in their correction. Always remember your children will grow up to be adults and how you treat them today will form them into the adult they will become. Ask God for His wisdom and always put on love when correcting your children.

3.  Love is not self-profiting. 

1 Corthinthians 13:3

“What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.”

What if we gave all that we owned to the poor, but our motive was not backed with love? It is all worthless. We wouldn’t gain a thing.

“If we give away all we have, while we withhold the heart from God, it will not profit. Nor even the most painful sufferings. How are those deluded who look for acceptance and reward for their good works, which are as scanty and defective as they are corrupt and selfish!”

Matthew Henry Commentary

Giving to the poor is a selfish act if not accompanied with love. Selfish in that you want to be seen for your deed, instead of lovingly reaching out and helping someone.

“If all that a man had were dealt out in this way, in small portions, so as to benefit as many as possible, and yet were not attended “with true love toward God and toward man,” it would be all false, hollow, hypocritical, and really of no value in regard to his own salvation. It would profit nothing. It would not be such an act as God would approve; it would be no evidence that the soul would be saved. Though good might be done to others, yet where the “motive” was wrong, it could not meet with the divine approbation, or be connected with his favor.”

Albert Barnes Commentary

When you think about it, being selfish is the opposite of love. If you find yourself thinking about yourself and wanting things your way, this is not love. Which leads to my next point.

 4.  Love is selfless.

1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7

“Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.” 

Kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, arrogant, or rude: Can you place your love for others in these categories?

Taking the time with others when they need your help is showing love. When you are waiting for someone to do something you want them to do, do you wait patiently?

Do you show kindness and speak kind words, even when it is to your enemy?

Do you get jealous when someone you love succeeds or do you rejoice with them?

Do you remember the wrong people have done to you and bring it up to them? It is hard to love people who have wronged you. Seriously, it is hard to forgive someone who has wronged you. People will let you down. People will hurt you. Their lack of awareness to the wrong they have done can paralyze us if we let it. God requires us to love each other as He loves us. We are to abound in love. Knowing this gives us an insight on our own character. If we hold a wrong against someone, we truly do not love them… OUCH! The good news is that we can ask God to help us love one another. Paul wrote that we can increase and abound in our love for each other.

1 Thess. 3:12 (NKJV)

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you.”

How do we love our enemy or those who have wronged us? We pray for them. It is not easy, but pray for them.

We need to rejoice in truth and not in evil. Don’t be happy when evil prevails. Fight for justice for yourself and for others.

Do you remain calm when someone is angry, or do you get angry yourself which complicates matters worse?

The New Testament word for ‘love’ is ‘agape’. It is not the natural love for a friend or a relative. It is the kind of love that God shows to people. We do not deserve it and we can never earn it. So, when we know God’s love, we should show that same love to other people. (www.easyenglish.info Bible Commentary).

 5.  Love is eternal and imperishable. 

1 Corinthians 13:8 – 10

“Love never fails! Everyone who prophesies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten. We don’t know everything, and our prophecies are not complete. 1But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn’t perfect will then disappear.” 

Love never is to be out of use; it always holds its place. It will always be fresh and usable.

Prophesies, and unknown languages are gifts from God for us today, but this scripture lets us see the importance compared to having love for others. There is no comparison. These gifts are important, but loving others is even more important. It doesn’t matter if you have these gifts yet never show love to others.

Love is God, and God is love. It is the very essence of God. The gifts are just that; gifts from God. The gifts are for edification while we are on this earth. When we get to heaven these gifts will no longer be relevant or needed. But love will always remain. Love is eternal and imperishable.

All these things will pass away, and all that is not perfect will pass away, but love will never fail!

6.  Love is mature

1 Corinthians 13:11 – 12

“When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.” 

Don’t think like a child any longer. Put away childish ways of being selfish and arrogant.

Even in our pursuit of love on this earth, it really is a cloudy picture we have right now. Some sweet day we will see God face to face. We will see Him as He is. Then we will understand God’s love completely.

7.  Love is the greatest.

1 Corinthians 13:13

“For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.”

Faith, hope and love have been a well-known group of qualities. Paul speaks about them in other letters.

1 Thessalonians 1:3

“…remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.”

Colossians 1:4-5. 

“…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.”

But now abideth faith, hope, love. These three shall survive. They are eternal. They continue to exist in the church, and shall not fail in its glorified state. As long as the redeemed saint shall have future ages before him, so long will trust in God and hope give them brightness, while love itself is the very atmosphere of the divine life. These three words explain the whole of the Christian life in this world. Christians have faith that God will forgive them because of Christ’s sacrifice. They have hope for the future, because of Christ’s resurrection. They live a life of faith and hope among Christian brothers and sisters whom they love.

The greatest of these is love. The greatest because it glorifies both faith and hope, sanctifies every faculty and Christian grace, is the very moving impulse of the gospel, and is the one quality that is divine. “God is love.” Love is the greatest, because God himself is love. A friendship with Him will never end, but it will continue into eternity.

1 John 4:8

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

If you are struggling to love people, take a look at your relationship with God. Do you really know Him? Chances are you don’t because God is love! He loved the world so He gave…. If we want to be more like Jesus, we have to embrace people and love them with the love He has given us. If not, we will just be a noisy clanky gong and live a miserable life.

Now after reading 1 Cor. 13 and studying it together, turn this passage of scripture around and see this is how God is towards us. Substitute the word Love for God in verses 4 – 8 and it will read like this: “4Love God is kind and God is patient, God is never jealous, boastful, proud, or 5rude. Love God isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It God doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others we do. 6Love God rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. 7Love God is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love God never fails…”

Even if that person is rejecting you or behaving badly, the love of God in you helps you to continue in a relationship with them. You are praying and believing God will change their hearts and outlook. You know that the same Holy Spirit Who works on your heart is working on theirs. God pursues us constantly. He doesn’t force us to love Him or even like Him. Yet He relentlessly pursues us. We are valuable to Him. He never gives up on us.

Jeremiah 31:1

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love, With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.”

God is constantly pursuing us. He draws us with His love. His love is everlasting, and never-changing.

How did Jesus forgive the very ones who were crucifying Him? With Godly love. It wasn’t human love that held him to the cross. It was the love of the Father that gave him strength to fulfill the redemptive plan to save this world.

We are ignorant to the fullness of God’s love He has for us. Yet, we can taste a little of His love on earth by opening up ourselves and receiving His love. Often times we reject God’s love thinking, “We are not good enough” or “He could never love me after what I have done.” These are just excuses for not receiving His love. His love is unconditional. It doesn’t have attachments connected to it.

God just puts His love out for us to receive it again and again. Eventually, through circumstances and finding the right pieces to the puzzle, we see how much God loves us and we start receiving His love in our hearts. When we finally receive His love it fills us to the point we even wonder why we fought it in the first place.

God’s love is contagious. People will sense and see something different about you. You are walking in God’s love, which is not of this world, and the people will be drawn to you. Not because of anything you have done, but because of the Love of God in you.

Ministering to people, without having love in your heart for them, will not have the abundant fruit you are looking for. We, as ministers, have to be full of God’s love, and out of the overflow we will minister successfully to others.

Don’t Fake The Front

People know if you are fake or genuine.  We can’t “Fake The Front” and still be productive in the Kingdom of God. Faking the front is when you pretend you love someone and act like everything is okay when it is not.

God sees your heart and He knows you are not being genuine. Ask God to teach you to love with the love He has given you.

1 John 4:8 (NKJV)

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

1 John 4:11 (NKJV)

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

We can love others with Godly, Agape love. This is genuine love that will never fail.

Once you start loving people with the genuine love of God, you will see open doors before you. Why? Because God’s favor goes before you. You are oozing with God’s love and it can’t help but minister to others.

People will want what you have. They will see you are different from other people. You will get promoted at work over others that are more qualified, all because you finally have received God’s love and show it to others.

God opens these doors because you are His hand extended. You have been transformed by His love and now can be trusted with greater things.

Your demeanor changes. Your countenance changes. You are more pleasant to be around. You value people more. You show appreciation towards your work and the things you do at your job all because the love of God is flowing in you.

Love is…

“Saying ‘No’ to your self and ‘yes’ to someone else.”

(John 3:16 – God loved so He gave)

This has been taught and instilled in me from a precious lady, “Connie Hise.” She has shown genuine love for others and the Love of God flows out of her as she ministers.

I have seen this in my own ministry. People won’t care what you have to say until they see you care. It would only be a clanging gong if I ministered out of head knowledge and not a heart of love.

People take time to change. There is a process for healing. There is a process for understanding. There is a process to changing. All people have a higher level of potential they can climb to, but the very thing that is blocking their accent could be the lack of feeling loved or cherished.

Love people as they are transforming to be more like Jesus. There will be hard times, times you will want to give up on them, but don’t give up. You might even be misunderstood, but it is all worth seeing someone receive the love of God which will empower and change their lives.

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

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iLove

iLoveHope Fellowship is a family. We have a foundation of God’s love. All we do here is based on God’s love.

Video:  “Love Life”

Love. This is a word that in today’s world has more meaning than probably any other word. You can love your family. You can love your church. You can love sports. You can love food. You can love Diet Pepsi, Starbucks Skinny decaf Grande with sugar free vanilla, even chocolate.

And the definition of love has been so marginalized that many times we really don’t understand what love really is. We use the word so often and in so many ways, we tend to lose focus of what it really means to LOVE someone.

Christ understands the word LOVE. He knows what that word means, He knows the value of this word. He knows how to love. And we as Christians must do what we can to also understand this word…in the way Christ understands this word.

Until we understand love from God’s perspective, we will have an extremely difficult time reaching this world for Christ. Because people don’t really care about what you have to say if they don’t know that you care about them…that you love them.

Over the last few weeks we have been looking at the word; “encouragement.” We have learned how to encourage ourselves and others. Today, I want to look at the word; “love” and focus on how love can encourage one another.

1. HOW DO WE LOVE?

We love according to God’s definition of love. The Bible teaches us that loving people with God’s love should be first and foremost in our minds and hearts. Next Sunday we will be looking at loving people to transformation. Love is powerful!

Prov. 3:1 – 4 (NIV)
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”

a.) Like Jesus did.

His entire earthly life consisted of loving the unlovely. He loved everyone he met, even those who crucified Him. The Example of Love gave us a commandment to live by:

John 13:34
“And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

This isn’t a suggestion, but a new commandment. If you are one who likes to follow the rules, which we all should be doing, this rule was given by God to love one another. It has to become a part of our everyday life. You can see this same command in many scriptures in the New Testament: John 13:35, John 15:12, John 15:17, Romans 12:10, Romans 13:8, Hebrews 10:24, 1 Peter 1:22.

Rom 12:10
“Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another.”

Rom 13:8
“Be under obligation to no one—the only obligation you have is to love one another. Whoever does this has obeyed the Law.”

Heb 10:24
“Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good.”

1Pe 1:22
“Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.”

There are so many more verses that express how we are to love one another. To me, seeing all these verses tells me that God really wants to get this point across to us! Don’t neglect others and loving them.

b)  With our words

EPH 4:29
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

What we say to people:  Encourage them! This is one of the highest forms of love in action. Encouragement goes a long way. I can do just about anything with the right encouragement.

What we say about people:  Watch what you say about others to your  family/friends/c-workers – Don’t gossip

What we say for people:  Supporting and standing up for others

c)  With our actions (deeds)

Matthew 5:14 – 16
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

We have to invest in each other! Love is time spent with another. Words often don’t cut it when it comes to love. We have to spend time with others. Spending time with someone shows you care and that you are interested in their life.

Be kind to everybody. Remember love is kind (1 Cor. 13). We will be discussing 1 Corinthians 13 in more detail next Sunday. There is no reward in being mean to others. It only shows your character, and it hurts others. Would you like to be treated by the way you treat others?

2. WHOM DO WE LOVE?

a. Let’s answer this by looking at what Christ said about it when He was asked this same question?

Matt. 22:34 – 36
“But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Matt. 22:37 – 40
“Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

What is so interesting about the lawyer’s question is what leads up to this question. You see, throughout the years leading up to Jesus ministry, the Pharisees had been grappling with a problem among themselves.

Here was their problem: The Pharisees were considered the most pious & holy and they were considered holy as much as they could humanly keep the 613+ Old Testament laws in their society. The problem is that they (obviously) could not humanly obey all theses laws. So, they decided to make amendments to the laws – called “Oral tradition.” They added their own “interpretation” (or “reinterpretation”) to the laws so that they would be able to keep all the laws.

After realizing that even this didn’t work out, they decided to settle on the position that each person should focus on just keeping the “Big 10”- The 10 Commandments. But after quickly realizing that the human heart is even incapable of keeping just 10 commandments, they collaborated and decided that one could be considered holy IF he could say that he has kept ONE commandment 100% of the time. So, there was a debate as to which ONE should be adopted as the ONE commandment everyone should keep.

…It must be the greatest commandment – one worthy and most notable of keeping.

It was at this point in the Pharisee’s debate that this lawyer’s question & conversation with Jesus takes place.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.”

You see, the reason why you obey commandments is NOT just to obey commandments for holiness…obeying commands is ALWAYS out of a heart APPRECIATION for who God is and what He has done for us!

So, if you love God, you’ll obey him. If you don’t love God, you won’t love obeying his commandments.

THEN after he settled the debate amid the Pharisees…Jesus added a SECOND commandment that is an OUTGROWTH of the first. Meaning – Jesus was saying that IF you love God…it is a given that your heart will love people!!

Matthew 22:39

“And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

If you want others to know that you truly love God…the sign will be that you love ALL people. And ALL people refers to far more than those who look like you, that talk like you, that live where you live and go to the same places as you do.

We must love ALL people. Meaning, even those who we’re not comfortable around. Those who the pious among us might think we shouldn’t even spend time with. Look what Jesus did and said…

Luke 15:1-2
“Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

And in a parable Jesus said…

Luke 15:6b-7
‘…Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

You see Jesus loved them all. He didn’t care their background, He didn’t care what they looked like. He just loved them. And why wouldn’t He? He knew that it was for them He would die!

3. WHY SHOULD WE LOVE?

Revelation 2:1-3
“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.”

It all sounds good, right? Don’t we all love a doctrinally strong church? Isn’t that what every serious believer in Jesus Christ looks for in a church? So, what’s the problem?

Revelation 2:4

“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

This love refers to love for God and people!

You see, to the church of Ephesus, they were so concerned that people maintained the same theological standard (and this is good) but they forgot to love the person!

Why should we love in God’s definition of love? Because if we don’t Christ will hold this against us. And my friends, we must never allow ourselves to be in the position of Christ having something against us. We want Christ to be for us.

Rom. 8:31
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

We want to stand with Christ. To stand in His truth. To stand in His love. To stand with His power.

Rom. 5:8
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God demonstrated His love by sending His son to die for us. God did something with His love. He sent His son. And today, we must also DO something with our love for others, for the lost, we must love people to JESUS!

We must share the love of Christ to this lost world. We must love people into transformation. We will be looking at this next week, but today, be determined to love people, even the not so lovely. How do we do this? With the love God has given us.

We can’t love with God’s love within our own strength. This is something I have been preaching in Hope Fellowship since it’s conception. We love others with God’s love.

God can and will teach us how to love others with His love if we ask Him. Once you do, your outlook on people will change. You will genuinely love others and might even be surprised at your heart and reaction or actions towards others.

God’s love is a magnet. People will be attracted to you because of the love of God in you. God’s favor will go before you and open more and more doors to share His love.

                                                       iLove
Let “iLove” be your motto in life! You might be hurt, and people might even reject you trying to love them, but still be Jesus’ hand extended in the flesh to others. “iLove” will bring down walls and melt the hardest heart. God’s love is powerful. Let’s utilize it for God’s glory and win our world for Christ. Be determined to choose and say “iLove” people no matter what they do, or who they are!

For those who do not know God:
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:

“Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I ask for Your forgiveness Lord of all the wrong I have done. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that I am forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you!

Pastor Kris Belfils
www.krisbelfils.com
www.hopefellowshipspokane.com
www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

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Be An Encourager

Be An EncouragerOne of the great tragedies of our time is that there are so few kind people around. There are plenty of mean spirited, critical, cynical people, but there are few who just take the time to be kind as a lifestyle.

I believe that this is how every child of God ought to be. Let’s be honest, all of us are at times opinionated, self-centered, rude and sometimes just plain mean in our dealings with other people. This ought not to be! I believe that the Lord would have us to practice a ministry of encouragement as we pass through this world.

Fifty-seven years ago, on June 18, 1956, a freak accident happened on a lake in New York. A speeding motorboat bounced on a wave and shot into the water two of its passengers, a 50-year old man and a little girl. To keep her from drowning, the man held her head above water while the boat circled back. They rescued the girl. But the man sank and drowned.

That’s how Dawson Trotman died, the founder of the Navigators, an international discipleship ministry. According to a quote in Time Magazine, “He lived to save others. His death was just the way he would have planned it.” I read somewhere that his obituary reads like this: “Dawson Trotman, always lifting someone up.”

Now that’s a legacy. Would that be yours, too? That you live to save others? That you always lift someone up? In a word, encouragement. Today, we will talk about “The Power of Encouragement.”

Be An Encourager

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

In the Greek, the word “encourage” means “to call to one’s side, to comfort, to console, to strengthen.” Basically, to put courage in. At the time of the writing of Hebrews, there was a great persecution. Our tendency during such trying times would be to save our skin or to each his own. But, the book of Hebrews encourages us to encourage one another.

“Encouragement is the kind of expression that helps someone want to be a better Christian, even when life is rough… To encourage is to inspire another with courage.”

Unknown

Your very encouragement could be the very thing to help someone survive!

It is interesting to note that the Greek word for “encourage” is the one used for the name “Comforter” of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). People usually equate the works of the Spirit with signs and wonders. But, when we encourage one another, we show that the Spirit really dwells among us. Encouragement, I believe, is the best indicator that the Spirit is working in and through our church.

The word “encourage” is in the present tense. It means a habit or a way of life. In fact, Hebrews commands us to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today” (Hebrews 3:13). It is also in the active voice. It means we don’t wait for others to encourage us. But we take the initiative. We must encourage even if others could not, even if others would not. Note that we are to “encourage one another”. That means that it is not only for pastors but for every one of us.

Hebrews 3:12-13 

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

When a person is discouraged, when we fail to encourage, sin can deceive and harden his heart to the point that it becomes sinful and unbelieving, leading the person to turn his back from God.

“People live by encouragement. Without it they die. Slowly… Sadly… Bitterly.”

Unknown

Going back to:

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

“let us consider…” It means “to observe attentively, fix one’s eyes or mind upon.” In short, we are to focus on encouraging one another. It is never accidental but intentional.

I like how The Message expresses it: “Let’s see how inventive we can be…” Let us think of creative ways of encouraging others.

14 Ways To Encourage Others 101

1.  Encourage someone by using your gifts and talents and making something for them.

How special it is when we use our encouragement and God given gifts to help others. It’s such a simple thing to give to others using our natural gifts, whatever that gift is in each of us such as encouraging with a written card, or  cooking a meal for someone, or giving a piece of your art, or singing a song to them, etc…. I think we sometimes dismiss this idea because we don’t think the gift we have, could make a difference in the life of someone else, BUT IT DOES!

2.  Encourage someone by praying for them.

3.  Encourage someone by praising them when they do good! (Be specific and truthful)

Saying, “Good Job” can go a long way in someone heart. You know how it is if you worked hard on something and nobody noticed. Learn how to give words of praise.  (LIST of encouraging phrases)

4.  Encourage someone by giving them a hug.

A hug goes a long long long way! Never underestimate the power of a hug. A hug is comforting. It reassures the receiver that you care and are interested in their life. Hugging someone brings security. If you want to get closer to someone, give them a hug.

We could learn form the way team athletes freely pat, touch, and high-five each other in competition. Often even a touch on the shoulder connects you with someone else. A touch expresses connection. It breaks down walls and allows freer conversation and interaction.

“A hug is the perfect gift–one size fits all,

and nobody minds if you exchange it.”

–Ivern Ball

5.  If an encouraging thought comes to mind, share it!

6.  When someone is discouraged or hurting, offer specific, practical help.

7.  Remind fellow Christians of the specific promises of God for their situation.

8.  Write someone a note of encouragement when God places them on your heart.

9.  Make celebration a more regular part of your relationships. (Celebrate the good)

10.  If you are part of a church Bible study or Fellowship, be committed to showing up!

How does this help? You could be the encouragement someone needs. You could receive encouragement from someone. Being faithful in fellowship makes you stronger in your faith. Being faithful encourages your Pastor or leader!

11.  If someone you know is working on a large project, send her a flower, or text him words of encouragement! 

12.  Use encouragement as an outreach!

Encouraging a non-Christian shows your Christian witness. It shows you care. Encouraging someone is a form of love, and Christians should be known by their love.

13.  When you see someone making positive changes in their life, affirm them.

14.  Tell people how they have encouraged you! (Even an encourager needs encouragement!)

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Verse 24 continues, “let us consider how we may spur one another on…”

To spur means “to stir up, provoke, stimulate or incite someone to do something.” In other words, to create a thirst. A thirst for what? “toward love and good deeds.” That’s how we measure encouragement. It is not a fuzzy feeling. Always remember, as the song goes, “Feelings are nothing more than feelings.” If someone became a more loving person or a better person, then we really encouraged him or her.

Verse 25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

We usually use this verse to remind people to be faithful in attending church services. However, note the conjunction “but”. It gives a strong contrast between the clauses “Let us not give up meeting together” and “let us encourage one another”. That means that, even if we attend church services, if we fail to encourage others, we have not obeyed this verse to the full extent. Encouragement is the purpose of our meeting together, whether it is a worship service or a small group meeting.

“It is easy to laugh at men’s ideals; it is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word.” 

William Barclay

So what about you? Are you an encourager? Even if it is not your personality, there is hope! Allow yourself to be more like Jesus and you are on your way to being an encourager. Jesus had compassion on people and touched them. Even when other people were ready to stone the Adulterous woman, Jesus was offering forgiveness and hope.

How easy it is to keep to yourself and not reach out to others who are hurting. But that is just being selfish and weak. It takes a strong person, willing to step outside of their comfort box, and help another human being. Let it be you!

Remember the time you needed encouragement. What if no one was willing to help you? Where would you be? What if Jesus decided to be selfish and not go to the cross for you and I? Where would we be?

This is a pretty simple message today, but it is so needed in the body of Christ. Hope Fellowship is a church built on family, love, and support. We are the “Imperfect who are perfectly welcome to passionately know Christ and make Him known.” This is our mission statement! May it begin with me. May it begin with you. Let us be a church who is known for our acceptance and ministry of encouragement towards others. Do you know this is what people crave?

Let’s read the main text again:

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Your Pastor,

Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

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Overcome Or Be Overcome – Part 2 (Are You A Hoarder?)

UN-FORGIVENESS IS…

1. Un-forgiveness is Disobedience

2. Un-forgiveness gives Satan an advantage over us.

3. Un-forgiveness is Bondage.

4. Un-forgiveness is Poison.

Un-forgiveness is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. Being mad at another person only hurts you. You might pull away from the other person thinking that you are punishing them, but you are really putting yourself in prison and drinking poison. Every time you think about what happened, instead of getting angry, start to pray for them.

Mat 5:44 KJV

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

Don’t hold on to feelings of bitterness and resentment and let them poison your future. Let go of those hurts and pains. Forgive the people who did you wrong. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made. You may even need to forgive God for allowing it to happen to you.

You will never be truly happy as long as you harbor bitterness in your heart. You will wallow in self-pity, always feeling sorry for yourself, thinking that life hasn’t dealt you a fair hand. You must let go of those negative attitudes and the accompanying anger. Change the channel of your thinking and start focusing on the goodness of God.

CHANGE THE CHANNEL

We all know how to use the remote control to change the channels on the TV. If we see something we don’t like, no big deal – we just flip channels. We need to learn how to mentally change channels when negative images of the past pop up in our minds unexpectedly. Unfortunately, when some people see those negative experiences on their minds’ “screens,” instead of quickly changing the channels, they pull up a chair and get some popcorn, as though they’re going to watch a good movie. They willingly allow themselves to relive all those hurts and pains. Then they wonder why they are depressed, upset, or discouraged. They wonder why they NEVER get over it. Learn to change the channel. Don’t let your mind or your emotions drag you down into despair. Instead, dwell on the good things God has done in your life.

How do we overcome un-forgiveness?

1. TAKE THE GARBAGE OUT ON A REGULAR BASIS!!!

Don’t allow this junk to fester. Don’t pet the pity monster or it will get bigger.

2. WALK IN LOVE

Un-forgiveness is the opposite of love. What legacy are you leaving behind when you die? When you pass away people will not esteem you and remember you fondly for being standoffish or filled with un-forgiveness. NO! They will remember you for the love and warmth you showed to them and others. Forgiveness is a choice; based on obedience of God’s command, that is clearly set forth in His Word… that we “walk in love”.

Think about being out in your yard, watering your garden and your flowers, and you get a kink in the hose… the water stops flowing. If you don’t water your flowers and plants, eventually they will die. Here you are, you have ten million gallons of water sitting in a water tower somewhere, but one little twist, a kink in the hose stops it from flowing.

Listen: We have all of God’s power, God’s blessing, and God’s grace, but a kink, a twist in your heart, of bitterness or un-forgiveness can stop it from flowing in your life. It is important that we get all of those areas free, and the river of life flowing at all times. We have to remember that; out of the heart flow the issues of life. Guard your heart, keep it with all diligence, Solomon said.

We know that Jesus dealt with the inner man, the “hidden man of the heart“, as Peter referred to it. Paul spoke of the inner man, guarding and keeping on the inside.

We are living in an hour where the Holy Spirit is saying: “walk in love.”

Eph 5:2  (KJV)

“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.”

I like how the Message Bible states this verse…

Eph 5:2 (MSG)

“Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us, but to give everything of himself to us. We need to love like that.”

3.     WE FORGIVE OTHERS THROUGH GOD’S FORGIVENESS FOR US!

How can we forgive? Where do we get the strength? We get it through God’s forgiveness for us. He forgave through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross. Because He forgave us, when Jesus died and bore our sins and took our penalty, was crucified and buried and then raised from the dead, so that God could offer forgiveness and salvation to every person. This is our pattern, our example, and our help, through faith and obedience to forgive others.

Close your eyes right now. See Jesus on the cross crucified. Do you see his wounds? Can you see the effects of the beatings and lashes he took? Do you see the blood coming down off His forehead where the crown of thrones was placed? Do you see the nails in his hands and feet? Do you see the anguish and love on his face? Place the person who has wounded you into the wounds of Jesus. He died for your sins and those done to you. Have a conversation with the Lord, and choose to forgive “anyone” and “everyone” who has ever offended you. He may bring to your remembrance people who have hurt you and you have not yet forgiven. Speak out of your mouth, through faith, that you choose to forgive and let it go.

Whenever that person comes to your mind, and you think of how you were hurt or offended, or even destroyed, remind yourself that you have chosen to forgive, and each time it will get easier because the Lord will give you the strength. Once you have done this, and choose to walk in love through faith and obedience in the future, hold on to your chair because the Lord will begin to release all those things you have been believing Him for. Weed the garden of your heart and keep all things that are not of love far away from you.

Ephesians 4:31

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor (quarreling) and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice (malice gets into that area of hatred because of bitterness and resentment).” 

Notice these are all cousins, they are all related, and they are in the un-forgiveness family. Bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, evil speaking (talking ugly about people you are bitter against, you say vile things, slanderous reports, remarks that degrade) and malice (angry hatred) let it be put away (this means to get rid of it; get over it; deal with it; overcome it) it is a command from the Lord.

Eph. 4:32

“And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.”

In verse 32, the Lord commands us to be kind toward one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving. So don’t just get rid of it, but put positive things in its place. Replace being bitter, angry, speaking evil, and unforgiving with love, mercy, grace, self-control, and forgiveness.

Ephesians 32, continues …as God in Christ forgave you.”

♥God was willing to forgive you before you even thought about repenting.

♥Jesus didn’t wait to die on the cross until after you decided to repent. He died on the cross long before you thought about repenting. He chose to forgive you.

♥If we choose to forgive, as God forgave us, then when are we actually going to forgive?

♥God’s forgiveness is based on His love. It is not based on that person’s response, actions, or repentance.

♥It doesn’t matter what that person does or doesn’t do in order to bring you to forgiveness. It is not about the other person and what they need to do.

♥It’s our being the bigger person and forgiving, that will allow restoration with people who don’t yet know how, or even deserve it.

♥You say “how can I forgive them, they don’t even want my forgiveness, they might not even be alive today.” It doesn’t matter, your choosing to love and to forgive is not based on their response, it is based on God’s love that is inside of you. It is based on what you need to do to be set free from the torment un-forgiveness brings.

♥Forgiveness is a decision not a feeling. We speak our choice to walk in love, and God will give us the strength to let it go. Even if you have to speak out that choice over and over again; “I choose to forgive!” it is better then holding it all in and ignoring it.

Remember you are walking in obedience to God when you choose to forgive. This pleases His heart, and the sin that separated you from God is gone and you become closer to Christ.

♥It wasn’t a suggestion, it wasn’t a pick and choose which person you want to forgive and who you will not; it was a command of God to put away anger, malice, strife, and get rid of it – and learn how to walk in love by keeping it out of your life.

4. BE UNDERSTANDING

We don’t know what that other person has gone through. Don’t say he doesn’t deserve your understanding. Don’t be quick to judge and condemn them in the court of your mind. There is always a reason behind every action. The real purpose in understanding is to help us see the difference between the sin and the sinner. Don’t try to understand the other person. Try instead to be understanding. Forgiveness brings restorations. We are commanded to dwell together in unity!

Psa 133:1-3 KJV

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments.” 

The Bible says, even though you “understand all mysteries and all knowledge but have not love, you are nothing” (1 Cor. 13). Be understanding. This is what love is. Love is an open, listening ear. Love is a warm, accepting heart. Love is an understanding friend.

Col. 3:12 – 14 

“Accept life, and be most patient and tolerant with one another, always ready to forgive if you have a difference with anyone. Forgive as freely as the Lord has forgiven you. And, above everything else, be truly loving, for love is the golden chain of all the virtues.”

Again the Message Bible says it well…

Col 3:12-14 MSG

“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” 

Understanding doesn’t mean you agree with the other person or what they did. Understanding is not unconditional acceptance, but it is acceptance in any condition, in any situation.

5. LEARN TO VALUE OTHERS

All their strengths and weaknesses. No body is perfect! Don’t expect others to be perfect.

Look at that unforgivable person in your life. They are human. They are someone whom Christ died for. No one whom Christ died for can be my enemy. If I love God, how can I keep from loving my brother?

1 John 4:20-21 HCSB

“If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from Him: the one who loves God must also love his brother.”

Before you write off the other person stop and think…

♥No one is too low to be an object of God’s love.

♥No one (however evil) is excluded from the forgiveness of God – only if they choose to walk away from it.

♥No one can be considered worthless, when Christ—God Himself—died for them.

♥No one is unlovable—if God loves them, then God can love him through me!

CONCLUSION:

WHAT TRASH DO YOU HAVE?

We all are human. That means we are not perfect. There might be past experiences that have hurt us, or attitudes we’ve developed that are not healthy and need to change. There might be memories that we need to give to God and allow Him to heal, so He can bring closure and help you forgive and get beyond it. These “issues” are the trash that we need to empty from our hearts. They are issues in our life that have built up through time, which will only cause stench if we do not take care of them.

What is stinking in your life?

Are there areas that you have not given up to God? Are there people that you have not forgiven? Do you need to forgive yourself? Do you harbor bitterness, anger, or resentment? Do you have self-righteousness piled up like dirty rags? Do you have pride stinking in your life? Have you not given God control of your life totally and completely? Do you see how you’ve tried to manipulate people or circumstances? Do you have fear built up that paralyzes you? Maybe you are an approval addict and now you see it for the first time. Do you criticize or judge people? Do you always look at the negative or look for the negative report? Do you see your lack of trust for God and want to start learning how to trust Him again? Do you find yourself always complaining? Maybe you don’t have a forgiveness issue, but you have actions or attitudes that you need to change to be more like Jesus. We all have areas in our lives that need God’s tender touch to bring change. Be encouraged to lay down your desires and dreams and allow God to direct your every step.

THE TRASH WILL NOT GO AWAY BY ITSELF!

Wishing the trash would go out will not get the trash out. Hoping the trash would be gone will not get the trash out. Even ignoring the trash will not prevent it from stinking up our homes. This is the same in our spiritual lives. We can wish, hope, or even try to ignore the issues in our hearts that keep coming up, but it will never go away until we turn it over to the Master Garbage Man and let Him take it all away. You will be surprised and stand amazed at what God will do as you yield your life totally to Him. He has a plan for your life and He is just waiting for you to let Him have the steering wheel to take you places you’ve never dreamed before.

Can you think of any Trash that has been piling up in your life? No matter how much trash you have, God has a container bigger! The key is to put your trash out and leave it there. As you do, your life will smell fresher and look cleaner because the Master Garbage Man has come and taken away all the trash that you have left out for Him. You can trust God to take it all away. He is faithful. He will make something new and fresh out of something that was thrown away or forgotten. Then your trash will not overcome you but you will overcome the trash!!

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

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Love People Into Transformation

Every person on this earth wants to be loved and accepted. We want to know we are valuable and cherished. Even the hardest of hearts has a weak spot… Love.

We celebrate love as a Nation every year at this time in the form of “Valentines Day.” Why? Because everyone wants to be loved.

Songwriters have written songs like; “Love is all you need,” or “Love will keep us together.” How about; “I’m all out of love, and so lost without you.”

Let’s remind ourselves of the One Who has loved us first and the most:

John 3:16 NLT

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

God loved us, so He gave… He gave up the very person he cherished the most, Jesus Christ, because God had to save the world from utter damnation. This is extravagant love. Our minds have a hard time wrapping itself around the thought of this. But God loved people enough to send His only Son to save us from spending eternity in Hell. This is powerful love!

We, as the World, need this transforming love in us and we need to show this love to others. We need to cherish people like God does. We need to love people into transformation.

LOVING PEOPLE INTO TRANSFORMATION

1. Love conquers all. Love covers all.

1 Corinthians 13:1 – 13 states if we don’t have love we have nothing. Love takes its time. It is not in a hurry. It comes with no expectations. It just is.

Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 13 together and discuss what it is actually saying:

1 Corinthians 13 (CEV)

“1What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 

  • Having the highest intellect or ability to speak languages known and unknown doesn’t mean a thing if you have no love.
  • People are more important then boasting about our abilities and knowledge.
  • What good is having the ability of speaking to any nation if you have no love for that nation?
  • Noisy gong or a clanging cymbal makes a lot of noise but really has no other use.

2What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others.

-I have seen people “prophecy” in a very judgmental, critical tone and think it is okay, but there was no love in it, not even tough love.

-We can have all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and live a very lonely life, all because we choose to be selfish and not love others.

-God knows what motivates us to do things. If you are ministering or confronting people and there is no love, it will come across as harsh, stale, and mean.

-If you are correcting your children when they have done something wrong, but don’t have love, you are in the wrong. It will scar their lives forever.

3What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.

-What if we gave all that we owned to the poor, but our motive was not backed with love? It is all worthless. We wouldn’t gain a thing, and really either would the person you gave everything too because you would have spoiled them and they would expect more and more. [Matthew Henery Commentary: “If we give away all we have, while we withhold the heart from God, it will not profit. Nor even the most painful sufferings. How are those deluded who look for acceptance and reward for their good works, which are as scanty and defective as they are corrupt and selfish!”]

-When you think about it, being selfish is the opposite of love. If you find yourself thinking about yourself and wanting things your way, this is not love.

4Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or 5rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. 6Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. 7Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. 

-Kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude:  Can you place your love for others in these categories?

-Taking the time with others when they need your help is showing love.

-When you  are waiting for someone to do something you want them to do, do you wait patiently?

-Do you show kindness and speak kind words, even when it is to your enemy?

-Do you get jealous when someone you love succeeds or do you rejoice with them?

-Do you remember the wrong people have done to you and bring it up to them?

-We need to rejoice in truth and not in evil. Don’t be happy when evil prevails. Fight for justice for yourself and for others.

-Do you remain calm when someone is angry, or do you get angry yourself which complicates matters worse?

-The New Testament word for ‘love’ is ‘agape’. It is not the natural love for a friend or a relative. It is the kind of love that God shows to people. We do not deserve it and we can never earn it. So, when we know God’s love, we should show that same love to other people. (www.easyenglish.info Bible Comentary).

8Love never fails! Everyone who prophesies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten. 9We don’t know everything, and our prophecies are not complete. 10But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn’t perfect will then disappear. 

-Prophesies, and unknown languages are gifts from God for us today, but this scripture lets us see the importance compared to having love for others. There is no comparison. These gifts are important, but loving others is even more important. It doesn’t matter if you have these gifts yet never show love to others. Love is God, and God is love. It is the very essence of God. The gifts are just that; gifts from God.

-All these things will pass away, and all that is not perfect will pass away, but love will never fail!

11When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. 12Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. 

-Don’t think like a child any longer. Put away childish ways of being selfish and arrogant.

-Even in our pursuit of love on this earth, it really is a cloudy picture we have right now. Some sweet day we will see God face to face. We will see Him as He is. Then we will understand God’s love completely.

13For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.”

-Verse 13 *Faith, hope and love seem to have been a well-known group of qualities. Paul speaks about them in other letters. For example, 1 Thessalonians 1:3; Colossians 1:4-5. These three words explain the whole of the Christian life in this world. Christians have ‘*faith’ that God will forgive them because of Christ’s *sacrifice. They have ‘hope’ for the future, because of Christ’s *resurrection. They live a life of *faith and hope among Christian *brothers and *sisters whom they ‘love’. Of these three, only love will remain into *eternity. *Faith will no longer be necessary. Hope will become knowledge. Love is the greatest, because God himself is love (1 John 4:8). A friendship with him will never end, but it will continue into *eternity. (www.easyenglish.info Bible Comentary).

1 John 4:8 (NKJV)

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

If you are struggling to love people, take a look at your relationship with God. Do you really know Him? Chances are you don’t because God is love! He loved the world so He gave…. If we want to be more like Jesus, we have to embrace people and love them with the love He had given us. If not, we will just be a noisy clanky gongs and live a miserable life.

Now after reading 1 Cor. 13 and studying it together, turn this passage of scripture around and see this is how God is towards us. Substitute the word Love for God in verses 4 – 8 and it will read like this:  4Love God is kind and God is patient, God is never jealous, boastful, proud, or 5rude. Love God isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It God doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others we do. 6Love God rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. 7Love God is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love God never fails…”

2. Love sees the other person through God’s eyes. 

Even if that person is rejecting you or behaving badly, the love of God in you helps you to continue in a relationship with them. You are praying and believing God will change their hearts and outlook. You know that the same Holy Spirit Who works on your heart is working on theirs. God pursues us constantly. He doesn’t force us to love Him or even like Him. Yet He relentlessly pursues us. We are valuable to Him. He never gives up on us.

Jeremiah 31:1

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love, With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.”

God is constantly pursuing us. He draws us with His love. His love is everlasting, and never-changing.

How did Jesus forgive the very ones who were crucifying Him? With Godly love. It wasn’t human love that held him to the cross. It was the love of the Father that gave him strength to fulfill the redemptive plan to save this world.

We are ignorant to the fullness of God’s love He has for us. Yet, we can taste a little of His love on earth by opening up ourselves and receiving His love. Often times we reject God’s love thinking, “We are not good enough” or “He could never love me after what I have done.” These are just excuses for not receiving His love. His love is unconditional. It doesn’t have attachments connected to it.

God just puts His love out for us to receive it again and again. Eventually, through circumstances and finding the right pieces to the puzzle, we see how much God loves us and we start receiving His love in our hearts. When we finally receive His love it fills us to the point we even wonder why we fought it in the first place.

God’s love is contagious. People will sense and see something different about you. You are walking in God’s love, which is not of this world, and the people will be drawn to you. Not because of anything you have done, but because of the Love of God in you.

Ministering to people, without having love in your heart for them will not have the abundant fruit you are looking for. We, as ministers, have to be full of God’s love, and out of the overflow we will minister successfully to others.

3. Don’t Fake The Front

People know if you are fake or genuine.  We can’t “Fake The Front” and still be productive in the Kingdom of God. Faking the front is when you pretend you love someone and act like everything is okay when it is not.

God sees your heart and He knows you are not being genuine. Ask God to teach you to love with the love He has given you.

1 John 4:8 (NKJV)

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

1 John 4:11 (NKJV)

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

We can love others with Godly, Agape love. This is genuine love that will never fail.

4. The love of God in you will open doors of opportunity. 

Once you start loving people with the genuine love of God, you will see open doors before you. Why? Because God’s favor goes before you. You are oozing with God’s love and it can’t help but minister to others.

People will want what you have. They will see you are different from other people. You will get promoted at work over others that are more qualified, all because you finally have received God’s love and show it to others.

God opens these doors because you are His hand extended. You have been transformed by His love and now can be trusted with greater things.

Your demeanor changes. Your countenance changes. You are more pleasant to be around. You value people more. You show appreciation towards your work and the things you do at your job all because the love of God is flowing in you.

5. Love people as you minister to them.

This has been taught and instilled in me from a precious Godly lady. She has shown genuine love for others and the Love of God flows out of her as she ministers.

I have seen this in my own ministry. People won’t care what you have to say until they see you care. It would only be a clanging gong if I ministered out of head knowledge and not a heart of love.

People take time to change. There is a process for healing. There is a process for understanding. There is a process to changing. All people have a higher level of potential they can climb to, but the very thing that is blocking their accent could be the lack of feeling loved or cherished.

Love people as they are transforming to be more like Jesus. There will be hard times, times you will want to give up on them, but don’t give up. You might even be misunderstood, but it is all worth seeing someone receive the love of God which will empower their lives.

Pastor Kris Belfils

http://www.krisbelfils.com