For the last several weeks I have been teaching on the Love of God. What a subject! It is so far reaching and so deep, yet at the same time so simple. God is love, right? I think the question we need to ask in today’s climate and culture is what is God’s love? Only His word which is the Bible can define it.

Here is the meaning of the word love used in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…”

NT:25 from Thayer’s Greek Lexicon:
NT:25 agapaoo, agapoo;

a. to love, to be full of good-will and exhibit the same: Luke 7:47; 1 John 4:7 f;

b. with the accusative of the person, to have a preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of

c. used often in the First Epistle of John of the love of Christians toward one another;

d. used of the benevolence which God, in providing salvation for men, has exhibited by sending his Son to them and giving him up to death

e. used of the love which led Christ, in procuring human salvation, to undergo sufferings and death, Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2;

f. used of the love with which God regards Christ, John 3:35;

g. When used of love to a master, God or Christ, the word involves the idea of affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, grateful recognition of benefits received

h. With an accusative of the thing agapaoo denotes to take pleasure in the thing, prize it above other things, be unwilling to abandon it or do without it

i. to welcome with desire, long for 2 Tim 4:8

j. Concerning the unique proof of love which Jesus gave the apostles by washing their feet, John 13:1

k. John 17:26; Eph 2:4

No question about it, God loves the people He creates. I think the confusion has arisen because people have redefined God’s love as His acceptance. As far as I can research, I find this current cultural definition that “unconditional love means unconditional acceptance” is where the error enters in to today’s pop culture theology. That definition can be traced back to secular “even atheistic” psychologists. When you divorce psychology from theology you get serious error. Psychology attempts to overwrite the guilt and shame of sin with unconditional acceptance not Biblical repentance. It alarms those of us who have lived long enough to see the erosion of morals among God’s people, as an acceptable compromise to grow the church. So let’s look into some scripture – not our own feelings to determine truth about God’s love shall we?

Romans. 2 : 4-11 TPT

Do the riches of his extraordinary kindness make you take him for granted and despise him? Haven’t you experienced how kind and understanding he has been to you? Don’t mistake his tolerance for acceptance. Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance? But because of your calloused heart and refusal to change direction, you are piling up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. For: He will give to each one in return for what he has done.

For those living in constant goodness and doing what pleases him, seeking an unfading glory and honor and imperishable virtue, will experience eternal life. But those governed by selfishness and self-promotion, whose hearts are unresponsive to God’s truth and would rather embrace unrighteousness, will experience the fullness of wrath.

Anyone who does evil can expect tribulation and distress—to the Jew first and also to the non-Jew. But when we do what pleases God, we can expect unfading glory, true honor, and a continual peace—to the Jew first and also to the non-Jew, for God sees us all without partiality.

When you look at human nature, the most prevalent sins, lust, greed, thirst for power, or lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and the pride of life, (as the scripture calls these) are where culture continues to demand the church compromise. This isn’t anything new. Paul and the Apostles fought this cry for tolerance as acceptance in the first generation of the church body.

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

1–2 It’s been widely reported that there is gross sexual immorality among you—the kind of immorality that’s so revolting it’s not even tolerated by the social norms of unbelievers. Are you proud of the fact that one of your men is having sex with his stepmother? Shouldn’t this heartbreaking scandal bring you to your knees in tears? You must remove the offender from among you!

Even though I am physically far away from you, my spirit is present with you. And as one who is present with you, I have already evaluated and judged the perpetrator. So call a meeting, and when you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and you know my spirit is present with you in the infinite power of our Lord Jesus, release this man over to Satan for the destruction of his rebellious flesh, in hope that his spirit may be rescued and restored in the day of the Lord.

Boasting over your tolerance of sin is inappropriate. Don’t you understand that even a small compromise with sin permeates the entire fellowship, just as a little leaven permeates a batch of dough? So remove every trace of your “leaven” of compromise with sin so that you might become new and pure again. For indeed, you are clean because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So now we can celebrate our continual feast, not with the old “leaven,” the yeast of wickedness or bitterness, but we will feast on the freshly baked bread of innocence and holiness.

Correcting a Misunderstanding

I wrote you in my previous letter asking you not to associate with those who practice sexual immorality. Yet in no way was I referring to avoiding contact with unbelievers who are immoral, or greedy, or swindlers, or those who worship other gods—for that would mean you’d have to isolate yourself from the world entirely! But now I’m writing to you so that you would exclude from your fellowship anyone who calls himself a fellow believer and practices sexual immorality, or is consumed with greed, or is an idolater, or is verbally abusive or a drunkard or a swindler. Don’t mingle with them or even have a meal with someone like that. 12–13 What right do I have to pronounce judgment on unbelievers? That’s God’s responsibility. But those who are inside the church family are our responsibility to discern and judge. So it’s your duty to remove that wicked one from among you.

So is your definition of the “Love” of God the same as the Bible’s? Definitely something we all need to ask ourselves.

Think about it…

Until next week – be blessed!

• Date - August 21, 2019
• Author - David Chisholm

You don’t want to miss tonight’s service! Why? Cause it’s gonna be good! As we continue our message on the doctrine of “Laying on of Hands”, we are going to explore the subject of learning to receive the anointing and the fullness of the presence of the Lord.

Ephesians 5: 15-21 TPT

5–16 So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes. And don’t live foolishly for then you will have discernment to fully understand God’s will. And don’t get drunk with wine, which is rebellion; instead be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. And your hearts will overflow with a joyful song to the Lord Jehovah. Keep speaking to each other with words of Scripture, singing the Psalms with praises and spontaneous songs given by the Spirit! Always give thanks to Father God for every person he brings into your life in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And out of your reverence for Christ be supportive of each other in love.

The whole of society is looking for joy, happiness, and fulfillment. Think about that word full-fill-ment. Where can true fulfillment come from? The root of fulfillment is “to satisfy”. True satisfaction can only come from the Lord. I have learned over the years that you have to learn to receive and access through faith and practice the manifest presence of the Lord. The mayo clinic has done studies as have many others on the power of laughter and the human body.

Here is a report from Mayo Clinic on laughter:

Short-Term Benefits
A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn’t just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:
• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Long-Term Effects
Laughter isn’t just a quick pick-me-up, though. It’s also good for you over the long term. Laughter may:
• Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. By contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
• Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier.
Improve your sense of humor
Are you afraid you have an underdeveloped — or nonexistent — sense of humor? No problem. Humor can be learned. In fact, developing or refining your sense of humor may be easier than you think.
• Put humor on your horizon. Find a few simple items, such as photos, greeting cards or comic strips, that make you chuckle. Then hang them up at home or in your office. Keep funny movies, books, magazines or comedy videos on hand for when you need an added humor boost. Look online at joke websites. Go to a comedy club.
• Laugh and the world laughs with you. Find a way to laugh about your own situations and watch your stress begin to fade away. Even if it feels forced at first, practice laughing. It does your body good.
• Share a laugh. Make it a habit to spend time with friends who make you laugh. And then return the favor by sharing funny stories or jokes with those around you.

Laughter is the best medicine!

Go ahead and give it a try. Turn the corners of your mouth up into a smile and then give a laugh, even if it feels a little forced. Once you’ve had your chuckle, take stock of how you’re feeling. Are your muscles a little less tense? Do you feel more relaxed or buoyant? That’s the natural wonder of laughing at work.

Once again modern science has caught up to the word of God!

Prov 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. NKJV

Be blessed!

• Date - July 31, 2019
• Author - David Chisholm

During our summer Conference, Prophet Kevin Leal made a statement that really stuck with me. He said, The secret to fruitfulness and success is in the soil, not the seed. The seed is a miracle power in itself, but the soil determines its fruitfulness.”

Same truth but different way of saying it.

Matthew 13:18-23

“Now you are ready to listen to the revelation of the parable of the sower and his seeds:

“The seed that fell on the beaten path represents the heart of the one who hears the message of the kingdom realm but doesn’t understand it. The Adversary then comes and snatches away what was sown into his heart.

“The seed sown on gravel represents the person who gladly hears the kingdom message, but his experience remains shallow. Shortly after he hears it, troubles and persecutions come because of the kingdom message he received. Then he quickly falls away, for the truth didn’t sink deeply into his heart.

“The seed sown among weeds represents the person who receives the message, but all of life’s busy distractions, his divided heart, and his ambition for wealth result in suffocating the kingdom message and prevent him from bearing spiritual fruit.

“As for the seed that fell upon good, rich soil, it represents the hearts of people who hear and fully embrace the message of heaven’s kingdom realm. Their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times as much as was sown.”

Here we have three soils and only one produces fruit. That means three out of four people who receive the gospel do not make it through the process! Statistically, today in our churches we can concur with this truth. How many people do we see who really bring forth fruit to maturity in Christ? We see people come, respond, have emotional moments, commit to change, but look at how many are still walking in their commitment in a year, or even six months. The devil loves to say to us, “the word doesn’t work, or you are doing something wrong”. But the fact is the problem is not in the seed, but the soil.

Very few follow through on the soil maintenance. Today’s society wants less and less responsibility and accountability for anything including the spiritual disciplines to have a blessed life. We used to offer a class to newer members to help them understand the ministry life of the Rock when they come. Over a period of about fifteen years, culture so changed that we stopped doing it because people would not even take a few extra hours to gain understanding of the ministry they were about to join. Understanding literally has its root meaning- to stand under, – meaning I can stand under the authority of something when I understand it.

Psalm 119:102-104

102 I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me.

103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through Your precepts I get understanding ; Therefore I hate every false way. NKJV

Psalm 119:130

130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. NKJV

Until someone actually submits to a life of the study of the word in the new Spirit life, they will progress no further. The enemy will snatch the seed from their heart and they will fall away from the truth and go back to their old ways. Our thoughts and lives are either being governed by the flesh or the Spirit. The word helps us to know the difference.

Hebrews 4:12-13

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. NKJV

To think you can have a fruitful life without submitting to the daily washing of the word is as silly as thinking you can stay healthy without eating. I encourage you to make a fresh commitment to a daily bath in the word of God! You’ll be glad you did in the end, and others will think you smell better too!

Be blessed!

• Date - July 24, 2019
• Author - David Chisholm