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The Definition of Love – Not Jealous

Love is longsuffering, love is kind, love is not jealous … 1 Corinthians 13:4

Jealousy is wanting what another person has. It is not just being resentful or angry of another’s good fortune or achievements, but a strong desire to possess them. Unlike zeal, which is an enthusiastic devotion to a cause or goal making someone eager and determined to do something, jealousy takes this type of attitude and uses it in a way that damages others to get what they have. So one who is jealous will be zealous to obtain what another person has.

Jealousy will produce actions that are harmful to others.

“And the patriarchs, becoming jealous, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him – Acts 7:9

We also see an example of jealousy in Galatia where men came down from Jerusalem who sought to make Paul look bad to the saints there as though he was their enemy so they could exclude the saints to themselves. This is a very common tactic of false teachers and those seeking to usurp a position of authority even today.

They jealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. – Galatians 4:17

Because of jealousy for their father’s love, the brothers of Joseph sold him into slavery. Because of jealousy for the saints, false teachers came into Galatia teaching that they had to keep the law to be saved, not for the sake of those they sought to persuade but so these false teachers could look good before others and get them to only follow them. Jealousy always leads to hurting others. The Jews were very jealous of Paul when he would teach […]

The Definition of Love – Not Jealous2023-12-14T08:35:00-08:00

The Definition of Love – Longsuffering

Love is an aspect of God’s nature which is manifested in seeking the best for the one loved. This attribute of His nature was shown to the disciples in the person of Jesus and shared with all those who believed their message so that even today we see the love of God manifested through the Church. This character is not from humans and in all actuality before God showed us love humans did not know what it was. At best our quality of love only seeks the best for the one loving – we sacrifice for something we want, not for the benefit of another. Now that the world has seen God’s quality of love through the Church, today the world has decided it can show this type of love without God. However, since the world can only mimic what is sees from Christians, for it does not know God, it perverts the love of God into that of human love and tries to claim it is at the very least as good of a love, if not better – for it is all inclusive. Sadly, many assemblies today have accepted this worldly love in place of God’s love. But allowing someone to continue doing things that are harmful to themselves is not love at all. Since we have a lot of “fake” love today, it is important for us to know what classifies as the love of God. That is, we need to know the real thing so that we can easily identify when it is being expressed by a Christian and when an unbeliever, or carnal Christian, is trying to mimic it with a human quality of love.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 we are […]

The Definition of Love – Longsuffering2023-12-14T08:36:55-08:00

The Definition of Love – Seeking to Usurp the Love of God

If with the tongues of men and angels I speak, but do not have love, I become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy and I perceive all mysteries and know all things, and I have all faith so that to move a mountain, but do not have love I am nothing. And if I give all my goods and if I give my body in order to be burned, but do not have love, it profits nothing – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

As Christians, we are instructed to love one another as Christ loved us. Our commandment is to love the brethren and when we are loving we will not violate any law. However, there is also a love related to the world system that often gets mixed into the true love we are to show towards those of the Church.

A new commandment I give to you, in order that you should love one another just as I have loved you, in order that also you should love one another – John 13:34

I recently encountered an example of this worldly type of love in a story of a barber that goes down to the local park in his city each week, bringing his own power and supplies, to offer free haircuts to the homeless. Now at first this may seem like a wonderful thing to do. Even perhaps an expression of love. But is it God’s quality of love, or a human love that is seeking to usurp the love of God?

The love of God seeks the best for the one loved. Is offering a benefit to those who refuse to work an expression of God’s love or human […]

The Definition of Love – Seeking to Usurp the Love of God2023-12-14T08:37:21-08:00

Experiencing the Holy Spirit – The Ones Trying to Mimic

For indeed if one comes proclaiming a different Jesus whom we did not proclaim, or you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different gospel that you have not accepted – 2 Corinthians 11:4

Experiencing the Holy Spirit is a logical response from us as we identify and seek to fulfill the desires He gives us to live out who we are in Christ. This type of relationship is new, that is, it did not exist between God and humans prior to the creation of the Church. It requires us to pay attention to our desires and understand where they come from and their outcomes so we can discern what is God’s way, and stop being manipulated by our flesh and Satan.

The Spirit of the Truth Who the world does not have the ability to receive because it cannot watch Him, nor experientially know Him, but you experientially know Him because He abides alongside you and will be in you – John 14:17

Unfortunately, there are many today that teach contrary to this, trying to make our relationship with the Holy Spirit an emotional experience that is not based upon the truth. Remember, truth is not relative. There is only one truth, and it is not based upon how we feel or is changed because we don’t like it. As we read through Scripture, we see God interacting with people in ways that sometimes we would like to experience. He spoke with them, showed them signs, performed incredible miracles, raised the dead, healed the sick, and so many other direct, visible manifestations of who He is. However, this is not the type of relationship we have with God today, ours is […]

Experiencing the Holy Spirit – The Ones Trying to Mimic2023-12-14T08:38:41-08:00

Experiencing the Holy Spirit – Walking

I say, all of you walk by [the] Spirit and you will not bring to maturity the desires of the flesh – Galatians 5:16

Walking is a term used to describe how we generally manage our lives. Prior to being saved we walked according to the age of this world, which is a malignantly evil period. We had a lifestyle that was controlled by the futility of the mind.

in which once all of you walked according to the age of this world, according to the head of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of the disobedience – Ephesians 2:2

Therefore, I say and testify in the Lord, you are to no longer walk according to also the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their minds, Ephesians 4:17

Now we are God’s children and are to walk in the light. This is a lifestyle that rejects the works of the flesh and seeks to fulfil the desires of the Spirit so that we are fellowshipping with God.

If perhaps we should say that we are having fellowship with Him and we are walking in the darkness, we are lying and are not doing the truth. – 1 John 1:6

But if perhaps we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son keeps on cleaning us from all sin. – 1 John 1:7

We have a walk that is through faith, not through sight. This means we base our lifestyle upon the promise that God has given to us.

For we walk through faith, not through sight, 2 Corinthians 5:7

God […]

Experiencing the Holy Spirit – Walking2023-12-14T08:40:44-08:00
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