Will “love” be the death of us all?
As a surrendered child of the Most High God, I had to settle this issue a few years back. What is LOVE according to my Heavenly Father?
Is it an emotion? If so, then as long as we “feel” something good for someone, is that love? If we curtail any negative feelings, are we obedient to the command to love our neighbor? The bible tells us not to murder and even more so, that hate equates to murder. Therefore, if we reign in our hate, are we being the loving student of the bible that we’re supposed to be?
Would it surprise you to know that none of the above statements fulfill the commandment to love? In fact, agape is not an emotion at all. YHVH is not asking us to “feel” something for a neighbor, a friend, or an enemy. He is asking us to DO something.
Here is an example that clearly gives an accurate understanding of love.
Rev 2:1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for My name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
Notice some things about the passage. This church is commended for their deeds, their hard work and their perseverance. As well, they are commended for NOT TOLERATING wicked people and TESTING false converts. What??????? Can this be so? How is that loving?
1 Cor 5:4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are.
11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
Do not ASSOCIATE or even EAT with a false convert? Give him to Satan? Is he serious? And he’s defining that group to include those who get drunk, lie, cheat, serve themselves or anyone other than YHVH, along with all those involved in any kind of sexual sin. You mean the guy next to me in the pew who says he believes but just told a whopper? or plays games with his taxes? or looks at pornography? You mean we’re not supposed to have a meal with that guy, let alone sit together in church? How is that loving?
Eph 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
At this point I’m asking myself, who is left? Who is actually saved? If its not those who are impure, greedy, foolish, tell lies, occasionally cheat the system or the world, tell an off color joke, have a little too much to drink and blurr the line of appropriate and inappropriate sexual behavior, then who is a true child of YHVH? Well my friends, we better pay attention to these words from our Father and stop listening to the diluted message of love in our culture and in our churches. The question is not whether we are loving defined by our emotions. The question is whether we love according to the bible.
The answer is it certainly may not be loving, according to a human definition, to refuse a meal with the person on the above list. It may seem hateful to disassociate with a small group brother/sister who fits the description above. It may be direct and confrontational and seem harsh to discern the empty words of our friends who live according to the deeds mentioned in these verses. But to our Father who has created us and knows exactly how this is supposed to work, it is His definition of love that is important. To not tolerate wicked people and to discern what is falsely being taught and who is falsely teaching, is being loving. To get rid of the yeast, is loving. To expect purity and honor and unselfishness, is loving. We can see that love, according to our Creator, is not an emotion but an action. “DO” the things that are commanded………the bible never says “feel”.
If we follow through with this line of thinking, we quickly realize that the church of Ephesus would not be a mega church in today’s world. They would never need a building program. They, most likely would never attract many people. They would be accused of "hate speech". No programs would need to be designed and executed for the children. No space issues, parking lot problems, staff or money concerns. This church simply could not institutionally survive in modern Christianity. But this church is the biblical church and this kind of love is the biblical kind of love commanded by our Father.
Something to think about.
If the "jesus" taught in modern Christianity was the one we met in the scriptures, he would have never been hated. He would have never started a riot. His sisters would not have been in a crowd that tried to throw him off a cliff. His mother and brothers would not have tried to silence him, calling him "out of his mind". He would have never publicly confronted and humiliated those who falsely teach. He would have been so loving and engaging and captivating to the crowds and to the Romans that they would have fallen in love instead of nailing Him to a cross. Afterall, a Jesus who accepts everyone in their sin, never says a harsh word and is without any expectation from anyone, is not a Jesus anyone hates enough to crucify. He is also not the Son of YHVH.
When I finally came to terms with the real Yehoshua of the scriptures and tried to tell my own fellow brothers and sisters, most did not want to hear. Most still do not. They have, from their own imagination and a great deal of help from false teaching, created someone who did not exist. And worse, they are unwilling to see the truth....to the point of denying and denouncing all of those who say otherwise. The persecution we will face, as the true Believers, will most likely come from within our own ranks. That is why He said, "brother will betray brother. He wasn't kidding.
Here is a video that more accurately describes what we are facing in our world to some degree presently. However, the point he makes is the central point of where we’re headed before Messiah returns. I think he is spot on.
***I do not believe Paul Washer has been awakened to the truth of Torah but I do believe he is as I was a few years back......searching. This video declares a message we all need to hear!
