The Passionate Pursuit of THE TRUTH… (A Love Story)

''And when these things begin to come to pass, the look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.'' (Luke 21:28)

The Passionate Pursuit of THE TRUTH… (A Love Story)

Gary Gibson

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. Revelation 2:4-5 (NKJV)

While this caution is specifically written to the church of Ephesus, the paragraph concludes: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

So did you hear?

Then why is it that so many in Christian circles today have become backbiters, proud, full of envy and strife? These are fruits of a callused heart found in Romans 1:28-30. After all, the fruits of the Spirit are these:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)

Prophecy is a funny thing. Those that receive, or believe that they have received the gift of the Spirit, can become very passionate about what they believe to be the truth.

But exactly what is the truth? Jesus says: “I am the way, the TRUTH and the life….” John 14:6 (NKJV)

And what is the purpose of prophecy? Is it not to proclaim the coming of our Lord?

So why all the arguing? Why all of the unkind remarks towards fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?? Does not our Lord say: By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35 (NKJV)

Regarding the gift of prophecy, Paul the apostle writes to the church in Corinth:

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ! Corinthians 13:2 (NKJV)

Back to my opening quotation from Revelation 2:4-5. Who or what is your first love??

The immediate response from a Christian’s lips is “the Lord, of course!!” But what does Jesus say about loving Him??

If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15 (NKJV)

And what are His commandments??

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

But He doesn’t stop there, Jesus continues…

And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:39 (NKJV)

Have you heard the saying: “You can win the argument but lose the customer?”

John the Apostle picks up and elaborates what Jesus teaches in his love letter to the brethren in 1John 2:3-11(NKJV):

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Ah shucks, I don’t hate my brother, I love him…but I have to prove his doctrine as heresy…

Are you really loving him? Is your true purpose to cast light on his “heresy?”

I guess at this point it would be good to truly define what love is:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT)

Paul must have experienced the same struggles amongst the brethren that we see today as he continues in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 (NLT):

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.

My dear friends, if the gift of prophecy is causing you to love less, it would be better to leave the gift at the altar and go make amends with your brother (cf. Matthew 5:23-25).

If the purpose of prophecy is to proclaim the coming of our Lord, why are we demanding our own way?

If the Word of God is The Truth (cf. John 1:1-5; 14) then we can rest assured that what Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica will come to pass:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NKJV)

We can invest great energy debating and proclaiming, but if he hasn’t been revealed yet, my friend, it is just educated speculation.

Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)

My dear friends, Jesus the Christ is coming soon! Pursue Him!! Passionately!!! And with great LOVE!!

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Revelation 22:20-21 (NKJV)

References