As the campaign to legitimize what God condemns has won
battle after battle, we who stand for Biblical Virtue have been shocked to read
the boasts of those who oppose our Lord’s definition of marriage: “One man, one
woman, for life.” On the internet and in
the streets of America they have celebrated proclaiming, “LOVE WINS!”
There are no symbols or truths that are off limits to those
intent on perverting the Divine order.
Rainbows, the symbol of God’s promise to never destroy the
world again with a flood, have been hijacked by godless men who have neither
fear nor love of God.
In a few weeks we’ll sing, “Don we now our gay apparel, fa
la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.” What
the composer intended to mean “happy, joyful, fun” now has come to stand for a
sin that that brings no happiness, produces no joy, and finally is no fun. The meanings of words have been changed so
that they no longer mean what they once meant.
And as if symbols and words were not enough, now these
blind leaders of the blind have twisted our understanding of virtue
itself. Lies are repeated so often that
they are thought to be the Truth.
We
used to think that courage was daring to do what ought to be done at great
personal risk, now we think that the
courageous awards should go to those who are daring to do what should never be
done—redefining deviancy down. It’s not
courage for a man to put on a dress and present himself as a woman on the cover
of a fashion magazine. That’s
cowardice--unwilling to face the truth about himself and his God-given identity. God calls it, “an
abomination.”
SHOULD THE RAINBOW TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR LITERATURE
BECAUSE OF ITS NEW ASSOCIATION?
SHALL WE STOP SINGING A FAVORITE CAROL BECAUSE OF THIS
RECENT RE-DEFINITION OF TERMS?
MUST WE ACCEPT THIS “BRAVE NEW ‘VIRTUE FREE’” WORLD?
NO, NO, AND NO!
BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS “LOVE WIN’S” BOAST? It's not only the mantra of those who oppose God's definition of marriage, it's the title of a book by Rob Bell who announces that there is no hell and that everyone will end up in heaven.
THE ANSWER DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY LOVE.
If you mean EROS WINS--that physical desire wins, then the
answer is No!
If you mean PHILEO WINS—that brotherly concern wins, then
the answer must also be No!
But if you mean AGAPE WINS—that divine love, the highest
form of love as exampled in Christ and experienced by the Spirit filled
children of God, then we proclaim without fear, YES! AGAPE WINS!
THE BEAUTY OF AGAPE LOVE:
AGAPE
LOVE IS SACRIFICIAL
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
1 John 4:10 - Herein is love, not
that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the
propitiation for our sins.
AGAPE LOVE IS OBEDIENT (TO THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW OF
GOD)
John 14:15 - If ye love me, keep my commandments
John 14:15 - If ye love me, keep my commandments
AGAPE LOVE IS 1ST CORINTHIANS 13 LOVE:
Charity suffereth long, and is kind AGAPE LOVE IS PATIENT
AND KIND
Charity envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. AGAPE LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL OR PROUD.
Doth not behave itself unseemly, AGAPE LOVE IS NOT RUDE.
Seeketh not her own, IT DOES NOT DEMAND IT’S OWN WAY
Is not easily provoked, IT IS NOT
IRRITABLE
Thinketh no evil; AGAPE LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD
OF BEING WRONGED
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but
rejoiceth in the truth, DOES NOT REJOICE IN INJUSTICE
BUT HOPES THE TRUTH WINS OUT
Beareth all
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things AGAPE LOVE NEVER
GIVES UP, NEVER LOSES FAITH, IS ALWAYS HOPEFUL, AND ENDURES THROUGH EVERY
CIRCUMSTANCE.
YES! YES! AGAPE WINS!
THIS IS THE WAY! THIS IS THE TRUTH! THIS IS THE LIFE
I HEAR JESUS ANSWERING THE INQUIRING PHARISEE? WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT? (MARK 12:29-34)
29 And Jesus answered him,
The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one
Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:
this is the first commandment.31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
YES! YES! AGAPE WINS!
THE APPLICATION OF AGAPE LOVE
DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN PEOPLE DON’T COME FROM MY NATIONAL
HERITAGE? FROM MY POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE? FROM MY DENOMINATION? OR FROM MY
THEOLOGICAL ALLEGIANCE?
DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN SINNERS ACT EXCEEDINGLY SINFUL?
DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH ME?DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN I AM THREATENED AND PERSECUTED?
DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN THERE ARE MISUNDERSTANDINGS—THEY
DON’T UNDERSTAND, OR MAYBE I DON’T UNDERSTAND?
DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN GOD DISAGREES WITH ME—LOVE YOUR
ENEMIES, DO GOOD TO THEM WHO DESPITEFULLY USE YOU, FORGIVE SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN
DAILY.
DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN I’M REPROVED—DO NOT LOVE THE
WORLD--DENY THE LUST OF THE FLESH, THE LUST OF THE EYE, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE? (Choosing what to wear?)
DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN I AM SENT TO LABOR UNREWARDED.
So send I you to labour unrewarded
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, ot suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for Me alone
So send I you to bind the bruised and broken
Over wandering souls to work, to weep, to wake
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary
So send I you to suffer for My sake
So send I you to loneliness and longing
With hart a-hungering for tthe loved and known
Forsaking kin and kindred, friend and dear one
So send I you to know My love alone
So send I you to leave your life's ambition
To die to dear desire, self-will resign
To labor long, and love where men revile you
So send I you to lose your life in Mine
So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred
To eyes made blind because they will not see
To spend, though it be blood to spend and spare not
So send I you to taste of Calvary
DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN MY BROTHER OR SISTER FALLS, AGAIN,
INTO SIN?To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, ot suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for Me alone
So send I you to bind the bruised and broken
Over wandering souls to work, to weep, to wake
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary
So send I you to suffer for My sake
So send I you to loneliness and longing
With hart a-hungering for tthe loved and known
Forsaking kin and kindred, friend and dear one
So send I you to know My love alone
So send I you to leave your life's ambition
To die to dear desire, self-will resign
To labor long, and love where men revile you
So send I you to lose your life in Mine
So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred
To eyes made blind because they will not see
To spend, though it be blood to spend and spare not
So send I you to taste of Calvary
DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN THE CHURCH—THE CALLED OUT—GATHER TOGETHER. Jesus urged his disciples
JOHN 13 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
WHY DOESN’T AGAPE WIN IN ME?
YES AGAPE WINS.
BUT UNTIL THE HOLY GHOST CLEANSES OUR PRIDEFUL, CARNAL HEARTS, WE CANNOT TESTIFY THAT AGAPE WINS WITHIN OUR HEARTS.
Holy Ghost, with power divine,
Cleanse this guilty heart of mine;
Long has sin, without control,
Held dominion o’er my soul.
Holy Ghost, with joy
divine,
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart,
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart,
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.
Holy Spirit, all
divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down every idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down every idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.