LOVE OF CHRIST

WHO'S A CHRISTIAN!

Welcome to today's WHO'S A CHRISTIAN series.

If you haven't been following, kindly see 👉 the previous topic on — DEFINING CHRISTIAN to catch up with today's discussion.

Today, we shall be looking into something very interesting...having to question our LOVE for Christ — finding out why you are even a Christian in the first place.

I mean there are basically one thousand and one reasons why you shouldn't even be a Christian in this compromised world. What is the essence of keeping a value that's even alien to the world? If I may, one could even be an atheist or find pseudo in some other fictous beliefs safe "Christianity".

In tandem, to the talk about LOVE!

I'm sure you know it's not LOVE as the world giveth or as being given by an average person.

Pause session: 

I for one in several occasions have 

questioned my "faith" over and over again...wondering if this religion thingy is all farce and fable stories concocted together to enslave a good number of people in the world.

Just maybe I've been scammed, checkmated and trapped in the theory of a particular race.

Or maybe I'm just confused like the rest of us.

Uhh... But before you conclude for me... I have pressed for answers seeking into the deep of spiritual knowledge and understanding... Until the eyes of my understanding was flooded with a powerful surge of light (powerful tha that of the halogen), that I first became blinded to the physical things, and began seeing the spiritual things — beyond the understanding of any acquired knowledge in this world.

So when I speak of spiritual interactions with the physical, I speak not as one who has been spoon-fed or one who's only recalling the experience of others, but rather I speak as one who has gone beyond the geographical sphere of what can be seen, felt and perceived... Having to teleport beyond this dispensation to the unknown where the only unseen exists.

Affirmatively with all responsibility... your knowledge — acquired in the world cannot carry the burden expected of you in your Christian. Reason why we have so many half-baked believers out there.

As always telling my hard heartened friends to better leave spiritual things for spiritual people... Cos the best the world could offer us is not beyond the boundaries of the classroom.

DEMAND FOR LOVE: 

Love as seen and given by God.

From time immemorial God has LOVED by not destroying us, even when we deserve to be wiped out... He didn't just stop at that, he went further to express his immeasurable LOVE by given his only begotten son — JESUS— who died for the redemption of our souls and making us Christians that whoever believes in HIM will not perish but have everlasting life.

In this lovely story, God has fulfilled his part of LOVE to mankind forever and ever.

As we can boldly affirm that... What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31 NIV

We'll agree that if there's karma for everything, and there's a reciprocal for every actions... So also is for LOVE, which brings us to the question...

HOW DO CHRISTIANS LOVE GOD?

Is it by worship?

By prayer?

Praise?

Going to church?

Obeying the laws?

Acknowledging Jesus Christ is Lord? and we can go on and on never ending asking how exactly we LOVE God.

In response to this question.... God made his first general request speaking through Moses...

From the scripture, God being biologian dissects into three powerful components that makes a man! 

All your HEART

All your SOUL

All your STRENGTH.

As I carefully studied through this three components with my spiritual lens... Without boring you with my long thesis and observations, I finally conclude that there's one way to LOVE God...and it is to DIE! 

Yes DIE! A Christian must first DIE to LOVE God.

In contrast...the scripture below speaks in a different tone

‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

Matt. 22:32 NIV

It means there's something behind the "DIE". A man must die in FLESH to please God. If you remember what we've been saying about pleasing God only by the SPIRIT.

You'll ask... Why should I die before expressing my LOVE to God?

Does it mean a living soul — Christian can't love God?

A conversation ensued between Jesus Christ and a young expert... 

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied:

 “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Matt. 22:36‭-‬39 NIV

Same words spoken by God through Moses to a set of people of the old played out again in the New testament on a personal level.

The HEART

The SOUL

The MIGHT...

We call it a wrap today with the words of Jesus Christ...

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Mark 8:34‭-‬37 NIV 

At first glance you'll hear Christ hammering on the need to lose your soul to gain an everlasting one.

Again... THE SOUL, HEART and MIGHT are components we shall be bringing together as one in our next session... In its oneness we insert it into the LOVE of God.

Think it deep this week...if you truly LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL AND MIGHT!

We start with the THINKER in our next meeting

Peace be unto you ✌️ ☺.