Have you seen the word "Love"?
Submitted by Ray on February 01 2000 at 01:23:24
In reply to Wow..... Submitted by thebegining on January 31 2000 at 16:00:52
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When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:34-40 (NRSV - emphasis mine) Jesus said "love" to fulfill all law and commandments. In the letter "From the Pastor's Desk" (Rod Parsley) on the "Breakthrough 2000" website, which you referenced in the message to which I'm responding, I saw "army," "revolutionary movement," "blood-stained," "revolutionize the world," and again, "revolutionary movement." Not once is even implied Love toward God, neighbor or self! Jesus didn't found a church with him as center of everything it does, he founded a church with "Love" as the center of everything it does. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. 1 John 4:16b-21 (NRSV) It was to the Pharisees and the Saducees that Jesus said love God and neighbor as self! Most everybody else, he just loved! Ray |