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| Daniel J. Musokwa |
Here's the fourth installment in this powerful series on LOVE by Daniel, my dear brother, friend and co-laborer in the Lord. He is the founder and general overseer of New Testament Ministries - Tanzania.
Let us now journey on into God, let us journey on into Love, for God is Love.
Now let us go back to 1 Corinthians 13
1 Co 13:9-10 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect thing comes, then that which is in part will be caused to cease.
1 Co 13:11 When I was an infant, I spoke as an infant, I thought as an infant, I reasoned as an infant. But when I became a man, I caused to cease the things of the infant.
1 Co 13:12 For now we see through a mirror in dimness, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will fully know even as I also was fully known.
1 Co 13:13 And now faith, hope, and love, these three things remain; but the greatest of these is LOVE. –(Literal Translation of the Holy Bible)
So Paul tells us in verse 9 and 10 that now we prophesy imperfectly and we know imperfectly, but when perfection comes then our imperfections will be made null and void! He uses an illustration in verse 11 to drive this point home, he says “When I was an infant, I spoke as an infant, I thought as an infant, I reasoned as an infant. But when I became a man, I caused to cease the things of the infant.”
He argues in verse 12 that “…NOW we see through a mirror in dimness, but THEN face to face.” He is not talking about heaven here friends. When he says ‘NOW we see through a mirror in dimness’, he is talking about how we fumble through our Christian lives and in our gifts because what we have is still imperfect! Why is this so? It is so because we lack and are imperfect in the area of love; remember that “love” is the premise here. ‘… but THEN face to face.’ Is this face to face occasion in heaven? I submit to you that it is not in heaven, but right here on Earth! When we are perfected in love we will have the mind of Christ (2 Cor 2:16; Philippians 2:5). When we have the mind and the Spirit of Christ, then Christ will be revealed IN us (Galatians 1:15-16). When Christ is revealed IN us, we and the people around us will see Him in us as He is (1 Jn 3:2) because just as He is – so are we in this world (1 Jn 4:17). Just like Jesus said “I and the father are one”, we too, after we have been perfected in love, will be able to say “if you see me, you have seen Jesus Christ for He was the first born among many and He has conformed me to His express image (Rom 8:29).”
So yes, when we are perfected in love we will be able to see Him face to face… IN US!! Paul finishes verse 12 with“Now I know in part, but then I will fully know even as I also was fully known.” Now we know HIM imperfectly, but then(when perfection comes into us) I will fully know HIM as I was (past tense: signifying when Jesus came into us) also fully known (or fully experienced). The only way to KNOW [experience] God is through love, for God is love. Check out the following verses about KNOWING God through love:
1 Jn 4:8 The one who does not love has not known God. For God is love.
1Jn 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation concerning our sins.
1Jn 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
1Jn 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us.
1Jn 4:13 By this we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
I say it again, the only way to KNOW God is through love; for God is love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His... believes in Him should not perish…” When you BELIEVED in Jesus Christ the love of God made you KNOWN or recognized as His child. That is justification. But when you learned to, and were perfected in, love – you now also KNOW Him (1 Jn 4:8) as you were known by Him. This is sanctification.
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As far as 1 Corinthians 13 is concerned, nothing is in the sweet land over yonder, everything takes place right here on Earth. It would be ridiculous to wait until heaven to be perfected in love! You want to see Him face to face? Learn to how to love and then watch yourself undergo a metamorphosis to conform to His image. Then the next time you look at yourself in the mirror of God’s word… behold… there He is!
2 Co 3:18 But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror,are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord’s Spirit.
How about it friends!
1 Co 13:13 And now faith, hope, and love, these three things remain; but the greatest of these is LOVE.
Wow! Paul has taken us through the longer route to show us the pre-eminence of love. Of these three, faith, hope and love; only love is eternal… only love is God. The other two are just godly attributes! Paul is showing us here that everything we have and everything we are in Christianity has to be built and centered upon the principle of love. We need to understand and assimilate love both as a person and as a cannot-do-without attribute of the divine nature that is being bestowed upon us. Remember that when Paul wrote this letter, there were no chapter and verse numbers. So the next verse here is 1 Corinthians 14:1. He continues:
1 Co 14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. (NIV)
Would it shock you if I told you that the word “gifts” or “gift” in the above verse does NOT appear anywhere in the original Greek manuscripts of that verse? Once again the translators of the Scriptures have here taken the liberty of INTERPRETING the Scripture instead of just TRANSLATING it! But translating requires linguistic skills all of the translators had, however, interpreting the Scriptures requires a lot more than linguistics prowess and mental acuity, it is a function of the Holy Ghost. It is my submission therefore, that Bible translators limit their work to translating instead of crossing over into interpreting the text. Translators should just translate the text even if it doesn't immediately make sense to their current knowledge and experience. In the Greek, the verse should read “dioko agape de zeloo pneumatikos de mallon hina propheteuo.” Below is how this verse would read transliterated into the English language:
1 Co 14:1 Pursue love and eagerly desire to be supernatural (spiritual), and in a greater degree, prophesying.(Daniel’s Beginner’s Translation) J
So here Paul urges us to actively PURSUE love (the ultimate essence of godliness) and eagerly DESIRE to be supernatural or spiritual. But even then, in the supernatural or spiritual, we should eagerly desire in a greater degree to prophesy or proclaim the Good News under divine inspiration. Preaching the gospel (prophesying) under inspiration is to be desired ABOVE all other things, BUT second only to pursuing LOVE! Please notice the order of priority here:
1. LOVE must be actively pursued, then
2. THE SUPERNATURAL or SPIRITUAL is to be eagerly desired, especially prophesying.
Here is where religion gets stuck, because by and large we have pursued the supernatural and gifts first while completely IGNORING love altogether! Love must be passionately PURSUED... the Gifts are only to be DESIRED. Can you see the weight of emphases which Paul uses?
Just look at our churches today, do we cooperate with one another? Do we trust that the ‘others’ are and can also be used of God? Do we trust that the Holy Ghost will mature them as He is maturing us? Do we have love one for another? That brother who hasn't come to church for 4 weeks now, has anyone phoned him? How do we view sinners? How do you view a prostitute or druggie? If one of our number committed one of those "big sins", would we really forgive him and stop the gossip and self-righteousness?
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Honestly, how much do you truly love white people or black people or other races? That one is a deep seated question that you cannot just answer from your head. It’s a heart issue and you need to seriously consider it. Racism is usually hidden very deep inside our subconscious and it can slip by undetected. Being a black man myself, I know that most black people don't consider themselves racist at all... especially being in Africa. But I know a lot of Christians here struggling to love Indians and White people who are here exploiting our resources and corrupting our systems. This is dangerous. We must learn to properly deal with the issues and address them confidently, and not just hate clandestinely.
Just a few days ago the Muslims beheaded an Evangelistic Assembly of God pastor and chopped off his arm... right here in Tanzania. They demolished several Christian-owned businesses forbidding Christians from eating meat that has not been slaughtered by them (Halal certification). Is this unfair? Yes it is! But... how do you feel? What is your reaction? How do you view our Muslim brothers? Tricky one, isn't it friend?
All these are New Testament issues for which the church found its purpose! But how are we measuring up today? Then how dare we “eagerly desire to be spiritual” outside the realm of love? Isn't that more like witchcraft? The only way to perfection as sons and into Christlikeness is to LOVE first, and then the journey to spirituality and the perfection of our gifts begins. Not a minute before!
Therefore LOVE comes first, and then the SUPERNATURAL.
Love comes first, and then the gifts.
However anointed my friends say I am, without love, I am as nothing as nothing can be!
TO BE CONTINUED>>>
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