BEING GOD: The LOVE Aspect - Part 7 By Daniel J. Musokwa

Daniel J. Musokwa

Here is another installment in this series on LOVE by my dear brother and friend, Daniel J. Musokwa, Founder and General Overseer of New Testament Ministries Tanzania. 

I would recommend taking the some time to slowly and prayerfully read all the previous installments in this series of teachings. The previous installments can be found here: Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4, Part5 and Part6.

Ok, let us continue now with John 13:

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

We've already discussed how Jesus wants us to love one another with the same magnitude of fervency with which He loves us. We’ve also seen that it is possible because we have His Spirit and His mind in us as we are daily transformed to be conformed into His express image and likeness. That was verse 34. So now let’s take a look at verse 35 which says “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This is another profound statement by Jesus Christ. It begs the question: “How will the world know that we are the Disciples of Christ?” Is it by the way we baptize people? Is it because we speak in tongues? Is it because of any of the other nine gifts? Is it because we go to church? Is it because we are called ‘Christians’?

The only sign to the world that we are Jesus’ disciples is IF we love one another, period!!

Is there any other sign you know of? The world takes one look at us and then you wonder, why shouldn't they walk away until we first get the “LOVE” thing right!! When the world looks at the church, I’m talking more on the Tanzanian context, they are repulsed! I remember the words of that heathen judge who was presiding over the XXX versus YYY denominations’ court case some years back, he said “if you guys can’t live at peace with each other, what hope do people like us have?” What a pitiful epitaph on the church’s tombstone! Imagine Christian court cases before heathen worldly judges. But where there is a tombstone there’s also soon to be a resurrection... bless God!

1Co 6:1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?

1Co 6:2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?

1Co 6:3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

1Co 6:4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little accountin the church!

1Co 6:5 I say this to SHAME you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?

1Co 6:6 But instead, one brother goes to law against another-and this in front of unbelievers!

1Co 6:7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been COMPLETELY DEFEATED ALREADY (in your purpose as a church!). Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

Source: Google Images

Paul thought it was more righteous to allow a fellow “believer” to wrong and cheat you and rip you off than to go up against him to court in front of unbelievers. Why did he think thus? He thought so because for the church to have its definition, love and forgiveness have to prevail. If we fail at that (love) then we “have been COMPLETELY DEFEATED ALREADY.” At that point our tongues are just noise, our water baptism was just another public bath ceremony and even our working gifts of the Holy Spirit are nothing in the eyes of God and eternity. LOVE is the only sign that we are the disciples of Jesus. By virtue of John 13:35 then, one is forced to wonder, are we truly His disciples and the true representatives of His culture at all? Jesus said “by their fruit (singular) you will recognize them” – Mat 7:20, not by their gifts and baptisms. But what kind of “fruit” is Jesus looking for?

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit (singular) of the Spirit is LOVE (now notice that everything else that follows is a DERIVATIVE of love), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

In other words Paul could just have said “But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE manifesting itself as joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” If you look at each of the eight elements of the fruit after love, you will discover that they are all derived from love and are varied manifestations of love.

So in summary, the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE!

Is there any doubt?

Gal 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbour as yourself."

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love DOES NOT KNOW God, because God is love.

So if God is love personified, and you are filled with His Spirit, guess what will be the result of that infilling? LOVE! Love comes first and then the gifts? If you have the gifts without the love, you are on your own!

Please notice the following:

Source: Google Images

1. 1 Corinthians 12: Here Paul talks about the spiritual gifts. He describes them in details and then in the very last verse he says “But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.”Then he goes on to chapter 13…
2. 1 Corinthians 13: Here Paul talks about “the most excellent way”, which is LOVE! In essence he is continuing his topic on gifts from chapter 12, but in chapter 13 he shows love as the most excellent way in which the gifts are to be had and displayed. He establishes the pre-eminence of love above all else. Then he goes on…
3. 1 Corinthians 14: Here in the very first verse the Apostle says “pursue love, and seek eagerly the spiritual things, rather that you may prophesy.” Then he continues with his discourse on the spiritual gifts. So really, the three chapters from chapter 12 to 14 the Apostle is talking about spiritual gifts, he just took a detour in chapter 13 to tether or anchor the subject of gifts upon LOVE! Without such an anchor we would have what you see in most of our churches today. A ship full of gifts floating about unceremoniously without the anchor of love. Unchristian. Unchristlike. Unscriptural.