The No. 1 Need in the Church Today
“[That you] may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18-19).
Do we even know what that means?
To love everyone we look at. To be filled with all the fullness of God. That is the width and length and depth and height of Christ’s great love. There are no limits to it.
To love everyone you look at! Imagine that! Saints. Sinners. Good guys. Bad guys. People who do you right. People who do you wrong. Friends. Enemies. Relatives, oh those relatives. They’ll work love into you almost as much as the Holy Ghost!
Oh, this love is so grand! It has no boundaries except what the flesh and carnal mind give it.
To be long-suffering. To not be envious or jealous. To want more for others than you want for yourself. To not be proud, haughty or rude. To not seek your own things, but the things that belong to Jesus Christ. Never to consider a suffered wrong. Never to be offended or rejoice in iniquity. To bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things. To always be kind and rejoice in the truth (1 Cor. 13). To do for others what you would want them to do for yourself. To say about others what you would want them to say about you. And to always forgive.
For many years I did not pay enough attention to love. Selfishness ruled my heart. But often, the Lord has to break us down and deal with our self-centeredness over and over again. It’s the curse of the entire human race. It’s the curse in the church. It gives birth to every kind of strife and carnality. Sadly, most believers in Christ remain in this carnal state for most of their lives.
The number one need in the church today is to renew our minds to the love of God. Most are ruled by feelings. They live by their feelings. They follow their feelings.
But a man who has been broken down by God is slow even to speak a disparaging word, to return evil for evil, to pay attention to a suffered wrong. A holy man does not keep score. Instead, he returns good for evil. He blesses those who do him wrong. When sinned against, he goes to the brother in private. He is merciful. He is the greatest lover, because he has learned to yield to the lover inside.
Love rules from the inside. Listen to your spirit. Flee ungodly and unwholesome conversation. Do not engage in it.
One time, leaders were talking disparagingly about other leaders, but the Spirit of God alerted me immediately: “Don’t go there. Don’t you do it.”
Edifying conversations can soon take a turn into gossip.
I know it feels good to the old flesh, but it can never please God. If you can’t say anything good, just don’t say anything.
I wouldn’t trade what the Lord has done in my heart in 40-plus years of serving Him for anything. But it’s been during the last two years that the greatest, deepest, highest and richest work has been done. Why didn’t I let this work be done earlier in my Christian walk to this degree and measure?
Because of a hardened heart. I don’t mean I was in great sin. I’ve been preaching the gospel for over 40 years, but I was selfish. Thank God for His mercy.
We grow in love. We grow in unselfishness. Do you see a man always talking about himself? That is a man who needs a mirror to see who he really is. Who talks nonstop? It is the children.
We have such need to grow from babyhood into adulthood. From selfishness to unselfishness. From looking to be blessed to being a blessing.
“Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2a).
We are on our way, beloved, if we will let the Word work in us.
I love you all. {eoa}
Bert Farias’ books are forerunners to personal holiness, the move of God and the return of the Lord. They also combat the departure from the faith and turning away from the truth we are seeing in this hour. His current passion is to promote a culture of the supernatural manifestations and ministries of the Holy Spirit in the church today and to pass it on to the next generation. His books serve as forerunners to the move of God, the coming of the Lord and the glory that is to come. “Passing on the Move of God to the Next Generation,” “The Supernatural Church of Love and Power,” “The Coming Restoration“ and “The Nature of the Kingdom of God“ are a simple blueprint for what the Lord Jesus is doing in His church today. Bert’s newest releases are now available on Kindle and paperback. Other materials/resources are available on his website, Holy Fire Ministries. You can also follow him on YouTube (Holy Fire Ministries), Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
