John 15:13
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
In this text, we have Jesus proving he is willing to give his friendship to the world unconditionally. He has given his unconditional friendship to the whole world. All that is about to happen in our world is to this end: "God wants a people of love," and what he is about to allow in your world, which is your sphere of surrounding, its effectiveness will be determined by "how much you are willing to" surrender, die, or suffer. Remember, death can't kill mature love. Overcomes it with good.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life
We see that God made the first move; now, it is our move. We can choose to become his friend or not. Choosing him is not just to choose friendship with the God of the universe but also to choose life.
Because we are born in a world of darkness, many do not know what that looks like, life or
love. Real love is only in God, and real life is only lived through him.
John 15:14
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you
The first thing we are commanded to do is come to him. God has commanded everyone
everywhere to repent.
The second thing we are commanded to do is love. Friends love without reservation.
Proverbs 17:17
17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 18:24
24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer
than a brother.
The problem with the Western church is we want power so badly; we have pursued the God of power for so long that we failed to understand that if we go into a place wanting to show the love of God, wanting to reveal his love, then the God of power will show up, you see we experience his love before we saw his power. Love died, and power came and brought Him out of the grave.
I want to show you something; in 1 Cor. 11 and 12, Paul talks about the body and its different
parts and the part we play in the kingdom. He also talks about the spiritual gifts as well as
the ministry gifts in the body. But he goes on to speak of something that many in the church have failed to see. Our connection to a God of Love, not the God of Power.
You have to admit it: most who have been in the church a while have been taught in one form or another to pursue his power, even to the degree that it’s his power that will change us. No, it's not; it’s his love that changes us, it's his love that always flows before his power; better yet, his love is his power. Take the devil, for example; he has power but no love; the devil's power was given to him by a God of love. He simply does not use his power for love anymore.
The Bible says faith is worked by love; the Bible says the gospel is the power of God; it is also
the word of faith. So it is safe to say faith in His word is power. But power in and of itself corrupts; this is why Lucifer failed; he wanted power, not love. This is why we must emphasize His love, not power, for "without love," power will be abused, and we will find ourselves doing things for attention and for ourselves, not Him.
1 Corinthians 12:31
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
Notice he didn’t say covet power, but this is how the world affects us, but even then he says there is a better way, a short cut. The short cut is to pursue love, make love your life pursuit in thought and action. As it flows out of you like water out of a sponge it will purify you. We are perfected in power when we pursue love.
1 Corinthians 13
1 IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such [a] as is inspired by God's love for and in us); I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophetic powers ( [b] the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and
understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have
[sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am
nothing (a useless nobody).
3 Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to
be burned or [c] in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing.
Notice he goes back and deals with many who have gifts with the power to do things. This is what gifts do. They bring power, but you can miss the message of the gospel, which is love.
4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].
8 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy ( [d] the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].
9 For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).
10 But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).
Notice what Paul said: "When that which is complete and perfect," well, you can look at these two ways; Jesus is that which is complete and perfect, and one day, He will return. However, mature love is also that which is complete and perfect "it cast out all fear." When we are perfected in love, the world, and the flesh loses their grip and control over us because we have become one with love, who is Christ.
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.
It can’t get any planer than that when I grow up into mature love not how much I go to church,
or how much I give, or how many devils’ I cast out or how many sick people are healed; the
childish things of the flesh will no longer dominate my life which is strife, division, and every evil work.
12 For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as [e] in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand [f] fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been [g] fully and clearly known and understood [ [h] by God].
When I mature in love, light increases ; therefore, the dark veil over the flesh grows thinner and thinner. I become more compatible with this God of love whom I can now see and know more perfectly because love has perfected me or purified and matured me.
13 And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.
John 17:20-24
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
Notice what Jesus did not say, He did not say that they may be one through being born again. That is just part of it the deeper revelation of this verse is perfection through love. God is love, and Jesus did what He did because of His love for his father, and greater love has no man than this that he lay down his life , and Jesus was perfected in love, which brought about oneness.
We, the church, must become compatible or one with the love or light of the Godhead. Only in this way and way can we see Him as He is. I do not want to live my life throughout eternity only seeing Him when He has to turn or tone down His glory, which is the light of His presence that I may see Him. I want to see him as He is to look in the face of Him that shines brighter than the sun, to follow Him wherever He goes. Brother and Sister, this is our destiny, not just Heaven.
Salvation Prayer: "Heavenly Father God, I am sorry for my sins, and confess them all to you now, I repent, and ask you to forgive me of all my sins and I renounce, break cancel, nullify,
& void all evil vows, oaths, or agreements, and I break & cancel all ungodly & with all sexual partners soul ties, and I break & cancel all curses in my bloodline and my life - for Jesus became a curse for me and paid the price for me, and I accept the Jewish Messiah Jesus Christ & the works of Jesus' merits, Cross and blood sacrifice for my sins, as my Savior in Jesus' Name, Amen!"
(Welcome to the Body of Jesus Christ His Church worldwide! You are being prayed for and now you need to pray also for the Body of Jesus and the Bride of Jesus (other Christians) worldwide daily. You are now called a Christian! You need to remove all abominations from your possession all idols and ungodly things need to be destroyed and thrown away - all idols have an evil demon in them and you must now get rid of them all! Look on the Internet or a deliverance ministry and find out what these are and get them all removed from your
possession as fast as you can telling God you are sorry for having had them, even if they are
expensive destroy them immediately!)
Now pray this: I "ask you God" to please help me to get water baptized in Jesus' Name & get the Baptism of the Holy Spirit & Holy Tongues (use it daily, smart Christians use Holy Tongues an hour a day), & get a King James version of the Holy Bible and read it daily & put the Armour of God on in Ephesians daily, and pray daily (talk to God in fellowship & getting prostrated face down and waiting on God to talk to you too... at first this comes in time... and also asking Him for what you need, and when you are in trouble for help, and for souls to be saved in your family from going to Hell, etc.), and to go to a true good Holy Spirit filled Church weekly, and pay tithes (10%), and love offerings to you God for souls to be won for Jesus (ministry: suggest www.angeltv.org for they win a lot of souls for Jesus worldwide) and help me fast to learn to keep your commandments God.
