THE LOVE OF GOD - by Jim Tharp

“...God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

The apostle John is declaring in our text above that the primary nature of God is that of agape love: spiritual love, holy love, sacrificial love, Christian love. In John 3:16-18 (NKJV) we read what is known as the golden text of the Bible: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Love should be the hallmark of anyone who claims to be a Christian. This is what Jesus required of His followers. Every congregational church in the world should be an example of love. It was said of the early church, “Behold, how they loved one another!” It was the plan of our Lord Jesus Christ to have a loving body of believers called out of sin, selfishness, and worldliness; redeemed by the blood of Jesus; and filled with the Holy Spirit to love, pray, worship, and reach out to help others. In Acts chapter 2 we read about the Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit, when thousands had been convicted of sin and had trusted in Christ as Savior, and “all who believed were together and had all things in common.” (Acts 2:44).  The next verses record that they were “continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness, ...praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”  

I have been preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ now for 73 years, and it has been my privilege to be the pastor of nine churches in five different states here in the United States over a period of 43 years. Seven of those nine churches measured up to standards of that first Christian church in Jerusalem. I regret so much that I did not see the love and caring, the devotion to Christ, and the members living in the power of the Holy Spirit in those other two churches.

The love of God is the most powerful love in the whole world. But we cannot ignore the reality of the power of evil in the world. Jesus warned His followers to beware of the treacherous tricks of Satan to break in on us to weaken, damage, or destroy our influence on a lost world. The love of God in a born-again Christian is meant to be attractive, appealing, and desirable. It worked in the early church, and I saw it working in seven of the nine churches that I have been privileged to lead.

VIOLATING “THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH” - by Jim Tharp

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except
through Me.” (John 14:6, NKJV)

When Jesus declared to His disciples that He was “the way, the truth, and the life,” He realized they could not grasp all that this meant. So, He went on to promise in verses 16 and 17 that He would pray the Father and He would give them another Comforter (Helper), called “The Spirit of Truth.” Please consider that the term for “comforter” in Greek is “parakletos,” meaning an advocate or one who is assigned to explain on another’s behalf. So Jesus is here telling His disciples—and us—that He is sending the Paraclete (the Holy Spirit) to become His and the Heavenly Father’s agent here on earth to convict us of our sins and to help us repent and trust Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

The Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of Truth,” who helps unbelievers hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and feel convicted of sin to the extent that they feel the need to repent and believe in Jesus. We read in I Corinthians 2, verse 12, (NKJV): “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”

Unfortunately, many will miss Heaven and be lost throughout eternity because they grieved the Holy Spirit while He was calling them to repentance for sin and trying to help them place their faith in Jesus for saving grace! As a 16-year-old boy, I remember the night, when upon hearing the Gospel, I felt my need to repent for my sins. For several minutes, I almost ignored His urging. But how thankful I am that I finally felt the urge to believe in Jesus. I got out of my seat, walked down that aisle, and knelt at the altar where I confessed my sins and invited the Spirit of Jesus to come into and transform my heart, and change my life. And, I thank God that many others have also allowed the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sins and help them place their faith in Jesus.

REKINDLING THE FIRE - By James Tharp

In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 12, verse 48 (NKJV), we read that Jesus said to His disciples, “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Jesus also spent a great deal of time preparing His disciples to be ready for the pouring out of His Holy Spirit of power upon them, which would be after His death, resurrection, and ascension. In fact, following His ascension, He commanded His disciples and other believers to go back into the city of Jerusalem and begin praying for the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit upon on them. And they were also commanded to not go out trying to preach the Gospel until they had been filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the secret of the Christian’s power! Remember, Jesus prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit as His first concern on the day of His baptism before taking up His ministry. In Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 3, verses 16-17 (NKJV) we read: “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’.”

Jesus knew that His coming to earth would be a battle from the time He began His ministry up to his death, resurrection, and ascension. He knew that He must be filled with, empowered by, and constantly obedient to the Holy Spirit to experience the power essential to complete His mission of preparing for the salvation of any penitent believer.

Jesus gave warnings to His believers that they would become the target of evil forces in their efforts to follow Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Of course, we receive the Holy Spirit in our new birth experience of salvation, but too many fail to go on to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Millions of nominal Christians in our churches today are seemingly comfortable in their religious indifference and care little about hearing a call to a powerful Christian life available to anyone who will meet the conditions for being filled with the Holy Spirit.