TRUE CHRISTIAN LOVE - by Jim Tharp

John 13:34-35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have

loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you

are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus came to earth in human form and was empowered to demonstrate what came to be known as agape love. Agape love is different from any other kind of love. Jesus longed for the day when His disciples would receive the Holy Spirit of power to love as He loved. This would happen when the Holy Spirit was poured out on 120 believers on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

During the few years of training His disciples He could see their lack of love for one another. A few of them would seek to take authority over the others. They argued about who would be the most powerful. It was at these times of selfish arguments that Jesus would interrupt and remind them of the time after His death, resurrection, and ascension back to Heaven that He and their Heavenly Father would pour out the Holy Spirit upon them. Their praying faithfully for the Holy Spirit and their complete surrender to His will would empower them for ministry. Jesus trained His disciples to share the message of His gospel. But they were not to go out trying to preach the gospel until they had been filled with the Holy Spirit. His final command to them just before His ascension was to go back into the city of Jerusalem and begin praying for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5).

When those 120 believers were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts, chapters 1-5), they launched their first evangelistic service in Jerusalem where many thousands of people had gathered. That first gospel message preached by the apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, brought conviction of sin and a desire to get right with God to 3,000 penitent sinners on that first day. These thousands were added to the church of 120, and we read about the gatherings of these new Christian believers for worship and fellowship. Those believers full of agape love were soon led of the Spirit to pray with the new Christians, many of whom soon experienced the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

The apostle Paul warned the Corinthian church, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things; endures all things. Love never fails. …” (1 Corinthians 13:1-8}.

As a minister of the Gospel, I am praying for all Christians in our churches to pray for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit that will bring heart-warming love. If we do this, it could allow God to open the heavens and pour out on weak churches and a wicked world the greatest revival in the history of His church!

Preparation for Revival - by Jim Tharp

I believe that God is saying, “Wake up and prepare for the great revival that I am going to give.” It has been said that revival is first a rude awakening before it is a great awakening. 

The most crucial time in revival is at the earliest stage when the Spirit is rousing Christians and congregations from their slumber and bringing about an awareness of their deadness. We must make a critical decision about waking up,coming fully awake, and receiving the whole truth about our undoneness and desperate need as God reveals it.

Clothed with Power - by Jim Tharp

“But you shall receive power when the 

Holy Spirit has come upon you . . ..” (Acts 1:8, NKJV).

“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; 

but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are 

endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49, NKJV)

The church of Jesus Christ is filled with powerless Christians, many who are not sensitive to the Holy Spirit who was imparted to them in their experience of receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior. Actually, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin and leads us into repentance and then into the faith to place our trust in Jesus. Then, He abides in our hearts to help us live the Christian life—worship God, pray, understand the Scriptures, and seek the fullness of power.

Too many people who decide to trust Christ as Savior seem to think that this is all there is to the Christian life. Also, there is more to getting saved than being baptized and joining the church. We will need power to control our selfish desires, resist Satan’s lies and temptations, and find our place in life. We will need power to pray, power to worship, and power to know the will of God.

The Holy Spirit comes to abide in our hearts when we are saved. But as we begin this journey in faith, we must pray for more of the Holy Spirit. Realizing our weaknesses, we must pray for the Holy Spirit’s fullness. Now this requires us to surrender our hearts to Christ and devote ourselves to His will—not for just an hour or a day but for the rest of our lives.

Surrendering our lives to Christ is the Christian’s most wise and important decision after his or her experience of salvation. Being totally surrendered to Christ means that the Holy Spirit is within us to enlighten us as to who we are, what we are to do with our lives, and how to understand the word of God. He wants to help us grow in grace, turn all our dreams, hopes, ambitions, and strengths over to the Holy Spirit to live a Christ-centered life. This devotion to Christ will not only assure us of a successful life here on earth but also eternal life when we are called home to be with our Lord.