Author : Matthew Robert Payne
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (New King James Version)1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!Unloving1 John 4:7-8 (New King James Version)7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.We say we love God and yet there are lonely people in our churches that come each week and have a hard time communicating and we ignore them every week. They are desperate for love and yet they are too hard to approach and we have other friends to talk to. Each week they come and each week the whole church ignores them and finally they leave and go back to the gay lifestyle as they know there will be talk at the bar and there will be polite talk before and after sex.There is that guy at church that was cheating with his secretary and he was a good tither and brought the church a lot of money and was on the music team as a gifted musician and now his wife has told the whole church and he has no friends and the church has not kicked him out, but they have taken him off the roster for worship and he is made to feel lucky they are allowing him to stay and all of the single women are scared of him now and he can't talk to the men as the married men have been warned by their wives that talking to this monster that broke Julies heart will not be tolerated.The church will still take his money and they won't say how long it will be before he can play his lead guitar again and it seems like repentance for this man does not win him back the favour of the church and so he decided its best to go to another church where he is not known and wait the two years that he will have to before he can worship the Lord again.People talk about him and how bad he is before he leaves and after he leaves.Ephesians 4:29 (New King James Version)29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.The whole church has transgressed this command and in doing so not loved the brother.They have also transgressed this commandRomans 12:9-12 (New King James Version)9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;In their gossip they have transgressed this oneJames 4:11 (New King James Version)11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.And so often in the hypocrisy of the church this does not happen.James 5:19-20 (New King James Version)19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.All it would take is a good couple to take this male aside and lavish love upon him and have him home once a week and for them to report the progress to the pastor and then after a few months they could invite the wife Julie to the dinner table and attempt to restore the marriage. But this is so often not the case. The man is judged, stripped of his position and treated like leper.Then there is the guy that has an addiction and no job that comes to your middle class in dirty jeans and a top with stains on it. And though this is in the Bible it happens every single day in churches all around the world.James 2:1-9 (New King James Version)1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?8 If you really fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself," you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.I have been shunned in this way in the attitude of a pastor who told me that I have to look to get a job as a person that does not work neither should he eat. Not aware that I was homeless at the time and off my medication and severely mentally sick. This was done in Sydney's biggest and most successful church over a coffee in the place they greet visitors as a way of the pastor suggesting that I would be no good to them without money to tithe. This church has two churches in Sydney and has forty full time pastors on the payroll and so I need to have a good job to keep all those guys getting paid. At the time I gave over half my pension to my fellow street pals and they loved me for it. I was giving more to the poor then his big salary people were in his church and that comment by him made me go to his church but not tithe there. This was wrong of me, but I was hurt.Have you ever seen a need and had a person that you know always broke saying that they have not got enough to pay the bills and food on the table and you have said, "I'll pray that the Lord would help you when you have money in the bank?"James 2:14-17 (New King James Version)14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.There are so many needs in your city. There is much teaching that says that there will always be the poor and that the poor should empower themselves and get a job and helping them is only encouraging them to be lazy and not work in getting better habits. This attitude is taking Jesus out of context. The reason why there will always be poor is not because there is a lack of money but because people who have money like you do not have the grace to share your money. There will always be poor because mankind has been taught to buy consumer products and look good and be young and pamper themselves and not to have mercy on an unskilled person like me. This comes from prosperity teachers who promise you God will look after you and make you rich if you give to Him and tell them not to and go give to the poor instead of them.2 Timothy 4:3-4 (New King James Version)3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.The world loves the wealth and the fat of the land and they speak of how sad it is overseas but little do they do to make the poor person's life better. Few people are preaching denial and giving 30% of their income and holiness and the teachers are saying that you cannot cease from sin. People are not being taught to read their own Bibles but encouraged to go to books to read and find out meanings of scripture when if they only read the Word and prayed they would know the truth.Many people do not have the love of Christ in their hearts and cannot cease from speaking bad about things and complaining about people in their lives. This is not love for God and His manifold blessings and this is not a love for people and therefore they are breaking the command to love their neighbour and God.People should give more, tithe, give to ministries and also to the poor as Paul encourages. The more you invest in God, the more faith you will have in His ability and His provision and the more rewarding life you will have.2 Corinthians 9:6-12 (New King James Version)6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written:" He has dispersed abroad,He has given to the poor;His righteousness endures forever."10 Now may[b] He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,Loving the unsaved is sowing to get them saved. Loving the poor in your church is blessing them with a gift. Loving is not judging the man that cheats on his wife and loving is taking the time to invite the guy home for lunch that no one talks to at church. Love is harder for us when there is going to be no return for us, but Jesus promises us that we will have reward in heaven.FatherI pray that this reader was convicted in this article and that they take the time to repent of their behaviour and seek to correct their errors and amend their ways when it comes to loving. I pray that you might lead them to the right Word that they need to read and that they are compelled to follow you and to serve You and walk in an obedient way when it comes to you and loving others.
I ask this in Jesus nameAmenMatthew shares his heart in these articles and can be found at http://www..online-prayer.net You can read more of his articles at his link below.If you want a copy of his upcoming book of articles which will have the first sixty of the articles on this web-site called "The Musings of a Mad Prophet" please contact Matthew via email so he can contact you around February 2007 to tell you of the progress of the book.
Keyword : unloving, Christ
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