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[PRESTON PITTMAN]

Recently, I was praying and meditating on Matthew 22:34-40, and I feel lead to share something I see that I feel is important. I have been a Christian for many years now and have experienced God's love, first, from Him, but also from the church. I believe there is something much deeper revealed here that is on my heart today. Let's look at the text...

"Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced (muzzled) the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of their number, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him. Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light--which are heavy?" Mat 22:34-35

Now, if you will pull back from this scene with me, we see, "Mankind, asking His Creator... What is the most important thing to Him". Regardless of what Christ knew was the motive... He answered this question... and whatever He says, should be foundational because of what the question asks. Well, we know what His answer was, but let's look at it, together...

"And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets." Mat 22:36-40

OK, now Jesus has just told us what the most important thing is and, taking this passage literally, now, it is only natural that we want to know His definition of Love. This will bring us to I Cor 13. The first three verses are very interesting in the way they strengthen or support what Jesus just said in Mat 22. Let's look at the first three verses.

"If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers (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). 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 in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing." I Cor 13:1-3

Now, when I read these two areas of scripture together, I must ask the Church... "do we teach in the order, or relevance that these verses imply". Please hang on with me for just a little longer... Paul has only pitted three Christian values against love here, because we know he cannot list everything that love is more important than. Jesus said Love is "the" most important... and so Paul only needs to make examples of a sampling, thus lead to write these three. Should someone disagree, then let's just use these three in my point... which is:

Why does the church teach; "Speaking in Tongues" to Christians whom they have not taught FIRST, a BASIC Teaching about God's love... what is love... where love comes from... how it is manifested... why it is most important... etc., it's relationship to everything! Now, maybe your church believes that tongues is no longer used today... that's OK... but what do we do with the context of Paul's message. In light of these passages, or, if the most important thing is Love, then shouldn't Love be the most important teaching?

Repentance is important, right? But if Jesus says that Love is the most important thing, then we must look at repentance from this truth. Without understanding how much God loves them, how will they be brought to repentance? What are they to repent unto, if not God's love? The more I learn of God's love for me, the more I am still repenting from. You see, love is more important than repentance because it is in... under... behind... and all around the need to repent. Now you can do this exercise with every issue the church has an important teaching on and find that love is more important than that subject. So, I ask... In light of these scriptures, when we take a look at this year's teaching line-up, ministry subjects, seminar titles, classes available, etc.,... does it appear the church teaches that Love is the most important thing?

I love you.

[JimmyS]

Recently, I was praying and meditating on Matthew 22:34-40, and I feel lead to share something I see that I feel is important. I have been a Christian for many years now and have experienced God's love, first, from Him, but also from the church. I believe there is something much deeper revealed here that is on my heart today. Let's look at the text...

"Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced (muzzled) the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of their number, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him. Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light--which are heavy?" Mat 22:34-35

Now, if you will pull back from this scene with me, we see, "Mankind, asking His Creator... What is the most important thing to Him". Regardless of what Christ knew was the motive... He answered this question... and whatever He says, should be foundational because of what the question asks. Well, we know what His answer was, but let's look at it, together...

"And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets." Mat 22:36-40

OK, now Jesus has just told us what the most important thing is and, taking this passage literally, now, it is only natural that we want to know His definition of Love. This will bring us to I Cor 13. The first three verses are very interesting in the way they strengthen or support what Jesus just said in Mat 22. Let's look at the first three verses.

"If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers (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). 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 in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing." I Cor 13:1-3

Now, when I read these two areas of scripture together, I must ask the Church... "do we teach in the order, or relevance that these verses imply". Please hang on with me for just a little longer... Paul has only pitted three Christian values against love here, because we know he cannot list everything that love is more important than. Jesus said Love is "the" most important... and so Paul only needs to make examples of a sampling, thus lead to write these three. Should someone disagree, then let's just use these three in my point... which is:

Why does the church teach; "Speaking in Tongues" to Christians whom they have not taught FIRST, a BASIC Teaching about God's love... what is love... where love comes from... how it is manifested... why it is most important... etc., it's relationship to everything! Now, maybe your church believes that tongues is no longer used today... that's OK... but what do we do with the context of Paul's message. In light of these passages, or, if the most important thing is Love, then shouldn't Love be the most important teaching?

Repentance is important, right? But if Jesus says that Love is the most important thing, then we must look at repentance from this truth. Without understanding how much God loves them, how will they be brought to repentance? What are they to repent unto, if not God's love? The more I learn of God's love for me, the more I am still repenting from. You see, love is more important than repentance because it is in... under... behind... and all around the need to repent. Now you can do this exercise with every issue the church has an important teaching on and find that love is more important than that subject. So, I ask... In light of these scriptures, when we take a look at this year's teaching line-up, ministry subjects, seminar titles, classes available, etc.,... does it appear the church teaches that Love is the most important thing?

I love you.

Hey thanks for sharing that. I definitely know what you I mean. I like this verse in Ephesians 3:17-19 "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in Love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the Love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you maybe filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

This is a beautiful verse clearly portraying that love comes first, before that power and fullness of God, we have to be rooted and established in Love that passes knowledge.