LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (20)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:1-13; Matt 14:22-33.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. In the New Testament, the word Love appears about 200 times, and it is almost always ‘agape’ love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for human beings. “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” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. This love saves and restores humanity in the face of sin and death. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. The agape love for God and for one another is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with LOVE” (1 Cor 16:13,14). To know the measure of Love you must know how much Love gives. Just think of this Love: God the Father gave us His only begotten Son, that we might be saved! God the Son gave us His Live, His Blood, to pay for our sins! There is no greater Love than that!!! Hallelujah! 

MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE (Romans 14:1-13)

The Book of Romans is a masterpiece. It is considered the best Book in the Bible and the greatest piece of literature in the world. It is written by the great Apostle Paul. Many great men of God became born again by studying this Book. It contains the major doctrines of the Gospel. In the first 11 chapters, the Apostle writes about the doctrines of salvation. From chapter 12 to the end, he writes the application of these doctrines. The first two verses in chapter 12 are the basic scriptures on the application of doctrine. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:1,2).  We see that the Christian life is a life of sacrifice for the sake of Christ, to give glory to God! By faith in the Word of God, our minds are renewed and transformed. From starting as ‘babies’ in Christ, we become strong in the faith. Becoming spiritually mature is the aim for every believer. Agape Love is the engine of this transformation. The New Law of Love takes over obedience of the Law as found in the Old Testament. “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:10). Amen!

In chapters 14 and 15 we find the practical application of the Gospel especially in the relationships between the Christians. Theologians call these principles ‘matters of indifference’ or ‘grey areas’. These are important teachings, but they are not essential to our salvation. They apply to the type of food Christians eat, the mode of dressing, the type of entertainment, the types of baptism, the type of prophecies, the importance of days and how we celebrate our faith. The major doctrines of the Bible cannot be argued about.  As Christians, we all must agree on the major doctrines in the Bible, but we can lovingly disagree on these matters of indifference. ‘Matters of indifference’ refer to our attitude to things that are not prohibited in the Bible. If something is forbidden, it is sin. There is no need to discuss it. For example, the Bible says that adultery is sin. We cannot debate that. We are here studying things that are not clearly forbidden in God’s Word and our attitude to them. We study these things because over the years they have bought much confusion, pain, and division in the Body. The church is made of many believers; some are spiritually strong, and others are spiritually weak in the faith. The first lesson we must learn is that the Body is One!!! The strong ones are commanded not despise the weak ones. There is a tendency for the strong to gather in groups to gossip, to look down on the weak ones. The weak ones are commanded not to judge the spiritually strong. Any form of division and segregation based on your Bible knowledge is wrong. We study these teachings to know how to behave better, how to love without quarreling and causing division in the Body. Selah!

SOME LESSONS ON HOW TO RELATE TO OTHERS CONCERNING MATTERS OF INDIFFERENCE

*The command to receive a weak brother applies only to the church setup. God gives His grace to welcome the weak in the faith only to the Body of the local church. This command does not apply to all other religious organizations, traditional gatherings, or family meetings.

*This command works only when applying the power of agape love. The power of the flesh and human sympathy will fail in this regard.

*The matters of loving indifference apply to both the weak and the strong in the faith. Each one is responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the Body. The strong is not to ‘to despise the weak’ and the weak is not ‘to judge the strong’. Both despising and judging are wrong!

*The fact that we welcome a brother who is weak in the faith does not mean that automatically, the weak one becomes a leader in the church. He is admitted ‘in the hospital’ of the Spirit. He does not join the Olympic team who has been training for long and learn to grow spiritually.

*All of us are sinners saved by grace. The same Blood of Jesus saved us all. Even the ones who are strong in the faith are not yet perfect. We all make mistakes. We all have to stay humble and be quick to repent when we fail the law of Love. Sanctification is a process that lasts until we go to heaven. We all must pay the price to grow in the faith.

*Never allow your Bible knowledge to build pride in you and to lead you to quarrel. A spiritually mature Christian who is strong in the faith never quarrels. Jesus rebuked His enemies but never hated them. “Love is never rude” (1 Cor 13:5). The world loves to argue, debate and quarrel. We should never argue about anything just for the pleasure of an argument, just to prove a point or just to defend ourselves. Only fools are quick to argue. “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel” (PV 20:3). Love and self-control are both fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22, 23). Any Christian who cannot control his emotions or his words, should not give his opinions in public about anything. Speaking in anger does great damage to your testimony and hurts others! The great preacher Charles Spurgeon warned his students about quarreling. He said: ‘Many Christians behave like angels in a prayer meeting and like devils in a church meeting’. Selah!

Learn the difference between a dialogue and a debate. A dialogue brings two willing parties together. Love is the key. They both want to come to a common understanding of the problem and try to find solutions together. In dialogue, finding a common ground is the goal. Each person listens to the other. Each person is willing to learn from the other and change his opinions in the process. Dialogue is creative and has room to grow. The parties agree to find a new solution that was not among the original solutions. In dialogue, each person submits and shows real love for the other party. Each one does not want to reject or offend the other. Dialogue remains open ended giving hope for the future. 

A debate is oppositional. Hatred and anger are there. The two parties oppose one another, each trying to prove that the other one is wrong. In debate, wining is the goal. Each one looks for the weaknesses in the other and attacks it. Debate assumes that only one party knows the truth rejecting all other positions and solutions. Debate is done with a closed mind. Debate does not care about other’s feelings, love, or the future of the relationship. Debate ends with a final conclusion and has no hope for the future. 

Christians should engage in dialogue and never in debate! This law applies to the marriage set up and to the church fellowship. Love is never selfish, and ‘does not seek its own’ (1Cor 13:5). Lesson: Never argue about the Bible just to display your ‘great’ knowledge. Try to get a better understanding of the other’s position. Love demands that! All discussions between brethren should be done in a spiritual Christian manner. If you cannot behave as Christians during a discussion with others, better keep quiet!

EATING DIFFERENT FOODS IS A MATTER OF INDIFFERENCE 

“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand” (Rom 14:1-4).  In this passage, Apostle Paul says that the believers who are strong in the faith eat all types of food, both vegetables and meat. But the believers who are weak in the faith eat only vegetables. The strong in the faith tends to ‘despise’ the weak. The weak in the faith tends to ‘judge’ the strong. Apostle Paul refers to the fact that at that time, the pagans sacrificed animals to idols. Part of that meat was sold in the public market. Many Christians had problems with buying and eating such meat. The Jews had to obey ceremonial laws concerning the type of meat to eat. In the Book of Leviticus 11, God commanded the Jews not to eat and not even to touch ‘unclean’ things like pork, or fish without scales. Because of these ceremonial laws, some of the Jews who became born again but were still weak in the faith, refused to buy and even touch meat sold in the market. The Gentiles (the non-Jews), the pagans, who became born again but were weak in the faith, were also afraid to eat meat dedicated to idols, thinking that they will connect with past familiar spirits. All these groups of people decided to ‘play safe’ and eat only vegetables, so that they do not to defile themselves with ‘unclean’ meat. The weak in the faith became vegetarians by force and by choice.  Please note that Apostle Paul does not condemn the vegetarian diet. If you chose to be a vegetarian for health reasons, that is good. What the Apostle condemns is choosing to eat only vegetables for spiritual or religious reasons. There is a difference.   

But the Jewish and the Gentile believers who were strong in the faith, felt free to eat any type of meat. They knew that the idols are nothing and they cannot pollute the meat. They prayed over the food and had no fears or doubts concerning eating anything. Lesson: The weak believers are influenced by a spirit of fear. Fear makes them legalistic, complicated, and confused. But the strong in the faith had no fears or doubts. Their faith was 100%! They lived in the freedom Christ has provided for them. They have seen that the ceremonial law of the Old Testament has no effect anymore on a Christian because “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom 10:4). Halleluiah! Amen!

VEGETARIANISM

Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from eating meat and animal products. There are many reasons why some people abstain from eating meat. Some are vegetarians because of their religious beliefs. They believe that animals have souls, that they have the right to live like any man. Others chose not to eat meat for health reasons. All vegetarians chose to eat only vegetables that grow from the earth.

*Most vegetarians live in India. They are religious Hindus. India is the country that has the least consumption of meat in the world. There are about 400 million vegetarians in India. Jainism is a type of Hinduism. It is one of the oldest religions in the world and it is practices mostly in India. There are about 5 million Jain believers. They believe that the universe was not created and will exist forever. It is independent, having no creator, governor, judge, or destroyer. Nonviolence is their highest religious duty. They totally forbid the killing of any living being, man or animal. They are strict vegetarians. They do not eat any root plants like potatoes, yam, carrot, onions, because they say that once you uproot these, you kill many little insects around the roots. They worship many deities in their temples.

*About 13% of all Jews living in Israel are vegetarians. The religious dietary restrictions guide regarding what can be consumed by practicing Jews is called kosher. Foods labeled kosher are prepared under strict guidelines to the entire supply chain, from harvest and slaughter to preparation, packaging, and food combinations. Pork and shellfish are famously not allowed. Religious holidays have additional restrictions.

*The Muslims do not drink alcohol and do not eat pork meat.

*The Rastafarians are a group of Afro-Jamaican people who believe in the God of the Bible whom they call Jah. This religious movement opposed the British Colonial Culture. They believe that the Africans are God’s chosen people and that they should go back to Africa, their Promised Land. They invented the reggae music which became popular all over the world. Many of them smoke marihuana and are vegetarians.

*In Africa, Ethiopia is the number one country that practices vegetarian diet. Orthodox Christians abstain from all animal products for around 200 days each year during their church fasting days. In Gabon and South Africa meat consumption is the highest in Africa. In Nigeria less than 0.2% of its population is vegetarian. In Lagos alone, an estimated 164 trailers come in daily with 6,000 to 8000 cows to be slaughtered for various purposes. Most Nigerians like eating meat and fish. They see the vegetarians as foolish, eating ‘grass’ like the oyinbo (the white people).

*The Seventh-day Adventist diet is a plan promoted by members of their Church. It’s a mostly plant-based diet and it is done for health reasons.

They apply God’s Word even in their diet. In the Garden of Eden God said: “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food” (Gen 1:29). These are some of their guidelines: Balance and moderation are the keys to good health. Too much of anything, even something good, can be harmful to your health. Pure water, fresh air and exercise are healthy. Avoid alcohol, tobacco, mind-altering drugs, and hot spices. A well-balanced vegetarian diet with vitamin 12 promotes health. You should not eat unclean foods listed in the Bible (especially pork meat). They eat beans, nuts, brown rice, fruits, and vegetables. They eat one cup of beans every day. They drink about 8 glasses of water daily. They eat a handful of nuts (wall nuts, ground nuts, cashew nuts) a day. They eat corn, and Popo fruit daily. They try to live a stress-free life. They go to church and rest and enjoy their fellowships every Sabbath day. They have low rates of heart dieses, diabetes, and cancers. The community of Seven-day Adventist who live in Loma Linda, CA is one of the five places on earth called Blue Zones. There are only 5 blue zones in the world (Ikaria, Greece, Sardinia, Italy, Okinawa Japan, Nicoya, Costa Rica, and Loma Linda, Ca). In all these places, the people live well above 100 years of age and stay physically and mentally strong.  

*Turmeric spice is said to be the best anti-cancer in the world. It comes from a plant related to Ginger growing in India. Turmeric is what gives curry its yellow color. It decreases inflammation and the aging process. It increases the immunity of the body, helps the brain cells, increases the attention and memory power. It reduces heart diseases and may prevent and fight cancer. It reduces rheumatism, arthritis, and depression.  

*Zobo, or hibiscus tea, is a well-known drink. After Sudan, Nigeria is the second leading global producer of Hibiscus. Elements found in zobo, such as fiber, carotene, Vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, phosphorus, fat, thiamine, and many others, make it exceptional. It has antioxidant properties. It can be drunk hot or cold. Zobo has no caffeine and few calories. It is advised not to add sugar to reap its full health benefits. It regulates the appetite for food. By reducing the absorption of carbohydrates, zobo helps reduce weight. It lowers the blood pressure. It keeps the liver and the kidneys healthy. It prevents constipation and reduces the menstrual pains. It may help prevent and fight cancer cells. 

*Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin needed for proper functioning of the nervous system. Deficiency leads to weight and memory loss, anemia, and depression. Vitamin B12 is created by bacteria that can only be found naturally in animal products like meat, fish, milk, and eggs. It is now produced artificially as part of Multivitamin Tablets. The vegetarians need to take these tablets!

PETER WALKS ON THE WATER (Matt 14:22-33)

This is a wonderful story of faith. “Immediately, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side”. The word ‘made’ here means to force, to urge, to compel. The disciples did not want to go. Jesus just did a miracle. He multiplied bread and fishes to feed 5000 people. They now wanted to make him king by force (Jn 6:15). Things were becoming exciting for the disciples. But Jesus knew that this excitement is of the flesh. Lesson: the devil uses the crowd to flatter Jesus so that He will become their king and provider and forget the Cross!

Jesus compelled them to enter their boat and go to the other side of the Sea. Lesson: when your flesh becomes too excited, go home, and do some physical work. Also, Jesus needed some time alone to pray to the Father. Here you see Jesus as Man (He needs to pray) and as God (He walks on the water, saves Peter, and calms the storm). Here we also see Jesus as the High Priest and Intercessor of all the believers. He prays to God, but He is aware of the needs of His children. Faith developed in the storm becomes strong faith. Some hours later, a storm started on the sea. The disciples saw Jesus who was walking on the sea towards them. They thought He is a ghost, and they will now die. Fear gripped their hearts. Jesus spoke to them: “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid”. It means ‘be bold and have good courage’. The words: “It is I” are the same as “I AM”. Jesus is Jehovah God! Peter answered Him saying: “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Jesus simply said: “Come!” In the middle of the storm, Peter forgot his fears, and desiring only to obey Jesus’ command, came out from the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus. True mature faith needs only God’s Word to manifest! The wind was ‘contrary and boisterous’, meaning a strong wind coming from the opposite direction, attacking like an enemy. When Peter saw the wind, he became afraid and started sinking. He cried for help and Jesus caught him by His hand. Jesus said: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. The disciples worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God”.

Jesus wanted the disciples to leave the crowd with all its excitement and learn a true lesson of faith in the storm. They just witnessed the miracle of multiplication of bread and fish that fed 5000 people. Now, in the storm, they forgot about the miracle. Why? Their hearts were still hardened ((Mk 6:52). Jesus sent them into the storm to purge them from this hardness of heart, from pride, doubts, and fears. They had to learn that Jesus uses different methods than the world to establish His kingdom. If men chose Jesus as their king, that would not make them to worship Him. But faith learned in the mist of trials, leads to worshipping Jesus! Jesus gave these commands: Have courage! Have faith! Fear not! Doubt not! Come to Me! Initially, Peter obeyed. He had courage, faith, rejected fear and doubt, and walked on the water. For as long as he looked unto Jesus, His commander, he experienced the miracle. The moment he became distracted by the circumstances, and he removed his eyes from Jesus, he started sinking. Jesus helped him even when he doubted. This is a great encouragement to us! Walking on water is a symbol of our Christianity! We need to walk by faith, and with courage. We must reject fear, doubt, and the temptation to look at the circumstances. Faith means taking one step at the time. Peter did well when he took the first step to come out of the boat. He started sinking when he looked at the wind and did not focus on the next step. Fear and doubt make you heavy and you will sink. You can choose to worry or to worship!

Jesus’ walking on the stormy sea was a picture of His complete authority over His creation and in the Church. “And He (God the Father) put all things under His (Jesus Christ) feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church” (Eph 1:22). How did Jesus perform the miracle? Jesus did not stop the Law of Gravity. He exercised a greater power than the Law of Gravity. By His Will alone, He walked on the Sea. This is the power of resurrection, the same power manifested in Peter, and in all God’s Children. Worship the Lord!