Elijahlist.com

June 27, 2007
Jason Phillips:
"FRESH RIVERS OF GOD'S LOVE--DIVE IN TODAY!"

I believe we are coming into a season of time where the love of God is going to be expressed through believers in levels we have only dreamed of. God is love, and as followers of Christ, we are commanded to love one another (John 15:12).

Mankind desperately needs a touch from the loving arms of Jesus. The Lord is raising up a new breed of believers that will be so consumed with the love of God, that many of the social ills and turmoil of man's heart will be transformed in a moment, as the pure river of God's love pours through a generation of believers.

I Corinthians 13:13 -- "And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love."

Moving in the opposite spirit
During my time with YWAM (Youth with a Mission), I was taught over and over again to respond in the opposite spirit when I am tempted to react in the flesh. If you are a greedy person, then try purchasing someone's groceries in front of you the next time you are in the checkout line, and watch the look on their face--it will amaze you. You will notice as you make these random acts of kindness, the Lord will turn you into an extravagant giver.
One of the most powerful weapons we have as believers is the unconditional love of Christ flowing through us. As we move in the opposite spirit of the world, loving people, even those that are the most difficult to love, we defuse the wounded hearts of the lost and many people move into relationship with Jesus.
One of the keys to gaining victory over the image the world and media has painted of us is a Fresh Baptism of God's love. Mankind is desperately in need of love that is pure, asking for nothing in return. How much of the love of God do you receive and manifest on the earth today? I know there is always more when we ask Him. "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love" (John 15:9). Let us dive deeper in the river of God's love than ever before, and let His love splash on everyone who comes in contact with us!
Love for the Body of Christ
Many of us are familiar with the term "friendly fire." This is a military term that describes when a soldier is accidentally shot by a fellow soldier. This term is also used in the Church when one believer attacks another. If you have been around long enough, you have probably heard too many stories about one member of the Body talking about another in a nonproductive way. This is a very painful and damaging method the devil has used for years to wrap chains around the hearts of believers, holding them captive. Wounded people wound others, and often we keep shooting at our wounded instead of coming with an embrace of unconditional love.
I have seen in recent years a greater amount of love being expressed across denominational lines than ever before. We may worship and pray differently and have different ministry styles than the church across town, but our ultimate goal is the same: loving God with all our hearts and making Him known around the planet.
I am able to learn volumes of truths from my Baptist and Lutheran friends. They have completely different styles of worship and ministry, but I still learn from them and value their amazing ministries. I see many people who choose to focus more on our similarities then our slight differences. We all want to see the lost saved and healed. There is plenty of space on this planet for each of our unique "Jesus-centered" ministries.

Ask the Lord to give you an amazing love for those ministries and churches around you that worship and act a little differently than you. The funny thing is that you may think they are odd, but they more than likely feel the same about you. The Lord is not worried about our slight differences. He gave each of us a personality, and many of us are drawn to different streams. I personally like to take a swim in many of the streams out there; I enjoy a wide variety of ministry styles and cultures. The cool thing about the Lord's grand design is this: all the streams eventually end up in a river, and then all the rivers will wind up in the ocean. We are all part of the same Body, so let us grow in love for each other.

Mark 12:30-31 -- "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."

Winning the lost through God's Love
Have you ever mustered up your courage to step out and share Jesus to a friend or someone you met at the mall? You take a few deep breaths and begin to share your faith. Moments later you wish you had never opened your mouth, as you are blasted with an onslaught of attacks about the faith you hold so dear. We have all been there before if we have shared our faith more than a handful of times.
I understand that there will always be people who oppose the Gospel, no matter how many signs and wonders they see that are motivated by the love of God. Jesus had many enemies, and He shared that we would also if we walk as He did. John 15:18 -- "If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you." The key is how many of these precious people can we win over with the love of God flowing through us?
I fully support witnessing, power evangelism, words of knowledge, prophecy, and healing to lead people to Jesus (Mark 16:20). These are some of the best methods to win the lost; however the motivation behind it should be dripping with the Love of God.

The Apostle Paul shares about the necessity for believers to live in the river of God's love. I Corinthians 13:1-3 says:
"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing."

Paul understood the importance of walking in the love of God. Chapters 12 and 14 of I Corinthians speak in great detail of the spiritual gifts that are available to each believer. It is amazing to see how chapter 13 is nestled in between these two chapters on spiritual gifts. I believe the Lord wants us to see that His love is more important than any gift that we may desire or currently operate in. The world does not care how well you can prophesy, they want to know how much you love. Paul urges us in I Corinthians 14:1 to "Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophecy."

There is access in this hour to move deeper into the loving heart of our Father. As the gifts of the Spirit flow through the lives of believers in increased levels, it is critical that the love of God increase in our lives. The invitation has always been there, but I see a greater amount of people stepping into the love of God than every before. We are His body, and His love will shine through us like never before. Let us pursue love like we never have before. Make the pursuit of love a priority in your life. You will find the gifts of the spirit in you dramatically more effective when they are dripping with the love of God.

Lord, I ask that You would fill us with the fresh river of Your love. I pray that You would touch our hearts and baptize us with Your never-ending love. Lord, let Your love shine through us like never before and anoint us with creative ways to see souls around this planet saved by the power of Your love. Amen
I John 3:11 -- "This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that you should love one another."