DOING SIGNS AND WONDERS BUT NO LOVE

Eric Aboadwe
August 27, 2017 ·

DOING SIGNS AND WONDERS BUT NO LOVE

Our reading of the Word today is still in 1st Corinthians where it says:

“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 REMOVE mountains, but have NO LOVE, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

We thank God for this blessed day which the LORD has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). Even though for the past two days our study has been cantered on 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, so far we have been able to study in detail the verse 1 which talks about “Speaking with TONGUES of angels and of men” without having God’s “LOVE.”

Therefore today our attention will be on the verse 2 which we read above, and then on the next day will look at the verse 3 under a different topic. It has become necessary for us to look at the three verses one by one because Paul spoke about different things to draw our minds to the fact that the “GREATEST GIFT” which human beings must seek is the “LOVE” of God which is “the REMISSION of SINS.”

Paul the Apostle laid so much emphasis on this because without this, NO ONE can be qualified to receive the “Holy Spirit,” and nobody can become a child of God, and neither can his name be written in the “LAMB’S Book of Life.” It is the “LOVE” of God which gives us all these BLESSINGS. Let us not forget that “...if anyone does NOT have the Spirit of CHRIST, he is NOT His” (Romans 8:9b).

Therefore if Paul says in our Scripture reading that, “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 REMOVE mountains, but have NO LOVE, I am nothing,” it means that having these gift themselves is not what is important. This is because they are not the ultimate purpose of our FAITH in CHRIST. Receiving the “LOVE” of God which has disintegrated our SINS through “the water and blood” of JESUS is what matters.

However there are many pastors, prophets, evangelist, and the so called “Apostles” in Christendom who are giving prophecies, teaching philosophies and human logic, and who claim that they have the gift of performing miraculous SIGNS and WONDERS. But our Scripture reading tells us that if an overseer of any Christian denomination does any of these whiles he has “NO LOVE,” then that person is “nothing” before God.

Pastors, prophets, evangelists, and the overseers must first and foremost receive the “LOVE of God” which is the “REMISSIONS of SINS,” and they must also impact this FAITH to their congregation so that their church members can “Grow in GRACE and in the knowledge of the Lord JESUS CHRIST” (2 Peter 3:18). If not, then they will become “nothing” before God.

Therefore on the “Judgment Day,” these pastors and prophets who “have NO LOVE” of God in them even though they performed SINGS and WONDERS will tell JESUS, “Lord, Lord, have we not PROPHESIED in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many WONDERS in Your name:” (Matthew 7:22).

However, because these overseers in Christendom did not receive the “LOVE” of the “REMISSION of SINS,” they couldn't preach it, and so they became “nothing” before JESUS. Therefore the LORD said He will declare to them, “I NEVER knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23).

This is the main reason why the Apostle Paul is saying that, “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 REMOVE mountains, but have NO LOVE, I am nothing.” JESUS CHRIST Himself already confirmed to us how UNPROFITABLE these things are if it has nothing to do with the “LOVE” of God. JESUS told us about this in Matthew 7:21-23 even before Paul spoke about it in his epistle to the Corinthians.

We must understand the fact that “with God nothing will be IMPOSSIBLE” (Luke 1:37). Therefore He is not IMPRESSED by miraculous SIGNS and WONDERS. God’s “will” and desire for human beings is for them to receive His “LOVE” of the “REMISSIONS of SINS” through the water, the blood and the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST.

When our LORD and blessed SAVIOUR was on this Earth, He performed so many uncountable MIRACLES and He did a lot of works. That’s why the Apostle John said, “And there are also MANY other things that JESUS did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen” (John 21:25).

But Brothers and Sisters, we must understand the REASON why JESUS performed MIRACLES. He Himself told us the purpose of His miracles when He was about to raise “Lazarus” from the “death.” Therefore the Scripture tells us, “...And JESUS lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I THANK You that You have heard Me. And I know that You ALWAYS hear Me, but BECAUSE of the people standing by I said this, that they may BELIEVE that You sent Me” (John 11:41-42).

This passage tells us that, first of all JESUS wanted the people to “BELIEVE” that He was “sent” by God. Secondly JESUS performed the MIRACLE of raising “Lazarus” from the “death” so that we will “BELIEVE” that He can RESTORE us back to “LIFE” to our previous nature of becoming the RIGHTEOUS “sons of God” through the power of His RIGHTEOUS deeds fulfilled by the “LOVE” of His water, blood and the Spirit (1 John 5:6).

Therefore JESUS performed miracles so that we will “BELIEVE” that He is actually the Son of God, and He was sent by Him, and so He has the POWER to make us “RIGHTEOUS.” But nowadays FALSE pastors and prophets are performing SIGNS and WONDERS whiles they themselves and their entire congregation are still SINNERS. This is the “lawlessness” which JESUS spoke about in Matthew 7:23.

There are many people who wants to see MIRACLES before they BELIEVE in the “Word” of God. That’s why JESUS told such people, “UNLESS you people see SIGNS and WONDERS, you will by no means BELIEVE” (John 4:48). Such people cannot follow God to the end. When JESUS performed the MIRACLE of feeding 5,000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, what happened? They all left JESUS “walking with Him no more” (John 6:66). Only the 12 disciples were left.

We must have spiritual FAITH in God’s “LOVE” of the “REMISSION of SINS” and not SIGNS and WONDERS performed by false pastors and prophets. If Christians do not heed to this, our Scripture reading tells us that prophecy, knowledge, and SIGNS and WONDERS will profit them “nothing.”

Our study continues............



Eric Aboadwe
August 28, 2017 ·

SELF-SACRIFICE BUT NO LOVE

Our Scripture reading is in the 3rd Verse of 1 Corinthians 13 where the Apostle Paul says:

“And though I bestow ALL MY GOODS to feed the poor, and though I give my BODY to be BURNED, but have NO LOVE, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).

We thank God for giving us the His Word, teaching us, and giving us the UNDERSTANDING. We must be thankful to God for this because “There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him UNDERSTANDING” (Job 32:8). When JESUS appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, the account of Luke tell us that “And He opened their UNDERSTANDING, that they might comprehend the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45).

Brethren we must be thankful to JESUS CHRIST because He is the One who has giving us the “UNDERSTANDING” that we might “comprehend the Scriptures.” He did this after we believe in His RIGHTEOUS deeds and we were born of His “water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). JESUS is the One who promised to send His “Holy Spirit” to them that believe (John 14:15-18).

And by doing so, He “breathed” in us His “Spirit.” This is the “breath of the Almighty” which gives us “UNDERSTANDING.” What I want to emphasize before we begin our study is the fact that we have to really give THANKS to God for teaching us and feeding us with His elaborate “Word” of “fine woven linen.” It is one of the many BLESSINGS which He has given to us.

Now going back to our main topic of study, the Apostle Paul said, “And though I bestow ALL MY GOODS to feed the poor, and though I give my BODY to be BURNED, but have NO LOVE, it profits me nothing.” What the Apostle Paul is saying here is very deep, but the question is “Can a man bestow all his GOODS to feed the poor if he doesn't LOVE the poor person? And can somebody offer his BODY to be BURNED (sacrificing himself for others) if he doesn't LOVE them?”

These questions shows that what the Apostle Paul is saying here is very deep. We all know that nobody will give “ALL” his “GOODS to feed the poor” if he doesn't “LOVE” him. Therefore when Paul says “And though I bestow ALL MY GOODS to feed the poor, but have NO LOVE,” we must understand that Paul is not talking about human “LOVE.” If you will remember, in our Bible study about POWER, LOVE & SOUND MIND (Part 5), we learnt that there are four (4) categories of “LOVE” which are Philia, Euros, Storge, and the Agape “LOVE” of God.

Therefore when Paul says, “Though I bestow ALL MY GOODS to feed the poor,” He is talking about human “LOVE.” This “LOVE” is based on the LAW and the COMMANDMENTS of Moses which says, “You shall LOVE the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your NEIGHBOR as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

However, if after all said and done, the Apostle Paul says “but have NO LOVE,” we must know that he is talking about God’s AGAPE “LOVE” of the “REMISSION of SINS” which saved us from the hand of Satan, sin and spiritual death. Paul was therefore saying that even if he “LOVE” his “NEIGHBOR” as himself but he does not have God’s “LOVE” of the REMISSION, then it “profits” him “nothing.”

We must know that there is not even one single person on this earth who has been able to obey the commandment which says “LOVE the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your NEIGHBOR as yourself.” JESUS proved this to the Lawyers and the Pharisees on so many occasions. That’s why He told them, “Did not Moses give you the LAW, yet NONE of you keeps the LAW” (John 7:19).

But many pastors, prophets and evangelists are not HUMBLE. They have become “HYPOCRITES” just like the Pharisees who wanted everybody to believe that they don’t commit SINS. We have already studied about “HYPOCRISY” in our Bible study title “STAY AWAY FROM HYPOCRISY.” Therefore I will not talk much about it here.

But what the Apostle Paul is saying in our Scripture reading talks about a lot of things. When Paul says “And though I bestow ALL MY GOODS to feed the poor, and though I give my BODY to be BURNED, but have NO LOVE, it profits me nothing,” he was telling us that, “Therefore by the deeds of the LAW no FLESH will be JUSTIFIED in His sight, for the LAW is the knowledge of SIN” (Romans 3:20).

Paul was saying that we are “JUSTIFIED” by the “LOVE” of God, and that we are not justified because we “LOVE” our “NEIGHBOR” as ourselves such as bestowing all our GOODS to feed the poor and giving our BODY to be BURNED (sacrificing ourselves). It means that no matter our good deeds, if we have not received God’s “LOVE” of the “REMISSION OF SINS,” we are “nothing” before God.

Brothers and Sisters, the Word of God tells us, “In this the LOVE of God was manifested towards us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might LIVE through Him. In this is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us and sent His Son to be the PROPITIATION for our SINS” (1 John 4:9-10).

Here too we can see the Apostle John talking about God’s “LOVE” which grants us the “REMISSION of SINS.” That’s why he said that it is not we who “LOVED God,” but rather it is God’s Himself who “LOVED us” and sent JESUS to be the “PROPITIATION for our SINS” through His “water and blood” (1 John 5:6).

Therefore when the Apostle John says “Not that we LOVED God,” it means that NOBODY has been able to obey the commandment which says, “LOVE the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.” This is the ultimate teaching of Apostle John, Paul, and all the other Apostles of CHRIST.

As Christians, we must therefore understand that if we reject God’s “LOVE,” our self-sacrifice which comes from the good deeds of the “LAW” of Moses and our “Prayers of Repentance” can NEVER lead us any closer to “The Kingdom of God.” It is God’s “LOVE” of being “born again of the water and the Spirit” (John 3:5) which gives us the qualification to enter His “Kingdom.”

Our study continues............

BLESSED are the recipients of this “LOVE.”