What We Need is More Love
By Glendol McClure

In a previous issue, the article entitled, What We Need Is Less Love, was presented for your consideration. In that article, we discussed areas in which we need to have LESS love. The areas discussed were:

In concluding the article, I wrote, "But what we need more of is love for God's truths found in the Bible. Dear reader, where are you focusing your love? Is it on things for which we need less love, or is it on the truths of God's word for which we all need more love? Which?"

Since we previously discussed the need for LESS love in the above-mentioned areas, in this article we will discuss areas wherein we need MORE love. Please consider the following.

1. We need MORE LOVE FOR BOLD PREACHERS AND BOLD PREACHING! For some preachers, it has become the norm to avoid controversy and to speak so as to prevent upsetting anyone in the audience. "Paul and Barnabas waxed bold" in their declaration of God's word, even though many were stirred to anger and eventually ran them out of town (Acts 13:46-51). Many brethren in the first century waxed bold in their teaching (Philippians 1:14). Paul taught the Gospel boldly, even though he was persecuted (1 Thessalonians 2:2).

We need scriptural, specific, and to-the-point preaching, as well as proper applications. We need bold preaching on moral issues, such as, immodesty, social drinking, gambling, abortion, homosexuality, divorce, dancing, materialism, filthy movies and TV shows, etc. Soft preaching ignores these issues. Paul commanded Timothy to sharply rebuke sinners, not to preach soft, meaningless sermons without making application (1 Timothy. 5:20; Titus 1:13).

We need preaching that clearly marks and identifies error and the false teachers who teach it. Error must be marked according to Paul's divine admonition--"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them." (Romans 16:17) Paul practiced what he preached and commanded the Roman brethren concerning marking and avoiding (2 Timothy 2:16-18; 4:10,14; Galatians 2:11-14). Paul demanded this kind of preaching from Timothy (2 Timothy 4:1-5). If engaging in such preaching was needful and profitable in the first century, it is especially needful and profitable in the twenty-first century, because "evil men and seducers shall wax (grow) worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." (2 Timothy 3:13)

It is a sad day when brethren shun preachers who boldly preach the gospel, with clarity and love. It is not uncommon to see those who follow the first-century apostolic pattern of preaching avoided, criticized, vilified, falsely accused, and even fired. Don't think these kinds of actions, on the part of some, are unusual; though they are shameful and sad.

The scriptures contain numerous accounts (Acts 20:27; Cf. Acts 26:19-21) of messengers who were ostracized, and even put to death, for declaring "all the counsel of God." Following are a few examples with which most Bible students are familiar.

Yes, we need to have more love for the truth and those who boldly preach it. We should encourage those who are willing to stand firmly on God's word. Compromise with sin and error is not an option! Brethren who wish to promote spiritual survival in this sinful world in which we live, must demand and support the bold and loving proclamation of sound doctrine. Please encourage the gospel preachers with whom you are acquainted to "speak boldly as (they) ought to speak." (Ephesians 6:20; Colossians 4:4)

2. We need MORE LOVE FOR DIVINE AUTHORITY! Acting without authority and disrespecting proper authority, are serious matters. In every avenue of life, authority must be respected. When authority is disrespected and ignored, problems and trouble abound. The majority of the problems in every society is the result of disrespect for, or lack of, authority in the home, in schools, in the workplace, in government, in business, and in the Lord's church.

Jesus claimed all authority in religious matters. He declared, "All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth."(Matthew 28:18) He cautioned the religious people of that day that the Father would accept only those works that were done according to His will. He also declared that works done in response to the will of men were iniquity or lawlessness. This divine warning should strike at the hearts and thinking of religious people; yet the religious world today grossly disrespects this warning. In Jesus' day, the Jews questioned Him about authority, but by rejecting Jesus, they displayed disrespect for Divine authority (Matthew 21:23-27; John 1:10,11). Clearly, Jesus' authority came from heaven and not from men.

When we worship the true and living God, if our worship is to be "in spirit and in truth," it must be based on heavenly authority (John 4:21-24). Paul wrote of Israel's zeal, but their zeal was misplaced because they went about to establish their own righteousness and did not submit to the righteousness of God (Romans 10:1-3). They did not respect God's authority.

When congregations of the Lord's people add unauthorized practices to the work and worship of the church, are they acting by the authority of heaven or of men?

When religious works are accomplished, and there is no clear apostolic example, divine implication, or direct statement, someone must ask the noble question, "by what authority doest thou these things, and who gave thee this authority?" (Matthew 21:23)

Let us heed Paul's divine instructions regarding authority, where he said, "And whatsoever yea do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Colossians 3:17)

3. We need MORE LOVE FOR THE LORD'S CHURCH! The lack of love for that which Christ "purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28), exhibits utter disrespect and disregard for "the blood of the covenant," counting it "an unholy thing." (Hebrews 10:29) Many display lack of love by disrespecting the church's divine mission (evangelism, edification, and benevolence), but there are many other areas where men neglect to love the Lord's body. The following paragraphs discuss three of them.

4. We need MORE LOVE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S WORD! Hosea wrote, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee..." (Hosea 4:6) With reading comes knowledge. Without reading, one remains ignorant. Consider some of the passages that teach the importance of reading God's word: (Exodus 24:7; Deuteronomy 17:19; 31:11; Joshua 8:34,35; 2 Kings 23:2,3; Nehemiah 8:8,18; 9:3; Isaiah 34:16; Jeremiah 36:6-13; Acts 8:27-32; 1 Timothy 4:13; Ephesians 3:4; Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27).

After reading these passages, can we not see that knowledge comes from reading God's word? Proper study of any subject demands reading. The only way to know God's will is to read and study it. The Hebrew writer severely condemned ignorance (Hebrews 5:12-14). Paul exhorted Timothy to "give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." (1Timothy 4:13) Countless people continue to lose their souls because of lack of reading, which results in "lack of knowledge."

5. We need MORE LOVE FOR SACRIFICIAL LIVING! Inasmuch as God sent His son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for all men, He expects all men to sacrifice their lives for the cause of Christ (Hebrews 7:27; 9:26; 10:5-12; 11:4; 13:15).

Paul wrote, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:1,2)

We are to glorify God in our bodies (Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Corinthians 6:20). We glorify God when we live Godly lives and keep ourselves "unspotted from the world"(James 1:27); when we do good works that God ordained (Matthew 7:21-23); when we remain "faithful unto death." (Revelation 2:10) We must spend our earthly lives in sacrificial service to God, preparing for life in heaven (Cf. Amos 4:12).

In conclusion, we have mentioned and discussed several areas where we need more love. This is by no means an exhaustive list of these areas. I could mention many others, such as more love for lost souls, for Godly homes, for scriptural discipline of wayward members, for Godly leadership, etc., where we need more love. If you are striving for a heavenly reward, carefully examine and practice what we have discussed.

In these two articles, Brother McClure has provided an excellent comparison. God's people need to LOVE the proper things. It seems to me that my brethren do have love-it is just misplaced. How can we say we truly love God if we are more attracted to the world than to the things of God? We must conclude that such love is misguided and not in line with our duties as God's children.

I believe that one reason it is more difficult to convert people out of the world today, is that they see no real distinction between the world and Christians. How can I tell one who is lost and dying in sin that he needs Christ in his life when he sees me dress, talk, and behave as he does; and when I love the same things he loves? What can Christianity offer him that he doesn't already have? God's people march to the beat of a different drum, head in a different direction, and place importance on eternal, rather than temporal, things. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." {2 Corinthians 4:16-18} Please give sober consideration to brother McClure's words. (KMG)

Dear reader, do you "love" the temporal or the eternal? Your answer will have ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES!!

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