Heart & Soul - - Sincere Love

 

Romans 12:9

Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 505

Sincere: unhypocritical, unfeigned

From the Greek word 'anupokritos' (pronounced an-oo-pok'-ree-tos):  describing sincere behavior free from hidden agendas (selfish motives) – literally, "without hypocrisy".

Used only six times in the New Testament: Romans 12:9; 2 Corinthians 6:6; 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Peter 1:22; James 3:17.

Sincerity: freedom from hypocrisy, deceit, duplicity; honest intentions; candor, genuineness, truthfulness, reliability, impartiality (fairness, unbiased). 

INSINCERE LOVE

   While the word "sincere" itself is only used six times in the New Testament, the intent is given throughout the Bible. For instance, in Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus rebukes the scribes and the Pharisees for their appearance of righteousness: visible to those who watched them and heard their words. Their supposed love for others was not sincere. It was a "look at me" cloak, covering the intent of their hearts. This is not Christlike love. 

    The Pharisee, for us, is the symbol of hypocrisy. Charlie Daniels had a song called, New Pharisees, that describes the word pretty good. It is the gossiper, the malicious intent to destroy, tear down, put down, the bully. 

    The Pharisee is attention-seeking, self-serving and self-promoting. They are the strict and restrictive religious sects concerned with hollow tradition and empty hearts. While the Pharisaical heart seeks the return of the Messiah, it lives its life according to its own rules and vain beliefs, denying Jesus and His power to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12).

SINCERE LOVE

    Knowing our hearts, we are encouraged throughout the New Testament to be sincere, genuine, real. We remain in Christ and Christ remains in us when we remove the hateful hypocritical attitudes and mores with which we have grown up around. 

>Stop lying to each other - Ephesians 4:25

>Remove malice and envy - 1 Peter 2:1

>Get rid of bitterness, anger, rage,  - Ephesians 4:31

>Stop slandering one another - James 4:11

>Get rid of all moral filth - James 1:21

>Covet not - Exodus 20:17

IT'S WHAT'S INSIDE THAT COUNTS

    Mark 7:21-23 (21) "For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, (22) greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. (23) All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man."

    We can only change ourselves so much. We can determine to be better people, we can be kinder, more tolerant of differences, and we may actually like each other. But we can't love each other the way God wants us to love each other unless we first love God the way He wants us to love Him.

    Jesus says, "Love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12. So, we must ask, How has Jesus loved us? 

>With an Everlasting Love - Jeremiah 31:3

>He loves His enemies - Matthew 5:44

>He forgives His enemies - Luke 23:34

>With His prayer for us - John 17:20-26

    We need Jesus on the inside, filling us with Himself, His love, that we may grow in His love and be able to live this life in honor, in His righteousness, in His love and through His love. We desire to glorify God in everything we do and everything we say. 

    If I have hurt you in any way, I ask your forgiveness now. If I have fallen short of your expectations of being Christlike, I ask that you forgive me: every single time. Jesus is Life and I want Him to fully thrive in me, shining His Light of Love into your view of me. I don't want to be a superficial Christian, which is actually an oxymoron because "Christian" means Christ-liver. And if a person says, "I'm a Christian" but they aren't living for Christ, then they really aren't Christians, are they?

    The Word says that we are known by our fruits, by what grows in us and on us and through us. Where our root is, there our growth is. It is why we say that we need to be rooted and grounded in the Word. 

    Colossians 2:6, 7 "Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." 

Guard Your Heart - - Guard Your Faith

 

1 Timothy 4:1, 2

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 868

Abandon: to withdraw oneself from, to fall away

From the Greek word 'aphistémi' (pronounced af-is'-tay-mee): I take up a position away from, repel, leave, abstain from, to lead away from.

LATER TIMES

    The later times, often referred to as latter days, are not the same as end of days. The later times refer to the age in which the church is being built up in the faith, in the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. And we are still in these days, for this age will continue until the church is taken up by Christ when He returns for her. 

    Even in the beginning of the church's growth,  sedition (rebellion) and apostasy (desertion, falling away from) began to rear their ugly heads. Religious groups outside the church began impacting the way the church was being run, inserting their own laws and rules ahead of God's law and rule. 

    In Paul's letter to Timothy, he reminds him of this and to warn the brethren (the brothers and sisters in Christ) under Timothy's leadership to be careful of what is being let into the church and what is to be kept out. 

    Since the Spirit of God never lies we know that then, as now, many have been deceived by their faith leaders into believing what has been presented as truth, but in actuality is false. We are to beware of (be aware of and avoid) false teachings which are delivered by false teachers and false prophets: imposters and evil spirits. 

    And in order to know who is speaking Truth and who is lying we need to know what The Word of God is for ourselves. We need to grab hold of the written Word of God and begin to read and study it out and pray over what we are reading and studying, asking God to reveal Himself in His Word. 

HYPOCRISY 

    Most of us know by now that a hypocrite is a person who says one thing and does the opposite. They are pretenders, snakes. On the outside they appear morally righteous; in their hearts and behind closed doors they are anything but. 

    The born again believer who follows closely the Word of God will be on the lookout for deceivers and heretics who try to enjoin themselves to the church in which the believer participates. It is why we need to remain in a state of prayer, constant communication with our heavenly Father, that we may be able to discern the wicked from the righteous. 

    The Spirit of God has told us how we are to be in these latter days. If we pay closer attention to how we receive The Word then we will be able to tell the difference in the Spirit who is and who is not a Christian. 

    What does the word Christian mean? It is a designation of nationality. Not only are we Christ-followers, but we are living in Christ and Christ lives in us. Perhaps meant as an insult in the beginning, the Christians embraced the title. Therefore, not everyone who calls themselves Christians really are Christians.

TRUTH: GOD DEMANDS OUR WORSHIP

Because God is Creator, only God creates. Genesis 1 and 2 we read that God created all of nature and all of the universes. Exodus 20:1-5 reminds us that God is to be worshiped, not God's creations.

LIE: Making statues of people and animals is fine.

TRUTH: ONLY PRAY TO GOD

Matthew 6:5-7 Jesus tells His disciples to pray in secret to their heavenly Father. Psalm 4:3 God hears the prayers of the godly.

LIE: Praying the name of a saint gets results. Lighting these candles will cause your prayers to enter God's light. 

TRUTH:  GOD IS HOLY, HIS NAME IS HOLY

Exodus 20:7 Taking the Lord's name in vain (swearing) is a punishable offense. Using God's Name as an epithet is not acceptable in any part of the believer's life, especially their tongue.

LIE: Swearing is normal; everybody does it.

TRUTH: OBEY THE WORD OF GOD WHEN HE SPEAKS TO YOU or Suffer the Consequences

1 Kings 13:11-34 is one example of not obeying God's specific words given to one of His prophets. 

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 details the blessings of God when His people obey Him, while Deuteronomy 28:15-68 details the curses of God when His people disobey Him.

LIE: The Bible is ancient history. It is a storybook filled with tall tales and fables. It is irrelevant in today's age.

    Beware, church! You who say you are God's people! God knows who belongs to Him and who does not. Make very sure you know you belong to God. Guard your faith, pay very close attention to what you are reading, hearing and believing.

2 Timothy 2:19

"Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are His. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

 TRUTH: GRACE IS A GIFT

 It can neither be bought nor sold. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar and a thief. We cannot buy our way into heaven. 

Ephesians 2:8, 9

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." 

LIE: Buy (my water, this brick) and your reward will be in heaven. Make your charitable donations public and generous and you will be blessed.

    We beg you now, to return to fold, to repent of your wicked ways and fall on your faces before The Lord God. Do not die with regret in your everlasting shame. For God has made a Way for you to be forgiven. And that Way is to humble ourselves, not just getting on our knees in prayer and praise, but humbling our hearts to submit to the Authority of God's Word. 

    Let us draw near to God that He may draw near to us, as we are so aptly reminded in The Word: James 4:7, 8.

IN CHRIST ALONE

AMAZING GRACE MY CHAINS ARE GONE

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED  

WORD OF GOD SPEAK

GLORIOUS DAY

REDEEMED