THE WILL TO LOVE - Vital Christianity

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94The author of the book of Hebrews concerning Jesus,“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do nothave a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we haveone who had been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was with-out sin.Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receivemercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb 4:14-16).Jesus is not a celestial icicle; He is the God-Man who understands us and our feelings asno one else does. He can relate to our weaknesses, our hurts.So far we have looked at the place our emotions should play in our relation to otherpeople, but what part should our emotions play in our relation to God?Some Christians seem to place highest priority to our feelings in our relation to God. Tothem a meeting is not “real” or “alive” unless there are a lot of emotions expressed. Experiencesbecome the prime goal of significant worship. Emotionalism often stamps such meetings.It is important to realize that the free reign of our emotions in worship does notnecessarily mean genuine worship. Lively meetings might be the result of carnal enthusiasm andreligions excitement rather than a true visitation of God. Emotionalism and dreamy experiencesare not to be confused with God’s presence.Because of this fear of being radical, fanatical, many of us have gone to the oppositeextreme. As Elmer Murdock put it, “For the average evangelical church an emotional outburst isabout as dangerous as a riot in a cemetery.” 4 If we have to choose between deadness andfanaticism, fanaticism is to be preferred. For, it is easier to put out a forest fire than it is to raisethe dead. We evangelicals who are so afraid of extremism need not be. We need to loosen up andshed some of our hangups.The balance that God is looking for is God-controlled emotions. God wants us not only tounderstand truth, but to experience it. But we must not seek experience for its own sake; it is tobe a byproduct of our seeking God. The reason why so many believers who seemingly have suchgreat experience in worship are not permanently changed is because they had an experiencerather than a meeting with God. There is a great difference! One produces religiosity andspiritual pride, the other spirituality.Let us look at some examples of men and women in Holy Writ and church history whoknew what it meant to worship and serve the Lord. These people were not just deep worshipers;they were also men and women of action. True worship always leads to zealous and effectiveservice. If this does not follow it is not genuine worship.
95David, a lover of God freely expressed his feelings to God:“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heartI will be glad and rejoice in You.I said to the Lord, ‘You are My Lord; apart from You I have no good thing. .I love you, O Lord, my strength . . .I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise.My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in a song. . .Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due to theLord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. . .Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous . . . sing to Him a new song;play skillfully, and shout for joy . . .I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.My soul will boast in the Lord . . .Glorify the Lord with me;let us exalt His name togetherYou O Lord, are loving . . .O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you my soul thirst for You,my body longs for You.Your love is better than life. . .My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God . . .Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise His holy name . . .Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawnI will praise You, O Lord, among the nations;I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is love, higher than the heavens;Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and letYour glow be over all the earth . . .I love the lord . . . Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.Praise the Lord . . .” (Ps 9:1-2; 16-23; 18:1,3; 21:13; 32:11; 33:1,3; 63:1,3; 62:12;84:2; 103:1; 108:1-5; 116:1).Hardly mere intellectual response! Here is a worshiper who feels deeply and is notashamed of it.There is also the incident where David danced In ecstasy as he brought the ark of theLord back to Jerusalem:“David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, whilehe and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shoutsand the sound of trumpets” (2 Sa 6:14-15).Dancing is referred to in the Bible no less than 27 times.
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1THE WILL TO LOVELars Wilhelmsson
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4He who loves calls us also to love
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6We live in a world starved for lov
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8“Division has done more to hide
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10D. L. Moody painfully recognized
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12A COMMANDGod knew it would be har
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14The familiar story of David and G
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16CHAPTER 2 FOURFOLD DIMENSION OF L
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18Our faith and love are tested whe
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20STORGEStorage is the word used in
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22PHILIAThe third word for love is
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24The pre-Christian use of the word
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26HOW DO I LEARN TO LOVE?1 John 4:7
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28Prolongs lifePrevents or cures ma
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30We can only love to the degree to
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32THE DISCIPLINE OF LOVEHebrew 12:5
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34Holiness, not happiness, is God
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36God’s discipline is a sign that
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38“Moreover, we have all have hum
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40CHAPTER 5 SERVICE: LOVE IN OVERAL
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42To love Jesus is to love His peop
Page 44 and 45: 44Quickly my bubble popped, the ide
Page 46 and 47: 46TIMOTHY AS AN EXAMPLEAccording to
Page 48 and 49: 48Jesus Christ came not to be minis
Page 50 and 51: 50CHAPTER 6 SHOULD WE LOVE OURSELVE
Page 52 and 53: 52How different from the words of J
Page 54 and 55: 54At creation, God was pleased with
Page 56 and 57: 56As far as we know the apostle Pau
Page 58 and 59: 58CHAPTER 7 LOVING OUR ENEMIES
Page 60 and 61: 60insults us or injures us or griev
Page 62 and 63: 62The last part of Hebrews 11 catal
Page 64 and 65: 64“You have heard that it was sai
Page 66 and 67: 66“Love indiscriminately, therefo
Page 68 and 69: 68It was while we were hideous to G
Page 70 and 71: 70Love is the most durable power in
Page 72 and 73: 72LOVE’S TRUE TEST Part IJohn 14:
Page 74 and 75: 74Suppose the boy paused to ask,
Page 76 and 77: 76Here we have the great God whom t
Page 78 and 79: 78The God who has revealed that “
Page 80 and 81: 80“Faith and obedience are bound
Page 82 and 83: 82“Cheap grace is the preaching o
Page 84 and 85: 84Service in the name of Christ is,
Page 86 and 87: 86While they claimed Jesus as Lord,
Page 88 and 89: 88Ralph Sockman, a preacher, noted
Page 90 and 91: 90CHAPTER 10 LOVE IS ALSO FEELING
Page 92 and 93: 92The Bible states, “As He (Jesus
Page 96 and 97: 96On the day of Pentecost the early
Page 98 and 99: 98In speaking of Jesus Faber says:
Page 100 and 101: 100the sake of God; if we are in ou
Page 102 and 103: 1025“When God Disciplines in Love
Page 104 and 105: 104BIBLIOGRAPHYSt. Augustine, The C
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THE WILL TO LOVE - Vital Christianity

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