| Love for Truth |
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| Written by Dr.Pravin Moudgill |
| Saturday, 09 August 2008 13:19 |
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The Lord has been teaching me many things. (All transformation begins in the head Rom 12:2—which is why He insists that I keep feeding my mind, meditate on the word, day and night.)
Let me share some of the things that He has been impressing upon me. I will be judged on the basis of the command to ‘love my neighbour whom I can see’. I, Pravin know that I cannot love—it is not in me. So I sought God, ‘God, how do You equip people to love?’
His answer was, ‘I provide the enabling to love. But those who would seek Me for ‘love for man’, must first seek Me for ‘love of truth’’ Those who want to be saved must first receive the love of truth. “With all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” 2 Thessalonians 2:10 Those who do not receive this will perish. So, what does this mean operationally? His answer was that I need to seek three sets of truth 1. What is it that He wants to do—what is the heart and mind of God—what is the end-time scenario, what will the kingdom of God on earth look like, what is the ‘Z’? 2. What is the situation that prevails today—what is the ‘A’? 3. How does one move from ‘A’ to ‘Z’—what are the ‘ways of God’, the ways in which He works? (‘Z’ is where God is headed for. Unless I know where He is going, and unless I know the ways in which He walks, how can I walk with Him?) Let me first however make a digression. Let me first talk a bit about the consequences of failing to seek the truth.
• Every revival movement so far has died—often sooner than later. All the major denominations came out as a result of revival. But the fires soon grew cold. The longest single revival that I am aware of is the Moravian revival—that lasted 100 years. So also local churches. They start well, they start as relational churches, but soon become program oriented. (The Church continues to grow, but specific revivals and local churches die.) • This has always been the case. Five of the seven churches of the Book of Revelation, e.g., entered into deception within the first or second generation (depending how Revelation is dated). The church in Sardis that was once alive died—and they did not even know that they were dead Rev 3:1. (Many of us do not believe that it is possible to lose salvation—that names can be cut off from the Book of Life.) “I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life” Revelation 3:5
If they had believed, they would have continued to work out their salvation in fear and trembling Phil 2:12. (The churches in Ephesus and Laodecia were not yet dead, but in danger of dying. But they did not know the danger they were in—they were under deception.) • Jesus warned (prophesied) that many will be deceived, and their love will grow cold Mt 24:11-12. He said that many believers walk the broad path, while only a few walk the narrow path Mt 7:13-14. (We know that the Sermon on the Mount is addressed to born again persons—those who call God ‘Father’) I can go on and on. But I will get back instead to what the Lord is (and has been) showing me. The ‘A’ is described in some detail—in terms of ‘heart attitudes’ of the individual. The symptoms of the heart-attitude of the individual can be seen at the church level. I am not even mentioning the many things that are wrong at the nation level, even in the so-called Christian nations.
Individual Christlikeness Love for blessings; rejoicing in biblical truths that are ‘convenient’ rather than ‘all truth’; preference for activity over relationships; seeking quick returns rather than laying foundations for work that will survive; walk by sight (e.g., blessings, results) rather than faith of others’; focus on evangelism rather than discipling (unlike Jesus); playing the numbers game; where ever there is self-seeking our wisdom is ‘demonic’ Jas 3:14-16 The nation Righteousness This involves first change of heart—receiving from God a heart that is contrite and trembles at the word. Then (to a degree, concurrently) receiving from Him His strategies or ‘ways’ I won’t talk about how to change the heart. This is a major subject in itself. The Lord has begun to work this in me. (He has begun to show me how vile is my heart.) I cannot teach how to change the heart till I myself undergo at least a degree of change.
I have far to go. I do not ‘glory in tribulations’ Rom 5:3. I have not yet learnt to delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, etc. 2 Cor 12:10—the pride of my heart and its desire for self-preservation does not allow me. I am full of talk (I know a lot of theory); but not able to walk the talk. Which means I am a hypocrite. Which means that I do not have the ‘wisdom that is from above’ Jas 3:17
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| Last Updated on Saturday, 31 October 2009 20:12 |