Love Doesn't Keep Track Of Wrongs!

Recently, I was thinking about I Corinthians 13's definition of LOVE and the words "Love doesn't keep track of wrongs" and began wondering why we all have a habit and love keeping a record of wrongs that others have done toward us. The Greek words in this passage literally means: “[Love] does not reckon the wrong/evil/bad thing [ou logizetai to kakon].” Commentators aren’t exactly sure what this phrase meant in first-century Greek, however. The phrase “to reckon evil(s)” does appear several times in the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament. There it means “devise evil against,” as in Zechariah 8:17 says “And each one of you should not devise the evil thing in your hearts against your neighbor [ten kakian . . . me logizesthe].” If Paul is using language in the sense of the Greek Old Testament, as he often does, then 1 Corinthians 13:5 really means, “[Love] does not devise evil [against another person]. In other words, When Paul uses these words he's saying that when we've been offened, hurt, slandered, gossiped or lied about by others "Love" doesn't retailiate, strick back, become revengeful, or harbour resentment towards any offending party who I think may have hurt me. So his ordinary usage of this verb suggests that 1 Corinthians 13:5 means: “Love does not charge wrongdoing to the account of the perpetrator,” or “keeps no record of wrongs.” 

Another way of looking at the Greek construction of the phrase used in this passage for "Does Not keep Track of wrongs" rests on the word "logizomai." Logizomai is an accountant word which can be translated as ‘to keep a mathematical calculation’. It is used to refer to the accurate book keeping of an accountant. Paul is saying that agape-does not keep a record of all evil done to it. It never keeps record of other people’s offences. It always forgives and forgets Many of us keeps records of offences done to us. Some of these may be real offences or wrongs done to us. But some may be imagined offences. Never mind, it goes into that little black book in our head where we keep a record of all wrongs done to us. Why? So that someday we can get even. But that’s not agape-love. Agape-love tells us to tell these wrongs to God and commit it to His hands. It also tells us to forgive and to forget.

When God tells us that love keeps no record of wrongs, He means we do not go around with a list, writing down the faults of one another. Rather, we are to look for the positive things that happen in our relationships, and to affirm others. We are to seek reconciliation and forgiveness, never strife or dissention. We should not go around with a negative attitude, but rather with one that is positive, enthusiastic, and equipping to God's people. We are not to keep track of the mistreatments we may receive from friends or our spouse. Because God loves us so much, He does not keep a scorecard of our sins as long as we honestly repent of them. We do not need to reflect negatively or gossip about the flaws of other people in order to elevate ourselves. God refuses to do that to us. Love lets things such as resentment and anger go, so they do not build up and destroy us and our relationships.  

So when Paul was instructing the church at Corinth, he was defining what a Christian's conduct should be into relating toward others.

Love doesn't keep track of wrongs

Love is not easily angered

Love does not think about itself

Love does not dishonor others

These attributes are the evidences of our faith in Christ. I JOHN 4:8 states that "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."  So if we are harbouring resentment, not working toward reconciliation, and seeking wholeness in our attitudes and working toward "forgiveness" the bible is clear that we do not know God.  Matt 16:15-35 is very clear on how we as "followers of Jesus" are to resolve our conflicts.  In fact, Paul writes in Galatians 6:1-2 that if we think we are spiritual that as "Brothers and sisters, if a person gets trapped by wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should help that person turn away from that wrong doing and to do it in a gentle way."  He goes on to explain to us, "At the same time we are to watch ourselves so that we are not tempted.  Help carry each other's burdens. In this you will follow Christ.  In Galatians 5:20 Paul states that those who choose to continue to live by their sinful habits of "selfishness, angry outbursts, CONFLICTS, and DIVISIONS- WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.  In my years growing up in the Jesus People movement we use to sing a song that said "They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, by our love... yes they will know we are Christians by our love." LOVE DOESN'T KEEP TRACK OF WRONGS!

SO, LET'S FINISH with why someone would want to keep a record of wrongs committed against them.  As we try to weigh the meaning of 1 Corinthians 13:5 in its historical context, we don’t know exactly what situation Paul was addressing. It may well be that some members of the Corinthian community were “adding up the wrongs” of others, largely to show that they themselves were better Christians than those with long lists of sins. It may be that Paul’s concern was a lack of genuine forgiveness on the part of some Corinthians, and “keeping a record of wrongs” means “not forgiving.”  I Cor. 13:5 In the New International Versions says "Love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."  Record keeping of wrongs within the context of this verse may have to do with a problem with:

Dishonoring, self seeking behavior, and anger management

When I read the phrase "does not dishonor others," I immediately think about the fifth commandment.  "Honor Father and Mother that it may go well with you."  If things are not going well with you in your relationship with others all evidence points that you either learned as a child that dishonoring others was okay and/or you dishonored your parents and have harboured deep seated resentments toward them.  Your mishandling of relationships can be a great evidence in revealing to you that you don't know "how" to resolve conflict and offenses when they happen to you.  Jesus said, (Lk 17:1)  Offenses MUST come.  Why?  To reveal to us what is in us.  When we are offended - it only reveals that we have not properly addressed our Self-seeking behaviour or our anger.  Anger is nothing more than nursing our deep seated resentments.

When we think we have been hurt by someone in the past, 

we build up defenses to protect ourselves from being hurt in the future. 

So the fearful past causes a fearful future and the past and future become one. 

We cannot love when we feel fear…. 

When we release the fearful past and forgive everyone, 

we will experience total love and oneness with all. 

Gerald G. Jampolsky

The AA Big Book has some very remarkable things to say about resentment. "Resentment is the 'number one' Offender. It destorys more alcoholics than anything else" (AA, 64)  It goes on to say, in the fourth step inventory of resentments, that "this world and its people were often quite wrong. To conclude that others are wrong was as far as most of us got.  The usual outcome was that people continued to wrong us and we stayed sore... We began to see that the world and its people dominated us. In that state, the wrong doing of others, fancied or real, had the power to kill" (AA 66).  Many people spend years grinding over and over the wrongs committed against them.  We often feel compelled to justify our resentment. LOOK closely at your own resentments and see if it is not so.  See if it is not the case that, even in the midst of a well-enjoyed rage over a resented wrong, the 'victory' is short-lived. It is also worth noting that all the effort spent on whether the resentment is justified or not gains us little.  The key to being free of resentments is to stop actively nursing them and instead adopt the posture taught in the 12 steps: "Love and tolerance is our code" (AA 84).  Maybe a lot of our own behavior has it's roots in our own addictions needing yet to be recognized and addressed.  It maybe also be the direct result of being in a family system of addiction whether alcohol, prescription drugs, food, workacoholism, religious addiction, etc. But the evidence of our own recovery from sin, addiction and pre-occupation of self begins with understanding that Christ forgave us and we should forgive others as he did us.

Forgiveness does not change the past,

but it does enlarge the future.

Paul Boese

Why The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit Are Essential For Today

K

I Corinthians 12 begins with these words, "Now concerning spiritual gifts..."  So, if spiritual gifts are not an important aspect of our spiritual formation and church life experience then why write about it?  I mean there are so many important topics that seem so more important in the church world today why not just rip I Corinthians 12-13 right out of the Bible?  Except of course, we need to keep The Love Chapter (13) in place for weddings and to emphasize that Love is more important than recognizing and using our spiritual gifts. Right?

In the modern contemporary church, individual "success," "purpose," and exercising our "faith" to feed our consumerism addiction is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he formed his church.  Jesus' entire mission was "to build motivational teaching centers across the globe for the edification, exhortation and building up" YOUR own individual purpose for being here, building a multi-national corporation so you could give to the GREAT Apostles of your time so they can live well, and having faith enough to live the affluent life that Paul outlines in his second exhortation to the church at Corinth (See II Cor. 12).  Right?  I don't think so.... Hmmm

In John 14:12 Jesus explains to us, that "the Works that I do, you shall do also, even greater works than these.  Jesus spent 1/3 of his time casting demons out of people, 1/3 of his time healing the sick and performing miracles, signs and wonders, and 1/3rd of his time teaching.  Christianity today spends 1/3rd of it's time singing "Christian Karaoke" to Hillsong United or Jesus Culture so we can have cool church.  Instead of leading people into the presence and power of an almighty God our songs have reduced God to being like the "weather patterns" and letting others know "Oh, how blessed I am" while daring some one to stand up and begin to prophecy; or, horrors of horrors "speak in an unknown tongue."  Why we can't have that - it will drive unchurched, churched, and unsaved away. They will think we've lost our minds. We have to have a respectable service.  Yup! I can see it now. A demonic spirit begins to cry out of a person and Jesus turns to his disciples and says, "Please take him to the back room boys!"  Then turning to the crowds he says, "I'm sorry for that disruption, that young person is suffering from mental illness. Now let's get back to where we left off in our success in life topic for today!"   I don't think so!

When the Apostle Paul wrote I Corinthians 12-14 He wanted to explain how "spiritual gifts" operated and how they were to be exercised in the context of a their local assembly times. We have no idea how big this church was at the time, however, some have thought it to be the size of a house meeting, some have thought it to be about 200, while others have said it might be around two to three thousand.  Now, mind you, most mega churches today will use their size to "outlaw" the gifts from being exercised in their public assemblies due to claims you won't be able to "hear, see, or do" them due to production constraints.  But, why then would The Lord have Thousands witness the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and hear the public expressions of people speaking in unknown tongues??? Even without a microphone or soft music in the background.  Why was this public expression allowed then but now forbidden in most contemporary churches?  Oh, I can hear the rumble of theologies and excuses for pushing these gifts out of the church.  From, the gifts are not for today to we don't have time for that in our main services but we do pray for people in our Small groups.  Or, how about this one, "Well not everyone has the same gift,"  translation- I don't think this is for me.  Paul explains that these are the "expressions of the Holy Spirit" as He directs to be expressed for differing purposes of ministry time within the life of the church. I guess the reason these expressions are not happening is that we are too busy not listening, discerning or relying on the pastor, Apostle or prophet to tell us what God is saying. Besides... can't we just text or tweet our thoughts and hopefully our God-inspired thoughts will go up on the big screens?

Satan is clearly waging a battle to stop the supernatural expressions of God's spirit in the life of contemporary church... and you know what?  The problem isn't that crowds will be afraid of signs, wonders, or miracles - Jesus proved that "theory" wrong.  The problem is no different today than in Jesus' time.  The Religious leaders - Pharisees, Sadducees, and priest of Jesus' time were just as bothered by His works as many ministers are today. They can't control it! As believers we are called to be directed by the Holy Spirit, open to His promptings and freely exercise these giftings for ministry toward others. The scripture says, that God confirms the word with signs following."  But more importantly we need to pay close attention to Paul's word:

I Cor. 14:22 "So the gift of speaking in other languages is a sign for unbelievers, not for believers. The gift of prophecy is a sign for believers, not for unbelievers." This certainly defeats the claim used by those who say speaking in tongues will scare off unbelievers. 

I Cor. 14:39 "So, brothers and sisters, desire to speak what God has revealed, and don't keep anyone from speaking in other languages"

Unfortunately, Many early protestant reformers often removed "Icons, symbols, and art" calling it idolatry.  Today, we have replaced these symbols with video screens of the face of pastors and worship leaders.  What do these modern icons point us to? I think we certainly need to reconsider what messages we are communicating through our use of social and mass media. I know for sure that in every case of the Miracles, signs, and wonders i have witnessed,  people Are pointed to God. Wasn't that the concern of the Protestant reformation when they removed those beautiful artistic expressions of God, heaven and faith history?  They didn't want distractions from experiencing God.  George Fox said it well, "There is no one who can speak to our condition except Christ Jesus."  

Unfortunately, the gifts of the Holy Spirit have been replaced by new gifts:  The Gift Of Administration (to ensure that there is no disruption of the church's programs), The Gift Of Leadership (Ephesians 4:11 ministry gifts have been replaced by CEO corporate models),  The Gift Of Influence (which I can't find in scripture). Funny Thing I don't remember Jesus or Paul teaching on these modern business models of church.  I often think to myself that our churches are just doing business, not ministry. Forget the ministry of the Holy Spirit!  We are marketing, selling books, promoting church albums, with the idea that all these new revenue streams are helping our outreaches. I just read today about a new realty TV show coming entitled "Preachers of LA' which will feature the Dramatic Lifestyles of Six Mega-Pastors" Maybe this is why The Holy Spirit is not found in many churches today.  Maybe, we should look at how our formula's, doing business, starbucking, and new traditions are making the Word of God of none effect.  When we examine the historical exercise of The gifts Of The Holy Spirit as found in the ministry of Charles G. Finney; we find whole cities coming to Christ - like the Rochester, New York revival. 10 years after this revival, 80% of his converts were the backbone of the area churches and held prominent positions of authority throughout the whole city.  That's what I'm talking about!  

The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit are essential for today. The scriptures state clearly, no matter how big or small a church is: "Do not quench the Spirit." ( I Thess. 5:19) I Cor. 14:40 states "Let all things be done... "   in writing The apostle Paul wrote "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant."  Ignorance of the Gifts leaves the church powerless in a world that needs a demonstration of God's transformative power. The gifts are essential for today and we need to seek earnestly to be used in expressing the best and least of the gifts for the benefit of those who don't know Christ.

PS> And I'm not even or have ever been a pentecostal.  So guys, like John Wimber, once said to Yorblinda Friends Church, "we believe all this stuff- when we going to do it?"

Shaking Is A Promise, Not A Problem!

From a prophetic perspective, I have been paying close attention to the "shakings" going on around the world.  All over the world, people have been experiencing a "shaking" in their finances, their jobs, their businesses, and losing their personal homes.  In the United States alone over 2.3 million homes have been foreclosed on and are now held by the banks who intend to hold onto to this real estate and rent the houses out while they bundle these properties into reits and roll them into securities that can be sold on Wall Street as derivatives once again.  Millions of dollars are at risk once again driven by the greed of the bundlers on Wall Street that got our nations into this trouble to begin with.  This is a serious time.  God is going to shake the nations once more because we do not heed his voice.

In the book of Hebrews, chapter 12 verses 25-29, it says: "See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

So how should those of us who are followers of Jesus respond?  Well. the first thing we need to do is recognize that these shakings are a promise, not a problem.  From a kingdom perspective those in our present economic systems may have their plan, but God has a plan that will foil their agendas.  There is coming a major reorganization of economic order that will dispel those who presently are manipulating the federal reserve and banking system. This reorganization will be caused by shifting technologies, ordinary people's ingenuity, and God positioning leaders in high positions of authority just like he did in the days of the Babylonian captivity, the medo-Persian empire, and the rebuilding days of Ezra and Nehemiah.  This new economic order will be preceded by a major period of godly young people who have cried out to God and have prepared themselves to serve in the king's court.  They will be like those great young men found in Daniel chapter 1.  They will be well-favored in appearance, skillful in all wisdom, discernment, and understanding.  They will be apt in learning knowledge (graduating from the Ivy league schools), competent to stand and SERVE in the king's palace- and they will be fluent in the literature and language of the Chaldeans.  In other words, these coming leaders will be influences within the cultural governmental contexts of their nations.  They will be working within the bureaucracy, invisible to the public eye, and many will not recognize God at work. He is going to bring in His Kingdom through a Godly, kingdom oriented, stealth leadership who will work to dismantle the corrupting influences now affecting the world cultures of government, finance, business, arts, entertainment and media, health care, education, and religion.  PLEASE NOTE:  "The church-world as we know it will be shaken too!"  God is going to dry up every resource that empowers these wicked systems.  Daniel Chapter 4 gives us the prophetic picture of why.

After building a hugh image in his own honor (Dan. 3) and demanding everyone to worship his image, Nebuchadnezzar has another dream.  In this dream, a very large tree which was strong and growing toward the heavens is chopped down.  Daniel interprets the dream and explains to his king that God is going to humble Nebuchadnezzar due to his arrogance and pride.  There are several factors that led Nebuchadnezzar to his downfall.  (See Daniel 4:4,30)  This sounds like the American dream:

• He was living a very comfortable life.
• He was very prosperous and lived in a very large palace.
• He was proud of his accomplishments when he proclaimed "Is this not the great Babylon that "I HAVE BUILT?"  
• In his arrogance he said, "I HAVE BUILT" this royal palace which is the SEAT of government by the MIGHT OF MY POWER and FOR THE MIGHT AND GLORY OF MY MAJESTY!"

Daniel as chief counsel speaks to the king and says, (see Daniel 4:27) "break off your sins and show the reality of your repentance by having a right standing with God and the moral and spiritual rectitude to show rightness in every area and relationship you have in life."  STRONG WORDS HERE.  I wonder where the godly leaders are today who are leading the way to encourage our world cultures to be accountable to God like Daniel does.  During my study at George Fox University with Dr. Len Sweet, a book by Edwin H. Friedman’s entitled A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, was presented to me to read by my dissertation advisor.  Friedman’s book concerns itself with the crisis of leadership in America civilization, which he characterizes as a ‘failure of nerve’. This crisis of leadership is found throughout American civilization, in national, state, and local politics, in the legal system, in schools, businesses, and in families, which receive particularly close attention.

Friedman attacks the manner in which organizations primarily adapt themselves to their most dependent, recalcitrant, and anxious members, rather than to ‘the energetic, the visionary, the imaginative, and the motivated’ (12). He argues that the devaluation of the important of self-differentiation as the key to leadership is the origin of many of our problems in the area, causing leaders to depend more upon their ‘expertise’ than on their capacity to be decisive. More technique and data won’t solve problems that arise from embedded emotional processes. A failure to understand the manner in which these processes operate causes us to believe that they can be resolved or regulated ‘through reasonableness, love, insight, role-modeling, inculcation of values, and striving for consensus.’

In Friedman’s extensive experience, the crucial factor that distinguished families that flourished through crisis and those who failed was the presence of a ‘well-differentiated leader’. Friedman seeks to show that strength lies in ‘presence’ rather than ‘method’, ‘to enable leaders to avoid trying to instill insight into the unmotivated’, show the unhelpfulness of leadership concepts such as ‘role-modeling’, ‘emulation’, and ‘identification’, and how self-differentiation ‘can make the dependency of the unimaginative and the recalcitrant work for instead of against them.

WE NEED LEADERSHIP!  However, we do not need more elected leaders - we need Godly bureaucrats.  People who remain in position for years to come who will speak the truth to our elected officials and call them to account.  Bureaucrats can work within and reform the corrupting influences of our cultural systems.  If not, God has only one other solution - Shaking the system until it collapses and a more equitable and just system is put in place. If you study the historical background of the Quaker revivals of the 17th Century God used leaders to birth a new form of government in Philadelphia as an example for our early leaders to follow.  It honored God, it honored people, and it provided a great foundation for a new republic (see Micah 6:8).  However, when every generation chooses its leaders and its direction- the outcome will be bases on it's worldviews- good or bad!  When the church decides to become a cultural acommadator rather than a cultural influencer;  It's only a matter of time... before God will shake our nations.  He will use strong weather patterns, fires, earthquakes, Tsumnamis, stock market crashes, bank collapses, a mortgage crisis, and bring our enemies to deconstruct our way of life.  Who has ever heard of two young men, ages 26 and 19 shuting down an American City like what just happened in Boston.  It's time to wake up Church!  The choice is ours! (See II Chron. 7:14)

Hebrews 12:6 explains to us that, "The Lord corrects and disciplines those he loves." The writer goes onto explain that these corrective times are evidence of being a son and daughter of God!  Wow, that means if I'm feeling the heat it's evidence that I am a child of God... because a father does not correct children who are not his own. Hebrews goes onto to say, "You must submit to and endure correction- even though it is unpleasant for a season."  The final explanation to "understanding discipline" is that "God corrects us so that we become sharers in his holiness."  When the church loses it's influence- it's not because we didn't rally enough people to vote who we wanted in office.  We lose influence because we are not reflectng the character and nature of a loving God.  We are not living in the old testament world.  The NEW TESTAMENT says, "Where sin abounds, GRACE MUCH MORE ABOUNDS."  (Romans 5:20)  

We are called to disciple the nations not alienate them. In many ways, I sense the church, like Jonah, has been called to preach to a place like Ninevah. (See Nahum 3) It was a city full of lies and robbery. It was a place known for it's violence and cruelity. Think about the US, violent movies, videogames, school shootings, bombings, and terroist going back home after terroring a city and blending back in as though nothing had happened. A city which brought down others to lift themselves up!  Wow. The whole thing should have been sent right to HELL.  However, God called Jonah to call this place to repentance. But, He didn't want them to repent do he refused to go.  So, so what did God do?  He shook a ship, sent a fish to devour Jonah, who in turn threw him up on the shoreline of Ninevah to ensure that the city was givn an opportunity to repent.  This is what is happening to the church worldwide.

Isaiah 6:8-13 says:

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”  And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Make the heart of this people dull,

and their ears heavy,

and blind their eyes;

lest they see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,

and understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.”

Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”

And he said:

“Until cities lie waste

without inhabitant,

and houses without people,

and the land is a desolate waste,

and the Lord removes people far away,

and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.

And though a tenth remain in it,

it will be burned again,

like a terebinth or an oak,

whose stump remains

when it is felled.”

The holy seed is its stump.

GOD HELP US!