Why Modern Christianity Needs to Re-examine Its Understanding of Love and Unity
In today’s fast-paced world, the way Christians view love and unity has become a topic of increasing importance. Many churches and believers have adopted teachings that, while rooted in tradition, can sometimes drift away from the core message of the Bible. It’s time to step back and consider what Jesus actually intended when He spoke about love and unity and why it’s crucial for Christians to re-examine these concepts today. First, let’s look at love. When Jesus said, “Love one another, even as I have loved you” (John 13:34), He wasn’t talking about a surface-level, “I care about you” kind of love. He was talking about an active, selfless love that puts others first, one that sees beyond personal gain and seeks the well-being of the other. Yet, when we look at how love is practiced in many Christian circles, it’s often just a comforting sentiment or a way to keep the peace rather than a transformative, sacrificial act. We’re told to love our neighbors and even our enemies, but living this out consistently can be challenging. Now consider unity. The New Testament is filled with instructions urging Christians to be unified. Paul calls believers to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Unity isn’t just about agreeing on theology; it’s about being united in purpose, working together as one body with Christ as the head. Sadly, the reality is that many churches today are fractured, not only by differences in belief but by disagreements, competition, and even outright conflict. The result is a fragmented body that doesn’t represent the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17:21: “That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” Why is this happening? One reason is that man-made traditions and interpretations have become more influential than the teachings of the Bible. We have allowed our personal beliefs, cultural norms, and denominational loyalties to overshadow what God has actually said. This can lead to division and a watered-down version of love that’s more about appearances than genuine care. To bring about real change, Christians need to look beyond traditions and embrace the simple, powerful truths of the Bible. Loving others as Jesus did and striving for unity within the body of believers doesn’t happen by accident—it requires intentional action and a willingness to put God’s teachings above everything else. Only then can we create a community that embodies the love and unity God intended, drawing others to Him and standing as a true representation of His heart.
Rediscovering Biblical Truths: Moving Beyond Traditions to Embrace God’s Heart
In today’s Christian world, it’s easy to get caught up in traditions and teachings that may stray from the heart of Scripture. While traditions can provide a sense of unity and history, they sometimes obscure the simple, powerful truths that God reveals in His Word. Rediscovering these truths requires stepping back and re-examining what we believe and why, aligning our hearts and minds with God’s true message. The Bible is rich with wisdom and guidance, but over the centuries, human interpretations, cultural shifts, and personal biases have layered over its original teachings. As believers, we are called not just to follow traditions but to know God intimately and understand His will as revealed in His Word. Jesus Himself warned against this in Matthew 15:8-9, saying, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” This verse serves as a reminder that mere ritualistic worship, disconnected from a heartfelt relationship with God, is not what He desires. One crucial aspect of rediscovering biblical truths is understanding what God’s love truly looks like. Scripture tells us that God’s love is sacrificial, unconditional, and deeply personal. It’s not just a feeling but an active, unending commitment to the good of His people. In John 13:34-35, Jesus commanded, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This is the type of love we are called to mirror, not just within the church but in how we engage with the world. To move beyond traditions, we need to commit ourselves to studying the Bible with fresh eyes and an open heart. This means questioning long-held beliefs and seeking out what Scripture says in its simplest form, free from the interpretations that have been added over time. Only by doing this can we embrace God’s heart and live out His will in a way that truly honors Him. Rediscovering biblical truths isn’t just about personal growth; it’s about transforming the church into a community that reflects God’s true character. When we let go of human-made traditions and return to the basics of Scripture, we make room for genuine faith, deeper connections with one another, and a more vibrant testimony to the world.
Living Out Matthew 7:7-11: Faith, Love, and Our Role in God’s Work
Who Has Not Read These Verses? Matthew 7:7-11 ” Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! How many who believe are in need of clothing or sleeping on the street or hungry and without fellowship? Why? Matthew 7:7-11 came straight out of the mouth of God yet see so little fruit. Why? Is God our Father? It is because we treat the traditions of mankind as though the words of God. The words from God give us the answers and we fall short in our part in the work of God. This verse is not just of our needs but of our wants as well. God gave us the will to love one another as God loves us. Did the Lord tell us that one was given more that those who have less might have more as well? Are we called to love those in the body or to judge those in the body as worthy?
A Journey to Understanding: Finding God Through Pain, Healing, and Study
What led me to the path of understanding the knowledge I have today about who God is and what this world is all about? In my youth, I was lost in the drug world committing the crimes that went along with such a life. I was lost as anyone could be with a very low IQ and an inability to remember anything I’d read: then in 1980 I met God and over the next six years I had experiences and healings from God that lifted my IQ, increasing my ability to retain that which I read. God never gave up on me, to the point that I could no longer deny that God was. It was at that point that I married a girl named Cynthia, a veterinarian and true believer who walk with God. We were married and over the next two years I began to learn about church life. Then something happened, setting at a red light, we were struck from behind. Luckily both my stepdaughters (though badly injured) survived. I went back to church and the people at church told me that God was the good and the bad, being the bad to lead me into the good. To me this was a horrifying thought. Searching for why God would bring such Sadness into our lives, I had to find out who God was at heart. Did God really cause us such pain? I was going to study who God was to find out if I even liked God. Over the next eight years I studied 8 to 12 hours a day 6 days a week trying to find out who God was at heart. At the end of that eight years, I apologized to God. God does use the bad to work for my good, but God is not the one who drove that car into us. I learned that every time anyone who follows God has a burden, no matter how small, it is anguishing to God, (God mourns that burden) and every time a follower of God’s is lifted out of a burden, God rejoices. Never had a friend held that kind of emotion for me and that led to my in-depth study of God for the next 25 years. Now I have around 40,000 hours of study into who God is, the Bible, history and science. I knew they had to all come together as one to make sense.
