* The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips. Copyright 1958, by J. B. Phillips. Used by permission of The Macmillan Company.
RECENTLY someone remarked of his own church: "There is no love in " this church. It is as cold as a deepfreeze, and it is no wonder there are no soul-saving activities going on."
To be sure, the author of the statement might himself not be an exponent of love, for love engenders love.
After all, what is love? The Scriptures say "God is love." Love is an attribute of God. He is the source of all love, and it is derived from Him. The etymology of the Latin verb amo conveys perfectness in thought, speech, deed, justice, beauty, character, and personality. With justice Colossians 3:14 says: "Put on charity [love] which is the bond of perfectness [binding together of the noble virtues]." J. B. Phillips translates this text in the following beautiful way: "Be truly loving, for love is the golden chain of all the virtues."
Love is a manifestation of perfectness in all aspects of life; it means Christ revealed in the life. Love adores and serves God voluntarily, without being commanded. It is a fellowship between persons. It is an act of surrender. Because man is made in the image of God, he surrenders to the will of his Creator. Love needs no law to force it to action for God or man. When a little child cries or is in danger, the mother needs no law to command her to go to the rescue of her little one. Love is all that is needed.
True love is the greatest power against sin and evil. It forgets itself and seeks only the happiness of others. Above all, it seeks constantly for opportunities to bring an unconverted person to the feet of Jesus Christ. According to the Spirit of Prophecy, only love makes people understand the eternal values of the law of God. Love enlightens deceived people, breaks down the barriers of prejudice and impenitence, and finally causes them to surrender to God and join His church.
One evening a minister's wife came home to her husband very excited with the good news that she had just had a fine visit with her neighbor about the message for our time. In the course of their conversation the neighbor had asked many questions, and the minister's wife had told her that her husband would answer those questions tomorrow. She pleaded with her husband to give a Bible study to the neighbor next door, but he refused the invitation, saying, "That is not in my line, I am not cut out for giving Bible studies."
Why that attitude? Why is there not more desire and power to win souls for Christ? Why are some churches so helpless in giving the message? Why in some quarters is there a lack of boldness in hunting for souls? Why are some minds beclouded so that they know not how to win souls?
Ministers and church members will be equal to the challenge and will know how to bring people to Christ when genuine love is the motivating force in their lives. For love, that intangible yet real and visible fruit of the Spirit, is nothing else than the revelation of the Holy Spirit in the life. The Holy Spirit, through love, shows the way to win souls. The man dominated by Christian love will try one experiment after another until at last he sees the fruit of his love—sinners saved for the kingdom.
Yes, Spirit-filled churches would set the world afire with the gospel. The Spirit of Prophecy writings tell us: " 'Lack of love and faith are the great sins of which God's people are now guilty.' "—Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 475. Are you guilty? Every minister should pray daily for a double measure of the baptism of the Holy Spirit so that he may reveal in his life the greatest of all gifts—love. Remember, real love is contagious, and the minister's entire church can be so infected with that love virus that miracles will be wrought in soulsaving.
