The Measure of Maturity

By Francis Frangipane

It has been my experience that too many of us, as Christians, have been confused about love. We have assumed that attaining the look of love was the same reality as actually being transformed into a loving person. I'm not saying that we have consciously planned on being shallow or noncommittal, but that somehow, we have settled on the cosmetic instead of the real. 

We have developed an "altar" ego, a look for church that lasts, at best, just a few minutes longer than the church service itself. All we have really accomplished is to perfect the art of acting like Christians. 

I think we have yet to learn to consistently walk according to the standards of Christ's love. I hear how quick some are to speak about the flaws of those they supposedly love, and I wonder, what kind of love demeans an individual behind their back? When I witness unloving words from a Christian's mouth, I am reminded that we have much to learn about Jesus and what it means to follow Him. 

David prayed, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer" (Ps 19:14).

Our words are the by-product of our meditations. Whatever is brooding in our hearts will eventually ascend to our lips. If we have unforgiveness prowling within, our conversations will be barbed with negative comments; even in moments of light-hearted banter, if we are harboring bitterness, it will slice through our speech. Jesus taught that "the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart" (Matt 12:34). We cannot fix our words without first fixing our hearts. 

When the Lord judges us for our words, it is because He is seeking to purify our hearts. True, the heart is deceitful above all things and it is difficult to know our own iniquity. Yet if we simply pause and listen to how many of our words are without love, we can track them back to the real problem: loveless hearts. 

A New Anointing
Christians are in the fire of God. The Holy Spirit is purging the church from negative chatter. A fresh anointing is at hand where God's people shall speak with the character necessary to represent Him. What the Lord told the prophet Jeremiah, He is speaking also to us: 

"Therefore, thus says the LORD, 'If you return, then I will restore you -- before Me you will stand; and if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman'" (Jer 15:19).

Let us pray that as God exposes our lack of love a time will soon come when we will pray with credibility: "You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress" (Ps 17:3).

Do we see this? God judges the quality of our entire lives by the soundness and substance of our words. Thus Jesus warned, "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment" (Matt 12:36). Let us consider Christ's warning soberly. He continued, "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt 12:37). James adds, "Judgment will be merciless to him who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). I have a holy fear in my heart concerning these warnings. I know that if I am merciless toward others, God will be merciless toward me. 

Character Counts
Sometimes I think we try to mask our critical attitude by calling it "discernment." The fact is, most of what manifests in our discussions about others is simply judging after the flesh. If we truly love an individual, we will be as loving in their absence as we are in their presence.

Jesus said His disciples would be known by their love. Paul said that the love of Christ is supposed to control us, which means it is the nature and discipline of love that keeps us from joining in verbal attacks or even subtle criticisms. You see, it takes character to avoid being sucked into gossip and criticisms. There is a high road we can take. It starts with prayer, it extends to grace, it is slow to speak, it approaches an individual with a meek heart, it talks privately with the person; it is forgiving when wronged and patient with the spiritually immature. 

Of course, if someone is involved with criminal activity or seriously endangering others through their sin, we must love the greater community and take steps to protect the innocent. There is a time to discipline or even publicly expose sin (Matt 18:15-17), but it's after we exhaust other means of correction -- and even then, our motive should communicate our hope of redemption and not allow our disclosure to become a smokescreen for revenge. In all things, love must guide our words.

Child's Eye-View of Love 
Several years ago, someone sent me a list of quotes that came from little children. Each child was asked to describe what love meant to them. Their answers were, at times, quite intriguing. One in particular, from a four-year-old boy named Billy, has stuck with me. He said, "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."

That thought seems to say it all: "When someone loves you . . . your name is safe in their mouth." Behold this clarity of vision as love is defined by a little child. When we truly walk in Christ's love, those around us will be safe -- and others will see the love of Christ that controls us. 

Beloved, to walk in covering love is to show ourselves truly acquainted with Christ. Let us ask God, "Father, show me my heart. Is Your love ruling, even in the unseen areas of my life? Are the names of others safe in my mouth?" 

"One Message"

 By Francis Frangipane

"The Lord alone will be exalted in that day." --- Isaiah 2:11

Normally my Sunday sermon is prepared a few days in advance, but this week was different. All week the heavens seemed like bronze. Saturday morning came, and still I was at a loss. Nothing seemed alive. It was now Saturday evening and I was pacing the floor seeking God. "Lord," I asked, "what is the message for tomorrow morning? What topic should I address?"

A dozen ideas filed through my mind, loitered momentarily in my imagination, and left as unanointed as they had arrived. I went to bed praying. When I woke Sunday morning, my prayer was still on my lips.

A half-hour before I had to leave for church, I had not quit pacing the bedroom floor. For the umpteenth time, I asked, "Lord, what is the message?" when suddenly the electricity to our home clicked off, reset, and then came back on. This, in turn, caused the answering machine on my desk to also reset. Perfectly synchronized with my prayer asking for a sermon topic, the machine replied in its computerized voice: "You . . . have . . . one . . . message."

When a voice comes out of the air and says, "You have one message," if your message is not centered upon the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, you have missed the purpose of Christianity! That morning I preached Jesus. People said there was more fire than ever in my sermon.

The fact is, the church has only one message. The proclamation of who Jesus is and what He has accomplished is the eternal message of the church; it is the only message the Father promises to confirm with power. To reveal Jesus through obedience to what He taught is to bring the life of His kingdom into our world. As we return to the "simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3), we will find the most powerful manifestations of the Lord Jesus awaiting us. Indeed, at the end of the age, the church that loves Him will display Him. We will reveal His glory.

More of Christ
When we consider that America is plagued with abortion, violence, pornography, satanism, drugs, national debt, sexual abuse, and the breakdown of the family structure, it becomes obvious we need more of the nature of Christ!

How shall we deal with the terrors that have invaded our world? Should we move to a remote area, stockpile food, and wait for the tribulation? Perhaps we should simply close our eyes to the world and hope for the rapture? Or should we find out what God is planning to do and throw our lives into His purpose?

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Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, The Days of His Presence, available at www.arrowbookstore.com.

Christ Our Passover Lamb

By Francis Frangipane

While we can forgive and cover non-Christian traditions in love, we should not let these traditions obscure the profound truth of God's Word. The early church had great reasons they celebrated the Feast of Passover. This annual tradition was not only commemorative -- it was also prophetic in nature. And while we would expect that the Jewish disciples would celebrate Passover, so also did the Gentile believers. We see this clearly in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. He wrote, "Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast" (1 Cor. 5:7-8).

Repentance Precedes Revival

By Francis Frangipane

A true revival does not just happen. There are conditions that must reside in the human heart before the Lord visits His people.

We Must Want Deliverance, Not Just Relief
Too often, ministries today seek to deliver people who are unwilling to repent of sins, who have not cried in their heart to God for help. The effect is that those prayed for may receive limited relief, but they soon fall back into sin and oppression. The key to successful deliverance is to discern if an individual is ready and willing to be released before we minister deliverance. Are they repentant? Have they put away their idols? Is their heart truly turning toward God?

God's pattern for us as individuals is also His pattern for the church and the city. Even as the Lord did not deliver us until we cried for help, so the war for our churches and cities will not be won until a significant number of us are crying to God in prayer. Christ's purpose in bringing the citywide church to prayer is to provide the proper heart attitudes to which the Almighty can respond.

Pursuing the Stature of Christ

By Francis Frangipane

In a most profound verse the apostle Paul unveils God's supreme plan for the church. He tells us we are called to nothing less than "the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). The Father's glorious intention is to exhibit through us all the attributes and power of Jesus Christ. He has purposed that, not only in eternity but here in the midst of our battles and temptations, we are to grow "in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ" (v. 15).

We have put such limitations upon our call in God! The Almighty's goal for us is not that we merely become nice, but become Christlike, literally partakers of His nature (1 Cor. 12:12; 2 Pet. 1:3; Heb. 3:14; Gal. 2:20). There is a difference between hallowed doctrine and hollow doctrine. Let us quickly abandon the boundaries of spiritually empty religious traditions: God has invited us to partake of the fullness of Christ! The depth of His grace has rendered us capable of climbing the heights of His holiness. Through the Holy Spirit, the responsibility of wielding Christ's very authority has been delegated to us!

A War in Heaven

By Francis Frangipane

Lucifer's terrible crime was not simply that he rebelled against God, as evil as that was. Even worse, through slander against God and deception, he stole away a third of the angels as well. Though banished to hell, Lucifer's war against the Almighty continues. Indeed, every time he divides another church, he accomplishes part of his goal, which is to strike against the heart of God.

If you have ever been through a church split, you are all too familiar with the terrible churning of emotions and the inconsolable distress that accompanies this descent into hell. If you are unfamiliar with the experience, expect that large factions of otherwise nice Christians will be pitted against one another. They will participate in slander, anger, deception, fear, bitterness, hatred, gossip, unforgiveness, strife, rebellion and pride.