I had written posts before about how the churches of America today seem to swing either toward the TRUTH side or the Spirit side. The Charismatics, for example, have a lot of love for everyone, but they have little discernment and often can’t spot a false convert if their eternity depended on it. And that statement I made may have lacked charity, as I am more of the truth camp, where I categorize the Independent Fundamental Baptists. We often have TRUTH but tend to lack love, unless it is tough love. We have a reputation as “good doctrine, lousy attitudes.”
Charity seems to be what is needed for good doctrine, and loving attitudes. Spirit and truth. Truth in love. Justice and mercy. Jesus was perfectly balanced and to be Christ like is to have fervent charity. If you want a good picture of charity, think Jesus Christ.
The Bible says in 1st Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines CHARITY, n. as In a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. It expands with:
1 Cor 8. Col 3. 1 Tim 1.
2. In a more particular sense, love, kindness, affection, tenderness, springing from natural relations; as the charities of father, son and brother.
3. Liberality to the poor, consisting in almsgiving or benefactions, or in gratuitous services to relieve them in distress.
4. Alms; whatever is bestowed gratuitously on the poor for their relief.
5. Liberality in gifts and services to promote public objects of utility, as to found and support bible societies, missionary societies, and others.
6. Candor; liberality in judging of men and their actions; a disposition which inclines men to think and judge favorably, and to put the best construction on words and actions which the case will admit. The highest exercise of charity, is charity towards the uncharitable.
7. Any act of kindness, or benevolence; as the charities of life.
8. A charitable institution. Charity-school, is a school maintained by voluntary contributions for educating poor children.
Today we have a vast Bible knowledge. We can dish out powerful sermons, create programs with dazzling effects, have web sites with state of the art graphics, generate decisions, fill altars, and set up sound systems that cause the ground to shake. We can do all that without God though. Charity might be the one ingredient you can’t fake and gets people to embrace what we say. The old adage is often true, people don’t care about what you know until they know that you care. I do support the disclaimer that people searching for truth aren’t swayed by a poor bedside manner. I believe often today, people reject the medicine of truth no matter how much sweetening enhancer and bitterness suppressor or bubblegum flavoring is added. However, finding out a lot of “truth” in my experience, I find the much harder task of adding to that charity. We should not be content having truth for the world, without the charity to touch the world.
Today, charity seems to go out the window because the world is waxing worse and worse. Sin is spiraling out of control, abominations before God are now in your face, and loving the sinner while hating the sin is getting harder to practice. This doesn’t give us an excuse though, this gives us more the reason to fast and pray and seek God and seek the heartbeat of God. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (Matthew 24:12). Fervent charity will melt our cold and cynical hearts. The book of James says, Draw night to God and He will draw nigh to you..and the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Drawing close to God will keep us in humility and charity. I first need to fight the tendency of my flesh to get lifted up with knowledge instead of desiring charity. I get the truth and it seems to either lift me up, or cause me to withdraw because I don’t know how to convey it to people without becoming a jerk. Am I the only one?
Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. (1st Corinthians 8:1)
1st Corinthians Chapter 13 is the Chapter on Charity. Modern Bibles translate it as love, but a good way to define Charity is LOVE in Action. The modern church says, “I’m praying for you” but often that is used as an escape for getting involved. Just as “I’ll pray about it” is an escape for having to make a decision. We like to be let off the hook and appear spiritual. True charity is something we cannot fake, and often God uses circumstances to expose how far we need to go.
1st John 3:17-18 says But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
There is love in action. Not just in word. Not just “I’m praying for you.” or “If you need anything let me know.” In deed and in truth. Charity. Today when a Christian brother loses a job or his world falls apart, we in the truth camp often convey that we don’t want to get in the way of God’s chastening hand. I still haven’t figured out when I lost my job 3 years ago if it was chastisement for being unthankful or falling into a sin or what. Or if it was persecution because I took a stand about a controversial subject or for having my bible at work or for witnessing. Yet all the brethren seemed to know why I was fired. They lacked charity to get us through this, and if indeed it was chastisement, the goodness of God (and the goodness of God through the brethren) would have brought me to any repentance I needed. And my bringing it up to this day proves I still lack charity and a forgiving spirit.
1st Corinthians Chapter verses 1-8 give us the foundation and definition of “fervent charity” Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
The early verses in that chapter hit me right between the eyes. I am a street preacher and I believe it takes boldness and anointing to do that. I have been not as regular doing it as in the past, and I see now that it is going to take time and consistency to get the touch of God back on it. Without charity, my street preaching probably sounds like the “wah-wah-wah” parents of the Charlie Brown cartoons. One thing I see, whether it is telling my young sons some important truths, or preaching from a street corner about how Jesus is coming, you need charity. I should be broken over the fact the majority on the street are going to hell. I should have tears over their blindness. I should be broken over the unbelief and carnality of Christians today. Far too often, it gets me mad and frustrated. Charity suffereth long, and is kind. Far too often, it makes me want to never get out there again. The heart response I have makes me want to quit. I see I lack charity. Charity never faileth. This post is a study first and foremost for me.
As I am studying it out, I see I lack charity. Is it enough to admit your need? Part of having charity comes with maturity and letting God grow the fruit of charity in you. Galatians 5: 22-23 show the fruit of the spirit, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. This seems to present a full picture of having full, matured, charity. It seems to not say, the fruit of the spirit is charity, but rather the fruit of the spirit produces the fruits of charity. If you have charity, you will have love, you will have joy, you will have goodness and meekness. You won’t be self-absorbed and you won’t be haughty over your holiness. John 15 verse 1 and verse 5, where Jesus says I AM THE VINE, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me, ye can do nothing. I would say if we spend time with Jesus, meaning thinking about Him, thinking about the Cross, thinking about verses that emphasize his love, mercy, and compassion — while not neglecting his holiness and love of truth — and fervently pray and desire to have charity to touch this world, and not for our own selfish gains — we would find charity. That is when we stop defending our lack of charity as acceptable by our human limits, and instead come to the end of our limited abilities to superficially care and love only when someone loves us first or shows us kindness. Seek and ye shall find. This would be FRUIT that I believe God will give us.
1st Corinthians 14:1 says Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. Jesus said Follow Me. God is love. Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. And when you walk in the spirit you will produce the fruit of the spirit. They are all closely related. Someone following after charity has his delight in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. (See Psalm 1). Our delights and the tapes that repeat in our head need to be more from the Word of God rather than even the end times events we can read about on CNN, Facebook, or World net daily. We tend to be more consumed over the latest defeats from Obama rather than Victory in Jesus. Yes, things are very bad out there. They are worse than we think. However, dwelling on all that and having the weight of the world on you seems to cause us to get weary and worn out. Peter said, casting all our care upon him (Jesus) for he careth for you. Jesus said, Come unto me, and I will give you rest.
Let all your things be done with charity. (1st Corinthians 16:14) This means my rants on Facebook, my preaching on the street, my exposing the compromises of the church today, my treating of my wife when she is overwhelmed, my handing of rejection and my enemies. Matthew 5:44 says But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That sounds like charity in action.
Colossians 3:12-23 gives further examples of what charity will do.
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God; And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
1st Timothy 4:12 says Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
2nd Timothy 2:22 says Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith,charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Charity is not the same as faith and peace. Or purity. But it seems if someone has charity, they seem to have the other fruits as well. I can have the faith to move mountains, but without charity I am nothing. However, if I have charity, I seem to just naturally have that faith to move mountains. It is his faith anyways. Nethertheless I live; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (see Gal 2:20) For we are his workmanship and it is Christ which worketh in you both to will and to do; Christ in you the hope of glory.
Charity seems to also be something God adds in our lives and should grow over time. I should have more charity 13 years after salvation than the day I was saved.
2nd Peter 1:5-8 says And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 9 says But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
May God open our eyes for the need for charity!