We read in Romans 10:17: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
In another translation, it reads as follows:
“So then faith comes from the message that is heard, and the message is heard where the word of Christ is proclaimed.”
God is continually doing good deeds for our world and for me personally. My heart beats according to His will, and He sustains the lives of even the most evil people and beings who have rebelled against Him. And if anyone does good deeds, it is our Creator. And He shows no partiality.
Does God’s creation believe in its Creator as One Who loves and saves? Does this world believe that God is Love? Do God’s people believe that this unconditional love is available to everyone? Do I believe that I will be able to love as Jesus loves?
If we answer honestly, it would sound like this: not everyone and not always.
We very quickly grow accustomed to the goodness of God’s deeds toward us and cease to notice it; later, we may even think that God owes us something. Does this increase our faith in God and our knowledge of the beauty of His character?
Now imagine that God the Father began every morning by speaking from Heaven about His love in a loud voice so that everyone could hear it. And He has much to tell us. Then He would explain the principles of His law and afterward point to Jesus. I think everyone would become a believer. After all, faith comes by hearing. The world would then change greatly. It would be easier for everyone to serve and worship such a God together. No one would perish, and almost everyone would be saved.
But God chose another way. He decided to give His word to His people and to work through people, while remaining the invisible and mysterious Ruler of the Universe.
He chooses the weak in order to reveal His power through them and put to shame those who are esteemed. He reveals His will to those who seek Him, while leaving the ignorant with nothing.
In the last days, God deemed it necessary to give His personal presence in the human heart in order to show the world the perfection of God’s character in His children and, through them, to bring the history of this world to an end. Yet despite all His authority, He stands at the door of my heart and knocks, desiring to enter, but He does not enter until I give Him the right to do so. I open my door, and the Lord enters and occupies the place that I offer Him. Even if I give Him full authority in my life, He still makes it clear to me that I am the master of my own house and can change my views and the state of things at any time. What freedom! What respect!
But Jesus not only reigns within me; He also wants me to be His witness. He desires that I tell others not only through my deeds but also through my words about His love, about what He has done for me, and about what He has given me. After all, faith comes by hearing.
I would like to share an observation.
There are those who, upon hearing me speak—either personally or in writing—about how we can love one another and even love our enemies, begin to believe that this is also possible in their lives, since it has become possible in mine. And God moves me to speak and write to these people about His love, about how it works in my life, and about how I understand it. I think this will be very useful to those who decide to take this path and will help them avoid many of the mistakes that I made. And it brings me great joy that my personal experience also helps other people.
There are also those who do not know me personally, yet accept my words about love by faith, try to begin living this way themselves, receive power from above to love, and see their lives become different. It is such a joy that many turn to the truth, begin independently to seek the depth of a relationship with Jesus, and find it in love.
And there are those who are initially interested in what I write and say, but later dismiss it as something of little importance and go their own way. It brings me joy that the Lord may show and teach them the same thing through their personal experience. Having walked this path with God, they will come to know His love through personal trials, and somewhere in the distant future we will meet again to share experiences of God’s love, which works abundantly within us and brings us to unity in faith and love.
There are also those who know me personally but have no interest at all in what I do. They do not even try to understand what spirit is speaking through me or why they need this work. I am glad for them as well, because they have their own relationship with God, and He will open other channels to reveal His will and the knowledge of God’s love to them. They will have to go through all that I have experienced and overcome all the difficulties that God permits in the lives of His children.
And, of course, there are always those who oppose everything I say or write and who, depending on the situation, actively express this position. I am so grateful to God for these people as well, because through them I undergo the most interesting tests of love and see how genuine I am in what I continually profess. I choose to love these people and listen to their opinions too, because they often express their views frankly and can boldly rebuke and correct me concerning some of my mistakes. And I am learning.
And there will always be those who simply hate me, regardless of what I do or say. Unfortunately, such people exist in this world, but I cannot respond to them in the same way, and I choose to love them unilaterally. And God gives me the strength to love them too.
I often wonder why I write all of this to you, my friends. What drives me? I often write at night, when I receive another revelation and can calmly record it. I do not see you, and I do not know what influence my reflections have on those who read what I write. But I believe that God has a special plan for this work as well and that He uses this modest ministry of mine for your good. After all, I write about love, happiness, and friendship, which became available to me under difficult circumstances, and I believe that everyone who begins to seek and thirst can attain this condition of the soul. And my experience will help many people take this path more quickly.
The Bible was written by ordinary people who were moved by the Spirit of God, and their revelations, once recorded, have reached us and helped many people enter quickly into what those writers had spent years comprehending. Very little time remains for us now, and the Lord desires to have a special people who possess unconditional love. God dreams that we will love one another, but without Christ this is impossible.
And I believe that I am moved by the same Spirit and the same Author Who prompted other people to write words of encouragement and support. I am not ashamed to say this, but you may judge for yourselves whether I am right.
Love is worth giving up everything for: all our sins, all our harmful habits, and all our sinful attachments. Eternity is worth fighting for. Living with God forever is wonderful, and many already live this way, but without love it is impossible.
Someday, everyone who has rejected God’s love will understand that without love everything has become nothing, and they themselves have become nobody. This too will be a revelation for many of God’s children. It is better to experience this crisis now, while something can still be changed and while the doors of grace remain open.
Dear friends, I wish for all of you to pass through this crisis of love as soon as possible, and I will be very glad to learn that my experience of emerging from this crisis has helped you as well. And it will give me great pleasure to know that the One from Whom all of this proceeds receives the gratitude for my work.
Homework 234
In the light of our lesson, please read 1 John 1:3; Acts 5:31–32; 1 Corinthians 1:27; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Revelation 1:3; 19:10; 10:10–11; James 1:22; Romans 10:10–11; Isaiah 60:1; 62:10; 43:10; 52:7; Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 1:8; and 1 Thessalonians 5:18. What does studying at this school give you? Have any changes taken place in your life during your studies at the School of Agape Love? Do you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through our lessons? What do you expect from your further studies? Have you learned anything more about agape love? Do you share the materials of our school with other people? Do you have a desire to continue studying? If you have never sent in answers to the homework, would you be able to answer at least this one? Would you like us to consider any quality or characteristic of love that we have not yet studied here? Have you drawn closer to Jesus during the time of our studies? Do you love those who are near you or who are in close fellowship with you? Has your love become more conscious and stronger during your studies? Do you find the materials of our studies beneficial for your soul? Do you thank God for bringing you into His school? Do you have a desire to teach other people to love? Do you face problems, obstacles, or attacks that seek to separate you from studying at this school? Is God glorified in your life through the influence of studying at the School of Love? Do you desire to meet the One Who is Love and Who shed His blood to save you from the power of sin? What is Agape Love?