What's the Point Anyways?

What's the Point Anyways?

As I was reading an email that includes a daily message from a writer earlier this week, I realized that he was telling all of his readers his opinion of why the Bible was written, but what he was saying would have meant nothing to me had I not been a Christian who understands the Word.
His message was a message of declaration as though he had just discovered this and wanted everyone else to stop everything and do what exactly what he said without further understanding anything else about what they were commiting their life to. His message was plainly that the main theme of the Bible is salvation and that this is all you really need to know about the Bible. He then said that we should simply get as many people as we can to pray and ask God into their life. That was it.
He said nothing else to explain why God wants us to do this and what the whole act of salvation is all about. This is where many churches are going astray today from what the Bible teaches us. This is why so many people are living out a tradition instead of Christ example.
I have to ask you who are Christians; even those who are not as well, "IS THIS NOT A PROBLEM? "
So many people going through the motions week after week after week in their lives and as their lives slip through their fingers one day at a time. OK, by now you may be thinking what I was thinking.
What's the Point?

Let me share with you exactly what I found in the Word in the few of hours of studying that I did! This is really going to be exciting for anyone because it can make an impact on all people, Christian or not! Ready?
First of all, the first thing I like to do when someone says that something is in the Bible is to do a word search on my E-sword Bible study program. It's pretty neat! You can put in one or more words, hit search and wallah!
I get a complete list of verses that have the word in it. Then I can choose any verse and open it up to read. When that's done, I can open my search back up and read the next verse. It opens the whole chapter actually so if your not careful, hours will slip by before you know it, especially if you start using your dictionary and commentaries available also.

So, I did a few word searches trying to find the most talked about theme in the Bible. Usually people talk most about what is most important, right?
What I found was amazing but then again, it wasn't surprising when you think about the whole picture. I found that the word "salvation" is found in 268 times in the Bible. The word "love or loved" is found 409 times in the Bible. I took my time to read some of these and found that "love" almost always related to our Lord Jesus and His teaching. The Lord was here because of love and that is why we see it so many times thoughout the Bible.

As I continued my search through verses to find the main thread that would tie the message together and give us something to hold onto as we were going through our earthly and spiritual journey, I found that it is something that we already have built into us by our creator. We can see it when we look at a mother holding her child for the first time or when a father plays catch with his child or when we drop a dollar in the beggars hat! Yes, it is LOVE.
Whoa! How did that last act tie into such a nice description of love? Everything was feeling and looking so beautiful in our nice cozy home life and maybe we even began to feel kinda righteous as we thought about how we love our families and children!

My friends, what I found pricked the very nerve of my heart when I realized how much I needed a reminder of what this thread was, "love".

In the Greek and Hebrew dictionary there are 34 descriptions for the word "love". I began to feel like it was going to be a long day trying to go through all of these and understand the differences of each of them, but as I began, I believe God led me to a passage that summed it all up. I know what you think, John 3:16! Not. That one we all know from our childhood up but the one I read I had heard but hadn't ever memorized as a child. I wish that I had because I would have seen people and the world from a different perspective all together. Read with me,

1Co 13:1 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.
1Co 13:2 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.
1Co 13:3 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.
1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there are prophecies, they shall fail; whether there are languages, they shall cease; whether there is knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

When I read this passage, I realized what it is saying; that all the things that we are doing on this earth day by day, in church and out of church, are all going to pass away some day. Look at verse 8 where it says, "Charity never faileth". All other things do, but not charity.

I have to ask myself right now, "Where in the world is all the charity, if there are so many so called Christians in the world today?"

You might be thinking that all of this giving that people are doing to charity groups is what this is talking about but you'd better take another look my friend!

The last verse of this chapter sums it up! Lets read it,

1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Faith and hope is what we hear all the time at church, in our classes, in studies, on the radio, in the Christian newspapers, but what about charity? I want to look at the meaning of charity with you because interesting enough, charity only has one meaning in the Greek and Hebrew dictionary. I truely believe that Jesus spoke of Charity in direct connection with our faith and hope in Christ in this last verse and that it is about loving ALL people without any conditions.
This is the definition from the Greek and Hebrew dictionary.

G26
ἀγάπη
agapē
ag-ah'-pay
From G25; love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: - (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love.

I am concluding with this thought and one more verse that speaks to my heart. After reaading the scripture I have shared from ICorinthians 13, can we go through this day without sharing our love with all we come in contact with and call ourselves true believers?
If love is the greatest of faith, hope and love, then let's put that first and share our hope and faith once people have seen our love.
I once heard someone say this and it is so true, "People will not care about how much you know until they first know how much you care"

May you feel the presence of Gods love and his comforter with you throughout your day as His love flows through you to all people! God Bless! Shalom!

1Th 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one towards another, and towards all men, even as we do towards you:
1Th 3:13 To the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.