Christian Charity
Christian charity means love in action. If we’d make the decision to walk in love at all times, our faith would be as powerful as dynamite because faith worketh by love.
What is love? The best description we have of real love – real Christian charity – is found in the Bible.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [love], 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 [love], 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 [love], it profiteth me nothing. Charity [love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity [love] envieth not; charity [love] 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 [love] never faileth…” (1 Cor. 13:1-8).
If you read through the above list carefully, you will see that love is described in terms of actions. Love is not just emotions and feelings. Scripture very clearly shows us that real charity – real love – is carried out in actions.
Only One Commandment
There is only one commandment given in the New Testament, and that commandment is to walk in love. You see, if we learn to walk in love at all times, we’ll never break any of the other commandments that were given under the Law. If you love someone, you’re not about to kill him, steal from him, or covet what is his.
If you have Christian love, you’re going to love the unlovely too. I vividly remember preaching in a church one night, when two unsavory looking characters walked in and sat down on the back row. One of the guys had on a tank-top tee shirt with a picture of the devil on the front of it. On his shoulder there was a tattoo that said, “Born to raise hell.” His jeans were so dirty, they probably would have stood in the corner by themselves. He had on sandals and his feet didn’t look like they’d been washed in years. His hair was long and matted, and he smelled horrible. The other guy didn’t look any better.
I noticed them the second they walked into the church. They stood out! I also noticed the reactions of people sitting near them. Some of those righteous saints of God turned around and looked at the two guys as if to say, “Who invited you? What are you doing here in our church?” If they’d had enough nerve to do so they probably would have said, “We don’t allow your kind in here. Get out.” They kept looking at these two guys out of the corners of their eyes, sort of pulling their righteous garments a little bit closer around them.
If it had been up to those church members, the two guys would have been escorted out by an usher. What kind of love is that? That night those two young men came forward during the altar call and got saved. They found out about the love of God but not with the help of anyone sitting by them.
Love is more than just talk. It’s time to demonstrate our love to this world. You can talk all you want to about how much faith you’ve got, but I want to see your love in action. If you expect your faith to work, you have to demonstrate love.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Kenneth W. Hagin, President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and pastor of RHEMA Bible Church, ministers around the world. Known for calling the Body of Christ to steadfast faith, he seizes every ministry opportunity to impart an attitude of “I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit.”
Rev. Hagin began preparing for his call to ministry—a ministry that now spans 50 years—at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. He graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Faith Theological Seminary in Tampa, Florida.
In his early years of ministry, Rev. Hagin was an associate pastor and traveling evangelist. Later, he went on to organize and develop RHEMA Bible Training Centers in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and in other countries around the world.
Kenneth W. Hagin’s array of responsibilities also includes International Director of RHEMA Ministerial Association International. He hosts the annual A Call to Arms® Men’s Conference, and with his wife, Lynette, cohosts RHEMA Praise, a weekly television program, and Rhema for Today, a weekday radio program broadcast throughout the United States. They also conduct Living Faith Crusades, spreading the message of faith and healing around the world.
Recognizing the lateness of the hour before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rev. Hagin has expanded his speaking schedule beyond his regular pastoral duties. To fulfill the urgent call of God to prepare the Church for a deeper experience of His Presence, Rev. Hagin delivers messages that reveal key spiritual truths about faith, healing, and other vital subjects. He ministers with a strong healing anointing, and his ministry leads the Body of Christ into a greater experience of the glory of God!
Kenneth W. Hagin and his wife live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the son of the late Kenneth E. Hagin.