The Message of Joy: Joy and the Manifest Love of God
Rev. Charles
Stanley is one of the great American radio preachers and
pastors in Atlanta, Georgia. In June of 2002, I heard Dr.
Stanley admit something that really shocked me. Until he
was about fifty years old, he indicated he never felt
God’s love in a tangible way. He knew that God loved him
because the Bible told him so. He had no doubts as to the
love of God but had never felt the love of God up to that
age. At the conclusion of his sermon, he encouraged his
hearers to ask God to manifest his love to them.
A few years ago a friend of mine, Richard Goad, was
part of the praise team at Campmeeting. He currently is
pastor of the River of Life Church in Oklahoma City. As he
and the others were singing, he got blasted on the
platform with the love of God. He had to be carried off
and was drunk in the Spirit the rest of service. He told
me later that night while still partly drunk in the
spirit, “It’s real, Darryl, it’s real.”
I believe my friend had an experience of the manifest
love of God like Pastor Stanley was referring to.
I too have experienced the manifest love of God. I
first experienced it at my salvation at eight years of
age. A few years ago, I experienced the manifest love of
God again and thought it to be something new. God reminded
me of the love I felt at my salvation and expressed his
desire for that to continue.
“My desire has always been to express my love to you.
You can experience it often if you like.”
Experiencing the manifested love of Jesus is a
Scriptural experience. Jesus promised his manifested love
to those who obey him.
John 14: 15“If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16And
I will pray the Father, and He will give you another
Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17the Spirit of
truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither
sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells
with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you
orphans; I will come to you.
19“A little while longer and the world will see Me no
more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live
also. 20At that day you will know that I am in My Father,
and you in Me, and I in you. 21He who has My commandments
and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me
will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and
manifest Myself to him.”
22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it
that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the
world?”
23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me,
he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our home with him.
Many think the obedience spoken here is keeping the Ten
Commandments. That is not the case. When the rich young
ruler came to Jesus, he claimed to have kept all the
commandments. When Jesus gave him a personal command to
sell his goods and give to the poor, the man refused to do
it. He went away very sorrowful.
The personal commands of Jesus may be one of the Ten
Commandments or they may be something entirely different
like: “take off your shoes, you stand on holy ground; or
shout unto the Lord with the voice of triumph; or dance
before me with all your might.” Etc.”
When we obey the commands we are eligible to experience
the manifested love of God. When we do not obey, we begin
moving away from his manifested love. St. John records
Jesus’ rebuke for leaving this love in Rev. 2:4. ,
”Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have
left your first love.”
In the passage sighted, Jesus commends the church he is
rebuking for many great accomplishments but lists this as
a failure. Many people are wonderful Christians. They keep
the Ten Commandments, tithe, and do many other good deeds
but they do not experience the manifested love of God.
There are several enemies that can keep us from
experiencing the manifested love of God.
First, we must be willing to receive the manifested
love. After experiencing God’s manifested love at
Campmeeting, my friend shared with me later that he knew
in his mind he could have stopped what God was doing at
any time but he said, “I didn’t want it to end.”
Second, we must not be ashamed of what our behavior
might be when overcome by the manifested love of God. You
may end up in the floor or drunk on the Spirit. You may be
overcome with tears of joy or laughter. You cannot be
ashamed of this or you will quench the Holy Spirit and
before long you will not be experiencing God’s manifested
love.
Third, legalism and performance based thinking keep us
from experiencing the manifested presence of God. In a
marriage, real intimacy comes purely from the love of a
husband and wife. When it begins to be based on taking out
the trash, making money, or doing the dishes the intimacy
becomes a form. From that point on it can never bring the
pure joy that it is supposed to bring. So it is with God
and his manifested love. Let God love you for who you are
(his son/daughter) rather than for what you have done.
Finally, the experience of most Christians can be an
enemy of you experiencing intimacy with God. Most
Christians are satisfied with a work’s based relationship
with God. Do not look at these people for role models for
intimacy. Look to the few who have discovered they can
experience the manifest love of God and are enjoying it.
These will help you find that experience too.
In conclusion, if a great man like Dr. Charles Stanley
will admit his experience regarding the manifested love of
God, you can admit your situation. God wants to show you
his love and will do so if you are obedient to him in all
things.
NOTE:
Dr. Stanley’s admonitions to experience the manifest
love of Christ are available from a message he preached on
his radio broadcast July 5, 2002 titled “In Search of
Wholeness.” You can access it or order it online from
http://www.intouch.org
or click
In Search of Wholeness.
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