Now Jesus taught a way to get rid of strife. He said, “If you
have something against your brother, go to him and try to settle
it.” He didn’t say to tell everyone else about it! He said to go
directly to that person. He gives us three opportunities to
bridge the gap: alone, with another brother and then before the
whole church (see Matthew 18:15-17). Jesus ended His teaching
by explaining the power of agreement, “That if two of you
shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it
shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew
18:19). There is a way to live in the Body of Christ in a magnitude
of power which absolutely and totally defeats Satan. You
have to resist him, and your resistance will work through this
power of agreement and the power of the love of God.
Have you ever wondered about someone who gets turned
on to God and then everything around him falls apart? I have
seen men who looked as though they were doing fine until they
got saved and turned on to the Word, and then problems came
from every direction. It seemed that they were better off before
they got saved. I thought, “Why does it seem that Satan has
such an inroad anytime he wants it?” Then I realized it’s
because the least discussed, least taught, least functioned area
in the Body of Christ in any denomination is the revelation of
God’s love and how to operate together without strife. We have
heard some people preach around the fringes, “We’ve got to
love one another,” but everyone waits on the other person to
do it.
The love of God is not a feeling. Somehow we have put
compassion and feelings in one capsule. When the Bible says
Jesus was moved by compassion, we traditionally assume He
was moved by a feeling of compassion. Then we wait for some
kind of feeling to move us before we do anything. So people
pray for a “burden to win souls” or a “burden to pray.” Actually,
they are praying for some sort of feeling. They want God to
kick them in the pants and make them do what they know they
should do. Jesus was not moved by a feeling of compassion; He
was moved by compassion Himself. God is love.
Love commanded, “Go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature.” That is enough. I heard one wellknown
evangelist say, “My calling is Mark 16:15-20, the Great
Commission. I didn’t get a great revelation. I just read it, decided
to do it, and God honored it.”
Being led by God is being led by His Word. The feelings are
real and they will come; but if you are waiting for the feeling
first, then you will never get anything from God. You will
always be led by ordinary human impulses until you begin to
act on God’s Word and do it simply because He said it.
Kenneth Copeland Ministries
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