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GWEA Monthly Messages
St. Valentine, Agape love and Marriage
REVEREND GORDON WILLIAMS, FEBRUARY 2017
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February launches us into what has been described as a month to focus on the ministry of a Christian whose name was known as Saint Valentine, and was killed and martyred for marrying Christians when Rome had passed a law that prohibited Christians from being married.
Valentine ignored the law because marriage was God’s plan from the very beginning (Gen. 2:4). Jesus had emphasized and said, “Have you not read that He who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?" (Matt. 19:5)
Man and wife are no longer two, but one flesh. "What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matt. 19:4-65; Mk. 10:6–9). Because Valentine ignored the Roman law that forbade Christians to marry, persecution resulted, and death to anyone who did so. He was arrested and while in prison, he healed the jailer’s daughter and wrote a letter signing it, “Your Valentine” as a farewell gesture.
Saint Valentine was recognized thereafter, and a day was named after him each year to commemorate his martyrdom. To this day, "St. Valentine's Day" has been celebrated annually on February 14th for centuries, dating back as early as the 5th century.
 Today, marriage is often viewed as a contract and not as a Holy Covenant. Many times I am asked why so many marriages today end up in divorce. Is there a guarantee that a marriage will not end up in a divorce? YES, there is! This guarantee was given to us by Jesus Christ when He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:5).
We must be born again, but there are two parts to becoming a real Christian that are often overlooked. These are: John's Baptism of Water for repentance of sins, and Jesus' Baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in "tongues" being the proof of the signs following (Acts 2:4; Mk. 16:16–7). When we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, “God’s (agape) love is poured into our hearts through His Holy Spirit" (Rom. 5:5).
Most of the weddings that I've participated in, couples prefer to use Paul’s description of God's love or “agape love.” Paul defines "agape love" as, “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful (does not keep a record of wrong); it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Cor. 13:4-8).
God's "agape love" makes it possible to forgive and forget the hurts that others have caused us. Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother (spouse) sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you 7 times but 70 times 7 each day'" (Matt. 18:21–22).
This kind of forgiveness can only be obtained by the Holy Spirit. When we forgive with "agape love", the hurts caused by friendships and family members are erased and forgotten. Also, we can experience the honeymoon phase in our marriages for a lifetime - our relationships will last forever.
One couple stated that when they forgave each other with agape love, their marriage was restored far better than in was in the beginning when they first were married. In their eyes they said, “It was a miracle!”
 If your marriage needs a miracle, I invite you come to one of our house meetings or contact me and I will send you our book, “The Forgotten Key of Christian Marriage” so you can have a “Miracle Marriage.”
Let’s make 2017 the best year for harvesting people into the Kingdom of God! Yours in Jesus,
 Copyright © 2017. The Gordon Williams Evangelistic Association. All rights reserved.
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Scriptures of the Month
“It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Now as a concession, not a command, I say this, I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.
To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.
To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
(1 Corinthians 7:1-16)
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The gifts of the Spirit are ministry gifts. The condition for receiving them is that a person must be born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
No one can have any of the gifts without the giver, who is the Holy Spirit. While most people quote First Corinthians when listing the gifts, there are actually two lists, the other being found in the book of Romans.
First Corinthians 12:7—11 reads, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”
Thus, the Corinthians list includes: the word of wisdom; the word of knowledge; faith; gifts of healing; miracles; prophecy; discerning of spirits; tongues; and the interpretation of tongues.
Romans 12:6—8 says, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; it is contributing to the needs Of others, let him give generously if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy let him do it cheerfully."
Thus, in list format, the Romans list is as follows: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, contributing aid, and mercy.
(Note that only one of these, the gift of prophecy, is repeated in both lists.) "It is not uncommon for people to see the gifts of the Holy Spirit as a graduation diploma."
They wait to manifest one or more of the gifts before they will believe that they have been accepted by God. Others feel that manifestation of the gifts will bring them some sort of spiritual status among believers...
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"SPIRIT-LED DAYS" - DAY BY DAY WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT" is one of the most inspirational, detailed and theologically studies on the Holy Spirit. Using a daily devotional format, the reader is led step-by-step, day-by-day, into a study of what the entire scriptures reveal about the person of the Holy Spirit.
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"THE FORGOTTEN KEY TO CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE" is God's key to a successful marriage.
Gordon's book outlines effective tools for building a happy marriage. Also explains why the divorce rate in the church is the same as in secular society and what to do about it. |
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