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| Pastor Randy Ralstin |
I flew to Reno, NV., early Monday morning and was met at the airport by pastor Randy Ralstin who is founder and pastor of the Lighthouse Baptist Church of Reno. He started this church in 1987. What a great story! I have been honored to preach for this dear man of God for many years now. In fact I preached in the warehouse where he held church for many years. He has a wonderful family and is a great personal soul winner. The spirit was exciting and the altar call filled the altars. This church has built a beautiful new facility and no doubt the great days are ahead for them.
Last night I preached my sermon LOVE IN REALITY IS CHARITY. The spirit was exciting and the altar call filled the altars. I used Galatians 5:22-23 and I Corinthians 13:4-7. In Galatians 5:22 the word “love” is different from the other words in one aspect for is the only word there which is a verb as well as a noun. You cannot joy anyone, peace anyone, goodness anyone, longsuffering anyone, faith anyone, meek anyone, but you can love someone! Love as a noun must have an object. No one can just love? No such thing as having “love.” You cannot “feel” love because “love” must have an object. It becomes “love” as it is given. That is why God chose the word “charity” in the Scriptures. Real love is charity! Charity is not feeling something charity is giving something.
Revelation chapter 2 we have the letter to the church of Ephesus. God said to them “You have left your first love.” God did not say go back and do your “first love” for He said go back and do your “First works.” God is saying you cannot love without works. Thus, the first works are equal to the first love and the first love is equal to the first works. You can love without feeding but you cannot love without feeding.
Love is not one of the parts of the Fruit of the Spirit for love is the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us WHAT is given when you love. Love gives joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. I Corinthians 13 expresses to us HOW we are to give joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. WHAT you give is found in Galatians chapter 5 while HOW you give is found in I Corinthians chapter 13. GOTTA LOVE THE OLD PRESERVED INSPIRED KING JAMES BIBLE!