LOVE WITH A CAPITAL
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FULFILLING THE ROYAL LAW - PART 1:THE SANCTUARY By: Elisabeth C. Tunstall
INTRODUCTION For the past 3 months, God has been giving me songs that teach about love, the love between God and man, love between a husband and wife and the love we show to each other as well as all mankind. These songs serve as a lesson and warning first and foremost to me but to all of you. Now when I say love I do not describe it as the world does, foolishly depicting it as lust or unrealistic romances and fairy tales. This is not love. God defines and determines what love is because He is love. Love embodies all righteousness and holiness. It is a summation of the Lord’s laws and teachings.
THE ROYAL LAW Recall Matthew 22: 37-40, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Simply put, to truly love God is to obey Him. “If ye love me keep my commandments,” (St. John 14: 15). To truly love God is to show love to your family, friends, strangers and enemies. “Love wortheth no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law,” (Romans 13: 10). By doing so, we can overcome sin and death. There is no other way.
BRICKS & MORTAR And because this album, “Jacob’s Music Box,” presents songs of God’s love, I thought it appropriate for that to be the theme of Praise Day, specifically stated as “We’re Talking Bricks & Mortar: The Strong Bond of God’s Love.” Let's break that down a bit. Consider each member, we are liken unto individual bricks and no brick is exactly the same. Each of us have our own set of skills, talents, personalities, weaknesses, strengths and tribulations, a testimony to call our own.
BRICKS & MORTAR However, what we have in common is our foundation, the law. Brick by brick, we are built upon that sturdy rock, Jesus Christ. The mortar is the love of God that binds us closely together so that we, as one, become the house of God. A house that remains standing. That is strong and resilient, nor can be moved by wind, rain or any force Satan throws our way. We remain standing because of the love of God and the love we have for each other, which Christ explained in the gospel.
ROYAL LAW In James it is depicted as the royal law, (James 2: 8). Why was it described as such? Royal can be characterized as preeminent, absolute and dominant. Let us break down these terms.
ROYAL LAW Preeminent - surpassing all others, very distinguished. The royal law can be described as such because it is the most important and highest law we must adhere to. No other rules, obligations or laws come before the Royal law. It must always be at the forefront of our lives day in and day out.
ROYAL LAW Absolute - not qualified or diminished in any way, complete, total. Free from imperfection. The royal law can be described as such because by obeying it you are able to successfully adhere to ALL the commandments and testimonies. Your works and offering become complete and perfect in His eyes. In simple terms, the first part of the Royal Law (i.e. to love God with all your heart, mind and soul) is summed up in the first 4 commandments. Just take a look, (Exodus 20: 1-11).
ROYAL LAW Reading closely, you can see that those specific laws pertain to what you do for God. Now commandments 5 to 10 pertain to the second part of the Royal Law (i.e. your love for your neighbor) (Exodus 20: 12-17). So we now see and understand that the royal law does not do away with the commandments, it summarizes them concisely, showcasing that true love enables obedience to the Lord and thus, perfection. For Christ said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,� (Matthew 5: 48).
ROYAL LAW Dominant - most powerful, important or influential - the royal law or the love as God defines it has power and of utmost importance. The love of God has the power to heal and save us. It influences all things. God’s love is the reason that Christ was sent on this earth to die for us, so that we would have grace. God’s love is the reason that He is longsuffering and shows mercy. God’s love is the reason why there remains a remnant of Israel, though they were stiff-necked and disobedient. God’s love is the reason why we have a church despite our trials, set-backs and mistakes. And the love we have for God and for each other will keep us standing.
PRAISE DAY Therefore, we will celebrate love and place it at the forefront on Praise Day, and all the days of our lives. You must know that this Praise Day is indeed very special with great spiritual significance as was revealed to all of you a few Sabbaths ago.
GET READY!!!! Brothers and sisters, the spirit has been working with me and bringing to light what we all must do to strengthen ourselves. During the months leading up to Praise Day, there will be more classes that will help prepare us for this notable day. Why? There is a bigger purpose at hand. Salvation is nigh. It is time to prepare. It is time to make ready. It is time to put on your wedding garments because the bridegroom soon cometh. So let’s talk about fulfilling the royal law within the sanctuary.
5 KEY AREAS When we come to the sanctuary, we fulfill the royal law and show our love for God through 5 main areas: 1) reverence & worship; 2 ) our testimonies; 3) tithes and offerings; 4) our attire and 5) how we treat each other..
REVERENCE & WORSHIP Revere: to show devoted deferential honor to : regard as worthy of great honor Worship: to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion God is omnipotent and all powerful. He deserve our reverence and worship on a a daily basis. Given that Sabbath is a high and holy day, it is specifically dedicated to worship of God. We have of course been blessed with a church so we come together and assemble to worship God on one accord. How do we do this? We specifically worship God start to finish, with songs, prayer, reciting of the laws of God, lighting the candles and testimonies.
CALL TO ORDER Let’s discuss the call to order. The spirit revealed to me that there must be a sounding of the trumpet before the call to order by the Minister and Master of Ceremony. In ancient Israel, they would sound the trumpet before all the high days, Sabbaths and new moons as well as before war. It served as a warning, a call to attention and a message to the people.
CALL TO ORDER The trumpet is a part of the brass instrument family and it can be played softly but also very loud with a very penetrating and bright tone. We have been blessed with our very own trumpeter, Devin. But even before Devin, the trumpet was played throughout the ages. It was often played during fanfares to announce the arrival of someone important or royal. Most importantly, we know that the trumpet represents the sound of God’s voice.
CALL TO ORDER Have you given thought to what the minister says when he recites the call to order? “For the Lord is in His holy house,” and in Revelations 14: 7, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” This is a commandment and a warning.
GOD IS PRESENT When we enter into the house of the Lord to begin our worship we must recognize that the entire host of heaven is present and observing us. We are in fact in the presence of the Lord. Because we cannot physically see God, being in the flesh, we often forget. I know I have been guilty of this. It takes the spirit, conviction and practice to sharpen our skills and perfect our behavior and actions when we are in this sanctuary, in the presence of God.
BLOW THE TRUMPET By blowing the trumpet before Pastor Derrick recites that scripture, it further sets the tone that worship has begun. It is a message to be at attention, you are in the presence of God. Before that trumpet sounds, everyone should be in their place in the sanctuary. That means we have to strive and do our very best to be timely. After all, when the Lord calls us for salvation, who wants to be late?
BLOW THE TRUMPET Ladies should have coverings on their heads already. We should be standing with hands held high because, we are in the presence of the Lord. It is like His voice is calling out to us, not just on Sabbath, but a call for us to come out of spiritual Egypt and worship and obey Him for judgement will soon come. This is not a warning just for 1 day of the week but for every single day. So I have discussed with the musicians to develop a brief composition that includes of course the trumpet with percussion and piano accompaniment.
THE OPENING After the call to order, we proceed with the opening. The opening is actually the most holy part of worship. This is when we sing our opening songs, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “I Need the Lamb of God” and “Stand Up for Jesus.” We have our opening prayer led by the minister and it is a time to plea for forgiveness, mercy, strength and blessings. We get down on our knees if possible or we remain in our seats and bow our heads. This is the time when we are communicating directly to God the Father. It is most sacred and not to be taken lightly. The Spirit brings our prayers up to the Father and if acceptable it goes up as a sweet savor.
THE OPENING We have our opening song chosen by the music director and next the reciting of the laws. The laws of God our posted on the walls of the church. It is our foundation upon which our doctrine is built. It is critical that we recite the laws of God as one body and in unison. Notice that at the end of the commandments and testimonies the reader states, “Let Israel say Amen.� This is very important.
“AMEN” When you say Amen it means that you are in agreement to what was said. That it is faithful and true and of certainty in your heart. By doing so, you reaffirm you belief and faith in God and his law. When we say it together, we reaffirm our belief as a church in God and his laws. After the reciting of the law, we sit down and sing “Father We Thank Thee.” This brings to a close our opening. Moving on.
TESTIMONIES When we give our testimony we come to the altar and must always give honor to God first. Some examples include , “I give glory to the full throne of God” or “Let God be magnified.” We then may want to express gratitude for other blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon us. A person may have a scripture reading, give a class, sing a song or speak in a freestyle manner. Whatever the case, we must always remember that our words must be salted with salt. In Colossians 4: 6, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”
TESTIMONIES When I say this, I mean that our words must be seasoned with the word of God and led by the Spirit. We cannot speak of own fruition, for we are flesh. We have to choose our words cautiously and certain common words cannot be used at the altar. We cannot come to altar with anger or ill will in our hearts. The altar is not a place to air your grievances or to verbally attack your brothers and sisters in the truth. This causes confusion. God is a God of peace and there must always be peace in His house.
TESTIMONIES When you come to the altar with an unclean heart or with bad intentions it is like you are offering the offering of Cain, (Genesis 4: 3-7). We know that God did not accept his offering. It is also liken to offering strange fire unto the Lord, which Nadab and Abihu did. Nadab and Abihu were priests and sons of Aaron. What happen to them when they did this, (Leviticus 10: 1-3)?
TESTIMONIES If you have anger then you should refrain from giving a testimony. What did Christ say, in (Mark 5: 23-24). It is a good to talk about current events because we must be watchmen. But when doing so we must always relate it back to God to distinguish and convey that this is not common but holy. Let all things be done decently and in order, (I Corinthians 14: 40).
TITHES & OFFERINGS We must give the Lord His due, (I Chronicles 16: 29). The scriptures have taught us to give 10% of what we have earned and give it to the Lord, (Genesis 28: 20-22, Malachi 3: 8-10) This is a commandment. But unlike other churches, we do not pass an offering plate around and push for people to pay their tithes. We do not ask for tax returns. We do not have to pay our minister’s salary. What you give, is between you and God. The Lord has provided us with everything we need, our food, clothing and shelter.
TITHES & OFFERINGS The tithes that we bring in are for the upkeep and maintenance of God’s house. When we give to God we show Him love and obedience, thus, fulfilling the Royal Law. We know that the Lord blesses us and often does so beyond our basic necessities. We also have offerings that we give every Sabbath, from the eldest to even the youngest. Now of course, God is a God of mercy. There may be individuals who are on a fixed income or are barely able to make ends meet. There are of course exceptions. But we all know what we are capable of and able to do.
OUR ATTIRE Every Sabbath we dress more formal than we would for the remaining days of the week to signify that this is in fact a high and special day. We have established a dress code as inspired by the Spirit of God and outlined in the covenant book. Males and females do not dress the same. There must be a distinguishable difference between the two genders within the church as well as outside the church. This is an honor, for the male is made in the image of our heavenly Father and the female is made the image of our Heavenly Mother.
OUR ATTIRE Females are to have their heads covered (I Corinthians 11: 5), and wear dresses or skirts and blouses of modest appearance, not exposing any nakedness which may include but not limited to exposed cleavage, back, stomach or thighs. Males should NOT have their heads covered, (I Corinthians 11: 4 & 7) they should wear pants with no nakedness revealed. Males should not wear earrings or wear their hair long.
OUR ATTIRE Now to the outside world, our dress code may seem old fashioned and outdated. Many modern day churches tout the motto “come as you are.� They do this to boost their membership and appeal to a more diverse and younger group of people.
OUR ATTIRE We do not go with the trends. We go with the laws of God. We know that even with our attire we can show love and reverence to God. That is why we have a dress code. As saints of God, we must separate and sanctify ourselves. We cannot dress like the people of this world that often reveal their nakedness as a fashion statement. This does not please God. It is an offense and a shame to Him. To showcase any type of nakedness in the church, is a sign of dishonor and disrespect to the Lord, his house and also to yourself. Modesty is a sign of respect, reverence and obedience unto the Lord.
HOW TO TREAT EACH OTHER We are all a part of Christ. So when we cause an offense to our brothers and sisters, we are causing an offense to Christ as well. To love God is to also love your neighbor. When Christ walked this earth He led by example, showing us exactly how we should treat one another. What did Christ do? He taught the people and edified them. He fed them food. He healed, forgave and showed mercy, kindness and so much more.
HOW TO TREAT EACH OTHER Now we do not have the power to heal infirmities but we can pray to God on someone’s behalf. We can feed a person in need whether directly or through the gift of alms. We can also show mercy and kindness. We can forgive and be patient with those who are spiritually weak. We can teach and edify. We can do all these things because Christ commands us to do it.
HOW TO TREAT EACH OTHER Particularly in the church, we must be sure to say hello to everyone and be courteous. We should embrace each other with love. Just a quick fact. Did you know that hugging can release feel good hormones. These hormones include oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. So I say let’s hug it out. It’ll make us feel good. But more importantly, we must show respect and listen when a member is up speaking. We should not show ill will or make offensive remarks towards one another. Nor should we engage in backbiting or participate in negative gossip about one another. And if there is a disagreement, which is inevitable, we must handle it in a peaceable manner.
HOW TO TREAT EACH OTHER Now to love your brothers and sisters does not mean you have to be best buddies with everybody. You are not going to be super close with everyone. That is ok. Going to church is not about making friends, it is about worshipping God. And we must be spiritually minded and not carnal minded. The most important bond between us is not about our hobbies, interests, personalities or even bloodline, it our love and conviction for obeying the truth.
CONCLUSION We must always pray, show kindness, encourage, uplift and be a source of strength for one another. The members of the church are not the enemy, It is Satan., (Ephesians 6: 12). Your fight should be with him and only him if you want to overcome, (Ephesians 6: 13-17). Otherwise, confusion and strife will arise in God’s house, which He despises. The house of God should be a place of refuge and escape from the cares of this world. It must be a place filled with love as God defines and we as the body of this church make this possible when we fulfill the Royal Law. May God be with you all. Amen.