Are we losing our love for each other?

Hi guys it has been a long time since my last post, I just wanted to ask a question, are we losing the love for each other in Christ? Now I know that not all of us are always going to get on, but shouldn't we pray for each other that God's love would abound more in our hearts for each other and the lost.Recently I was discouraged and amazed at how when I approached my youth leader, who is also an elder of the church, with concern of some false teachers and a different view point on tithing, that I basically got the impression from my youth leader that I am not to search for the truth or to test everything. Where as scripture tells us to tells us to test everything(sorry I am at work so I can give the references :-( )He even went as far as to say that I must try him for my relationship with the Lord because he is my elder. Though the bible trust us to trust God and not man.Has our love grown cold are we only concerned about the tradions of men?Thanks Grace and peace in ChristCraig :-o

Hi Valadar,No matter who the person is we should always test everything in light of scripture. Prove all things and hold fast to that which is good. There are times when churches or pastors will have certain policies that we may hold as "traditions" or what have you and that will likely always be the case. Some of the most used men and women of God held to beliefs that I do not agree with. But then again, I don't have to. In ministry we have to make many decisions, one of them is am I willing to abide by the policies that my church has in place. Sometimes it is productive to challenge the issues and sometimes it is not. You need to have demonstrated before the 'elders' your worthiness of their consideration, by your chaste conduct coupled with reverence. Let no man despise thy youth is an admonishion that is carried out by being an example before the people of holiness and sobriety- a general overall Christ-like Spirit. Sometimes it is better to roll with the 'policies' so long as they are not a direct violation of scripture. Am I saying to compromise? No and yes. Never compromise the essentials of the faith, but on areas of doubtful disputations don't be so dogmatic. Be willing to hear out the other view as much as you wish for them to hear yours. If you cannot consciencously abide by the rules it may be time to take a stronger stand. Whatever you do, seek the Lord in prayer for direction. Things are simply not always going to go the way you want them to. Sometimes God puts people in places to effect change and they get mad and leave before God can bring those changes to fruition. If you keep going from church to church or house to house you will never fulfill your calling in God. Find where God wants you and pray for direction. God Bless,-Robert

Br. Valadar ...In many areas i think "yes" we are losing our love one for the other not only saved to saved, but saved to unsaved as well ... John.13:34, 35 - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Of this commandment we all fall far to short, and it's not been my experience that we've gotten any better at it (at least in the circle of saints our Lord has me around) in the last 25 years ...it seems to me that so many in the churches of America have become totally pre-occupied with our "selves", and in my estimation that has had a most devestating negative effect on the love that we're all supposed to display to our Father first, and then to our fellow man, when our rallying cry has been altered from Christ's;PLANT YOUR SEEDS TOWARD SOMEONE ELSE'S NEEDS!... to that of ear tickiling, get rich Balaam's ...PLANT YOUR SEEDS, TOWARD YOUR OWN PERSONAL GREEDS! ...Christ said, "It's more blessed to give (for the right reasons), than to recieve" ... Seems to me now-a-days to many saints give (for the wrong reasons), primarily in hopes of "recieving", and in so many cases (i'm being nice here in saying so many) MATERIALLY!We can't serve "others" if were to busy serving our "serves", specifically in pursuit of "mammon", for scripture says we'll either love one, and hate the other ... Both God the Father's, and Christ' love is marked by the sacrificing of "self" for "others" ... With that as the lithmus test i think we fall far short in our Christian care one for the other, so you know we don't really show care about the un-saved ... The latter is blatanly obvious, the former a hypocritical sham ...Finally 1 John 4:20-21, "If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.Br. Valadar, i think the modern church, particularly in America, has even gotten our love toward God Himself twisted ... We seem to have lost our ability to love God for just being God in the capacity of the love He showed toward us in the greatest gift He could possibly give us; the redemptive blood of His only begotten Son shed on Calvar's cross ... Nowaday's it far to much about showing love to God as payment for what we can get out of Him (and i ain't talking bout spiritual blessings) ... If we ain't loving God Himself right, there's no way we can be properly doing so toward our brother ...WE THE CHURCH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST NEED TO REPENT! ... REPENT! ... REPENT! ... AND GET BACK TO OUR FIRST LOVE AND WORK~

Yes, we certainly need to repent of this self-centered lifestyle.Here's a warning in Matthews 24:12 (KJV) .And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. It's certainly happening these days.There are many who say that follow Christ that are simply out to get what they can as Brother Rahman stated. Here's what Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. Here is the scripture you were searching for in 1 Thess. 5:20-22; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil.One of the things I pray about is to ask the Lord if I'm walking in the Spirit. If indeed I am, than the fruit of the Spirit will manifest itself. It won't be a conscious effort on my part but rather a work of the Spirit.My prayer for you is that the fruit will manifest itself in your daily life as you walk with Jesus on that narrow path.