APOSTOLIC LOVE

Danny Steyne

Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 "For I have chosen him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice; in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him." 20 And the LORD said, "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 "I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know." 22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD. (Genesis 18:16-22)

When God has to visit a place in order to see it, Apostolic Love has covered it! Often I have heard people say that Lot had no business living in Sodom… some say he was a compromiser! I believe Lot was a righteous man, (2 Peter 2:7) distressed by the world around him, but nevertheless touched by the hand of God to love those around him to the degree that his love for them “covered” their sins to such a degree that God couldn’t see them from heaven but had to take a road trip to find out the truth! Love covers…

The foundation of “the restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21) is intense love. It is only love that can remedy this world. All the ministry we do, all the training and equipping for the Harvest, is simply a gong without love! It was love that produced the most significant lasting fruit in any of the previous awakenings, and it is love that will produce that same result today!

Charles Grandison Finney, one of the most remarkable and effective revivalists of the 2nd Great Awakening had the most dramatic fruit that lasted of any revivalist! I believe it was his encounter with Jesus that made it that way.

“I went to my dinner, and found I had no appetite to eat. I then went to the office, and found that Squire W- had gone to dinner. I took down my bass-viol, and as I was accustomed to do, began to play and sing some pieces of sacred music. But as soon as I began to sing those sacred words, I began to weep. It seemed as if my heart was all liquid; and my feelings were in such a state that I could not hear my own voice in singing without causing my sensibility to overflow. I wondered at this, and tried to suppress my tears, but could not. After trying in vain to suppress my tears, I put up my instrument and stopped singing....

There was no fire, and no light, in the room; nevertheless it appeared to me as if it were perfectly light. As I went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It did not occur to me then, nor did it for some time afterward, that it was wholly a mental state. On the contrary it seemed to me that I saw him as I would see any other man. He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at his feet. I have always since regarded this as is most remarkable state of mind; for it seemed to me a reality, that he stood before me, and I fell down at his feet and poured out my soul to him. I wept aloud like a child, and made such confessions as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me that I bathed his feet with my tears; and yet I had no distinct impression that I touched him, that I recollect.

I must have continued in this state for a good while; but my mind was too much absorbed with the interview to recollect anything that I said. But I know, as soon as my mind became calm enough to break off from the interview, I returned to the front office, and found that the fire that I had made of large wood was nearly burned out. But as I turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, I received at mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. Without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love; for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings.

No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out unutterable gushings of my heart. These waves came over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I recollect I cried out, “I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.” I said, “Lord, I cannot bear any more…”

It is Love that overshadows a society in need of judgment, with grace and mercy!

After Hurricane Katrina I heard the Lord say there would be three more events as catastrophic … when I asked if it was judgment, His response burned in my spirit. He took me to the passage where Elijah witnesses the earthquake, the wind, and the fire… (1 Kings 19:11-12) So He said, "Go forth, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.

He spoke resoundingly to me. Danny, I am not in the calamity… I am in the remedy! Apostolic Love overwhelms the duty of God to bring judgment with the passion of God’s Heart that every knee will bow in homage of Jesus! The world already IS in judgment that doesn’t know Jesus… our task is to pull them from the place of judgment to the place of salvation! We are the “remedy of God” to reveal His Awesome Love to this world!

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." (John 3:17-21)

Historically, the church has prevailed with power on this world, not because of great speakers… not because of great churches and ministries… but because of someone, who like SOMEONE else (i.e. Jesus), had Apostolic Love and was willing to cover over in love the generation around them. “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

We must once again look at the darkest places as the places requiring the most love. The communities immersed in sick bondage don’t require the judgment of God, (they already are experiencing it!)… they require the love of the saints.

A couple years ago I was in San Francisco with a youthful ministry team. Early one Sunday morning on the way to a meeting we stopped at a café to get some coffee. As we walked through the door we were overwhelmed by the obvious fact that all in there walked in a homosexual lifestyle. One young man asked me if I was getting any words of knowledge on anyone. I indicated I did but wasn’t going to share them. He asked why and I told him that I would tell him later. He said he had some words for someone, would it be okay if he proceeded to share. I told him that would be fine. As he opened his mouth to speak, and began reading this other man’s mail, a hardness came into the man sitting there and he angrily blurted out… “You’re a preacher… a Christian… leave me alone!” He got up and left. Later outside the young man asked me why I didn’t share the words I had… I simply told him, they don’t need words… they need love! It is only love that will redeem them from their judgment into salvation.

The church hasn’t been called on to picket or curse. The church has been given the greatest power to bring about the most revolutionary change in the earth. It’s not political, it requires no money, it requires no training… it simply requires having had an encounter with the Apostolic Lover of our Souls! It is this Gospel of Love that demonstrates true apostolic authority. I don’t give a rip about titles… show me love! Show me a laid down lover of Jesus… and I will show you a people around them who are falling in love with Jesus too! Undemonstrated love gives place to bureaucratic offices, duty driven ministry, and the formation of organizations far from His heart! Washing feet releases the heart of Him who is Love and demonstrates true apostolic love.

A dear friend of mine has been touching the poor for several years now. He is a businessman who buys the food without getting a tax write-off. Recently he has been going into our city to find the poor… to literally wash their feet… to wash them with the love of Jesus… to demonstrate this overwhelming love that saved him.

When the waves of liquid love overwhelm us… waves of liquid love will flow through us… up until that time… we can’t ask for our communities to change. We can’t expect lives to be transformed. We will simply be a clanging gong…

I believe the heart of the Lord is to raise up “righteous” servants in the midst of dark places. We don’t run from darkness… we bring light to it! Those who understand purity is not affected by association… purity will allow a whore to wash your feet… purity will allow you to take up the cause of a person caught in sin and point them to life! It is this apostolic love that when released will be the formation of the Greatest Awakening… where the fruit is not cast… and where the King finds a place to lay His Head!

Danny Steyne ~September 28, 2006~

A group has been initiated at www.GreatestAwakening.com for reports, healings and testimonies as they begin coming in! Go to http://groups.google.com/group/GreatestAwakening to post a report. The Greatest Awakening Website is "in process" to carry the reports, words, and testimonies from this awesome Harvest around the world!

Danny Steyne functions as a part of the emerging Mountain Of Worship. Check out the Danny's Itinerary at http://www.mountainofworship.com/itinerary.htm

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