Focus On The Details
There have been many times when someone complains about the details. I heard a quote recently that said: "We are so focused upon the details that we have lost the real message of Christ". Obviously the person who said this realizes that often times, as we concentrate on the details of "book, chapter, and verse" teachings, we are prone to omit the love we are to show towards our neighbor. Many times, this chiding takes place because someone was faithfully strong enough to point out someone's error in teaching or practice.
There have been many calls for a turning away from book chapter and verse teaching. Many have called for the "thus saith the Lord" teachings to go away because they are mean-spirited. Translation: "I do what I want to do, and you showing me from the Bible that it is wrong is just horrible of you"
When we preach the Bible, many people will not endure sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:1-4). They will choose what they want to do and do it regardless if they have Bible authority or not. Usually the charge against the details are used to incite some emotional feeling and their hope is to break you down and silence you from teaching God's word.
So let us take this idea that the details are not important but love is the most important.
Let us start by quoting John 14:15 "Jesus said: 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Also in John 15:10 "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." Remember also that Matthew 7:21 tells us that "not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven."
So let us review some characters from the Old Testament is they had this same attitude. Would God have approved?
The details of not eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Yeah, we know what happened there.
God told Noah to build an ark out of gopher wood, and gave Noah the dimensions and the construction method. Details, Details, Details. But what if Noah decided not to follow the details God gave him?
Moses was told to build the ark of the covenant according to the pattern shown to him on the mountain. What if Moses had this idea that details were bothersome and caused people to not focus upon the greater things?
You see where we are going here, and we could bring up many other people that were given specific instructions from God. The modern day church is also given many specific instructions of worship that is acceptable to God. Of course we should not leave out love. When we follow God's specific commands, we are demonstrating the greatest love of all. You will find that those who seek to remove the specifics by advocating a greater or higher principle are not interested in doing God's things in God's ways. So their call for love is not really love at all.
By Carey Scott

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