Brotherly Love: The Key to Unity, Part 2
Evangelism and Body-growth (not just local church growth) cannot occur where there is division. An "open door of evangelism" that God opened and no man could close was given to one church in Revelation: Philadelphia - "the church of brotherly love"!
Sharon Hardy Knotts: Greetings, friends and new listeners. Welcome to the Archie Hardy Ministries program. I'm Sharon Knotts, thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Today's message by my father, Brother Hardy, is certain to speak to every one of our hearts in both a powerful and discerning way. It's entitled "Brotherly Love, the Key to Unity."
Psalm 133 declares how good and how beautiful it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Well, while it is certainly beautiful, it is not always easy. But unity starts with brotherly love.
R. G. Hardy: So now that we have been purified our souls, brought to a position of unfeigned love for the brother, then we are to what? Stay in that place and love one another with a pure heart fervently. What is unfeigned? Anupokritos, and that means without hypocrisy. You know, a lot of people go on got a sham of love. They can love you while they're putting a dagger in you. Unfeigned love. Perfect example. What is the greatest example in the Bible of feigned love? Judas, exactly. He come up with Jesus. I can almost see his face. I can see him coming up. Oh, Jesus, I love you. I remember once in my own experience when I was just a young Christian, and a person come over to my house during the day, and I mean they threatened me and every other thing. Oh, they really just threatened me and acted like a pure devil.
When I come to church that night, they were at the door, and when I came in, they said, "Oh, Brother Hardy," and they wrapped their hands around me and hung to kiss me. And I thought to myself, "You hypocrite devil, you." Feigned love. We are to have unfeigned, without hypocrisy, true love. If we don't have love, it gives you something to pray about. See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently. Ektenos, Ektenos, Ektenos, say it Ektenos. Not lightly, but as it were straining. Love one another, strain to love your brother and sister. Tell you, God's working on us. You never knew it was so many scriptures in the Bible about loving your brother, did you? And we just got started. Failure to love brings division and sin. That's that's really understandable, isn't it?
Galatians 5:12-14, "But by love serve one another." Most people want to be served, but remember, when the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Lord, who's going to be the greatest?" And he said, "He that would be the greatest, let him be the servant. Even as I came not to be ministered to, but to minister to and give my life a ransom for many." So by love, serve one another. "For all the law was fulfilled in one word, even this, that you love thy neighbor as thyself. But if you bite and devour one another," and here the neighbor he's talking about your brother and sister in Christ. "But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one another." You know that's what the devil likes to do. He likes to give one a sword, another a hatchet, and they say, "Sick 'em!" And while one's hitting one with the hatchet, one's retaliating with the sword, he's out there gobbling up our lost loved ones.
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About Sound of Faith
About Sharon Hardy Knotts and R. G. Hardy
R.G. Hardy is the Pastor of Faith Tabernacle in Baltimore, Maryland which he founded in 1958. He was marvelously saved after a personal encounter with the Lord in the living room of his home in January 1953, and was called into a prophetic teaching ministry. Shortly before he had been miraculously healed of a crippling back injury. Since these events, R.G. Hardy Ministries has broadened the scope of its outreaches through daily radio broadcasts, television, evangelistic crusades, Gospel publications, and missionary crusades and support.
For more than 50 years, R.G. Hardy has been recognized by the calling of a powerful prophetic anointing and message of salvation, diving healing, and deliverance through the authority of the Name of Jesus. By this anointing of power, he has demonstrated the message of the Gospel with signs following as God confirms His Word through the resurrection power of His son, Jesus Christ. Through the years, Brother Hardy hosted many of the crusades for the healing evangelists of the 1950's and 1960's. He has a rich heritage founded in the Pentecostal movement. Many ministers have received early training under his leadership and revelation anointing that is manifested when he ministers. In this world of compromise, R.G. Hardy has not compromised the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has and still is "earnestly contending for the faith of our fathers."
Sharon Hardy Knotts is the daughter of R.G. & Doranne Hardy. She has served alongside of her parents in ministry at Faith Tabernacle Church, Baltimore, Maryland since childhood. Sharon was baptized in the Holy Spirit at age 7 in an old-fashioned tent revival, where she was slain in the Spirit, speaking in tongues. She began "preaching" in youth services at age 9, and began traveling with her father in evangelistic meetings at age 13.
Like her father and grandmother before her (Mother Mary Hardy), Sharon is an avid student of the Bible and holds a Master's in Theology from CLST, Columbus, Georgia. She is an accomplished teacher of the Word and also an anointed preacher. The marriage of these different delivery styles has produced scores of ministry tapes on various pertinent topics, which appeal to many believers.
Sharon and her husband Benny serve in fulltime ministry at R.G. Hardy Ministries. He prints Faith Is Action and oversees its publication and distribution. Family: Three grown children, Scott & Todd Stubblefield, and Sarah Knotts. Daughters-in-laws: Corinne & Amy Stubblefield. Grandsons: Noah & Matthew Stubblefield are Scott's sons. Sharon especially enjoys writing and serves as Editor of Faith Is Action and other Ministry publications. She also writes essays and poetry, some of which can be found on her blog.
Contact Sound of Faith with Sharon Hardy Knotts and R. G. Hardy
info@soundoffaith.org
Sound of Faith Ministries
P.O. Box 1744
Baltimore, MD 21203
410-525-0969