Chapter 6

            “Love!”  he began “Jesus said ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.  If you agree with that, say amen!”  Charles had forgotten for a moment that this was a charismatic group rather than a Pentecostal one.  Charismatic groups were usually polite and quiet while Pentecostal churches usually had a lively response of amen’s in between important points.

            “Jesus said, ‘If you love me keep my commandments.’  Jesus said, ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, that you have love one for another.  Jesus said, ‘He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.’ We must each ask ourselves how much we love the Lord, for He said ‘I come not to bring peace but a sword . . .’”

            Aaron thought, so far he is not that bad, as he breathed a sigh of relief.

            “. . . because when we love the truth and go on in the truth, it will separate us from those who do not go on.  But Jesus said ‘If you continue in my word ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’”

            Charles paused and looked carefully around the audience to see if what he was saying was sinking in.

            “As we continue in God’s word, more and more of His truth will be revealed to us.  As we learn the truth of His word the question becomes, will we walk in His truth or will we continue to walk in tradition.  Jesus said to the Pharisees ‘Ye do make the word of God of none effect by your tradition.’

            Only the four knew what he might be alluding, they each sat still tight lipped hoping he won’t go too far.

            “Let us truly love God and walk in His truth,” Charles went on.  “In James we read, ‘Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.’  As we learn God’s truth and walk in His love we’ll find solutions to every problem we face.  The answers are in the word.  In the letters of John we read, ‘If a man is in need of food or clothing and ye say, Be warmed and filled, and give him not those things that are needful to the body, how sayest thou that the love of God dwelleth in you.’  Love in deed and truth.”

            As Aaron looked around wondering how his congregation was taking all this, he noticed that most were very attentive to every word.  There seemed to be a power about the way he spoke.  It was not so much what he was saying but the power with which he was saying it.

            It wasn’t that he was just louder and more animated, although he did have a rather booming voice and moved back and forth much more than Aaron ever did.  No.  There was something else.  Something more.

            “Many of you are single women and widowed ladies.  You’d like to have a husband, wouldn’t you?”

            Aaron cringed and looked at his wife who was sitting in the front row.  She clutched her Bible and returned his gaze, both fearing what might come next.

            “There’s an answer in God’s word.  Look for it.  Seek it out.  It’s there.  I’ll conclude by saying, ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’”

            With that, Charles pivoted on his heels and reached out the microphone to hand it to Aaron.  As Aaron took the “mic,” there was a moment of silence and as the congregation realized that Charles was finished and being seated, they spontaneously broke out in a thunderous applause.

            Cheryl looked up at Aaron with a quizzical look on her face as if to say ‘what happened?’  They were both pleased that it was over but also knew they’d be besieged by questions about what the Bible answer for singles was.  They weren’t wrong.