Love That Was At Sound Doctrine Church

Persecution, Falling Away, And The Love Shaped By The Cross

God Uses Testing To Reveal Who Will Remain

 A church doesn’t usually vanish overnight, but Sound Doctrine Church did, and the reason given is blunt: persecution for the sake of righteousness scattered the body. We sit with the uncomfortable idea that pressure is not only pain, it’s a test that reveals what’s real. When the cost rises, do we still cling to Jesus Christ and his words, or do we discover we only loved the benefits?

We walk through key scriptures that frame that testing. Luke 8 warns about receiving the word with joy and then falling away when trials hit. 1 John 2:19-25 sharpens the lens even more, tying departure to what someone truly believes and lives, not merely what they claim. From there, we turn to 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and ask what “terrible times” look like inside modern Christianity: self-love, money-love, pleasure-first living, and a form of godliness that denies the power that actually crucifies sin.

The heart of the conversation is a definition of biblical love that refuses to be reduced to friendliness, social comfort, or permissive tolerance. We argue that the Holy Spirit produces love that rejoices in truth, exposes impure motives, and creates Acts-like unity and generosity, even “all things in common” as a fruit of surrender rather than a rule. That kind of love can feel fearsome because it demands the cross, including the crucifixion of our opinions, our pride, and even our confidence in our own wisdom.

If you’re hungry for Christian discipleship that is more than words, listen closely, share this with someone who needs clarity, and subscribe, rate, and review so more people can find the show. What would change if you measured love by the cross instead of comfort? 

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Transcript

A Church Scattered By Persecution

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The love that was at Sound Doctrine Church in Enum Claw, Washington, because of persecution for the sake of righteousness, the Sound Doctrine Church no longer exists as a gathered body. Just as with the first church, the New Testament church described in the Book of Acts, a great persecution broke out, and the believers were scattered.

Testing Reveals Real Faith

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There are several reasons why God may allow such trials, but one primary purpose is to reveal who will remain faithful to him and to the words of his son, Jesus Christ. As Jesus warned in Luke at 8, verse 13, those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing, they fall away. The goodness and joy that once characterized Sound Doctrine Church, contrary to the rumors that circulated, were genuine, first rate, and worthy of imitation. Those who opposed the cross of Christ and fell away have now turned to their own sinful noise. In doing so, they have opened themselves to believe many lies. As the Apostle John wrote, they went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us, but their going showed that none of them belong to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.

Why Some Leave And Deny Christ

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Such a man is the Antichrist, he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us, even eternal life. First John chapter 2, 19 to 25. These individuals deny Jesus not only with their words, but especially by their actions and continued sinning. As Scripture declares, they claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good. Titus 1 16. That said, it would itself be sin to remain silent about the goodness of God and his love.

A Spiritual House Built On Purity

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At Sound Doctrine Church. A spiritual house of purity. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Last Days Love Grows Cold

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Now the warning of terrible times. Jesus warned the church about wars, famines and political problems in these last days. One reason for all the turmoil is that mankind is ever increasing in its love of themselves. But mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. Second Timothy chapter three verses one through five. Instead of a selfless love by way of the crucified life, the church in the last days loves only if they receive something out of the deal. Ultimately everything comes back to themselves, and they are quite simply, as Scripture points out, lovers of themselves. Instead of a church that despises the dollar, they are lovers of money. Instead of humility, ministries and churches boast, brag, and claim greatness in Jesus. And if someone dares to preach or live a message that crucifies self, not just in a word but by the power of the Holy Spirit, that church will endure all manner of slander, abusiveness, and unholiness. Indeed, the very people that yell the loudest about the love of Christ are the first to hate. Why? The reason is simple. The increase of wickedness causes the love of most to grow cold. It should not surprise anyone who visits Sound Doctrine Church that our love for each other springs not from the human motivation that men conjure up, but from the cross of Christ. This love doesn't flow from biblical principles or the goals set by man, but from the inspiration and direction of the

Love That Comes Through Bruising

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Holy Spirit. It is a painful process, but the fruit is a small taste of the love that will overflow in heaven. Learning to love at Sound Doctrine is a tough road, full of many bruises. Like Jesus, who is bruised so that we might be healed. The great joy and love at Sound Doctrine Church results from us being bruised with Christ. Over the years, many people have felt attracted by the love they found here, only to leave later because they reject God's way of producing this true love. Most people want love, but not by way of the cross. For them the attraction of wickedness and the love of self is too great for them to hate their own lives. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. The only thing The goal of faith is love, and the only thing that matters in Jesus is faith expressing itself in love. Jesus was crucified so that a few might die to themselves and love God and men with a selfless love. This is true faith in Jesus. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. The very first sermon God led me to preach when starting Sound Doctrine Church in Washington was entitled The Most Important Sermon. This lesson discussed the true love in Jesus Christ and why it is the only thing that matters. True love in Jesus is achieved only by carrying a cross daily and by holding to the truth. As first Timothy declares, watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Truth-Based Love Versus False Comfort

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People in both the world and the church claim to love, but not based upon the truth. As Proverbs tells us, many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find. Almost everyone desires a love based upon the lies in that lust is the same as love. People in the church believe that their socializing is love. Men rejoice in a love based upon falsehood. This allows them to remain in their sin, while Satan is all too eager to reassure them that they are saved and in God's love. One of the characteristics of love inspired by the Holy Spirit is that it rejoices with the truth. If our love is not based upon God's truth, then it is based on a lie. And if our love is based on a lie, our personal definitions of kindness, gentleness, and love are also lies, putting us in league with the devil. If our love comes from impure motives and is tainted by what we want, then we are not filled with the Holy Spirit and are simply using God to get what our sin desires. Many cannot stand the love at Sound Doctrine Church, because it is empowered by the Holy Spirit with truth. The Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of truth, seeks the truth in all acts of love in the Church. If something or someone is impure, Ephesians chapter five, in their love for God and others, the Holy Spirit will seek it out and crucify it. Most people will not tolerate this crucifixion and leave embittered. Therefore, like the first church, individuals are afraid to join us. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Acts chapter five thirteen This is one other way you know that churches are dead in their love for each other.

When The Cross Makes A Church Fearsome

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No one is afraid to join them. Ask yourself a question. Are people afraid to join your church because of the kind of love God works? Of course not. Your church has a false love that makes people feel comfortable and lures them into joining. However, when the cross is honestly present, when love from the Holy Spirit is evident, men will feel afraid to join. It is that simple. Many churches advertise that they are friendly and loving. However, they are not offering the love of heaven, but a deception from hell. Sound Doctrine A short track cannot explain all the ways God works love in a church. It is enough to know that God teaches us how to love each other. Surrender to the cross and expect God to teach you how to love. He will teach you what true love looks like, how it acts, and that it comes only from Him. You will experience first how different it is from what the world calls love. Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. Thessalonians chapter four nine. The Holy Spirit works, guides, and empowers each member at sound doctrine to the degree we allowed the cross of Christ to crucify us. Where our flesh and self refuses to die, love is stopped and hindered.

Shared Money And Shared Lives

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Let us give a couple of quick examples. The first church hated and despised money as Jesus commanded. Matthew six twenty four. Because they surrendered to the truth and allowed the cross to crucify their flesh's love for money, the first church had all things in common. God could work deep love in the first church, and now does so at Sound Doctrine Church, because we despise the dollar and give up our lives. We too have all things in common, claiming nothing to be our own. Though each person owns their own things, we know they are not ours alone. If you are not interested in this type of eternal love, then you will want to choose another church. All the believers were together and had everything in common, selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. As we shall see in the following scripture, if we allow the Holy Spirit to honestly shake up our lives, the fruit of love will be produced. Sound Doctrine Church did not lay down a rule that everyone must have all things in common. Indeed, Sound Doctrine Church does not own anyone's property, as is often slanderously stated. Instead, each person surrenders everything to God, and the Holy Spirit works a love among us that has all things in common. So, if you value your things and your life, spare yourself and others a lot of grief by not visiting or joining Sound Doctrine Church. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.

Crucifying Opinions For One Mind

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thirty one thirty two Inward Matters This, however, only refers to outward things. At Sound Doctrine Church we also love each other enough to give up our own opinions and way of thinking. Other people often shamelessly label this as brainwashing, but for us who know the power of the cross, it is simply the love of God at work in our minds and thoughts. Did you notice in the previous verse, one aspect of the love that God worked? It said, All the believers were one in heart and mind. At Sound Doctrine Church we pour contempt on our opinions and hearts' desires. We fight hard the fight of faith to allow God to crucify our minds. We loathe our opinions and allow him to crucify our thoughts, even our opinions about what we think the Bible says. We know too well that only a fool begins a sentence with I think the Bible means a fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. Proverbs eighteen two. The first Christians knew the power of the cross, and therefore Paul could demand that the Corinthians be in perfect agreement. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another, so that there may be no divisions among you, and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. Make no mistake, Scripture demands that Christians not only agree in all things in Jesus, but even in the way they arrived at that unity and agreement, for it is never acceptable for two Christians to just agree on a matter. They must also agree in how they came to the conclusion of a matter. You simply don't find a love that produces this kind of unity in the church today, because men refuse to really give up their own opinions and doctrines. Rather than loving the truth, they love their lies. If you love your thoughts, even your thoughts about the Bible, then don't join or visit Sound Doctrine Church. For you will find the love of heaven that will even crucify where our flesh holds correct doctrine. At Sound Doctrine Church we love God and each other so much that we refuse to rely on our personal Bible studies as a means of gaining the truth.

Letting Jesus Nail Down Our Wisdom

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Instead, we love Jesus enough to go to the Holy Spirit and allow that spirit to crucify our wisdom. We do not want to be like so many Bible colleges, churches, ministries, Bible thumpers, and pastors that diligently study the scriptures, but refuse the cross of Christ that crucifies our understanding and application of the scriptures. Such groups miss the love that flows from heaven, a love that surpasses knowledge. Ephesians chapter three verse nineteen. You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John chapter five thirty nine through forty. In order for Jesus to give life to our Bible studies, we must allow him to drive nails into our hands and feet. We too, by the Holy Spirit, must allow him to place a cross of thorns upon our thoughts. We must permit our very hearts and lives to be taken. If you are not willing to allow this to happen concerning your understanding of the Bible, indeed, in everything you think you understand, then you will not enjoy the love at Sound Doctrine Church. For the love here will work a perfect unity, and those of us who are mature in the way of the cross will demand that you allow the cross to crucify all of your thoughts, plans, and life. Philippians chapter one twenty seven In this love, if anyone at Sound Doctrine thinks differently on a topic, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will make clear the issue and powerfully bring us into perfect unity. But you have to be mature in the way of the cross. Unfortunately, few are even willing to take the first step of surrender unto maturity. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things, and if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Philippians chapter three fifteen Growing in Love A vast book could be written on the ways God expresses love at Sound Doctrine Church.

Love Means Laying Down Your Life

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However, it comes down to loving the way Jesus loved. This is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. There is only one kind of love that comes from God and glorifies him. It was exemplified in His Son, and only manifests in those who become like Jesus by laying down their very lives for each other. Christ laid down his life by way of the cross and Sound Doctrine Church, through the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, will demand the same of you. If you desire a different kind of love than this, well, you have lots of other options where love has grown cold.

Closing And Where To Learn More

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