Why are so many of us in the body of Christ sick, and why aren’t we impacting the world with fire, glory and all that Christ is? It ought not to be, but it’s because we’re fragmented and disunited. How can a body work with its parts disconnected? It can’t!

Tell me: How many “holy kisses” are you getting from God’s people?: Are those you know kind, loving, merciful and true to you, speaking not just what you want to hear, but rather words you need? More importantly: Are YOU kissing, kissing and kissing others with love and forgiveness, or are you talking about them, ignoring them, and even dismissing them from your life as being unworthy of your time and attention? Do you love people enough to tell them the truth in love, or do you just sweep things under a “Keep Silence” rug because you don’t want any persecution? I have to admit I have been like that, so I’m not pointing a finger of condemnation at any one. I’m writing this message because I feel compelled to warn the body of Christ about what “NOT kissing” can do to us.

Brothers and sisters, we are called to cherish each other, and if we don’t stop seeing one another through carnal eyes, we most are going to be “hung up,” unable to do what we are called to do. Today I was given a vision of a man hanging by a rope around his neck and I believe he’s a picture of the dead man we are when we judge unrighteously. The Bible states that as we judge, so shall we be judged, and truly, we will be having many troubles and carrying sicknesses in our bodies, the outcome of hatred, anger, accusations, retaliations, judgments, unforgiveness, rejection and more,… UNLESS we FERVENTLY love one another. Take a good look at the standard written in the Bible and hear with hearing ears that “the law is fulfilled by loving our neighbor as ourselves.” I’ve read this many times, but somehow it didn’t fully sink in that I wasn’t loving people when I still judged them. I was imputing their sins to them without even realizing it.

Do you realize what power we lose when we don’t obey the Word: “Be angry and sin not! Don’t let the sun go down on your anger”? In other words, deal quickly with wrong-doing, speak the truth in love to that brother or sister, and then put everything in God’s hands. Once we do what the Word teaches, then God has something to work with to bring conviction into people’s lives. His Word never returns back void.

God set me up long ago to preach this message: When I was in my twenties, my brother-in-law, another young man and I competed in a Sears Roebucks’ talent contest singing the Kingston’s song called “Hangman,” and we won first prize. Hallelujah that this unlikely song tells us how we, in the body of Christ, can win the greatest prize of all and the words go like this:

“Hangman, hangman, hangman, slack your rope a while. I think I see my brother ridin’ many a mile. Brother, did you bring me silver? Brother, did you bring me gold? Or did you come to see me hangin’ from the gallows pole? No, I didn’t bring any silver. I didn’t bring any gold. I just come to see you hangin’ on the gallows pole.

The song is repeated with “father” in it and then with his “sweetheart” who replies: “Yes, I brought a little silver Yes, I brought a little gold. I didn’t come to see you hangin’ from a gallows pole.”…Oh thank God for love triumphing! There’s a whole world with a noose around its neck waiting for sweet hearts to bring them the silver and gold of God’s Word, and lo and behold:

The Bride and the Spirit are coming, even now with the blood of the Lamb! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!