Tag Archives: Love

LOVE

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Introductory note: I apologize for the disruption in the regular posting of this site.  My access to WordPress has been limited and our situation has changed some.  I hope to return to regular postings soon!

The Love of Christ Compels Us:

Every day I see the Love of Christ revealed in an every expanding scope, as the universe testifies of the every expanding presence of God, I am moved further and further in Christ. For it cannot be for any other reason that our Father in Heaven has chosen to reveal to His children His love in Christ except that it is because Christ was the only vessel in which that Love could live and compel us perfectly as it does.

2nd Corinthians 5:13-15

13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.14 For the love of Christ compels us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

There are no limits to the love of Christ; whether it be in the selfless acts of sacrifice made toward the poor and suffering, or the stance of long-suffering we take toward our family members during those rough times we have in our relationships with them.  The love of Christ compels us to reveal Him and the Truth of His gospel, both in word and in deed, so that the riches of His surpassing glory might be made known to all mankind.

1st John 2:5-6

Whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.  By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Jesus is the love of God made manifest to all mankind and He walked perfectly in love and compassion for towards all mankind.  Every aspect of our life in Christ Jesus starts and finishes in love because that is His very nature.  From the message of repentance and forgiveness that is our gospel, the long-suffering of trial and tribulation that we endure in Christ Jesus and for one another, all the way to our brotherly compassion and charity that overflows from our faith in Jesus Christ; everything reveals the manifold testimony of God’s love in Christ Jesus to the world.

In fact, it is because the love of God is made known through Jesus Christ that it can only be perfected in those who walk in His word according to the likeness of how He walked!

1st John 2:11

But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

It is fitting, indeed, for us to love one another because of the love of Christ that has been perfected in us and now works in us and compels us because of the hope we have certain in Him.  But know this, that if anyone of us hates our brother, that one has not been perfected in the love of God and, indeed, is walking in darkness and has been blinded by the darkness.

And it is only darkness that blinds us from the love of Christ which ought to compel us in Him- it’s this darkness that causes pride to usurp His love in our hearts and move maliciously towards one another.

1st John 2:15-17

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

1st John 4:20-21

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

The love of this world, for all its money, lusts, temptations, and lures blinds us to the love of God in Christ Jesus because it shrouds us in a veil of darkness that is not removed except by the Lord.

Whenever we see divisions, we also see pride, envy, and/or malice.  Whenever we see Greed, we also see suffering, jealousy, quarrels, plotting, and pain.  If these things, which are not from God, but from the world, exist between those that we can see in the flesh (our brothers and sisters who also are from God and are born in God), then how can we say that we love God, whom we cannot see, and from whom are the very things that we ourselves are not practicing?  In other words, if God is love, and the love of God is made manifest in Christ Jesus, how can we say that we love God if we are not walking in the manner that His love (which is Jesus Christ) also walked?

1st John 5:1-4

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

If we are walking by faith we are also surely born of God and it will surely be the love of Christ that compels us.  If we do anything that is not of faith, then we have ceased to walk by faith and we have sinned.
The commandments of God are not burdensome to us, as are the commandments of men, because the power of God’s gospel is alive in those who are born of God and walk by faith in the Spirit of Christ.
To overcome this world and taste of the perfect love of God that has brought to us the fulfillment of His promise- that is eternal life- we must be born again of the Spirit in Christ Jesus by faith, and make certain of our love as we live in the commandments of God.
I know that there is suffering everywhere we turn; on the streets, in the markets, in government, and in the churches.  If we have been born again of the Spirit of Christ and walked as compelled by the love of Christ, let the gospel of Christ be on our lips, and let our hands be busy serving those who suffer about us.
Rise up, oh faithful men of God!

The Secret of Contentment

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PHILIPPIANS 4:12

“12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Discontent is never easy to bear: it turns things that once were joyful to us into things of contempt in our minds.

So what was it that caused Paul to be filled with this overwhelming contentedness?

HEBREWS 12:28-29

Therefore, since we receive a Kingdom, which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

Paul was fully aware of the salvation that he had received: indeed, one could spend many, many months teaching on the depth of our salvation and what it means without even scratching the full measure of these hidden mysteries in Christ.

The gratitude that Paul received as a result of his faith in what Christ had done, and who Christ is, was the power that overcame every circumstance he faced and caused him to view even the worst suffering as unworthy to be compared with the glory that was to come in Christ!

GRATITUDE.

Gratitude: the quality of being thankful (New Oxford American Dictionary).

This readiness to show appreciation and return kindness is a quality that you find in those who have had a realization of the great value or worth of some act of kindness or good fortune that has been given to them.

In a Christian, it is derived entirely from the revelation of Christ- knowing the indescribable depths of His mercy and kindness and the glory that we know will be revealed to us at His return!

A BROTHER OF GRATITUDE

A Christian believer once recounted how he had been converted while he was working as a prison guard in a persecuted country: he told how a prisoner endured the terrible and wretched conditions he was in while continuing, day in and day out, to sing praises to God.  The guard was overcome by this gratitude and knew that this joy was an undeniable evidence of the work of Christ.

What was the source of this gratitude?

Was it not the same source that we see in Paul:

ACTS 16:22-34.

“The crowd rose up together against them (Paul and Silas), and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods.  When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into the prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, ad the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so tat the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.  When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.  But Paul cried out with a loud voice saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” and he called for lights and rushed in and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them to, he said, “sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  They said, “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  And they spoke the Word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house.  And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.  And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.”

These two stories are tremendous accounts of faith.

Gratitude is not the goal, nor is it the source: gratitude is the result of the faith they had according to the work of Christ being done in them.  Our thanksgiving is a result of Christ and it is the will of God (1st Thessalonians 5:18).

HEBREWS 13:15

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

Is there any greater way by which the children of God can glorify His name in the face of a wicked world than to declare His praises under the oppression of injustice and trial?

What’s more is that this is not a practice that only veteran Christians can do; Paul was not a 30-year veteran Christian in the story above (certainly less than 10 years).

This is a sacrifice of praise we can all make!  And it is a sacrifice of praise that comes from God!  How blessed are we that the Lord has provided our sacrifice for us!

JAMES 4:6-7

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Submit yourselves, therefore, to God.” 

Both pride and ingratitude deny what the Lord has done for us and cause us to exalt ourselves over the Lord.

Pride is that thing which causes us to take offense when wronged; ingratitude is that feeling you get when you believe that you deserve better than what you’ve received.  And this feeling usually arises when we have forgotten what has already been given to us in Christ and begin to elevate the importance of perishing things in this world that we do not have!

In a very rare exception, I’ve decided to link to a video because it demonstrates in a very clear, funny, and clean way how easily ingratitude festers in us: Monty Python- Four Yorkshiremen

ROMANS 1:21

“21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” 

 

SUMMARY

If we are living in pride and ingratitude, we have not tasted or known the glory of God and our hearts are both foolish and dark.

There is no way to overcome this except through Christ- for He is the summation and the completion of all things for the glory of God’s name.

If you see the signs of ingratitude in your life, seek and ask for the revelation of Christ, by which you will be both renewed and overwhelmed with joy and gratitude!

Set your mind on the things above: things which are good and pure, holy and righteous, noble and pleasing in the sight of God.

 

TAKE IT FURTHER

▪   Romans 3:28 and 5:1

▪   John 17:19

▪   Romans 15:16

▪   1 Corinthians 1:2

▪   Hebrews 9:14

▪   1 Peter 1:2

▪   Galatians 3:20-27

▪   Colossians 3:16

▪   Luke 18:9-14

▪   James 4:10

▪   1 Thess. 5:18

 

The Ways of Life Made Known

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It is almost impossible to describe the immense turmoil the world is going through right now: entire countries are in uproar, revolutions spread, and people are uncertain about the future.  Christians who have been imprisoned for years, continue their plight unheard of by their families, and many around the world live in constant fear of being imprisoned.  Protestors are marching all over the US, and the uncertainty of the coming elections this year has many people around the world on edge.  Dictators have fallen and are being replaced by the next generation of dictators around the world.

The throne of Satan is truly cruel.

Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

The salvation of Christ is as deep as it is wide- its depths stretch as far as the soul and its breadth is as wide as the heart.  Every turmoil has been overcome in Christ Jesus.  The ways of life have been made known.

So extensive is the salvation of Christ that it surpasses the things of this earth and makes them even unworthy to be named among His salvation!  He conquered the plight of sin and death, He removed the yokes around our neck, and He has restored the children of God with a new heart and a new spirit.

When I stop to consider the salvation of Christ I am overwhelmed by the comprehensive work done in Him- indeed, when the scriptures instruct us saying, “set your mind on the things above” or “think on the things of excellence”, they are telling us that the salvation of Christ is so incredible, so powerful, so overwhelming and so complete that it demands and requires our full attention all the time!  It is that big!

This brings me to my first point: 1) the way of life in Christ Jesus has been made known and in Jesus the work is made complete.  So what is missing?

Rom 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The believer is filled with peace and joy in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  They are the fruits of the Spirit.

If I have a tree and call it an apple tree, but it produces figs, do I not have a fig tree instead?

Likewise, if I have a thorn bush, but call it a rose bush, do I not still have a thorn bush?

So it is in the Kingdom of God: if I have the Spirit of God, I shall know its fruits.  And they will be obvious to me, and they will be in me, and I will partake of them.

After hearing the gospel preached by the Spirit, a man once responded saying, ”I see what the Word of God declares and I do not see them in my life.  I think I have been so afraid to admit this all my life that I never addressed the issue.”  Because he admitted what was lacking in his life, he was made ready to begin drawing unto God for restoration and to be made complete.

John 15:10–11 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

For many it is merely a matter of faith: they have not believed, and therefore, followed Christ.  Still more, it is a matter of deception- Satan has introduced a lie and sown thorns and thistles in among the wheat.  Tares have come up with the wheat and chocked the life out of us.

Often times it is a matter of coming to God in prayer and exposing our lives to the Light of the Word of Truth so that He may “prune” the areas of our life that are preventing us from becoming fruitful and bearing fruit in the Kingdom of God (and remember, Peace, Joy, Love, and even Hope are fruits of the Spirit).

1 Cor 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Surely God does not lead us into confusion but into peace.  So as many are in confusion, if they should draw unto Him, forsaking their former lives and coming to Him with humility, love, and sincerity of heart, surely He will write the marks of peace on the hearts and seal them forever in the Holy Spirit- the seal of our covenant with God!

John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Jesus is not weak in His power to deliver according to His promise.  He does not lack what is necessary to create rivers of living water within us.

There is such a immense and wonderful desire in the children of God to find these living waters;  with this wonderful desire in our hearts, let us draw firmly and wholeheartedly, with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength to the God of our salvation who is able to create in us living waters from which abundant peace and joy will flow.

So that in times of trial and turmoil, in times of peace and prosperity, we will have learned the secret of contentment and always dwell in the peace of Christ, which is never to depart from us.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

2nd Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

Christmas Worship

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The first Christmas began with worship as the wise men came to Jesus in a manger and offered Him their most precious gifts.  You can read the accounts of Jesus’ birth in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2.

Just as “Christmas” began with worship, how can we remember the birth of Christ without worship?

Even John the baptist, while in his mothers womb, leapt when Mary came into the room with Jesus still in her womb.

Keep these stories in your mind while we now look at another passage.

LUKE 18:9-27

9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. 16 But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

 18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

 

The first two men came into the temple to pray, one was humble while the other exalted himself.  The second man approached Jesus having kept the law, yet left greatly saddened because his heart was with his wealth.

The Magi came before Jesus offering Him their worship of humility and surrendering unto Him the most precious gifts.

Before just a baby boy they gave such sacrifices.

Our hearts matter to God.

They cannot be either proud or attached to the wealth of this world.  We must leave both of those things behind to follow Jesus.

Let our worship, therefore, this Christmas, be acceptable to God through the sincere humility of our hearts and the offering of all things we have to Him out of love.

John 4:23-24

But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. 

 

We know that we must worship God from the Spirit and in Truth; so let us remove from our hearts, this day, any pretense of pride that exalts itself against God, and let us leave behind any claim the world (which is of its father, the Devil, who is the Father of all lies) that the world has upon our hearts.

All of us should prepare our hearts to worship God.  We should search, indeed, pray and ask God to reveal our hearts to us so that we can humble ourselves and approach Him with love in truth!

Thanksgiving Hope

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The harvest represents not only your labors, but also your hope.  It’s a symbol of the fruit of the Lord’s victory and mercy upon your life.

As Christians, we have great courage and strength because our hope is in the Lord;

Psalm 31:24
 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.

It’s according to this hope that we derive the courage and strength to render thanks and praise to the Lord during all trials!

The apostles, imprisoned and in bondage, offered praise and prayers to the Lord- glorifying Him and taking joy in His mercy because they hoped in His name.  Therefore the Lord proved faithful, as He is always faithful, and has always been since before the foundation of the world.

1st Peter 1:3-5 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserve in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has offered to us a many-sided hope for our thanksgiving; He has demonstrated His great mercy to us in Christ.  He has caused us to be born again, not of the corruptible, but of the incorruptible Spirit of God into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  This is no small hope- a hope of eternal life, of freedom from sin, of power over darkness, a total release which many have denied, but is manifest in all God’s children!  Even our a hope of an inheritance which is also, as we have been made to be, imperishable and undefiled, one that will not fade away, and is reserved for us and protected by the power of God!  And all of this, through faith for a salvation in which all these things will be revealed to us in the last time!

What an amazing and powerful thanksgiving!

Psalm 71:14 “I will hope continually, and will praise you yet more and more”

We can hope continually, in all things, and praise the Lord still more and more!

Romans 15:13
 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Be filled with hope and thanksgiving, my blessed brethren!

His Abode

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“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” John 14:23

 

Speaking to His disciples, Jesus revealed that He would send a Helper, the Spirit of Truth, so that His followers would be empowered by God, but this Helper would be unknown to the world, for the World could not see nor know the Helper.

 

His disciple, Judas Iscariot, asked why He was not going to disclose Himself to the world and Jesus answered by saying what we saw above; anyone that keeps His word is loved by the Father and “we” will make “our” abode in Him.

 

Pointing to Christ, the prophet Ezekiel foretold of this, saying, “27 My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” (Ezekiel 37:27)

 

Jesus became the seal of the prophets: the seal of God’s word when He completed all the things of God’s will.

 

Now, “we are the temple of the living God” (2nd Corinthians 6:16), and “you are a temple of God and… the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1st Corinthians 3:16).

 

Truly the Lord has accomplished all that He foretold from the beginning, for, in Jesus Chris, the temple has been torn down and rebuilt it in 3 days (Matthew 26:61) and now God makes His abode in the children of His Word.

 

Now, faith, hope, and love remain, and the greatest of these is love.  Truly we are born of faith, walk in hope, and are the abode of God’s love!

 

What should we say, then?  Have we become God’s abode either on our own merit, or in the absence of obedience?

 

No.  We know that we have become the abode of God’s love when, according to the faith authored in Christ, we believed and obeyed God, being cleansed by His blood and restored in the Holy Spirit!

 

To this end we must strive, day by day, and refine ourselves in the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, of which we have been made into living temples, if indeed we are obedient to Him as Lord.  For we know that God will not strive with sin, nor make His abode in the disobedient.  Therefore we must listen to the voice of God and submit ourselves in humble obedience to Him, trusting that He will sustain us through to the end.

Bear One Another’s Burdens: Devotional

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“Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6:2

If we want to know, “what is the practice of the Church?” then this is one answer.   At the top of the church’s function is supporting one another- that is, supporting the brethren.  In as much as Christ Himself bears our burdens (see Matthew 11:28), so also do we, the Body of Christ, bear the burdens of each other.

God’s love did not only manifest for us spiritually, but also physically as He sent His Son through life, death, and the resurrection for the atonement of our sins.

Likewise, the Church brings both Spiritual blessings through the knowledge of the Truth of God’s Word and physical blessings as we come alongside and lift up each other.
“Actions speak louder than words.”

This has never been more apparent than through the life of Christ.  When the nails pierced
the hands and feet of Jesus; the love of God took on a different meaning.  The Love that Christians have come to know, if indeed they have come to know the love of God, is active and seeks for good the benefit of others.

This principle of bearing the burdens of one another is quite magnificent: it is simple, and yet it transposes the boundaries and barriers of every race and every nation- there is no nation or race on earth that cannot understand this testimony!

READING: Luke 10:25-37

 

Sin & Lawlessness: Introduction

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opening questions

Can a Christian have a cavalier attitude toward sin and lawlessness?  Does the sacrifice Jesus made prohibit His followers from dwelling in sin?  There are very serious rebukes for the Church that wallows long in sin and tolerates immorality (Revelation 1-3).

Introduction

This study is the beginning point of a series regarding sin and lawlessness.  We should listen to the Word of the Lord concerning sin.

I also want to put to test the validity of what people are teaching about “the tolerant Christ” so often preached today; is this “tolerant Christ” the one that we had preached first to us by the Apostles?

In the modern assembly tolerance has been cultivated towards sin under the mask of “love” and “peace”.  I realize the intent is to reach more lost souls, but we want to consider if tolerating the very thing that Jesus came to free us from truly “saves more lost souls”.   I believe the result of this has been utterly devastating on the Body of Christ in more ways than have been recounted.  I think we’ve lost faith that “sin leads to death”.

Using the passage “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), many have preached that we should, therefore, go on sinning and that God must be very tolerant towards our sin; the attitude present in some teachings of this even make it sound like God doesn’t even care (at all) if we sin anymore.

We’re going to look at what God said towards sin and the power of His gospel that allows us to persevere in overcoming sin.  I encourage you to accept these things from the Lord.

to swim in raging waters?

In order to simplify, let’s ask ourselves this question, “would I try to teach my drowning friend how to swim in the raging waters, or would I toss him a life-line and pull him out of the water to safety?”

According to the gospel in Christ, we have been totally removed from darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of Light (Col 1:13); so why do we hear churches trying to teach people to swim in the vast ocean of sin.

We’re responsible for the souls we teach and lead; so let’s consider this with all seriousness as we realize that mishandling this can mislead souls by teaching them to swim in sin rather than pointing to the life-line that has been thrown to them by Christ.  If they take that life-line, He will pull them out of the raging waters of sin and place them securely into the ark of His covenant.  In these last hours, the Lord is not willing that His Church be condemned, rather, that she cut away those who are disobedient to Him so that they may be made shown as unfaithful.

Luke 13:27

“27 and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’”

In plain terms, those who walked the “wide path” of sin will forever depart from Jesus because they did evil in His sight.

The designs of man are insufficient to lead us to Christ; you can not “design your own path” to righteousness.

Simply stated, your end will be in death unless something miraculous happens.

Gospel Love

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“Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the Good News of God. ‘The time has come,’ He said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News!‘”

Mark 1:14-15

Our good news is the Kingdom of God: the Kingdom invitation is “Repent and believe the good news!”  

In fact, this message of repentance and faith is the foundation of hope for the Church; what I mean by that is that we place all our trust in this message that says if we repent of our sins and turn from them, and believe with all our heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then when he returns we will be saved.

And it has been this way since the beginning.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth“

John 1:1,14

The enemies of God did not expect it; the foes of Truth mocked it; the children of God did not understand it.  Yet God magnified His glory by dwelling Himself in the flesh and suffering among us so that he could remove the veil of flesh that has hindered mankind from knowing Him.

It was through this marvelous act that we have been reconciled to God through Christ as Jesus overcame the enemies that held us in bondage and set us free in the Truth.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one Body; and be thankful!  Let the Word of Christ dwell richly within you…”

Colossians 3:15-16

The good news is that Jesus Christ is our shepherd (John 10:11, 17-18).  Therefore, just as He followed the commands of His Father exactly, so also has He made us His Church and filled us with His Word, the Holy Spirit, and taught us to live as He lived.

THE LIVING BODY OF THE GOSPEL

This is why we are the living embodiment of the Gospel for all mankind.

As living Gospels we testify of deep mysteries and truths that are beyond the grasp of the flesh: “…but the greatest of these is Love” (1 Cor. 13:13).

It was God’s love that Jesus should die on the cross, which neither the enemy (Satan) nor the teachers of the Law (Pharisees and Sadducees) could understand.

But so that the scriptures could be fulfilled,

“The cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God!  For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.’”

1 Corinthians 1:18-19

Therefore, the proceedings of this article will focus on one of the foremost elements of the gospel; love.  It is the thing that confounded and dumfounded the generation that Christ came to, and it is something that still eludes many today, who either reject or distort His great love!

Generous Love

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life“

John 3:16

and

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. So we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and IN TRUTH“

1 John 3:16-18

let us see that,

“Those who had received [Peter’s] words were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.  They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teachings and to fellowship; to the breaking of bread and to Prayer.”

Acts 2:41-42

so

“Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe…. and all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Acts 2:43-47

The gospel declares God-like Love and, indeed, it declares God-love.

The followers of Christ are followers of God-love; therefore, to deny His love is to deny Him.  To change God’s love and mold it after our own ways is to completely reject the Gospel and mold a new Jesus, one that is not the Christ.

This Gospel love fills the followers of Christ to the brim.

If you re-read Acts 2:43-47, look at the various ways that they were filled with love:

  • Their love was full of awe for God.
  • Their love was full of devotion to His teachings.
  • Their love was full of fellowship and the sharing of bread.
  • Their love was full of prayer.
  • Their love was full of community and generosity.
  • Their love was full of gladness and sincerity of heart.
  • Their love was full of praise for God.

God is the source of this love that caused them to be overflowing living gospels.

In them the scripture was true which says, “Love never fails.”

They received a great revelation of the gospel, which gave them insight and understanding into love.  All of these virtues; awe, devotion, generosity, community, sincerity, and praises grew in the fertile soils of faith, hope, and love.

Greater Love

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and IN TRUTH”

1 John 3:18

The love of the living gospel knows no bounds!  It is not confined to words alone, but it abounds in action and flourishes in Truth.

This is why Christians pour out mercy, kindness, charity, and grace upon beggars and sinners, the condemned and the homeless, the weak and the sick, the destitute and the wicked, the liars and the thieves, kings and rulers of all the nations.  All this we do in Truth, never corrupting or distorting the Love of God, never removing the conviction of the Spirit, but always to restore everyone who will accept our love to God.

The whole world see’s our love, if indeed we love.

Therefore, let our love be first of all pure.  Let it be holy and righteous; not distinguishing between the rich and the poor but let it light the path for every sinner to repentance and reconciliation.

This is why it cannot delight in unrighteousness; rather, it delights when the unrighteous are made righteous, just as also our Father does not delight in the destruction of the wicked, but rather desires that they repent and turn from their sin (Ezekiel 33:11).

Love in Action

Love feeds the poor and does not turn them away (Mt 25:36-38; Jn 21:14-19; Rm 12:20).

The world will know the love of Christ if it feels it first.  Love that cannot be physically felt is empty, and the world knows this.

Therefore, let the world feel our love on the first front, that is the physical realm of suffering.  We should be servants of the poor and displaced.  In our love we must be patient, and let our love grow in patience.  Even when patience is lacking, love learns patience.

If our love is jealous, then it is not love.  Instead, our love should be kind and gentle, full of meekness, just as the Word says, “Blessed are the meek”. There is no boasting or arrogance in love, only a humble and joyful submission and pouring out of itself for others.  Love is forgetful, as it does not count wrongs.

Because our love is from Christ, it is of Him.  For this reason love does not rejoice in unrighteousness and deceit.  It takes no pleasure in wickedness or suffering.

So we listen to the Word as the Word instructs us in Love:

“If I… do not have love… I have become nothing…. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor… and do not have love, it profits me nothing. 

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant.  It does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own and it is not provoked, nor does it take into account a wrong suffered. 

It does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the Truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

I hope that we will not dismiss this as an ideal entirely out-of-reach, but rather, understand that we must grow into this love in maturity as we grow into Christ.

The Great Exhortation To Love

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.  Do not be wise in your own estimation. 

Never repay evil for evil to anyone!  Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:10-21

We must learn brotherly love, this gospel love, as if serving the Lord Himself (v10-11).

In embracing the entire Body, that is the Church, we are free to receive from all the Spiritual gifts bestowed upon her.  This leads us in a full knowledge of the hope that we have in Jesus Christ and produces an abundant love that rejoices all the more in Christ!

We should become practitioners of hospitality and allow our blessings, in whatever measure we have them, to flow out in abundance as we master our craft of love (v13).

Let us become blessings and reject cursing and embrace blessing even those who curse us (v14).

Jesus’ love was demonstrated not only in His tender care of the needy, provision for the poor, and miracles for the sick, but also in blessing those who cursed Him and ultimately laying down His life for the enemies who wanted Him dead!

We should join our brothers, whether in rejoicing or weeping, with unity of mind and join even the lowly upon this earth because we know the Love of Christ.

No one who repays evil for evil practices the Love of God.  We’ve been freed from the flesh through which we practice evil, now we live in the Light and must practice righteousness in peace with all men so far as it depends on us.  We do not seek revenge because we fear the wrath of God, which is surely to come upon all the unrighteousness of man.

In all things, we are not overcome by evil but we overcome evil with good.

Summary

“This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.  As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you… Now, little Children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.”

1 John 3:25, 27-28

Now, we who have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, let us embrace this all the more and be in need of instruction from no one as the Holy Spirit Himself teaches us all things!

Abide in Him, walk in the same way that Jesus walked, showing Love to everyone we come across.  In this way we will have confidence and not be afraid when He returns!

Take it further:

  • Isaiah 53:5-6, 10-11
  • Matthew 25:36-38
  • John 21:14-19
  • Acts 2:17-21, 39; 16:31-40
  • Romans 12:6-21
  • 1 Corinthians 9:22-23
  • 2 Corinthians 11:1-3
  • Galatians 1:6-10
  • Colossians 4:5-6;
  • 1 Peter 2:9; 3:15; 4:10-11

The Gospel: Salvation and Hope

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The Gospel Declared

The gospel has been heralded for many ages in God’s Word and it has been the summation of His revealed will since the beginning.  With extreme specificity God declared through His prophet Micah His word saying,

“‘But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah (lower Bethlehem), Too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.’”

Micah 5:2

A prophecy that came 500 years before Christ was born declared to us exactly what would happen, just as it did.

God cast the first shadow of prophecy at the fall of man when he said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between her seed and your seed; He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” (Genesis 3:15).

Even more specific is the shadow of prophecy given when God declared through Isaiah, “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him and by His scourges we are healed.  All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused our iniquity to fall upon Him!” and “By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities”

Isaiah 53:4-6 and 11

Making Known the Way of Repentance, Faith, & Reconciliation

At the summation of the age, Jesus brought one central message to the people:

“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”

Mark 1:14-15

This message of repentance had been proclaimed by the prophets of old since early times and rejected by most, much to the demise of the men of old, because “their hearts were always far from God” (Isaiah 29:3), but the people failed to receive reconciliation because of their cold hearts.

But God declared through His prophet Jeremiah that, “‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’” (Jeremiah 31:33).

Therefore, Christ came to make every provision to man so that reconciliation could be made (through Him) in the hearts of God’s people.  By His provision Paul declared “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16).

Knowing the victory at hand and the judgment to come, Christ declared “repent and believe, for the Kingdom of God is at hand” so that reconciliation might be had.

The Light of our Reconciliation

“Although He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

For this reason, also, God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:5-11


At the great cost of emptying Himself of all majesty and humbling Himself, Jesus forged and authored the path into the Kingdom for us; now He has been exalted and is the victorious King.  Before Him every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.  This is inextricably intertwined within the gospel; the gospel cannot be separated from this message.  And this is a good thing, for our King is the victor!

So we, as His followers, servants, and brothers, should also have this attitude in ourselves that we would humble ourselves to the point of death in anticipation that we will be seated in the Heavenly places with Christ Jesus the Lord.

In this way God has broken the barrier that separated man from Him.  God has endured humility, emptiness, agony, and death itself for a short time so that He could descend to man because man could not ascend to Him.

The Great Love of God

We should see clearly so that no one being surrounded by darkness, trial, and despair would despair to the point of losing hope and therefore doubt the love of God!

What man is innocent of insulting and scorning God?  Who has not spat in His face?

Have you ever tried to exploit the grace of God, gloried in the glory of God for yourself, or boasted in the flesh that is not yours to boast in?

But all of this is for the glory of God so that His love might be known to abound all the more!  Even as we were cruel and spat upon His gift (that gift is a perfect and innocent Son who endured ridicule and death for our sake), He Himself would be shown to be just and merciful when He forgives us our debts and reconciled us into His presence!

Like a parent that feels the scorn of a child that turns away to follow after a life that is dishonorable and disgraceful to the parent, so we have insulted God.  Like children that declare “you are not my father. Rather, your enemy is my father”, so all the world has done when we turn away from God to follow after Satan.

Like a parent that feels the deep pain of seeing his children fight and destroy one another, being consumed by greed and bitterness, so God has endured these things as a patient Father to restore His children in proper love.

“There is no one that is righteous; not even one.  No one understands God or seeks Him. They have all turned aside and become dead” (Issaih 55:8-9; Romans 3:10ff).

Perfect love God has demonstrated to us with patience as He has worked to bring restoration, reconciliation, salvation, and hope to His children.

Therefore, “consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3).

God’s act of love endured such great darkness, trial, and hostility so that we would not grow weary and lose heart!  He perfected our faith so that we would not lose faith.  To God be praise and glory forever and ever, AMEN!

A Gospel of Salvation and Hope

Reconciliation in Christ goes beyond “touch not, taste not, and handle not”.  It becomes a real, firm, and powerful liberation that reconciles the hearts of God’s people to Him and changes them inside out.

God said that he would place reverence in our hearts (Jeremiah 32:40) and seal us with the Spirit as the sign of His covenant (2 Corinthians 1:22) so that we would become living testimonies for Him (2 Corinthians 3:3).  When we see the witness of the scriptures declaring the out-pouring of the gospel and do not see this growth in our own life we should pay attention to this warning sign so that we can repent before the Day of Judgment comes.

So what is the way to this reconciliation?  This grand message of reconciliation and redemption is the gospel of salvation and hope.

What is our salvation?

In short, Jesus Christ lifted the veil of human flesh and saved us from three dooms: sin (Romans 3:23), death (Gen 2:17), and the eternal punishment of hell (Luke 16).

No matter who you are, living in a sinful world is not pleasant.  We have been conditioned to deal with sin, in fact, to even expect and anticipate it.  However, the doom of sin becomes apparent to every person that has been betrayed by a spouse, cheated and ruined by greed and envy, been caught in a perilous cycle of addiction and pain that has ravaged their life and relationships and left them utterly empty and void.

The doom of death is terrifying to anyone that has been faced with it, whether or not you have lost loved ones and been totally and utterly shaken, or you are approaching this fate yourself and must come to grips with the limitless uncertainty that is facing you.  The sting of death was sin (1 Cor. 15:56), and ever since that first sting, death was laying hold of all mortal flesh without mercy or exception until Jesus Christ.  Those who have been sealed in Christ are patiently waiting as death is the last enemy to be overcome (1 Cor. 15:26).

Hell and its doom, whether or not you believe in it, exist as the ultimate destiny of doom.  Reserved for the punishment of sin and the continuation of death (which represents the absence of life), this destruction is, perhaps, the most bitter of them all to man.

The efforts of Satan have tried to do away with sin and hell.  Through various methods, we have many people who count sin as a finished element that is no longer imputed (on anyone) and they teach that Hell either does not exist or is not an eternal location for human beings.

I defer to Jesus in Matthew 24:50 and Luke 16, and to Paul in Romans 6, Galatians 5 regarding these issues.

For the sake of brevity in this post, I will simply say that removing these elements from the gospel is a shameful and wicked practice that is done to falsely weaken the gospel in an attempt to render it irrelevant to the modern age.

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith’”

Romans 1:16-17

The power of the gospel is the power of Christ to “rescue us from the domain of darkness and transfer us into the Kingdom of Christ” (Col 1:13) and to effect salvation from sin, death, and hell.

And what is our hope?

The hope in Christ that sustains us is in His complete victory and return. Without His victory, we are doomed and our salvation is null and void.  Without His return, we are stuck in limbo waiting for a salvation that will never come.

Jesus destroyed the works of Satan and took back the keys of death and hades (Revelations 1:17-18, 1 John 3:8).  He cast the enemy down from Heaven and claimed all authority (Revelation 12:12). Although Satan is real and works with fury and wrath in these final hours to consume anyone that lets his or her guard down (1 Peter 5:8), our hope is in Christ to sustain us so that we will not despair to the point of hopelessness.

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment”

Hebrews 9:27

“‘And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 24:30 & 50b

Summary

Jesus Christ came and sent out His disciples to offer repentance and forgiveness of sins to all people (Mark 1:14-15, 1 John 1:5-9).  He suffered death and rose again conquering sin and death and taking the keys of hades (Revelation 1:17-18).  He destroyed the works of Satan (1 John 3:8) by bringing redemption to His people and “transferring us into the Kingdom of light” (Ephesians 1:7 & Colossians 1:13).  By His death and resurrection we have become new creations, born again by the water and the spirit and set free from the bondage of sin (John 3:3-5; Romans 6:8-11; Galatians 3 & 5).

Because of Christ it is said, “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

Knowing that, “after death comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin for those who eagerly await Him”

Hebrews 9:27-28


It is our hope that Christ will return and uphold His salvation in us!  That when that fearful and awful day comes, when all the world will be judged, our judgment will be made without reference to our sin because of the total sacrifice offered by Christ on our behalf!

Take it Further

  • 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 14-17, 20-29, & 42-49
  • Jeremiah 6:16
  • Revelation 12:12