Love

More Tolerable…

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And He said unto them,
“In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”
Mark 6:10-11

Just before sending out His followers to preach the gospel of the kingdom, and heal sicknesses, cause the crippled one to walk, heal lepers He gives them these final words.

In those days if you stayed as a guest the host would wash your feet if you were welcomed in.  If they did not wash your feet that meant you were not welcome there.

So when one of His disciples came to such a home, or city, and their feet were not washed, they were to shake the dust off their feet as they were leaving that city.  That means if they gave no respect to disciples whom the Messiah had sent out, they had no respect or reverence for Him.

Jesus says that it will be more tolerable for Sodom and  Gomorrha than for that city which had rejected them.  Because such a city that refused to hear, refused hospitality to His own, rejects Him.  Sodom and Gomorrha had no witness of God’s love, grace, and mercy.  Judgment awaits any nation, province, island, and/or any government that refuses to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

If the people of the United States of America do not turn from their sins  to Jesus Christ our nation is headed for judgment, even more than we are seeing now.

The word we need to heed is, REPENT.  Turn from your sin to Jesus, the One who gave His life to pay our sin debt by dying on the cross, and was buried, and three days later He rose again, and He lives forever more.

Why There Is So Much Hatred In This World Today

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“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake.  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matthew 24:9-12

Many choose to follow their own path, do their own thing, believe in their own god, and think everybody else ought to do the same thing.  Be tolerant to my own faith, and if you believe different, then we will get along fine; as long as you don’t  mention that there is only one God.

When someone comes along and is bold enough, courageous enough, full of the Spirit of the one true God, and with the love of God in their heart, confronts such a society, and due to lack of true toleration, are filled with hatred for the individual who has been so strong in faith.

Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold.  It is due to the growing of sin, the iniquity of unbelieving, rebellious hearts.

Do not let your heart grow cold in unbelief.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Call on His name today.

How To Behave With Your Enemies; This is for Christians Only

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Jesus tells up how to be a Christian, and He tells us how to treat those who may not like us and mistreat us:::

“And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even the same.  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”
“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
Luke 6:33-36

Warn the Wicked and the Righteous

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And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me.  When I say unto the wicked, ‘Thou shalt surely die;’ and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.  Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.  Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.  Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
Ezekiel 3:16-21

Who are the “Wicked”?  The wicked are those people who have rejected God’s love, mercy, and grace and have chosen to go their own way snubbing their nose at God.

Who are the “Righteous”?  The righteous are those who believe in God, believe His word.  In their daily lives they endeavor to do what is right, and to shun what is wrong. The righteous can be those who they have done no wrong, yet they claim something that can come only from God’s grace

The child of God who has been clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ; we have no righteousness of our own.

Ezekiel is told by GOD that he is a Watchman for the wicked, and the righteous.  The watchman is to sound the alarm of an approaching enemy.  When the watchman is on duty he is responsible for every individual for that city, home, or nation.

As the pastor of a small country church I have a responsibility of warning the man or woman who has turned their backs on God, gone their own way, and ignoring the One who loves them, and snubbing the LORD God.

As a pastor to the congregation I also have the responsibility of warning those in the church of their sins, and the consequences of their transgressions.

Remember that Jesus became sin for us,  He was put to death on the cross taking the full fury of God’s wrath in our behalf.  The great thing about His death, is that He was buried taking our sins away, and was victorious in His atonement for us, because in His resurrection He proved every word He speaks in His word is  true.  In His death He gave us (those who called on His name) His Righteousness.  We are not  perfect or without sin, but we have been forgiven all our sins – past, present, and future sins are forgiven.

Every Christian, any follower of Jesus Christ, has a responsibility to warn the wicked, and the righteous.  It must be done in love, mercy, and grace and not condemnation.  Should we fail to warn the wicked and/or the righteous, and they do not turn from their sin to God; then we will be guilty of their blood.

Defense

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If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him: neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul. If the men of my tabernacle said not, “Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.” The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.  If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:  did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?
Job 31:29-34

Job is reminding God of his life, and how he has helped people, and that he has not ever wished evil  or curse on  an enemy.  Neither should the one’s who are in Christ Jesus.

The Flight of Jonah

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There seems to be a few people, maybe many more than a few who do not believe the account of the book of Jonah. They say no one could be swallowed by a great fish and survive. I say since God can do whatever He desires, and if it says that God prepared  great fish to swallow Jonah, then that was a special fish made for Jonah.

Jesus said that Jonah was swallowed by  a great fish, “But He answered and said unto them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Matthew 12:39-41

Jonah is mentioned as a prophet in Second Kings 14:25. If you cannot believe the simplest account of Scripture then, you are going to have a problem accepting any of Scriptures.

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,  “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”  But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
Jonah 1:1-3

Now about “The Flight of Jonah” it crashed 🙂 . God called the prophet to go to a distant city, a Gentile city, because of the evil within that place. When Jonah heard the word of the LORD, he apparently says nothing, just packs a travel bag and goes out from the presence of the LORD. Every step he took was downward from that time until he prayed for deliverance.

He went down to Joppa. He went down into the ship going to Tarshish. When the LORD loved that generation of Gentiles in Nineveh so much that He was not finished with Jonah He sent a storm. Where was Jonah? Down in the lowest part of the ship. He was eventually thrown overboard, and went down into the belly of the fish.

Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of that prepared by God fish, which seems to have been specially prepared for Jonah.

God loves Jonah. He prays from the belly of the fish and despite his rebellion, and his hatred for these Gentiles whom God loves, God  delivers Jonah, by having the great fish vomit him out on the shore (2:10). Then the LORD calls Jonah again (3:1), and evidently with much angst he obeys the LORD reluctantly. When he arrives in Nineveh he warns them of approaching judgment from God, and the whole city repents, and the city is delivered for a few more years. About one generation was delivered from the judgment of the LORD, by His mercy and grace.

The flight of Jonah may have been his national hatred for the enemy nation. Jonah needed to learn love and compassion for others. I pray that he did, and that I do as well.

The love, mercy, and grace of God is clearly seen through the cross of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son. There He took, willingly, our sins upon Himself to die for our sins; He was buried and He rose from the grave. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so was the Son of Man three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Do not take flight away from God, but flee from sin, to Jesus Christ, and live.

The LORD God’s Judgment Has Purpose

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For thus saith the Lord GOD; “How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.  And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it,” saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 14:21-23

How can I say that? That is basically what the word of God says above. He does withhold judgment from His people. In Hebrews 12:8 it is written, “But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakes, then you are illegitimate and not sons.”

The LORD always has a purpose for all that He does, and all that He allows. It is only because of His love and grace that the human race; Adam’s race has not been destroyed. It is also by His mercy and grace that evil has been kept somewhat at a level of sanity for most of us.

What was God’s purpose for judging Israel and Judah, sending them back into captivity? Are you ready for the answer? It does not take too many words to say it. For a multitude of years God continued to love them, protect, enrich them; and they reached a level of self awareness, desiring to be god themselves, making their own way, doing their own thing. God sent prophets morning and evening to the spiritual leaders warning them to turn back to God, and they would not obey. Therefore they were destroyed by sword, famine, noisome beasts, and pestilence. He delivered those who obeyed. God saved their lives.

The greatest love, mercy, and grace God has shown to all of us is when He sent His Son to die in our place. You see, none of us can obey Gods commandments without help. We all want to go our own way, but that leads to death. God provided the way through the propitiation of Jesus Christ His only begotten Son. If Jesus Christ had not taken my place and your place on the cross we would have died and burned in Hell. Christ becoming sin for us bore all the wrath of God for all our sin, died, was buried carrying our sins away, the then He rose again. Now when we come to God through Christ Jesus we have eternal life now. Call on the name of Jesus and be saved to eternal life.

To Reason With GOD

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Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Isaiah 1:18-20

God loves His people and is willing, and able to listen to us, to hear us, and we come to terms with Him when we see His holiness, righteousness, and justice; as well as His love, mercy, and grace.

It goes well with God’s people when we submit to His will and purposes for our lives. Today, it begins by submitting to what He say about His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, is submitted to the Father, and showed that He was by going to the cross, and laying His own life down for all who will come to Him.

That was what Jesus did for you and me. I have trusted Him with every area of my life. He has protected me, blessed me in so many ways. He will do the same for you when you give your life to Him.

Need For Repentance

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But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
Obadiah 1:17

For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,
“Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?”
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not.
Jonah 3:6-10

His Banner Over Me Is Love

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As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.  Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.  His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake love, till he please.

Song of Solomon 2:3-7

Full Joy – Greater Love

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“These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
This is My commandment, ‘That ye love one another, as I have loved you.’ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.  John 15:11-17

Loved before the foundation of the world

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“Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world.”   John 17:24

The Truth, His Commandments and Love

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“I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment. That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”  2 John 1:4-11  (KJB)

The Best Gifts

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But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 1Corinthians 12:31
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (KJB)

The Corinthian Church was laden with Christians who were competing for who they considered the best preacher, teacher, and the best spiritual gifts.  One gift in particular was one that was causing the greatest stir.

Corinth was a troubled Church.  The apostle Paul sent this letter, because he was not able to come and see them.  The purpose of the letter is to address and endeavor to correct the problems of jealousy, envy, immoral conduct, and selfishness.

The apostle had dealt with the issue of tongues.  It was a sign gift, probably for the unbelieving Jews to see the Old Testament fulfillment, but they would not understand (Isaiah 28:11; 1 Corinthians 14:22).  Now that I have dealt with that let us consider the best gifts.

The best gifts are those that edifies the Church.  They build up, they encourage, they motivate the Church; and lead the Church in building up the name of Jesus Christ.

The greatest thing to have is love; it is the “more excellent way” as Paul describes godly love in chapter 13.  Many people, Christian and non-christian knows of 1 Corinthians 13, but know little or nothing of the chapters preceding it, or the three chapters following.

Spiritual gifts are good, even great; but if you do not have love you are empty.  The love spoken of by the apostle is not the feel  good love many think of.  It is love that acts when a wrong is witnessed, or a need is seen as one drives by a neighbor’s home, and you stop to help.  It is the love that acts without thought of recovering the cost of the effort.

There is also faith and hope and love, Paul says, “but the greatest of these is love”.

Father in Heaven fill me with Your Spirit so that I might love like You do.  That I might love my neighbor as I love myself.

Professors of Wisdom

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Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. Romans 1:22-23  (KJB)

Who are these Professors of Wisdom?  They are the one’s who had the knowledge of God; that He is the Creator of all things, the seen and the unseen, the man and the woman; yet have chosen to reject Him (v. 21).

Who are these Professors of Wisdom?  They are numerous in today’s world.  they are the one’s who say that their form of “Science” is the truth, when science only means “to know”.  We can only know from the evidence before us; that which God has given us.

Who are these Professors of Wisdom?  It is those who choose to make God in their own image, and deny what the Scripture says of Him.  When we deny the holiness, righteousness, and wrath of God and only see Him as a God of love, mercy, and grace we make Him into the God we want Him to be.  This is not according to Scripture.

We take God in the entirety of what Scripture says of His character.  We see God as holy, righteous, just, and judging sin; He is loving, merciful, and full of grace.  By the way, I have not exhausted the words for His character.  Search the Scriptures and you will see them.

God in His great mercy, love, and grace gave us the gift of His Son Jesus.  Why?  Because we were ones in that state of heart and mind.  Jesus Christ took upon Himself all the sins of the world, and died a cruel, tortured death; He was buried, and He rose again.  He is our only hope.

Believe Him.

Two Went to Pray

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“And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’”  Luke 18:9-14  (KJB)

Two men are mentioned who went to pray.  That is not to say that it could be members of the feminine sex as well, because there are those two kinds of women as well.

One full of themselves; and the other repentant and humble, realizing they are in need of God’s bountiful grace and mercy.

The Pharisee knew the law, and exalted himself in his own purity, and talk about judging others unjustly; this Pharisee certainly did.  He saw himself as better than the publican.  The Pharisee being a “great” religious leader.

The publican (not Republican), was a despised, and hated tax collector.  He gathered taxes from his own people (the Hebrews), and many counted them as traitors to Israel.  Matthew was a tax collector when Jesus called him to follow, and he left his table and followed Jesus (Matthew 9:9; 10:3).

It is the heart that our Lord sees. Repentance, humility, before the throne of God is what He desires.

God does not hear neither grant request from an arrogant and prideful heart.  It was the hated, despised tax collector who went home justified by God.

The apostle Paul writing on the matter of Justification said,,,

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2

It is by God’s own declaration of justification that we are made just; not our own.  Who then are made just?  Those who come before the cross of Jesus Christ, lost, lonely, sinful, broken, and ashamed, and plead for His mercy, love, and grace.

Why I wrote “The Auschwitz Escape.” As anti-Semitism spikes, we must teach our children the lessons of the Holocaust.

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My wife and I have both read The Auschwitz Escape and found it thrilling, informational, and fearsome in a good way.

joelcrosenberg's avatarJoel C. Rosenberg's Blog

auschwitz-joelontracks(Jerusalem, Israel) — Yesterday, Israelis solemnly marked “Yom HaShoah,” the annual day in which we pause to remember the six million Jews exterminated during the Holocaust. At 10am, all over the country, air raid sirens wail for two straight minutes. All traffic stops. All commerce halts. Everyone stands at attention and remembers what was, and what could be again one day if we do not remain vigilant against the forces of evil.

This morning, I’ve decided to re-post a column I wrote several years ago, explaining how I came to write my only work of historical fiction as my way of helping inspire more people to learn about the Holocaust. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read the column, and share it with your children, and with other family and friends.

With hatred of Jewish people once again spiking around the world — a new report released this…

View original post 2,505 more words

For Christ’s Sake, Do Your Brother Well

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“Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer, and to beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith, which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; that the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by you, brother.
Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin you that which is convenient, yet for love’s sake I rather beseech, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.  I beseech you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: which in time past was to you unprofitable, but now profitable to you and to me: whom I have sent again: you therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: whom I would have retained with me, that in your stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: but without your mind would I do nothing; that your benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.  For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that you should receive him for ever; not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto you, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
If you count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.  If he has wronged you, or owes anything, put that on my account; I Paul have written with mine own hand, I will repay, because I do not say to you, how you owe unto me even your own self besides.  Yea, brother, let me have joy of you in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.  Having confidence in your obedience I wrote unto you, knowing that you will also do more than I say. But immediately prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
There, you salute Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus; Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.” Philemon 1:1-25

REFERENCES: Ephesians 1:2; 3:1; 2 Corinthians 7:13; 9:7; 1 Corinthians 4:15; 16:17; Colossians 4:9; Genesis 45:5

Power, Love, and a Sound Mind

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“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of you in my prayers night and day; greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy; when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in you also.
Wherefore I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands.  For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
You, be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but you be partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,  but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.  Hold fast the form of sound words, which you have heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
That good thing which was committed unto you keep by the Holy Ghost which dwells in us.  This you know, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: but, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.  The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, you know very well.”  2 Timothy 1:1-18

REFERENCES: 2 Corinthians 1:1; Titus 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2, 10; Acts 9:15; 16:1; 19:10; 22:3; Galatians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 4:7; 5:19; Romans 1:16; 2:20; 3:20; 16:26; 1 Peter 1:20; Matthew 5:7; 25:34; Ephesians 6:20

Love Does No Wrong to One’s Neighbor

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“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet;’ and if any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.”  Romans 13:8-14  (KJB)

References: Galations 3:27, 5:14; Exodus 20:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:34; Ephesians 5:14

He Preached With Authority

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“And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. And they were astonished at His doctrine: for His word was with power.” Luke 4:31-32 (KJB)

Speaking of Jesus of course; He spoke amazing things.  His doctrine [teaching] was with power and authority which is probably a redundancy, but for strength and clarity it is repeated.

I pray that I will grow so in love with the Lord Jesus and His word and walk [live] in the fullness of His Spirit [the Holy Spirit] that I too will have that authority.  I do not desire it for myself, but for His name’s sake; and that others might come to know Him as their own personal Lord and Savior.  I pray this for every pastor, every man and woman of God, and every youth who has given their lives to Him.

Let us grow in the Spirit and power of Christ our Savior and Lord.  Amen.

The Grace of God

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For the child of God, the grace of God is the Son of God.  God gave us, and shows us His grace through His Son Jesus Christ.

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” Titus 2:11-15 (KJV)

The “grace of God” which has “appeared to all men” can be no other than the Lord Jesus.  That appearance took place on Calvary where the best and holiest God had to give gave His life as our very sufficient sacrifice for our sin.  Today I want us to hear what the Believer’s Bible Commentary says about these verses.

Titus 2:11  For the grace of God … has appeared. Here the grace of God is virtually synonymous with the Son of God. God’s grace appeared when the Lord Jesus visited our planet and especially when He gave Himself for our sins. He appeared for the salvation of all men. His substitutionary work is sufficient for the redemption of all. A bona fide offer of pardon and forgiveness is made to all. But only those who truly receive Him as Lord and Savior are saved. There is no suggestion here or elsewhere in the Bible that everyone will be saved at last. Universal salvation is a lie of the devil.
2:12 The same grace that saves us also trains us in the school of holiness. There are “No-No’s” in that school which we must learn to renounce. The first is ungodliness, which means irreligion. The second is worldly lusts—not just sexual sins, but also the lust for wealth, power, pleasure, fame, or anything else that is essentially worldly.
On the positive side, grace teaches us to live soberly, righteously toward others, and godly in the pure light of His presence. These are the virtues that should characterize us in this world, where everything about us is going to be dissolved. It is the place of our pilgrimage and not our final home.
2:13 While living as aliens in the world, we are inspired by a magnificent hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. By this are we to understand the Rapture, when Christ appears in glory to the church and conveys it to heaven (1 Thess. 4:13–18)? Or does it refer to Christ’s coming to reign, when He appears in glory to the world, puts down His foes, and sets up His kingdom (Rev. 19:11–16)? Basically we believe Paul is speaking of the first—Christ’s coming for His bride, the church. But whether it is His coming as Bridegroom or as King, the believer should be prepared and looking for His glorious arrival.
2:14 As we await His Return we never forget the purpose of His First Coming and of His self-sacrifice. He gave Himself not only to save us from the guilt and penalty of sin but to redeem us from every lawless deed. It would have been a half-way salvation if the penalty of sin had been canceled but its dominion in our lives was left unconquered.
He also gave Himself to purify for Himself His own special people.
2:15 These are things that Titus was commissioned to teach—every thing discussed in the foregoing verses, and particularly the purposes of the Savior’s passion. He was to exhort or encourage the saints to lives of practical godliness and to rebuke any who contradicted the apostolic teachings either by word or by life. And he didn’t have to be apologetic in carrying on a forceful ministry; let him do it with all authority and boldness of the Holy Spirit. Let no one despise you. Titus need have no qualms about his youth, his Gentile background, or any natural disability. He was speaking the word of God, and this made all the difference. BELIEVER’S BIBLE COMMENTARY

Let us in the grace of God love the Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts, all of our souls, all of our minds, and all of our strength.  He loved you and me enough to die on the cross.

 

Christmas Day 30

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What do I want for Christmas today?

I want to be (today and everyday) a Christian in the words that I speak, the life that I live, and to be one who shares the love of God in Christ Jesus wherever I may be; to whom ever I am with, and no matter their economic, religious, political, moral, or ethnic place in this world; to share the word of God, and the love of God shown on Calvary’s cross.

“He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; when he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.” Proverbs 26:24-26 (KJV)

For the Seven Abominations see Proverbs 6:16-19.

Thank You – Christmas Day One Hundred Twenty and Six

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What do I want for Christmas today?

I want to thank my Lord and God first of all for His love, mercy and grace; and His many, many blessings; and I want to thank him for you the ones who come to this site and take the time to read these posts on Christmas Day.

There are many of you who come here day after day, and some ever since day one (December 26, 2015) for these Christmas daily wants.

We are well over halfway through the task, and it has been a blessing to me; but I do need to say I will be glad when Christmas Day actually arrives.  I do not know that I would do it again.  It has been a time of great thought, and provocation for me.

Again, to all of you THANK YOU.