Love Fulfilled Ministry

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever . 1 This salvation, this born again miracle of God, is produced by the word of God. This purification of the soul, this sanctification, comes through the word. This obedience to the truth comes through purification of the soul through the word of God. This Word purifies as it is living (alive), it is active (energized, at work), a double edged sword of spirit and truth, it penetrates (pierces) the division (separation) of soul (individual personality) and spirit. 2  Jesus is this truth, this word, incorruptible seed. which lives and is abiding forever. This purification of soul purifies the heart, its work is known by our love of one another. A pure heart loves, such love would lay down its li...

Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples. 1 Peter begins this writing as saying he is a fellow elder, he is identifying himself in maturity with other elders, having experienced the sufferings of Christ, and is pleading with them that they shepherd the flock wisely. To shepherd the flock is to be a wise overseer, to exercise oversight wisely. This word for overseer is episkopéō (from epí , "on, fitting," intensifying skopéō , "look intently") – properly, focus on, look at with real (caring) interest . It is being diligent at caring for the people, it is not compulsive, self seeking, nor is it lording over the people, it is being submissive to one another through humility, it is leading by example. 2 A great leader is diligently caring for his people. This is of the greatest commandment of God, to l...

Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved. For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth. And as Isaiah said before, unless the Lord of Sabbath had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah . 1 In the Bible a remnant is a small remaining quantity of people God has set aside for a purpose. These were chosen by God, usually seen as the least of these among us, but many times God assigns high value to these people. God can not work with pride, he hates pride. 3 So he uses the weak things of the world, the base things of the world and the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.  God has people set aside for holy purposes, these He labels as remnants. Pride goes...

In My Father’s house are many mansions if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 1 Jesus is telling his disciples he is going away, and to not be troubled because if they believed in God, the Father, God of Abraham, then also believe in him. He was going to the Father who has many mansions. This word for mansion is monḗ meaning lodging, dwelling-place, room, abode, mansion (from ménō, "to remain, abide") – an abiding dwelling-place . He is going to prepare a place, to make ready, because the necessary preparations are done. Our human minds would most likely think of this as if to prepare a room for a guest. But we are not guests and these rooms are already in the Father's house. Jesus goes to prepare a way to the Father's house, this way is through him. John the Baptist had an important message from God,  As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you,  he c...

But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way . 1 Paul is writing we are to earnestly desire the best spiritual gifts. This word desire  means figuratively to burn with zeal. 2 To be deeply committed to something, with the implication of accompanying desire, this is how we should be concerning spiritual gifts. But there is a way that is surpassing excellence  it is a way  that we should be desiring with earnest. This most excellent way is love. Paul lists gifts in order of importance; apostles, prophets, pastors and teachers, gift of miracles, gifts of healing, helps, administrations, and tongues. But he writes that if we do not love we do nothing of importance, even if we were to give all we have to the poor and our body to be burned it is no good, if we do not love. The importance of love as a Christian out weighs all gifts, love is to burn with zeal in us. Are we to burn with zeal for tongues of angels?  for unders...

For certain men have come in stealthily, those who long ago were designated unto this judgement, ungodly ones, who pervert the Grace, of the God of us, into sensuality and the only Master and Lord of us Jesus Christ they deny . 1 These sneaky people pervert the Grace of God into sensuality. Now what does that mean? Sensuality is the condition of being pleasing or fulfilling to the senses. We usually hear and think of fulfilling our senses as in sexual sensuality, but if we look closer at this word we see it applies elsewhere. This word used for sensuality is asélgeia which means wantonness, lewdness (from aselgēs/"brutal") – properly, violent spite which rejects restraint and indulges in rude and disrespectful behavior . Wantonness means showing no thought or care for the rights, feelings, or safety of others and lewdness is to be obscene and vulgar . 3  T o please their senses, they will speak disrespectful, they have no thought or care for the rights, feelings, or sa...

A father of the fatherless, a defender of the widows is God in his Holy Place . 1 Jesus left his holy place, he who was in the beginning with God, who was God, who created all things. He humbled himself and became a servant. He had no form that was noticeable or attractive, no external appearance that was of nobility or of kingship.  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him.  He was oppressed, and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet he said nothing. He was taken from prison and from judgment. Cut off out of the land of the living. 2 I adopted a kitten from a local shelter. I'm a guy right I am not suppose to like cats, she was really a gift for someone else, but I became attached to her. I kept the name she had been given, which was Vera. I found out later in Russian it means faith. Her life is much better than the life that awaited her without adop...