Love Fulfilled Ministry

“My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the fo...

" I say to you there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner repenting. " 2 This word for repent is metanoéō (from metá, "changed after being with" and noiéō, "think.") Oh many have misused this word. We are changed after being with Jesus. The woman at the well was changed after being with Jesus. The Bible says repentance is of the will of God, without regret. This word for " without regret " means not to be repented of, about which no change of mind can take place. Repentance like faith, a Divine Persuasion. Repentance is a change of mind that we do not change our minds about, or repent of. We know that the mind regulates the heart and the word of God discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart thus it is through the mind the power of God is manifested in our hearts. Through the mind we are divinely persuaded or convinced of God. " Indeed, according to God the heart-sorrow repentance  without regret produces  salvation,...

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives . 1 Jesus ascended on high and took captive captivity, He gave gifts to men. " Moreover, One, to each of us has been given, Grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ ." 2  Unlike society today which misuses the word Free, i.e. it is free but only for 30 days, your Grace period ended twelve days ago, its free but there is a 9.99 shipping and handling fee.... Grace is a free gift, God's favor that is undeserved, not merited, not worked for, it is a free gift. The shipping and handling fee was paid in blood. Now, some would say you are saved but it is not really free... In Christ we are released from the law, and the dominion of sin, Grace replaces fear, we are no longer slave...

" Moreover, to another working of miracles, moreover,  to another discerning of spirits, and to a different one various kind of tongues, to another interpretation of tongues ." 1 Notice the structure, to another. to a different one, it is being clear as to distribution of these gifts. As Paul writes these gifts work to the edification of the body, for the purpose of ministry. Some times we put so much authority in a few, ones with specific gifts, but lets look at the gifts of apostles and specifically at the gift of discerning spirits. The disciples were arguing on several occasions as to who would be greatest in the kingdom of God. Maybe they sensed what was coming, the kingdom of God on earth as in heaven, or maybe they were still focused on the earthly kingdom as man sees it. Jesus did not sit down and say explicitly you are the leader... even the appointment of deacons and such was after Jesus. Though he did implicitly, not according to favoritism, but according to g...

" So also you, consider yourselves to be indeed dead to sin, moreover living to God in Jesus Christ ." 1 Consider or reckon yourself dead to sin. This word for reckon is logízomai (from logos, "speaking to a conclusion" and omai "I") from which we get our English terms "logic, logical" – properly, compute, "take into account"; reckon (come to a "bottom-line"), i.e. reason to a logical conclusion (decision). It means a word, being the expression of a thought; a saying. Logo or word expresses the thoughts of God through the Spirit. Logos is important in knowing, a faith kind of knowing, as faith is divine persuasion. How can one be persuaded without the logical reasoning of the mind? This is why we have free will, without such we are just robots, blindly obedient to a master, who programs or tells it to do something. Now God requires obedience but such comes through relationship and trust, not the demanding of allegiance....

" Indeed, the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit, life and peace ." 1 This word for mind is phronéma , it means thought, purpose, aspirations (from phrḗn, "the midriff or diaphragm; the parts around the heart,") it connects how the individual processes opinion-making to how they act; properly, regulate from within, as inner-perspective (insight) which shows itself in corresponding, outward behavior . The mind like a spigot it "regulates" or masters the heart. If the mind is on the Spirit what flows is life and peace, God's righteousness requirements are met, but the mind on the carnal, is the flow of sin, fleshly desires. Schizophrenia is defined as the breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior,(from schizo "split" and phrene "mind")  There is a battle in the mind of a new Christian, a struggle between the two minds,  the mind of the flesh  and the mind of the Spirit.  Paul writes the...

" She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus , for He will save His people from their sins ." 1 The name Jesus is contracted from "Joshua" which means "Yahweh saves" (or "Yahweh is salvation"). The Hebrew name Joshua was also given to Moses' successor, a high priest, a governor... The prophets of old prophesied Jesus was to be the name above all names, in title, the name of salvation. He is the author of salvation, "He became to those obeying Him author of eternal salvation." 2 Lifted up, as a sign, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, God lifted Him up for salvation. 3 " There shall in that day, a root of Jesse, that shall stand for a sign of the people unto it shall the Gentiles seek. " 4  Jesus was lifted, a sign, a banner, and " everyone who  calls  upon the name of Jesus will be saved ." 5 " For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upo...

"... through the gospel of which I became administrator according to the gift of God’s grace , having been given me according to working of his power . To me, the very least of all the saints, was given Grace , to preach to the Gentiles, the  surpassing riches of Christ ," 1 Saul, before God changed him, was a Pharisee of Pharisees, from the lineage of with degrees no less, a teacher of the Law. But Saul became Paul on the road to Damascus, he met Jesus. Paul found Grace. He writes he was given this Grace for a purpose, to  preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Now, he had been walking dead in sin, " b ut God, being rich in mercy , because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved ..." Paul was " given Grace , to preach to the Gentiles, the surpassing  riches of Christ,"  This word for preach euaggelizó (from eú, "good, well"...

" The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies ." 1 He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. The definition of zeal is great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective. It is this time, to arouse zeal, shout, raise a war cry! As Paul writes, " In diligence not lagging in spirit being fervent serving the Lord ." 2 Our energy comes in the bond of brotherhood, formed in the crucible of combat. A crucible is place of severe test or trial, it is derived from Latin crucibulum ("night-lamp, metallurgic melting-pot"), and is a derivative of crux ("cross"). 3   The Bible speaks of the crucible of the cross for Jesus and for those who follow Him. The purpose of a soldier is two-fold; to accomplish the mission and to care for one another, as commanded. Each soldier has a role to play on a team. Without knowin...

“ And Yahweh regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals... for I am sorry that I have made them. But Noah found favor in the sight of Yahweh ." 1 Noah found favor,  favor is the Hebrew word associated with Grace, so Noah found Grace. Grace is unmerited favor, like a gift freely given, not deserved by works. Grace is the undeserved chesed or loving kindness of God. We see a correlation between the time of Noah and what Paul writes to the Ephesians about the new covenant of Grace, " For by Grace you are saved through faith ..." At one time we were Gentiles in the flesh, alienated from God, separated by a law, "performed in the flesh by human hands" alienated, "strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." But we were brought near by the blood of Christ who broke "down in his flesh the d...

" Now we have been released from the law, having died to that which we were bound, in order to serve in the newness of Spirit and not in the oldness of letter ." 1 Paul writes that the very commandments that promised life brought death to him. The Law is not sin nor death, no, it is good, just, but sin took occasion to produce death, through the Law it abounded. The Law exposed transgression, but now we have been released from the law... in  order to serve in the newness of Spirit.  Jesus came to release us from sin and the Law, this is the dispensation of Grace. The Law gave no power to overcome sin, the Law was a launch pad for sin. Paul writes, he was alive but, " sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. " 3     This word for opportunity is aphormḗ ("away from" and "a violent rush") – properly, a pretext ("launching point") to assert ...

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." 1 " Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them ." 4 This word for eat is trógó , which means to gnaw, crunch, chew. The idea is of chewing or meditating on the Word of God, Jesus. And it implies that this is how we abide or remain. This word for remain is menó and means to remain, not to depart, not to leave, to last, to endure. Eternal life is eating the bread of life and drinking the living water, daily. It is abiding in Jesus, the Vine, the Word of God, the bread from heaven. " Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal. ” 3 " The one having endured to the end, he will be saved ." 4 This word for endure has the root word remain,  menó   (from hupo and menó ) literally, remaining...