Love Fulfilled Ministry

" He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep ." 1 Contrast the two styles of leadership we see here; one "flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep" and the other, "the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." What is a true sign of one that is a hireling? John writes, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death." 6   Jesus said, the people were like lost sheep without good shepherds who cared for them. A good shepherd  leads them into green pastors and beside still waters, he  would lay down his life for the sheep. Jesus said we will know by their fruit, those who lay a foundation on the Rock, the words of Christ, these receive little children, ...

"Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me." 1 This "living" Jesus speaks of is eternal or everlasting Life but what does this mean? Is this life an after life in heaven as traditionally taught or something we begin to experience here on earth? We read that Life is in knowing, a personal experience, " this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent ." 2   We receive the Spirit of life when we first believed, but the true disciple of Christ is known by abiding, these have learned that Life is in eating the bread of Life and drinking living water. Life is in Christ, all else has become as rubbish but to know Christ, and the Life he gives, "so also the one who feeds on Me will live." "So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples. and you will know the truth, ...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This sentence from the United States Declaration of Independence is said to be one of the most impacting statements in American history. It came to represent a moral standard to which the United States should strive. The declaration promoted independence and deviance against oppressive authority, it asserts certain natural and legal rights including the right of revolution, and it proclaims these truths to be self-evident. To study truth is to have insight into how this great country was founded. Our forefathers knew the truth and the idea that truth is self-evident. "Because the knowledge of God is manifested, because God has shown it to them." 3 Self-evident truth is defined as truth that is evident without proof or reasoning; producing certa...