Love Fulfilled Ministry

"Truly I say to you if you change not and  become  not like the little child you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." 1 What does it mean to change and become like a child? We begin with this word for "to you" it is the Greek word ὑμῖν which has a different meaning than the Greek word σο ι meaning "to you." The meaning of  ὑμῖν  puts emphasis on the type of "change" required, a new birth. From it, we see words that celebrate marriage and in the sense of a covenant, of a veil broken that leads to newness of life. Becoming like a child is the change required, such speaks of the greatest testimony of Spirit, being born from above. Also, this change speaks of transformation, of renewal of the mind, of becoming like. Becoming like a child one enters and becomes great in the kingdom of heaven. "truly, truly, I say to you unless a person is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God." 3 Being born from above spe...

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us . 1 This word for reconciliation (is from two words; "down from, according to," and "to change") – properly, change, as when two parties reconcile when coming ("changing") to the same position. Right before Christ died he cried out  Tetelestai  which means "to bring to an end, complete finish." Reconciliation was completed in Christ, "God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them." So we too have the same message to the world, a "message of reco...

Truly, I say to you, unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven . 1 My father did not receive me, he is honored in that he did not have an earthly father to receive him and the “church” he became a part of did not receive him as a little child. Without proper example by an earthly father and with error in example from men who did not receive little children, he is forgiven because he knew not what he did. He was taught “spare the rod spoil the child,” and “a child is best seen and not heard” but the greater things of God like faith and love, these were neglected. That the kingdom is about entering as a child and receiving little children he was never taught. Some thought Jesus too important to receive little children, but he was angered by this, He placed a little child in front of Him saying to enter the kingdom of God you must become like children. The ministry is the little child, this is what it is all about, receiving little children, liftin...

“But seek first the kingdom of God, and the righteousness of him and all these things will be added to you.“ 1 Our earthly mind tends to put our things first, or it says God if you do I will do. Or put another way it says put me first, then I will put you first, or provide for me first and I will put you first. Because we do this we believe a lie when things don't turn out the way we expect, we say God doesn't really care, or how could He let this happen? Seeking God first is a matter of trust and total dependence upon Him, only then can we truly be put Him first. The mind set of putting me first will conform behavior to get something in return. I will follow you if you do something for me, if you give me this or that, if you will reward me I will serve you. Of course if your children are being obedient either out of fear of punishment or for reward then you have only conformed the external not necessarily the internal. This is the danger of legalism, which uses the fe...

"And you being dead in the transgressions and in the uncircumcision of the flesh, He made you alive together with Christ, having forgiven us all the transgressions, having blotted out that which was against us, the handwriting which was adverse to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. " 1 The circumcision of the flesh was given as a sign of covenant to the Jew, so the Gentile had two strikes against him, "dead in the transgressions and in the uncircumcision of the flesh." In the new covenant Paul writes we are circumcised of the heart, and the sons of God are of the faith of Abraham, thus the promise of inheritance does not come by the Law, but that it rests on grace, not by works of the Law. The child of God knows his sins have been forgiven, we can say that Christ blotted out our sin on the cross, but what does this mean, " having blotted out that which was against us, the handwriting which was adverse to us, and he ha...

"looking earnestly , lest any fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springs up causing trouble, and by this defile many;" 1 Hey you, look earnestly, intently at this. This word for looking earnestly is piskopéō "I exercise oversight, care for" (from epí, "on, fitting," intensifying skopéō, "look intently") – properly, focus on, look at with real (caring) interest. The focus here is on the "overseer" not so much the person, while we are all responsible for our own actions, this speaks of something caused inadvertently that can be avoided. Leader look intently, "lest any fall short of the grace of God," speaks of the cause and solution. Lest any "root of bitterness springs up causing trouble, and by this defile many." Defiling many again speaks of the audience, overseer. So the question becomes how does this happen? if I know it can and how then I can prevent it. "You are severed ...

This is to be the same commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave commandment to us . 1 Most translations say "the commandment of Him," as this word autou translators have used for many different words, "he, she, it, they, them, same." While this commandment is of Him I believe there is another point John is making here. In this scripture we see two commands that are inseparable from one another, thus they are the same, the command to believe and the command to love one another. The first determines who we are the latter called the new commandment, gives testimony that we are His disciples. And the two together form one conditional commandment, we can call it the commandment of Him, seen in the words of Christ and the writings of John. This is the same commandment, of Him, "that we believe... and love one another..." “ You will love the Lord God of you... this is the great and foremost co...

"For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory." 1 An integral part of the Mosaic covenant was the temporary sacrifice of animals for the atonement of sin, the new is a eternal or permanent covenant in His blood, a once and for all atonement of sin. To go back to the old would be to go back to a works justification, denying the sacrifice of Christ thus it would be as Paul writes of the Galatians, a bewitching, a severing from Christ, neglecting the blood He shed, and such would be to fall from grace. Let us establish the new covenant and build upon this idea of it being a ministry of righteousness. " Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end , will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?" 7 The old covenant Paul writes was a "m...

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. "By His stripes you are healed." 1 Peter 2:24 Peter quotes Isaiah's prophecy of Jesus, " But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. " 1  Do we truly understand the blessings we have received in Christ Jesus? " to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.. ." 3  It helps to understand these things, it is abiding in the truth that sets one free. " He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification ." Romans 4:25 Justification is from dikaióō , "to approv...