Love Fulfilled Ministry

Beloved, if God loved us this way, we also are indebted to love one another. No one has seen God but if we love one another God abides in us, and his love exists perfected in us . * Our topic is perfection in love so to understand what it means to be perfected in love let us look at the word perfected ( teleioō ) to perfect, complete, finish, accomplish. It is derived from the root word "tele" which we use today in words like telescope, telephone, telecommunication, and television which speaks of distant : at a distance : over a distance. * The end goal of perfection is that we become like Christ and if we truly are in Christ such is our true nature. Jesus suffered and was perfected in truth and so are we. Also we see the love of the Father was the bond that led Jesus into perfection. And so it is with us, w e are perfected in truth and the bond of love is the glue that keeps us looking intently into truth, leading to perfection. In Christ we are being perfected in aga...

You say I am adopted. * You say I am redeemed. * You say I am forgiven. * You say I am blessed from the rich benefits of your grace. * You say I am not a servant. * You say I are not a slave. * You say I am free. * You say I am a child of God. * You say I am given a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind, not of fear. * You say I am given a Spirit of adoption which testifies I am yours. * You say I am adopted as your own, by the good pleasure of your will. * You say I was chosen by grace. * You say I am a child of God, through faith. * You say I am your work, a new thing made in Christ. * You say I am a new creation, and the old is passing away. * You say I am a child and if a child then an heir . * You say the Spirit is a guarantee of my inheritance. * You say I am justified by the blood of Christ. * You say I am not judged nor condemned. * You say my sin was appeased by the blood of Christ and you are not angry nor wrathful towar...

Of what manner of love the Father gives us, that we are called children of God, and so we exist ! * John writes that at the present time we exist children of God. * What does it mean to exist a child of God? Paul writes from the riches of his grace and glory he has given us this spiritual blessing of adoption. We have entered into the kingdom of heaven, not by the means of an earthly inheritance where a promise is based upon earthly things, like being born into an earthly lineage receiving the inheritance of land and earthly wealth, no, in Christ the promise is of inheritance but based upon the spiritual. We enter into the kingdom of heaven being born of Spirit, having received a Spirit of Adoption whom testifies that we are his children. Beloved at the present time we exist children of God and it is not yet revealed how we shall exist but we know that we shall be like him just as he is . * We have some insight into how Christ was transfigured but fully we do not know how we ...

Now, those keeping his words, truly, the agape love of God is perfected, in this we know that we exist in him. The one saying he abides in God ought to walk as Jesus walked, and dear friends not a new commandment I write to you ... * The word know speaks of personal experience, not like the demons who know God, nor does knowing him speak of perfection through following commandments nor in elemental principles of this world that appeal to the flesh. Knowing him is not based upon being a member of some religious system established by men. John writes earlier " now, in this we know that we know God, if we keep his commandments ." *  Yes, we know that we love him because we keep his word, which in context speaks of a process of maturity that brings forth people who walk in truth and in love. John goes on to also write this is the commandment that we must follow, one that indicates that we truly know that we know God. It is not a new commandment, it is one heard from the beg...

For existing His, brought forth , created in Christ Jesus for good works, that God beforehand prepared for this, so that we walk in them. * To understand this verse we will look at the Greek words and there meaning, hopefully we will come to the knowledge of the truth in what it means that we are His workmanship, a vessel prepared beforehand. Let us put aside for a time being the "good works" and focus on the workmanship. The word for brought forth is also translated as workmanship ( poiema)  with a meaning that which is made, or done; a work, workmanship, creation. In context and in this verse it is related to being a new creation, created in Christ Jesus. And the focus is beforehand, or before the good works. So the workmanship created is independent of the goods works. The concept is of a vessel prepared beforehand for use, a vessel whole, not broken or leaky but overflowing with living water, good works. The fruit comes from roots thus the focus is new and growth, m...

For all who call on his name will be saved . * This scripture aligns with our focus, what does it means to call upon His name for salvation. It is related to salvation in his name and to confess with our mouth unto salvation. If you call on His name you recognize you are in need of a Savior and that salvation is in no other. The word call means to call (upon), name, be named; (mid.) appeal to, call upon for aid. Calling upon his name is like calling upon the name of a King, it represents his entirety, that salvation rests in Him, and it is by the good pleasure of his will that he will choose to save. This speaks of confessing or speaking with your mouth that he is Savior, the one who can save, he is Lord or the Holy One from God the Son of God and believing in your heart this you will be saved. Thus all who call upon his name, come before the Kind, Lord, will be saved. I called to the Lord , who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved ... * The theme of salvatio...

For it is not the one forming himself who exists approved but the one whom the Lord forms . * This word for formed means to commend, recommend; to demonstrate, bring out, prove to be; (intr.) to stand with; to hold together; to be formed. * It is from two words "union, together with" and "to stand" properly, "stand together." This is our focus we stand in Christ, it is his power being perfected in us. It is the one God has formed, established, caused to stand that will stand, not the one who has tried to stand on his own. We can try to stand on our own, in the flesh, through legalism, through living to the "letter of the law," through forms of self-abasement of the flesh, and through other types of works justification. But "it is not the one forming himself who exists approved," no, it is the one whom the Lord has formed. For in deciding this they escape the knowledge that by the word of God the heavens existed of old and the ear...