Love Fulfilled Ministry

  deliver your own people and bless Your inheritance, shepherd them and carry them even to eternity . * Here the Hebrew word for  inheritance  is also translated as possession. Bless your inheritance, bless your possession, the sheep of your pasture, shepherd them and carry them forever, even to eternity. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep of his pasture. David writes of the good shepherd who makes the sheep lie down in green pastures, restoring souls, leading beside still waters and into the paths of righteousness, for his name's sake (Psalm 23). Also, David gives us the picture of the Good Shepherd delivering, saving, carrying his sheep, he carries them on his shoulders, even to eternity. Let this truth bless your soul, as it did mine this morning, it is a promise of God to bless his own and carry them, even to eternal life. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I also give them eternal life, and no not one perishes, and not o...

For it is God who said, “Out of darkness light will shine,” who has flooded our hearts with the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ . (2 Corinthians 4:6) The light that shone in our hearts was the glorious knowledge of God. We can say the glory of God is the knowledge of God. God wants to be known, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9). But "To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?.. therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste" (Isaiah 28:9, 16). "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and un...

for whatever was before written in the scriptures, it is for our instruction so that through endurance and through the encouragement of scriptures having hope. Now, the God of endurance and encouragement give you that in each other according to Jesus Christ so in accord in one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . (Romans 15:4-6) In these scriptures, Paul is giving us how the body in whole, will with one voice glorify God, through the building up of each other. Is there anything more important to God than that we glorify God? Therefore build one another up, "for God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11). We have one hope of our calling to which we were called (Ephesians 4:4). For the building up of the body, with the end goal...

 as many existing appointed unto eternal life believed. (Acts 13:47-48) When Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch in Pisidia, a Gentile city located in Turkey they were proclaiming to them that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the promises of God, the promise made to the fathers that God has fulfilled by raising Jesus from the dead (Acts 13:13, 26-37). The message of salvation had been sent to the Jew but they carried out everything that was written, condemning Jesus and crucifying him on a tree. But Jesus rose again. They were proclaiming the gospel of the promises being fulfilled when Jesus was raised. This he has "fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, 'you are a son today I have begotten you'" (Acts 13:33). They spoke of the sacred faithful promises of David seen in Isaiah 55:3 and the promise not to see corruption "let not your holy one see corruption" seen in Psalm 16:10 (Acts 13:34-35). Forgiveness ...

His divine power is freely given to us, that toward life and godliness, through the knowledge of the one calling us, his own glory and goodness, through whom he has freely given the precious and majestic promises so that through them we come into existence, escaping the corruption in the world, in impure desires, becoming partakers of his divine nature . (2 Peter 1:3-4) God has given us all things through the knowledge of the one calling us. The knowledge of God is the glory of God. For the one God said, "'From darkness, light shines,' who has flooded that our hearts with the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). Who is the Light? Christ. Who floods our hearts with the knowledge of God? Christ. The glory in the face of Moses was veiled, it was fading away but that in the face of Christ is unveiled, it is the "light of the glorious knowledge of God." Through Christ the knowledge of God thus the glory of God i...

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age .” (Matthew 28:18-20, ESV) A commission is an act of entrusting; a charge; to act under the authority of, or on account of, another; instructions as to how a trust shall be executed; the duty entrusted to any person or persons. *  Before Jesus ascends into heaven he gives last words to the disciples entrusting them with a charge, instructions, and giving them the authority to act on his behalf. The verse above is the commission of Jesus according to Matthew, lets look at the commission according to the other gospels. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be sav...

on account of this, take up the whole armor of God so that powerful ability to withstand in the day of evil and the whole working out, stand . (Ephesians 6:13, my translation) The word for "working out" κατεργάζομαι ( katergazomai ) means to work out; to effect, produce, bring out as a result. Notice that you are working out the "whole" armor, each piece you put on, take up, and learn to stand against evil. The word "whole armor" πανοπλία ( panoplia ) actually refers to the whole, "arms" or "armor," not just the defensive parts but weapons. From it we get the English word panoply. *  God is not expecting us to put on the whole armor and go to battle without training, so we are working out or bringing into effect the whole armor of God, in which we have the power to stand against the schemes of the devil. We are learning to stand in the might of his strength. "... working out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for existing ...

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105, ESV) The word is a light unto my path, "the unfolding of your words gives light, it imparts understanding to the simple." (Psalm 119:130) The unfolding (opening) of your words gives light (causes to shine) giving understanding (discernment) to the simple (open minded). *  Possibly, Jesus was referring to his word being received with an open mind, simply, when he said one must change and become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:2-4). Truly, the unfolding of his word gives light to the simple, to direct their paths.  "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart, I seek you, let me not wander... I have treasured your words in my heart..." (Psalm 119:9-11) How can one stay on the narrow path? By guarding the way according to His word. How can he keep or guard his way? one must seek Him with the whole heart. And ho...

" I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, the hired hand, also not a shepherd, the sheep do not belong to him, he sees a wolf coming and abandons the sheep and runs away and the wolf attacks the flock because he is a hired hand and does not care for the sheep ." (John 10:11-18)  This what Jesus said is only seen in the gospel of John. It is different than the Parable of the Lost Sheep found in the other gospels, which tell of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine on the hill and goes to look for the one that is lost (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3–7). The Parable of the Lost Sheep has an evangelistic nature to it but the analogy here of Jesus as the Good Shepherd has the focus of the shepherd caring for the sheep, not just going after the lost one but caring for the whole flock, all one hundred. And it is probably no mistake that the last words of Jesus we see in the gospel of John are related to being a shepherd, where he tells Peter "...