Love Fulfilled Ministry

“ If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it ." 1 What does it mean to deny ourselves? And what does it mean to take up our cross? And what does it mean that we must loose our life in order to gain it? We have more insight in Paul's writings, " so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain ." 2 As believers we are born of Spirit, we are partakers of His divine nature, thus righteousness is our new nature. The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, so it is the body in which sin dwells we must deny, we must present it a living sacrifice, into sanctification. We must take up our cross and follow Him, crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires.  “I have been crucified with Christ . It is no longer I who live, but Christ who...

" If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end." 1 A leader is a servant of all, as Jesus said, these receive little children, these live to His words, building upon a house that will stand. This very concept refutes some teachings of authority. If authority does wrong or evil in the name of authority, protecting its leadership then it is a house divided. Being a servant of all, means they are the first who have become last, serving the least, receiving little children. Serving all means exalting the least of these little children above self, protecting them from ravenous wolves, giving up their lives for them. So when leaders are exalted over the people such is inherently against being a servant of all. We establish that we build the house upon good, the truth, the words o...

" For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me .” 3 Some say “the poor we will have with us always,” as if Jesus is saying it is more important to serve Him than help the poor. But when Martha who was serving Jesus became distracted, worrying about what Mary was doing, Jesus said Mary was doing the good part. While serving is good the good or better part is abiding in Jesus. Also people use this as an excuse to not help the poor all together, saying “the poor we will have with us always,” but when Jesus said, “you do not always have me,” He speaks of something greater. The poor they would always have but He would not always be with them. “ How can the attendants of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast ." 2 John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often, but Your disciples do not fast?” Of course w...

“ Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time ?" 1 After saying this, Jesus tells several parables, that are related to being good servants. On the third time Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after he was raised from the dead, He asks Peter three times if he loves Him, and after each respectively He says, feed my lambs, shepherd my sheep, feed my sheep. If we look at the different words used by Jesus, we see words which imply growth from a lamb to a sheep. We associate loving Christ with feeding the flock of God, lambs and sheep. We see the will of the Father in that a Good Shepherd would give his life for the sheep, and would leave the ninety nine to rescue the one lost. We see the lost lamb, and how the Kingdom of God is receiving these little children. Also he sanctified himself and prayed for the lost lambs now found to be sanctified in truth, to become sheep. We can equate a go...

" Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do ." 1 Some three years in Arabia and fourteen elsewhere Paul having received much revelation from Christ now comes before the apostles, those pillars of the early Church. "When James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." 2 " You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel. To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do ," 3 In the Mosaic Covenant, the priesthood was from the tribe of Levi, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. While the people of Israel were "set apart...

" but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, neither in this age nor in the age to come . " 1 Jesus had healed a man who was demon possessed, blind, and mute. Now, to do one would be a miracle in itself, but he casts out a demon and heals the man of two ailments. Earlier on the Sabbath Jesus healed a man with a withered hand, saying "is it not lawful to do good on the Sabbath?" The Pharisees had then plotted to destroy Him for breaking their traditions and rules. 3 In context we begin to get more insight of what it means to be for or against God. " Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven ." 4 What is blasphemy against the Spirit? well, lets look at the surrounding scriptures.  Jesus healed the man possessed, and "When the people saw this they said,  “Can this be the Son of David?” The people were asking was this the Messiah, in o...

" Indeed, the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus liberates from the law of sin and death ." 1 This word for liberates "I free, set free, liberate" is from a root word meaning free, exempt, not bound by an obligation. As partakers of God's divine nature, being born of Spirit, we are no longer obligated to the sinful nature but to righteousness which is God's nature. When we believe we receive the Spirit of promise, a guarantee of our inheritance, a great testimony that we are His children, it is a Spirit of Life. " Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." 24 The Son came not to condemn the world but to save it. "One trespass   led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. " 6 " He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and wa...

“ If anyone desires after me to come, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me ." 1 Matthew, Mark, and Luke all quote Jesus saying this, Luke adds "... take up his cross every day." 2  In each case it was after Jesus foretold His death and resurrection to the disciples. This was before he would literally take up a cross and carry it to His crucifixion. Let us look at the powerful symbolism in the crucifixion and carrying the cross in our sanctification. " Then they led Him out to crucify Him." 3 Imagine what it would be like to carry a cross to crucifixion. If anyone would follow Jesus, he must deny himself and take up his cross. To the disciples Jesus said, "follow me" and  " for whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. " 6  It is a difficult path but with a promise. " Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires ....

"...  put off your former way of life, the old man, that corrupt according to deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new man, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness of truth ." 1 How does one put off the former life? How do you put on the new man? We know that righteousness is a free gift received by faith in Christ, and that we will reign in grace through righteousness. We are created after the likeness of God, we have partaken of His Divine nature, in true righteousness, and the fruit of righteousness leads to sanctification or holiness. This process of sanctification is by truth, as Jesus prayed to the Father that believers be sanctified in truth, as He sanctified Himself. We see key concepts as pieces of the armor of God. Such we see is a process of sanctification or holiness. " Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to st...

"present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For you will not rule over sin , indeed, under the Law but under grace." 1 It is an amazing concept that one will rule over sin under Grace. We see that ruling over sin begins with a free gift, which we receive by faith in Christ, "those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ ." 2  So we see grace reigns through the gift of righteousness, " as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord ." 3 " There is therefore now no condemnation in Christ Jesus, not according to the flesh walk but according to the Spirit ." 3 This is an importance understanding,  no condemnation in Christ Jesus.  Now, sin still dwells in my flesh, so I can walk in the flesh, thus ...