Imagine two people about to be wed, going out to dinner. As the man looks into his future brides eyes he says "I love you with all of my heart". She is overwhelmed thinking about it. Then the waitress comes to the table, and he says to her "I love you with all my heart". A little taken back, "Who was that?" she asks. "Oh, I don’t know, but I love her." Then they leave and go to a gas station, he pays for the gas and says to the attendant "I love you with all my heart". "Who was that?" she wondered. "I don’t know" he replies again. He stops at a red light, rolls down his window to the stranger next to him and says "I love you with all my heart".
"I guess you don’t know her either?" He turns and looks deep in her eyes and says "I sure don’t, but I love her, just as I love you."
Is this a perfect love? Will Jesus say I love you, then say I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity?
This is true love!
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Article: Sam Wilson
An excellent article by Bro. Sam Wilson, pastor of the Grace Bapitst Church in Gladwin, MI .
The Church's Duty to Her Pastor
http://countrybaptist.org/pdf/church_her_pastor.pdf
Follow the link, and enjoy.
The Church's Duty to Her Pastor
http://countrybaptist.org/pdf/church_her_pastor.pdf
Follow the link, and enjoy.
Unity
Ephesians 4:1-3 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, (2) With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; (3) Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The passage shows us that there will be personality differences in the Lord's church. How do we deal with each other?
1) Lowliness-humility of the mind.
Don’t think you are better or more important that others in the church. Don’t think you are the church, but member of it.
2) Meekness-humility in action.
Mild of temper, soft, gentle, not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries
You may have the wrong idea about meekness, and think of it as weakness. You may think that being meek and lowly means that you are weak. Who do you think was perhaps meekest man in the O.T. was? Would you have guessed Moses? Num 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Moses was strict in the Law, a Judge. Moses said do this and live or don’t do this or die. He is known for the Law and enforcing it. Standing for the truth is all our responsibility, and we can never compromise. But our verse doesn’t mean compromise and keep unity at all cost, and at the expense of the truth, but to consider others more than yourself. To put others before yourself.
We put lowliness and meekness together along with longsuffering, or patience. This means knowing that you’re a sinner saved by grace and so is you brother. If you are lowly in mind, you will understand that. If you are meek, when a brother offends you, you won’t throw a fit, but be gentle and humble. Then you will be longsuffering with them. Patient. Forgiving. Not taking everything personally, not to make a handshake the end of the world etc.
Then with that, forbearing one another in love. You might not want to read this part. It means to put up with, suffer, to hold one up. So we are to patiently put up with people, in love. We should be kind to our brothers and sisters who have perhaps done us wrong. Forbearing doesn’t bean you forbear me, but means get over it.
The passage shows us that there will be personality differences in the Lord's church. How do we deal with each other?
1) Lowliness-humility of the mind.
Don’t think you are better or more important that others in the church. Don’t think you are the church, but member of it.
2) Meekness-humility in action.
Mild of temper, soft, gentle, not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries
You may have the wrong idea about meekness, and think of it as weakness. You may think that being meek and lowly means that you are weak. Who do you think was perhaps meekest man in the O.T. was? Would you have guessed Moses? Num 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Moses was strict in the Law, a Judge. Moses said do this and live or don’t do this or die. He is known for the Law and enforcing it. Standing for the truth is all our responsibility, and we can never compromise. But our verse doesn’t mean compromise and keep unity at all cost, and at the expense of the truth, but to consider others more than yourself. To put others before yourself.
We put lowliness and meekness together along with longsuffering, or patience. This means knowing that you’re a sinner saved by grace and so is you brother. If you are lowly in mind, you will understand that. If you are meek, when a brother offends you, you won’t throw a fit, but be gentle and humble. Then you will be longsuffering with them. Patient. Forgiving. Not taking everything personally, not to make a handshake the end of the world etc.
Then with that, forbearing one another in love. You might not want to read this part. It means to put up with, suffer, to hold one up. So we are to patiently put up with people, in love. We should be kind to our brothers and sisters who have perhaps done us wrong. Forbearing doesn’t bean you forbear me, but means get over it.
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