Epaggelia

The reason humanity finds love so peculiar and powerful is because God is love!

Love is not the side-effect of hormones in youth, nor is it just the devoted decision of duty-bound spouses. God is love, 1John 4:8-16. His love is spread today throughout the world by the Holy Spirit in our hearts, Romans 5:5. The love of our heavenly Father God is expressed by David the Psalmist in Psa. 103:13, as compassion for little children.  Most earthly fathers show affectionate compassion to their little children, but refrain when they grow older. However, mothers often continue showing this kind of love on into old age. However, God says through John, that all the Christians he wrote to, were “little children”, 1^st John 5:21. No matter how much we mature spiritually, is it possible to be looked upon by God as little children? King David felt a compassionate love towards God and sang about it, Psa. 18:1.

If we wonder why the love of God is so illusive or confusing, consider what God says loving Him is keeping His commandments, Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).  C.S. Lewis in “Mere Christianity”, wrote about love, “do not sit trying to manufacture feelings. Ask yourself this, if I were sure that I love God, what would I do about that certainty? When you have found the answer, go do it. Christian love is an affair of the will. If we are trying to do His will we are obeying the commandment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God’, He will give us feelings of love if He pleases. We cannot create them for ourselves and we should not demand them as a right. The greatest thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not waver. His love endures and pursues us constantly, at whatever cost to us and whatever cost to Him”.

What exactly does God love? Humanity, Jn. 3:16, Romans 5:8.  But at the same time, he also hates whatever the world exalts, Luke 16:15.

God loves the Christ immeasurably, John 15:9 & 17:26, but He also forsook Him on the cross, Matthew 27:46.

God loves the church, Ephesians 2:4 & 5:29, but He truly hates the false ideas and sin in the church, Rev. 2:6 & 15.

God loves a cheerful giver, 2^nd Corinthians 9:7, but he also killed Ananias & Sapphira for lying about how much they gave!

God’s love endures forever, as both the Psalmist sings (Psalm 100:5), and Jesus explains in the story of the prodigal son, Luke 15:20.

Do we pray that the Father’s love is with us, and actively present in our daily lives? They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to God, but such as live right are God’s delight. Proverbs 11:20. Where do we get the power to live right with hearts that are true? The good news of Jesus Christ, Romans 1:16. Wherein we find faith is the victory!

Key Texts: Proverbs 22:6, Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17.

If we want to raise our children with the best possible upbringing and standards, we must take spiritual parenting seriously. Whether we are parents or grand-parents, matters not, because a child’s memory is forming better in childhood, than for the rest of his or her entire life. A parent or grand-parent’s actions and words can leave a life-long impression on children, so make sure it is a spiritual impression and not just a physical one.

Any event repeatedly recorded by the Holy Spirit insures that we get the message of importance in what Jesus is doing when He blesses the little children.  Jesus hugged the children and laid hands on them, blessing them.  Jesus asked for the parents to come back after his disciples sent them away, thinking it was unimportant, so let us treat this subject with the same importance as Jesus does.  What exactly is Jesus doing here in blessing the children?  It included prayer.  Is there a difference between Jesus praying for children, and us praying for children? Mt. 19:13 

THE PARENTS: There is a loveliness in Jesus Christ that anyone could see.  It is easy to think of these mothers in Palestine feeling that the touch of a man like that on their children’s heads and his prayers would bring a blessing, even if they did not understand why.  But it was an early custom for Jewish mothers to bring babies entering into their first birthday to Rabbis and ask for prayers and blessings.  The Jews didn’t observe birthdays, but this custom was the closest thing to it.  Note: Jesus called both the parents and children, Luke 18:16.

THE DISCIPLES: Jesus was angry at his disciples for talking sternly to the mothers, he might have been angry at one of two things:  Either they were too impatient and over-protective of his welfare.  OR,  they were lacking in grace & knowledge as to the importance of the mother’s requests.  A REQUEST for prayer should never, never be denied.  There is a spiritual need being sought for,  God wants it filled and the disciples were actively working against his will, so the next time we hear someone ask, “PRAY FOR ME”, we had better count ourselves obliged to do so, or we are working against God’s will.

THE CHILDREN: “Of such,” said Jesus “is the Kingdom of God.”  What is it about the child that Jesus liked and valued so much? There are at least five attributes of children we should remember and restore in ourselves.

There is the child’s humility.  Ordinarily children are embarrassed by prominence and publicity. Little children are not born to think in terms of pride, position and prestige.  They have not yet learned to discover the importance of self. Mat. 18:3-4. But sometime sooner or later, children become exhibitionists, this is always the product of misguided adult treatment, and it sadly and usually starts early, from untrained and unwise parents.

There is the child’s trust. A child’s trust is also seen in the child’s confidence in other people.  He does not expect any person to be bad.  He will make friends with a perfect stranger.  A great man once said that the greatest compliment ever paid him was when a little boy came up to him, a complete stranger, and asked him to tie his shoe lace.  The child has not yet learned to suspect the world.  He still believes the best about others.  Sometimes that very trust leads him into danger, for there are those who are totally unworthy of it and who abuse it, but that trust is a lovely attribute. Can we have this kind of trust with our fellow Christian brothers & sisters?  Php 4:1-3, 1^st Cor. 16:3.

The child’s sense of wonder: The British Poet Tennyson in 1880, tells of going early one morning into the bedroom of his little grandson and seeing the child “worshipping the sunbeam playing on the bedpost.”  As we grow older we begin to live in a world which has grown grey and tired.  Little children live in a world with a sheen on it, wherein God is always near.  We should remember our Creator has a sense of imagination and humour in His creation, you can see it in the many colours of flowers and in the weird shapes of animals, just a glance at a monkey or ant-eater can bring a smile, imagination and creativity to a child. Jesus saw great glory in flowers, Mat. 6:28-30,!  By all means, put away childish (foolish) things as Paul did, as when he became a man, but do not forsake God’s gifts of beauty, praise, glory and creativity, He made us in His image, Gen. 1:26, which includes the ability to create!

The child has an innate desire to imitate their parents.  This is commanded of Christians, “Be holy, for I am holy”, 1Peter 1:16.  Little children are always trying to wear Mothers shoes, or use Fathers tools, their inclination to imitate their parents is indicative of the way Christians ought to try and imitate our Heavenly Father.  He is holy, so lets live our lives as pure as we can, and set our life apart for a godly purpose, so that our children’s appetite for a spiritual life will grow.

KNOW YOUR CHILD’S NEEDS:1. Confident Compassion. Showing children you love them and encourage them in truth. 1John 4:7, Mark 10:16, Colossians 3:21, 1^st Corinthians 13:7.

2. Consistent Counsel. Being prepared to always offer advice without shoving it down their throat. Deuteronomy 6:7, Psalm 145:13, Proverbs 24:3, Matthew 28:18-20

3. Correction & Challenges. When appropriate, being able to prove the consequences of disobedience, and set them goals for a reward. Hebrews 12:6, Proverbs 19:18, Luke 16:10, Ephesians 4:29.

4. Commemorative Celebration. Ecclesiastes 11:7- 12:1. Have your children remember good things (blessings) from God and praise Him for them! Philippians 4:4

Key Text:  1st Corinthians 2:1-16.

When our message originates with God, there is no place for disunity on the basis of who or how we preach the gospel. Paul clearly said he spoke “THE TESTIMONY OF GOD”. With precision we need to remember that God’s power is our prime objective, and no other problem should slow us down in delivering God’s message of Christ crucified. Philippians 1:15-18.

2^nd Timothy 1:8 is a good example of what our TESTIMONY OF GOD is. In what ways has the Lordship of Jesus been genuine in the life of Timothy or us?

Ephesians 4:17-25, is Paul’s charge to Christians for sharing God’s TESTIMONY, which is speaking the truth in love.

Paul was determined that neither he nor his fellow preachers would become a source of division, but that every Christian would find a way by the gracious power of God to share their faith in Christ crucified. Our understanding of, and proclamation of the truth comes only from the word of God, John 17:17 & 2^nd Timothy 2:15.

The crucifixion is not an easy subject to talk impressively, or scholarly, or philosophically about. However, the crucifixion is very easy to talk about with common words because it was a graphic way to die.  In Jesus, we have a pure motive of love behind the gory details of his sacrifice for the goriest of sinners. Truly the gospels do not emphasize the gruesome details, but rather the heartfelt impulse of his undying love through pain, death and the resurrection he offers to share with ANYONE. Paul was very aware of academic intellectuals (Acts 17:28), but he knew the power of God was invested and enacted through a message of enduring love, rather than deep knowledge, Romans 1:16.

The message of the cross can easily be directly related to either of two subjects:

1.      Our experience of it. John 17:20-24, Jesus prayed for us to use this!

2.      The Lord’s word on it. A good example from Philip: Acts 8:35 & Isaiah 53.

There is no separation of the two subjects: “Christ Crucified” & “Christ’s Teaching”. They are inseparable in the mind of God and in our daily life, but do we share it?

Paul suffered from ‘fear & trembling’ but his experience didn’t stop the sharing of the cross, because he relied on the power of God, not his own power. He wasn’t afraid of his enemies, but rather he was afraid of God’s wrath toward them, if he didn’t share the good news to the lost souls around him. He had no fear of God’s wrath against himself, but rather the thought of how people would be lost and punished without his sharing!

See 1^st Corinthians 9:16 & 2^nd Corinthians 5:11.  Do we FEEL for our lost friends? If yes, what exactly do we feel for them?  Paul’s words proved to be weighty & powerful, 2^nd Corinthians 10:10. The only way, we will make our words effective, is to use them for directing the purpose of Christ’s Cross towards sin in every day life for other people to die upon with us.

To see the beauty of unity in Christ isn’t easy sometimes, because what we know about each other, usually isn’t our faith in Christ.  The more of Christ we can share, the easier it is to be together, united and loving each other as Christ does. So why do we talk so much about the weather and price of gasoline?  The old adage, “familiarity breeds contempt”, is only true if we are getting more familiar with eachother’s sinfulness, instead of each other’s faithfulness to Christ.

 Jesus prayed, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent me”. Jn. 17:20-21. Peter the frontrunner of the Apostles, wrote, All of you have unity of spirit, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind”, 1Pet. 3:8.  Paul the Apostle to us Gentiles wrote, “Let your behavior be worthy of the good news of Christ, so that you…stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the good news…”, Php 1:27-28.

Do we pray for unity as Christ prayed? Do we feed our heart with scripture to have a loving, tender, humble heart? Is the good news of Christ, our prime objective? When we can answer yes to these questions, we are on the fast track to experiencing unity with all who can answer yes with us. There is no force, no person, no law, nothing, that can stop the fruit of His Spirit from growing in our hearts if we pray and feed our hearts with the gospel, Gal. 522-23. Why is this growth so unstoppable? Because of what happened to Christians explained in the very next verse, 24, they “have crucified the flesh with it’s passions and desires, if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. The beauty of unity begins growing with the “crucifixion” of our self. As children we sang the song, J.O.Y., Jesus first, Yourself last, others in between gives J.O.Y..   As we grow older, we should realize the cost of what it means to actually put ourselves last. Paul described it in both hard and soft ways, “But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself…let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”, Php 2:3-5

Psalm 133 uses two objects to describe the beauty of unity.  As twenty first century westerners we cannot appreciate the context they are put in, such as Aaron’s beard and the picture of Mt. Hermon. But the two symbols are indeed mentioned in the New Testament to help us enjoy the beauty of unity.

Oil: This was holy and to be used only on priests, if it was abused, punishment ensued, Ex. 30:22-33. This oil was abundantly poured over (annointed) Aaron the High Priest at joyous festivals, it represented God’s approval, blessings, holiness and healing. All of which Christians find promised and experinced in Christ Jesus.

Dew: From Mt. Hermon (having 3 peaks) drifted clouds of water, which gave life to rivers and flowing down to Jerusalem, blessed Mt. Zion. The obvious beauty is quite a relif in parched Israel. Notice how both oil and water are essential ingredients to life. Oil is essential to spiritual life (holiness), and water is essential to physical life. Hebrews 1:9, 10:22 & 12:14.

What do we really know about eachother to help us view and share the unity God wants us to have? We all have several gifts God has given us. Christ is the annointed and we are in Him. We all have access to the water of life, Jn. 4:10-14. We all have a desire for God’s love, Jn. 13:35. We all have a solution to our sin, his blood. There is so much more, that we have in common, let’s grow in them and discover others…  Once you have learnt the, are they refreshing enough to share? Do we want to share our faith in them? If yes, then we are indeed growing in the beauty of unity.

Key Text: Matthew 13:24-43

The mixed presence of sin and righteousness in the church is a reality Jesus wants us to work with. This has always been and always will be true, till Jesus returns. Unclean animals in the same Ark as the clean animals, as well as obedient and disobedient people, such as Noah and his dishonorable son Ham, Gen. 7:2, 9:22, IPt. 3:20. The goats are in the same field as the sheep, Mt. 25:32. The good & bad fish are in the same net, Mt. 13:47. The wheat & chaff are on the same barn floor, Mt. 3:12. Vessels of honor & dishonor in the same great house, IITm 2:20. In the mind of God, Judas Iscariot is within the same apostleship as the beloved John, but there comes a day, when judgment separates good and bad forever. Until judgment, we must work together. The scriptural work of withdrawal or church discipline is in the hands of Elders, not us. Judgment is for God in Jesus as the Good Shepherd and his Church Shepherds, not the sheep, (you & me). Judging with righteous judgment is for Apostles & Elders, not us. Jn. 7:24.

There are two sides of every coin, and there are two spheres of the Kingdom, Spiritual & human. God’s family is truly both Heavenly and earthly, compare Col. 1:13-18 & Eph. 3:14.

The enemy of Christ is against Him, sowing similar looking plants which grow alongside the real wheat. The enemy is inverted, the weeds are perverted. The good news is that perversions can be straightened, but whatever is inverted is totally opposed, and unwilling to turn. James says the devil believes in God and trembles, not turns, James 2:19. Since weeds represent false Christians, then it is possible, if they want to turn, that they may be straightened in real life, but in the picture of a parable, the message is that God reserves the unique position of judgment to Himself, not us. The act of justification by faith is for people, not plants, Romans 5:1 & 8:1. This is the nature of Christ’s Kingdom seen in the parable of the weeds.Notice the difference between “servants” in v27-29, and the word “reapers” in v30, 39. Angels are the reapers, but the “servants” are not defined, which allows us to conclude with God’s definition of good wheat being Christians, not the servants wanting to prematurely start preparing for an easy harvest. Let’s conclude that when we want to act with impatience in judgment, we are the misguided servants, but when we let patience have her perfect work, we are genuine Christians, that is, good wheat! James 1:3-4 & 5:7-9. When both James and John the sons of Zebedee judged the rejecters of Christ, God had other plans! Luke 9:54-56. What spirit may we be of? 

Why does Jesus tell the parable of the mustard seed & yeast in succession with the parable of the weeds? To give us both the positive and negative truths of how we influence the Kingdom of God on earth.  Genuine Christians are used to help the Kingdom grow from small seeds to great plants, whereas, false Christians can be compared to yeast, growing from within flour, and changing it’s nature. Yeast has a reference to sin in a number of passages. See Leviticus 2:4-13. Offering bread with yeast is equated with rebelling against God in Amos 4:2-5. Paul the apostle used a similar analogy of yeast & sinfulness in 1Cor. 5:6-7. Yeast represents evil doctrine (Mt 16:12) from Pharisees, Mt 23:14,16,28,  Sadducees, Mt. 22:23,29 and Herodians, Mt. 22:16-21. The holiness & goodness of God makes real Christians make up a BIG Kingdom/Church.

Key Text: Jn. 5:1-30
The colonnaded pool of Bethesda is today hard to reach and identify, but one of the three pools near or under the Convent near St. Annes Church in Jerusalem certainly is the pool where Jesus healed the lame man who suffered there for 38 years. The five colonnades are not all intact, but various artefacts attest to them being around the three different pools. The Jews of his day had very strong opinions and faith in angels, and it lingers to this day. This story is to help us restore our faith in God’s powerful mercy, being greater than the demands of any law. We need His word here, to help us enact His mercy in our lives, rather than exacting the demands of God’s law upon our self or others. Once the mercy of God touches our hearts, then the motivation is there, to help us obey the law of Christ. Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13 & Galatians 6:2.

The law of the Sabbath was strict and real. Jesus obeyed it, but not the contemporary interpretation of the Sabbath law. As Christians we need to always have a ready and open mind in applying our lifestyle to the law of Christ. However, we must be ever conscience of what the law of Christ is, and what an interpretation of it is. Understanding Galatians 6:2 is imperative, believing it and living it, is impossible without God’s strength and wisdom. This is exactly where Jesus and the religious leaders of his day came into conflict. Christians can expect the same conflict to arise, when we try to practice the law of Christ. Why does this conflict exist? Because as humans, we all try to please God by our own means, wit, strength and wisdom. It doesn’t come naturally to any of us, to cooperate with God’s word & Spirit. How do we let Him work in and through us, in obeying the law of Christ? Here are some facts about God’s work in Jesus.

1. God desires our cooperation with the words of Jesus. He told the man to get up, pick up his mat and walk. Jesus did NOT tell him to go to the water when the angel stirred it. God simply desires our cooperation with His word and Spirit.

2. God’s commands, when we first hear them, might sound impossible. After being lame for 38 years, which one of us, would actually try to do what Jesus said?

3. God’s work demands our hearts desire to be healed, fixed, helped and strengthened. Do we really want his help to do His work, not our own? This question, is the reason, God proclaims faith as God’s work, not our own. John 6:28-29, Romans 14:20 & 2nd Cor. 9:8.

4. God’s work always supersedes our own work. Notice the lame man, without anyone’s help, actually did try to get to the pool on his own steam, maybe crawling, (v7) but regardless of how hard we try to help our self, it is futile in God’s eyes. We must let him help us in our attempts to do what is right.

5. God’s work takes us into direct conflict with the worlds’ work. If Jesus had told the man to Rise and Walk, that would not have upset the Pharisees. It was the fact that he picked up his mat, that broke their interpretation of the Law on the Sabbath. The healed man would have not been an offence to them. But Jesus working to heal him, would indeed upset the Pharisees, but since the man picked up the mat, he too was in danger of prosecution. The Pharisees ‘let him off”, but ONLY after he confessed that it was Jesus who told him to pick up the mat.

6. God’s work is in searching and finding people who want to do His work and cooperate with His word and Spirit (v14). He will not forsake us, Hebrews 13:5 & John 4:23.

7. God’s work always results in any real damage from the world being done against Him, not necessarily or always our self. (v16-17). Colossians 1:24.

Are we willing to make progress in God’s work in our spiritual healing and helping others to get His work of spiritual healing too?

Key Text: Matthew 12:22-32, Mark 3:20-35, Luke 11:14-23

After immediately healing a man who is both blind and mute, the crowd may be amazed, but they don’t jump to conclusions very easily. The Jews are more sceptical than the Samaritans, the Jews ask, “Could this be the Son of David?”. When the Pharisees see their fellow Jews being attracted to this Triumphal conclusion, they quickly criticize Jesus. Why?
Three reasons:
Jesus…