Love for one another by loving God

Jesus told us this in John 13:35; "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NLT)  I wonder if "all [humanity] know we are Jesus disciples?  Do we love one another?  Within the local and/or national denominational group; I have spent time in both the Southern Baptist family and I am currently part of the American Baptist family.  If one attends a Region or National (Bi-annual) gathering, at least a few years back, does it show our love of one another?

Jesus also said in Matthew 22:37,  "You must love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." (NLT)  I  wonder if this is not the way to do John 13:35?  If we truly love God, would we not develop a love one another?  Maybe not immediately but soon after we, by God's grace, developed a love for God.   Which I wonder if would not develop into a love for the not-yet-christians in our lives.   

God gives insight on how to RUN OFF THE DEVIL!!

Gal 5:16 So I say, let the Spirit tell you what you should do. Then you will not do the wrong things you yourselves want to do. Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE)

James 4:7 So let God control you. Fight the devil and he will run away from you. Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE)

These are a couple (part of ) versewe looked at in Men's group.  If I am reding them right; if we let the Spirit of God tellus what to do and do what the Spirit tells us then we will not do the wrong we would like to do and in doing so we would resist the Devil thus making the devil run away!

So start listening and doing andsee the devil run!!!!

Building the House

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.       Ephesians 2:20 NLT


This verse was the verse of the day from either Klove or Air1 today.  It got me to wondering "what are we apart?"  I guess I see Christendom as a house divided; not together.  I am not even meaning denominations.  I am think of the clans of the Christendom like the American Baptists or the United Methodists or the Presbyterians or the  Southern Baptists.     In fact it is more like individual congregations can not even be built together into a house on one foundation.  Another man in my church and I were talking when we were the only two to show for men's group Wednesday about the church (the local congregation we fellowship in) and what it will take to get the body to care about the not-yet-Christians in our community.  As I look back at the conversation in the light of this verse it just may be a need of "coming together" allowing the cornerstone Christ Jesus himself to build the house one the foundation of His choosing.

Just my wondering wandering mind at work!

Just A Thought!!

Do not remember where on the net I found this (did so long ago) but it is a thought!!!!!

More wondering

This post from Holy Soup; got me to wondering . . .

I wonder if there is a relationahip issue in the church as a whole; as in we do not have relationships with each other as well as Jesus. We come to church but are not church, are not a body dependant on one another. Especially in larger churches, but in even in the small church where I am a member there is a limited commitment to relationship without the estabished groups. The mens grp just talked about the lack of fellowship event — events for no other reason than simply building relationships. We have men’s/women’s mnistry on Wednesday (a time of study) Sunday School and Worship Sunday AM (study based) when do sit around andget to know each other? Also most churches I have been apart of in the last 20 years have done away with Sunday Evening time when the “Testimony time” was. Just wondering; would this have anything to do with a lack of people having a today vs historical Jesus?

Fank and Ernest nails it.

Saw this in todays paper; just thought it was worth a repost for those who missed it.

We have a HOPE!!

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 18 (New Living Translation) ¹³And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.  ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. ¹⁵We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.  ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.  ¹⁷Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.  ¹⁸So encourage each other with these words. 

The above passage is one that I have used for years as I did funerals; especially for believers funerals.  I see it as a comfort for the family, both blood and Spirit.  I would comment about the fact that Paul does not tell us not to grieve but that we are to grieve as a people of hope.  That hope is the knowledge that we will see the loved one when we see Jesus face to Face.

When I returned from a vision committee meeting Sunday I began to think on the vision statement we had arrived on; "Bringing the HOPE and LOVE OF JESUS to [insert city's name here] and the world.  This passage and how I and many pastors use it struck me.  If we have a hope that changes how we grieve, should not that same hope change how we live? 

I see the "sermon" starting with the passage as usual but then putting a missional twist on the passage, which I have only done at one funeral (and only backhandedly at that).  That twist would be if we have a hope which changes our grieving and we believe in that hope of Jesus then should we not be sharing that hope with others.  Meaning, are we not obligated by that hope to tell people that Jesus want to have a relationship with them?  Should we not tell them that Jesus want to know them and lead them so that at some point with when the person dies and go to heaven or when we meet Jesus in the air; that person will  also get to meet Jesus as well? 

It has been funny (not in the Ha ha concept) that in the last couple of weeks I have been able to get a word in about knowing where I will go.  On both occasions a person said something about my going to Hell.  I responded with "No thanks, I have reservation for the other place!"  Both people just looked at me and laughed but knew what I meant.

We have a hope!  Why not share it with the hopeless?!?