'Hearts For Christ' revisited slightly
Submitted by Chris on May 1 2002 17:07:16
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Hello Brothers and Friends in Christ Jesus, Oh my dear friends and brothers, we are SO blessed to have each other in our respective lives. It is a genuine gift from God and it comes frome the heart of a Father who cares so deeply for His children. We are all part of God's greatest gift to us...His gift of love that never ends. When I read in Paraklesis the article "Hearts For Christ", written by my friend John Bach, it not only blessed me, it set me on fire! I wound up using my trusty highlighter pen and soon the whole thing was riddled with flouresent yellow. There were so many points, so much true Holy Spirit revelation, I almost colored in the whole thing. (I get Paraklesis in print regularly. However, if you have not read this article, it can be found on-line as well. I sincerely recomend it!) I like yellow and I love God, so I don't mind what I've done to my paper. Bach would probably be embarassed if I spent much time praising him or his writting, so I won't do that. We are blessed to have many who can write very well. Thank you Haley Eliot, Mark Distefano, Donald Mader, and thank you Splash, Andy, and everyone here in our forum for your wonderful words. I recognise the power of the Holy Spirit who can and will reviel God's truth to all who seek it. I would like to give another piece of God's Word to support what Bach is saying. I agree with you, brother, that the Gospel is absolutely "Love Your Nieghbor"! And I believe it is found through-out the entire Bible, with every single account of God's interaction with man, His most beloved creation. Look again at 1 Cor. 13:4-8, it is probably the best description of God that exists. Every person who has ever lived, lives now, or will ever live, is created in this very same image. A fallen world cannot see or relate to this truth, so yes indeed "Jesus Christ came to earth to teach us HOW to love.". Not to try to transform a fallen world, but to take those who believe Him FROM that world and place them into His Kingdom of love; also to place that Kingdom into them, into thier hearts and lives. Them? Yes, Them, Those, These....Us! Us!!! Here is another piece of God's Word, Christ's teaching, to look at.... "As the Father loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love.' "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command." The words of Jesus Christ in John 15:9-13 Jesus calls us His friends just as He does the origional 12 men He chose to bring His Gospel to the world. They were chosen by Him because they are just like us...men with faults as well as strengths. But the good news of Christ is that we can become a new creation, above and beyond those things we consider our strengths, and in spite of our faults. We MUST stop punnishing ourselves with the wips and chains we fashion out of guilt we feel for our sins and begin to live the life God trully wants for us. We must bring the good news of this life to all who live around us and with us, where-ever we may be. And we are never alone....we not only have each other (Praise God!) but also our Lord and Savior tells us in Mathew 28:20 : "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." With Christ's Love, Chris P.S. Thank you, Bach, I love you brother!!! |
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