His Love Ministries

Two esteemed friends (vv. 12–14) epaphras, the man with a single passion that they might be mature. It is generally accepted that Epaphras was the pastor of the church at Colosse and its founder; Paul identifies him as ‘one of you' (cf. 1:7). He also planted the churches in Laodicea and Hierapolis and was now in Rome visiting Paul in prison to take advice about the situation in the church in Colosse. His heart was warm towards his friends back in Colosse and his prayers were fervent and specific on their behalf. He was praying that they might ‘stand perfect and complete in all the will of God' (v. 12). He was a man of prayer. How he prayed. The phrase ‘labouring fervently' speaks of him wrestling and striving in prayer. The same Greek is used in 1:29 of a man toiling at work until he is thoroughly weary, and in 1 Corinthians 9:25 of an athlete determined to win the race. We get the English word ‘agonizing' from it. In 1 Timothy 6:12 it describes the soldier fighting for his life on the battlefield. True intercessory prayer demands self-sacrifice, dedication and determination. What he prayed. ‘That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God' (v. 12). There was need for them to grow up spiritually and be mature in the things of Christ, remaining firm in the truth. Paul preaches to achieve it (1:28) and Epaphras prays for it to be so. The word ‘perfect' (teleioi) means ‘to finish the process'. There is, in New Testament religion, such a thing as progressive sanctification: an increase in holiness and the possibility of growing into a deeper love for God, Christ and the brethren (see Phil. 3:12–15). The Colossians are complete positionally (2:10) but here the will of God is in view so that they will be able to resist the ‘spoilers” errors (cf. 1:9). Epaphras prays that they will persevere in the faith, in accordance with the will of God, and that their commitment to the truth in Christ Jesus their Lord will continue. luke, the man with a special talent who is the author of the third Gospel and the book of Acts. He was a companion of Paul during his missionary journeys and accompanied him to Jerusalem and during his dangerous journey to Rome (Acts 16:10–17; 20:6–16, 21, 27–28; 27:1–8—note the ‘we' references). Luke, a Gentile Christian, probably hailed from Antioch. He was a medical doctor and as such was a very valuable travelling companion to Paul and his team. Luke is called the ‘beloved physician' and when we remember what Paul said in 2 Corinthians about his health problems, which he called ‘a thorn in the flesh' (2 Cor. 12:7), there can be no doubt that Luke was of great help to him personally. Besides this, Luke has proved to be a historian of highest quality. His account of the historical Jesus is on a par with the other Gospel writers, and his history of the beginnings of Christianity in the book of Acts is unsurpassed. What he has written has proved, over two millennia, to be very reliable indeed. One endangered soul (v. 14b) demas, the man with a sad future  is something of an enigma. As part of Paul's missionary team he proved to be a valuable helper, but we remember him most because of what Paul wrote of him in 2 Timothy. He is listed there among many of the same companions found in Colossians 4, but here Timothy is told ‘Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world' (2 Tim. 4:10). This was not only a physical but also a spiritual separation. He had succumbed to worldliness. This reminds us of the Parable of the Sower and the consequences of the seed not falling on ‘good ground' (Luke 8:4–15). Sadly, in the New Testament there is no record of his restoration. This is a reminder that Christians need to make their calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). Those who received greetings (vv. 15–17) Nymphas or possibly Nympha a woman (v. 15) Having brought greetings from his companions, Paul now requests that his words be passed on: ‘Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and Nymphas.' The church in Laodicea, or part of it, met in the house of Nymphas. We have no other information about him but can assume that he willingly supported the growing church in his own town and offered it hospitality. This reminds us that the early church met in private homes (Acts 12:12; 16:40), with the church in Colosse meeting in the house of Philemon (Philem. 2). The Epistle to the Colossians is also sent to the church that meets at Laodicea, so that the message could be shared as an act of Christian friendship and evangelism (v. 16). Is this an example of consecutive preaching in the early church? At the very least we see the gathered church hearing and meditating on the Word of God (see Acts 20:7). The Laodiceans (vv. 15–16) What is ‘the epistle from Laodicea'? Is it: A letter written from Laodicea? John Calvin supported this view, which was first mooted in the fourth or fifth century A.D. A letter written by Paul from Laodicea and now lost? The letter written and sent by Paul to Philemon? If Philemon lived in Colosse, this would be unlikely. The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians? This theory has many advocates but lacks conclusive proof. A letter written by Paul to Laodicea written at the same time as this epistle but now lost? If we remember that Tychicus would need to travel through Laodicea to go to Colosse it would seem strange that there was no letter from Paul. Why leave Laodicea out? Not all of Paul's letters have been preserved (see, for example, 1 Cor. 5:9). There is an apocryphal Epistle to the Laodiceans which was made between A.D. 300 and 400 to fill in the gap in the manuscripts, but by the eighth century it was ‘rejected by all' (Jerome). There is the possibility that there was no letter at all! If there was, why the greetings in v. 15? None of the above throws any doubt on the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture. Archippus (v. 17) Archippus was a member of the church in Colosse. Some think he was the son of Philemon and Apphia. Paul speaks to him directly, as he must faithfully discharge the ministry he has received ‘in the Lord'. Archippus was given: a personal message: ‘take heed'. At the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Lord Nelson is said to have told his sailors and marines that ‘England expects every man to do his duty'; this is no less true of the Lord of the churches. The Lord Jesus Christ expects all believers to do their duty by discharging the ministry given to them, whether in preaching, teaching, leading or serving in the local church. All the believers' talents are to be fully utilized in the service of Christ (Matt. 25:14–30). This was the same exhortation which Paul gave to Timothy (1 Tim. 4:16). a public message: ‘Take heed to the ministry you have received in the Lord'. This exhortation was given in support of Archippus and the ministry he was called by God to discharge. What was this ministry? Perhaps he was the elder in charge while Epaphras was gone (as some suggest), or one of the body of elders and deacons? Whatever it was, he could not run from his responsibility now that Paul had so openly spoken of it! The Lord expects us to do his will when vows have been made. a pointed message: ‘fulfil it'. Archippus obviously needed this exhortation, but why? Had he lost heart (2 Cor. 4:1, 16)? Had he lost his love for the brethren? Had he found the office to which he was called too demanding, and did he now want to relinquish it? We just do not know. But we can be sure that the Holy Spirit meant him to hear this. God wanted him to complete the work he had received from Christ his Lord. Final thoughts (v. 18) Remember Paul's chains Paul's custom was to dictate his letters (Rom. 16:22; Gal. 6:11) and then write a few words of greeting with his own hand at the end to give authentication (2 Thes. 3:17; 1 Cor. 16:21). Because the letter is written by Paul, it is authoritative for faith and practice in the churches. He reminds the Colossians of his ‘chains'. This is a very human touch that indicates his need for prayer support. Those in the service of Jesus Christ are not immune to hardship or injustice in a fallen world. Suffering is ordained by God for believers (Job 2; Gen. 39:6–21; 2 Tim. 3:12), our Saviour being the chief example of this (Isa. 53:7–8). Paul knows that prayer will help (2 Cor. 1:11). Daily grace ‘Grace be with you.' Paul began with grace (1:2) and ends with it. We start the Christian life because of God's grace freely given (Eph. 2:8) and we require it until the end of the journey. Paul speaks to all the Colossian believers (the pronoun ‘you' is plural). They need grace to keep them from falling under the control of the ‘spoilers', and to keep them strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Grace is necessary to do God's will, fulfil his work and live holy lives. Christ promises grace right to the end (Matt. 28:20; 2 Cor. 12:9). ‘Amen' is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word meaning ‘surely', from the root meaning ‘to be firm'. It is used to express agreement (Deut. 27:15; 1 Kings 1:36) and is the expression of agreement used by the churches (1 Cor. 14:16; Rev. 5:14). It means ‘So let it be'. It is also translated as ‘verily' in the AV, ‘most assuredly' in the NKJV and ‘I tell you the truth' in the NIV (cf. John 3:16).[1]        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

                        In  Luke 10:23-24 Jesus Turning to the disciples, said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”    Jesus is telling those who are Christians that the blessings which they will experience versus the judgement that the proud will experience are truly great.  We that know Christians will experience great power and knowledge because of knowing Jesus.  We will see the things of the Kingdom of Christ and be a part of God's mission on this earth.  We have God's wisdom which is way greater than the knowledge of this world. This means we also get to see people's life changed because of the Gospel and have joy, peace, and abundant life in spite of all that goes on around us.  Being a disciple of Jesus is not doom and gloom, but instead is a great privilege and the rewards of discipleship far outweigh the costs as it says in Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Are you experiencing all that God has for you in this life?  David asked the Lord to restore to him the joy of his salvation.  Habakkuk said in 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Let's do that today.            Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions  

In these verses, Paul's final remarks teach us that God is full of mercy and that his saints are chosen from all walks of life and from all levels of society (1 Cor. 1:26–31). We find among Paul's companions a runaway slave (engaged in ministry), a restored backslider (now forgiven and full of zeal), a pastor (concerned for his flock), a doctor-turned-historian, and others who work with Paul in evangelism. The apostle Paul is able to accomplish his ministry only because of the faithfulness of many dear friends who have stuck by him and who've been helpful to him in his ministry. And in order to use them as an encouragement to the Colossians and to all the churches that would read this letter, he tells us a little bit about them. And it adds a very warm, personal touch to what is a very doctrinal letter. It also indicates to me something of the magnetism of his personality, and the deep, rich love of which he was capable, because of the fact that he had so many of these people with him for so many years, and they had such a deep loyalty and love for the man. Those who brought greetings (vv. 7–9) Two envoys Tychicus and Onesimus are two loyal and highly valued friends of the apostle Paul. They are envoys sent with the epistles to the Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon to inform and encourage the believers in those churches (Eph. 6:21–22). tychicus WAS THE MAN WITH A SERVANTS HEART.  hE came from the province of Asia and was one of Paul's companions. The name “Tychicus” means fortuitous or fortunate; and indeed he was fortunate. We don't know much about him; there isn't much said in the Bible. He's mentioned five times, and every time it's very, very brief. But we know one thing: he lived up to his name, because he was a fortunate man to be able to spend as much time, in fact, as many years as he did in the ministry with the apostle Paul. He was a close friend who later would wait for him at Troas when Paul travelled to Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary journey (Acts 20:4) fourteen years later. Paul regards Tychicus as wholly reliable and a witness to his state in prison.  He is a man with a servant's heart. He realizes this is a long journey. He's leaving his home, his job, his friends, the fellowship of his church;    when we see him, as Paul writes Colossians, he's still with Paul; he's still around. He's stuck by him for a long time now. He went to Jerusalem with him. It may be that he returned with him. He for sure is with him now in the imprisonment in Rome. And at the end of Titus chapter 3, verse 12, he says, “When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come to me to Nicopolis; for I have determined to spend the winter there.” Here's a loyal man. And you know what? He says, “I'm going to send him, Titus, to take your place,” either he or Artemas. We don't know which one he sent, but it may well have been Tychicus.   Now what Paul wanted was – Paul loved Titus. Titus was the pastor of the congregations in the island of Crete, and Paul wanted Titus to come and spend the winter with him. Paul knew it wasn't only the winter of the year, but it was the winter of his life; and Paul wanted the fellowship and the love of Titus. And so he said to Titus, “Look, if you'll come and meet me in Nicopolis and spend the winter with me, I will send this man Artemas, or this man Tychicus, to take care of your church.”   Now it's kind of an interesting thing. Here is a man who started out as a messenger, and wound up substituting for a very great man, the man by the name of Titus. The man with a servant's heart made himself available, and God used him in ways, I'm sure, he never dreamed possible.   Now later on, I want you to notice something: Paul wrote the last letter that we believe he wrote, 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 12, and he says this, writing to Timothy: “And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. The cloak that I left at Troas” – I'm glad he has that same problem that all of us have; he left his coat somewhere. “The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when you come, would you please bring it, and my books, and especially the parchments?” Good to know he's human, isn't it? He left almost everything there. So he says, “When you come, will you bring all that stuff I left over there?”   Now you see, what he's saying here is, “Timothy, I want you to come and be with me; I need you. And in order that you can come and be with me, I know you'll have to leave your congregation in Ephesus so I'm going to send somebody to take your place.” And who is it? Tychicus again. He's making a career out of being an interim pastor, and he's filling in for some pretty, pretty high-class men: Titus and Timothy. He would reflect to both of those congregations the character of Paul, the life of Paul, the ministry of Paul; and they would love him because he would bring Paul to them. Now that's the kind of man he was. He was a messenger, and he was a pastor. In fact, he was anything Paul wanted him to be. We never find any bit of argument, we never find any bit of anxiety; we only find Tychicus doing what Paul told him to do.   But this is a faithful servant. He loves Paul. He's loyal. He'll be a messenger; he'll be a pastor; he'll be anything. And Paul here has in mind sending him with the letter to the Colossians. He isn't going to pastor, he's just going to be a delivery boy.   You say, “Well, that's not too tough.” Listen, if you knew what the trip was like from Rome to Laodicea and Colossae you might not say that. It's a long trip, a perilous trip. You had to cross Italy on foot, and then he had to sail the Adriatic, and then he had to cross Greece, and then he had to sail the Aegean. Then he had to walk, after he had landed at Miletus, up the steep Lycus River Valley to Laodicea and Colossae, and it wasn't easy; it was a very difficult journey. But Paul says, “He's going to come and he's going to bring the letter.”   And you know something? He didn't just have the letter of Colossians, he had another letter too. You say, “Well, what other letter did he have?” Well, I believe, if you look at Ephesians 6:21, it says; “But that you also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that you might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your heart.” You see, that's almost an exact quote out of Colossians. So, now we know he doesn't have one letter, he's got two letters. Tucked somewhere in his robe is Colossians and Ephesians.   And, incidentally, the book of Ephesians, it was not just written to the Ephesians. In fact, we find many manuscripts; and in the beginning of Ephesians there is a blank where it says, “Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints who are at blank.” You know why? This was a general letter to all the churches; it's just that one of the manuscripts we found happened to have Ephesus written in it. In the whole book of Ephesians there's not one allusion to a person in Ephesus.  And also had; he had another letter: Philemon. He had the letter to Philemon. And look at verse 9 of Colossians 4: “And along with Tychicus I'm sending Onesimus.” See? And Onesimus was the slave that was returning about whom the book of Philemon is written  The second thing he says – and this gets us into the thought that he is a servant's heart, “He is a faithful minister,” verse 7, and the word is diakonos, or servant. He is a faithful servant. He never attained prominence, he just served. He was an invaluable liaison between Paul and the churches; and he was faithful, he stuck with it. He was one of those 1 Corinthian 4 kind of stewards that was found faithful; he just did it, whatever it was. And you know something? There's no other way to get the work done, and Paul knew it. You've got to have people who have a servant's heart. He not only was a faithful servant of Paul but he was a fellow slave in the Lord. The first phrase has to do with Paul: “He is a faithful servant of mine, and a fellow slave in the Lord.” And Paul uses two different words. The first one is diakonos which just means servant. The second is sundoulos, which means bond slave. He is not a bond slave to Paul, don't confuse it. He's a bond slave to Jesus; he's just a willing servant to Paul. The New Testament words are important.     onesimus a man with a sinful past is a runaway slave who is the subject of the Epistle to Philemon.  Philemon was a convert of the apostle Paul. Verse 19 of Philemon he says that, “You owe to me your own self.” So he was a convert of Paul. And he's a very wealthy man; he owns some slaves. One of the slaves Philemon owned was a man named Onesimus, this man. But Onesimus didn't like living in Philemon's house, and he didn't like being a slave, so he ran away. And you know what a slave was to do when he ran away if he was caught? He was to give his life; he was executed. Runaway slaves were executed. But this one was willing to make the gamble, and he ran away, and he ran all the way to Rome. And you know what happened? Amazing thing: he ran right into the apostle Paul. And you know something? Just as the apostle Paul had led Philemon to Christ, the apostle Paul led Philemon's runaway slave to Christ. Isn't that amazing when you think there were two million people in Rome? Not so amazing when you see what God had in mind. Now Paul writes a letter, the letter of Philemon, and sends Onesimus back, and the letter says, “Say, Philemon, I know he ran away; but don't kill him. He may have gone away a slave; he's coming back a brother, and he's willing to serve you as a slave and a brother in Christ. So open your arms of love and take him, will you?” And so here's Tychicus with Philemon, the letter in his pocket, and Onesimus the slave walking beside him. Paul writes the letter to establish in Philemon's heart acceptance for a returning slave who's now a brotherHe has been recently converted and now serves Christ as Paul's ‘beloved brother' (v. 9). Paul is not interested in status or wealth, but in spirituality and faithfulness. Tychicus and Onesimus are both brothers to Paul through grace, men who were happy to help out and use their gifts under Paul's direction, accepting and recognizing that he was the Lord's servant. They are sent to ‘comfort hearts', that is, to encourage the Colossians to keep the faith and to obey the Word of God. And in the letter to Philemon he says, “Onesimus is” my very heart. Onesimus is my very heart. Those who sent greetings (vv. 10–14) Three messianic Jews (vv. 10–11) Aristarchus, Mark and Justus are fellow workers and long-term Jewish friends of Paul. These men worked with Paul for the glory of Christ in the local churches. They were team players who shared the same agenda as Paul for the church's growth and well-being and were not too busy ‘doing their own thing' to help out. Their ministry blessed Paul personally because he was encouraged by their friendship. The word ‘comfort' (v. 11) speaks of consolation and relief. We get the English word ‘paregoric' (‘a medicine that soothes pain') from the Greek used here. aristarchus is the man with a sympathetic heart. Now Aristarchus' name appears elsewhere in the New Testament in association with the town of Thessalonica. It's very likely that he came from that town. And at Ephesus, you remember Paul ministered at Ephesus for three years; and during those three years, Aristarchus was with him. And you remember when finally in Ephesus the riot broke out? When the riot broke out, Aristarchus and Gaius were seized by the mob, and Aristarchus found out what it was to be a prisoner. They recognized him as one of Paul's companions, and so they seized him. Now that's in chapter 19. Now Paul decides to go to Jerusalem. You know what happens? He takes Aristarchus along. So he goes on that trip. Paul gets on the boat. You remember he was captured as a prisoner in Jerusalem, then he was moved to Caesarea on the coast where he stayed as a prisoner. And then finally, in Acts 27, he gets on a boat to go to Rome to be tried in Rome, and he's a prisoner on the ship; and Acts 27:2 says when he got on the boat, Aristarchus was with him. Had Aristarchus been with him through all the imprisonment? Very possible. Very possible since the time he identified with Paul in the city of Ephesus, and escaped from the riot, and went to Jerusalem. From that time until now he has stayed with Paul; as a prisoner in Jerusalem, he hung around. Caesarea, he may have hung around. On the ship – and you remember what a ride that was. Read Acts 27 again. I mean that was something exciting, and he was there. Now here he is back in Rome. And guess who's there? Aristarchus. And Paul calls him “my fellow prisoner.” And the guy hasn't committed a crime, he just hangs around with criminals, so he spends his time in jail. came from Thessalonica (Acts 27:2) and he was with Paul during the riots at Ephesus (Acts 19:29). From Acts 20:4 we see that he also waited for Paul with Tychicus at Troas as Paul made his way back to Jerusalem. It is thought by some that he travelled with Paul as his slave or, alternatively, that he was taking a lift back home; whatever the truth is, he is also a prisoner in Rome at this time (Paul calls him ‘my fellow prisoner'). He was a volunteer willing to suffer for the kingdom of Christ. mark is the man with a second chance the cousin of Barnabas and the writer of the second Gospel. Twelve years prior to this, Mark and Barnabas had left Paul after a disagreement about whether Mark should accompany them on their second missionary journey. In Paul's opinion, Mark had been disloyal and cowardly when he deserted them at the end of their first missionary tour (Acts 15:36–41). Mark's relationship with Paul is now restored and he is fully engaged in the Lord's work and in full fellowship with the Lord's people. In 2 Timothy 4:13 Paul said that Mark was very useful to him for the ministry, thus assuring us that Mark's restoration to faithfulness was a permanent thing (see also 1 Peter 5:13). This is so encouraging as it tells us never to doubt the grace of God and his promise to keep us from falling. Mark is no longer a liability to Paul and is to be welcomed as a fully committed co-worker of Christ. Mark is forgiven both by God and by Paul. We should not withhold our love from those whom Christ has redeemed and restored. Restoration is a wonderful certainty because God promises it in Christ (Eph. 3:20–21; Jude 24). justus, the man with a strong commitment also called Jesus. His was a common name among the Jews. A man called by that name was nominated as a replacement apostle for Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:23), while another of the same name lived in Corinth and was a supporter of Paul (Acts 18:7). If the Justus of Colossians 4:11 is neither of these two (and that is what most commentators think) then he is mentioned only here in the New Testament and represents the ‘unknowns' in the Lord's service: those myriads of believers—ordinary people—with nothing particularly special to note about them, who yet have been chosen and given grace to be ‘fellow workers for the kingdom of God'. No matter how ‘unknown' believers may feel in their own little place, they contribute to the growth of the kingdom when they use their gifts and walk in obedience to Christ.        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

                In Joshua Chapter 24, we see that Joshua wants the people of God to recommit themselves to God. He rehearses all that God has done so that they know who He is and what His will for their life is, but that is contingent on really being interested in knowing it. This also applies to us today. The bible always gives two sides to salvation in our Christian lives; there is the fact that God is Sovereign and He does what He wants to do based on His Holiness, but then there is our part, human responsibility.  God will do everything He can to get us to know Him and do His will, but He will not make us into robots.  We have a choice, we can serve God (meaning we get saved), or we can serve the Devil.  Joshua 24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." We can also as christians grow and serve God, or we can live as babies in Christ and never experience all that God has for us. 1 Peter 2:2 says as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.  2 Peter 3:18 says but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. Or Stay Babies - Hebrews 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  It is our choice, what will you or what have you chosen to do?              Joshua 24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."              The people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice." (Joshua 24:24) But they did not!!!!        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

BE PRAYERFUL (VV. 2–4) PRAYER AND THE BELIEVER (VV. 2) NEW MANS MOUTH IS SHOWN BY PRAYER PROCLAMATION, PERFORMANCE –RIGHT LIVING, PERFECTION –SEASONED WITH SALT Does God really answer prayer? If so, God's Children need to ‘continue [persevere] earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving'. Prayer prevails with God because we are his adopted Children (Gal. 4:6). These words echo the words of our Saviour who taught that ‘men always ought to pray and not lose heart' (Luke 18:1). Time must be set aside for prayer. Jesus told the parables of the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5–8) and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1–8) to encourage us to intercede until the answers come. PRAYER IS A BATTLE: ‘continue earnestly in prayer'. Mental, emotional and physical effort is involved in prayer, and one can feel exhausted by it all. This is because it has to do with the whole person. Thus when we pray the mind is engaged (1 Cor. 14:15), the will is involved (Acts 12:5) and the heart is burdened (James 5:16). This is illustrated both by our Saviour in Gethsemane, where he was ‘exceedingly sorrowful, even to death' (Matt. 26:38– 44), and by Jacob, when he wrestled in prayer at Peniel and would not let Jehovah go until he was blessed by him (Gen. 32:24–31). PRAYER IS A MINISTRY: ‘being vigilant in it'. Prayer is vital if the ‘spoilers' are not to corrupt the minds and hearts of the believing members. Satan wants to irritate and distract with disputes, problems, etc., but it is a saint's duty to bring all these issues to God in prayer. When this is done, Satan will fail and the ‘spoilers' will not succeed (James 4:8). Prayer cannot be made if you are asleep, as it is wakeful fellowship and communion with the Father through the Son by the help of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 26:40–41a). PRAYER BRINGS VICTORY: ‘with thanksgiving'. Prayer brings victory when it is full of thanksgiving. Paul adds the element of thanksgiving deliberately, because praise of this sort ‘imparts spiritual freshness to prayer' (Carson). Let every Christian be grateful for grace, happy about holiness and delighted with so great a salvation (1 Thess. 5:18). The Fatherhood of God is evident here, and the spiritual relationship which believers have with Christ is emphasized. The best types of prayers are those ‘according to his will' (1 John 5:14–15). Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to say ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' (Matt. 6:10). Faith tells us that God's good pleasure is best for us because his wisdom is to be preferred to ours. We need therefore to submit to his will with meekness, while putting away self-will and pride. Paul says we need Strong prayer, consistent, watchful, and thankful Prayer and intercession (vv. 3–4) Paul, as a missionary pastor and preacher, felt the need for prayers of intercession on behalf of himself and the team he worked with. What does he request? THAT HE WILL PREACH CHRIST FREELY (V. 3A): Prayers are requested so that all obstacles hindering the work are removed and a door opened which will give Paul opportunity for the preaching and teaching of the gospel (Rev. 3:8). This, however, does not guarantee that Paul will not have opposition or trouble as he does the will of Christ (1 Cor. 16:9). Pastors and all engaged in evangelism and church planting need prayer support. This is an act of fellowship in the gospel, and Paul requested this fellowship on several occasions (2 Cor. 1:11; 1 Thes. 5:25; 2 Thes. 3:1–2). THAT HE WILL PREACH CHRIST TRULY (V. 3B): Who and what Jesus Christ is must be faithfully and consistently made known when Paul and his team preach the gospel, for it reveals the incarnate Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of the world (Eph 6:19–20). Jesus Christ is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit and this is the ‘mystery' Paul preaches (1:26–27; 2:2; Eph. 3:3–4, 9). There is no other Saviour (John 14:6). THAT HE WILL PREACH CHRIST CLEARLY (V. 4): He requests that he and his team will be able to speak clearly and boldly to sinners about the glories and love of Christ. He wishes to make the gospel ‘manifest', ‘to make clear by uncovering'. He wants to speak plainly and not incomprehensibly, in order that others can share in the joy of eternal life (Rom. 15:13; 1 John 1:4). He wants to be able to discern when to speak and how much to say, and how to share the message so that it is not misunderstood. Be wise (vv. 5–6) ‘Walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time' (v. 5). Paul uses this term ‘outside' in other epistles to distinguish between the members and non-members of the local churches (1 Cor. 5:12–13; 1 Thess. 4:12). Our actions towards non-Christians must be controlled, with God's grace shining through our words and works. Respect must be shown for all those who are made in the image of God. This exhortation is to ‘walk' and ‘talk' wisely, and emphasizes the correct use of available time. We get wisdom by worship, prayer, studying and instruction from Godly teachers Time management (v. 5b) Christians are to make the most of all the opportunities that God gives to them. Thus Paul calls upon them to ‘redeem the time'. Although this is, as Thayer says, ‘an obscure phrase', it implies that believers should ‘make time your own property' (NIV) by being diligent in the use of it. Christ is drawing the world and its powers to his judgement seat at his Second Coming (Rom. 8:19), when there will be no more time to evangelize or preach; the days of mercy will then be over and the longed-for ‘not yet' will become a reality. Paul uses the same phrase, ‘redeeming the time', in Ephesians, but adds, ‘because the days are evil' (Eph. 5:15–16). Thus everything is to be done for the glory of God and in the light of eternity, remembering that we live in a fallen universe. Don't put off until tomorrow what should be done today, because procrastination is the thief of time. ‘Redeeming the time' is about making the best use of time, making time your own property, but this will prove impossible unless one is ‘filled with the Spirit' (Eph. 5:18). There is need for the household of God to: REDEEM THE TIME LOST. We cannot turn the clock back—yesterday is lost forever— but today and tomorrow are ours! God said to the prophet Joel, ‘I will restore … the years that the swarming locust has eaten' (Joel 2:25). Time has been lost by procrastination, pleasure, laziness, disobedience, etc.; so let us put these aside and make the most of what time is left. REDEEM THE TIME LEFT. Jesus said, ‘The night is coming when no one can work' (John 9:4). Thus we are reminded that our days are numbered and our time is short. How long do we have left here on earth? How long will the door be opened still? Do we understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5:17)? REDEEM THE TIME LOANED. We can miss opportunities; we can fail to act when opportunity comes; we can be too late and the door can shut. Yet we depend on heaven for the time that we are allowed. Time is loaned to us and, as stewards of Christ, we must use it wisely and grasp it fully with zeal, while we have strength and opportunity. Word management (v. 6) When speaking, care must be taken to be gracious and wise: ‘Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt.' To speak well of Christ, local churches and pastors is the height of wisdom. People are more inclined to ‘read' believers' actions rather than the Bible. Wise words from believers will prevent outsiders slandering the local church, and will help to advance the kingdom of Christ. Christians are to let God's grace teach them how to handle others well. Paul's use of the word ‘always' alerts us to the need to show grace even when provoked (1:11; Eph. 4:29). Because of this, the believer's conversations and retorts need to be ‘seasoned with salt'. Paul is reminding them that the tongue is the most difficult member of the body to control (James 3:1–10). His illustration is apt, as Christian conversation should be both appetizing (tasty) and beneficial (nutritious), thus leaving the outsiders wanting more (1 Tim. 3:7). Put your own name in this verse: ‘Let …'s speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt.' Let this be so when you are with your friends and the tendency is to be unguarded and crude, or when confronted by your enemies and the tendency is to be rude and harsh. Rather let there be a gracious habit of speech, not abusive, not vindictive, but truthful and loving (Eph. 4:15a; 1 Peter 2:23; Prov. 10:32; Eccles. 10:12). Paul is encouraging us to speak the right word to the right person at the right time.          Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

John 5:28-29 tells how the saved will rewarded for their good and those not trusting in Christ will be judged and condemned. Most people don't understand the implications of living for Christ here on earth & how it is going to impact eternity, or else they would live differently. Dan 12:3 says those who teach & lead others to faith will be considered wise & will shine in heaven because of the work they have done for Christ. Mt 13:43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. What will eternity be like for you? Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.  hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/110230052184687338/charity/145555 

INTRODUCTION Paul next applied the implication of this exhortation to various groups of Christians. "What is beyond question is that the three paragraphs which follow are given as examples of Christian submission, and that the emphasis throughout is on submission." He addressed six groups: wives and husbands (3:18-19), children and FATHERS (20-21) and slaves and masters (3:22-4:1). In each of the three pairings, the first partner is responsible to be submissive or obedient However the second partner is also to show a submissive spirit. All are to relate to one another as unto the Lord. This is one of several "house-rule" lists in the New Testament (cf. Eph. 5:22—6:9; 1 timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:1-10; 1 Pet. 2:18—3:7). The writings of some Apostolic Fathers also contain such lists. "Too much so-called 'holiness teaching' emphasizes a personal relationship to Jesus Christ without any attempt to indicate its consequences in terms of relationships with the people we live and work with. In contrast to such holiness-in-a-vacuum, which magnifies experiences and minimizes ethics, the apostles spelled out Christian duty in the concrete situations of everyday life and work." When God controls us, we experience harmony in the home and in the workplace, in spite of possible friction, tension, and opposition there. Up to this point Paul has been describing how we ought to live In what might appear at first to be an abrupt change of direction, Paul begins to describe how various family members are to conduct themselves The responsibilities of wives The responsibilities of husbands The responsibilities of children The responsibilities of fathers The responsibilities of servants or employees The responsibilities of masters or employers 3. But the subject matter is really not so abrupt as it may appear, for Paul mentioned earlier... How the church is to treat each other How we are to put on certain attributes which show we love Christ...and it is through family relationships that we can often do this more successfully than in any other way! 4. How can this be? It is through our families that we interact so much with the society in which we live... Thus it is through our families we have great potential to demonstrate the wisdom of God... The same principles that underlie the gospel message (submission, love, sacrifice, obedience, honesty, fairness) are to be displayed in our family relationships By example, then, we can demonstrate in our families what is truly good and right (i.e., God's will), and prepare others to be receptive to the gospel message!   Thus Paul is not abruptly changing direction, but continues to talk about those sort of things which are crucial to having a "walk worthy of the calling with which you were called". The root problem is pride and wanting first place in everything Satan: Is 12 Submission involves voluntarily putting oneself under another's authority              The idea implicit in the term is “to place under” (in the active voice).  As it is found in our text, the idea would be, “to subordinate oneself” or “to place oneself under.” In general terms, submission is the placing of oneself under the one to whom we submit. Since we are commanded to submit ourselves one to another, we are to place all others above ourselves. This idea is certainly not foreign to the New Testament, nor is it found only where the term “submit” is employed:             It is the love of our Lord which prompted Him to subordinate His own rights and privileges, and to humiliate Himself by taking on human flesh, and then by death on Calvary. In His first coming, Jesus not only submitted Himself to the will of the Father (see Matthew 26:39), He also submitted His interests to the interests of lost sinners, whom He would save by His death, burial, and resurrection:             Phil. 2:3-8 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.            I doubt that any one word can sum up the heart of what the Scriptures mean by submission. Let me suggest several words, each of which identifies a certain element of submission. The first word is “surrender.” Submission is a voluntary act or surrendering one's rights or will. The second word is” sacrifice.”  The third is “service.” The service which is rendered those to whom we submit often involves a sacrifice. It costs us something to render service to the other person. A fourth term is “authority,” while a fifth is “obedience.” When we submit to one who has authority over us, we should evidence this submission, in part, by our obedience. On the other hand, when we submit to those under our authority, we evidence this with sacrificial service. The final term is “priority.” Those to who we submit have, in some manner, priority over us, our rights, our pleasure, or our will.   Mt 8:5-10 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." 7 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! Submission involves Sacrifice and Responsibility Jesus gave up His rights yet maintained His responsibilities. The biblical concept of authority emphasizes responsibility, not tyranny Responsible authority does not wield power; it serves with it." The writer to the Hebrews has much to say about the sacrificial aspects of our Lord's earthly ministry (see chapter 9). We must distinguish between what we are as a person in Christ and what role we are to portray about Christ and His church. We are all given a role to play, but a subordinate role does not imply an inferior relationship to Christ. If someone were to protest that the role they have been given to play is beneath them, Let's remind ourselves that we are not worthy of any role. We were, as sinners, worthy only of Christ's eternal wrath. Any role is a privilege. And, also, that in order to achieve our salvation at Calvary, Jesus took on a role which was beneath Him. Finally, I would say that the values assigned to our roles by our culture are opposite to those assigned by God. Do you think it demeaning to hold a position of service? Our Lord has taught us that to be the greatest is to serve, and not to be served (Matthew 20:20-28,           Mr 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.").    Why, then, should we agonize about any role which God has graciously given to us? A CALL TO WALK IN MATRIMONIAL HARMONY (18-19) DUTIES OF WIVES (18) Submit to their own husbands, as to the Lord (18) DUTIES OF HUSBANDS (19) Love their wives Don”t be bitter towards them FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES THE DUTY OF CHILDREN... (20) Children are to obey their parents in a way that honors them But there are also spiritual repercussions - cf. Co 3:20 ("for this is well pleasing to the Lord") THE DUTY OF FATHERS... (21) Fathers are charged negatively.. DON'T provoke children (i.e., put unreasonable demands on them, exasperate them) Lest they be discouraged THE DUTY OF SERVANTS OR EMPLOYEES... (22) In the First Century A.D., servants or slaves were an intricate part of many households, which may explain Paul including instructions to them and masters in this and parallel passages - cf. Eph 5:22-6:9 Christians who were servants or employees we could say in today's setting were expected to demonstrate the proper kind of obedience required of all Christians... Obedience in sincerity of heart, as to Christ Himself, not with eye service, as men-pleasers Obedience with fear of God, Holy and reverential fear of God[i] - cf. Ph 2:10 Obedience with good will, as to the Lord Obedience with an understanding that the Lord is an impartial Judge In this way even slaves or employees in today's setting could demonstrate by example what true obedience was according to the Will of God Col 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Paul reminds the believers that there are rewards to come for the good and faithful servants of Christ. Christians are to work as if they are in God's service: they ‘serve the Lord Christ'. This is their calling, so they are to do the best they can and pray for grace and protection (Matt. 6:13). Whatever believers do for their Savior here on earth it will not be regretted; in fact, when they reach heaven they will wish that they had given more to him who gave everything for them (John 21:15–17). Ultimately, we do not work for our employer but for the Lord Jesus Christ. Understanding this principle will help produce a better and healthier attitude to work and allow us to do the unpleasant tasks with patience. There are rewards promised and waiting for believers in heaven after a lifetime of faithful service[ii] Col 3:25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. THE DUTY OF MASTERS OR EMPLOYERS... (4:1) Those Christians who had slaves (like Philemon) were charged to treat their servants in very special ways: " give your bondservants what is just and fair", i.e., their treatment of slaves should be governed by the same sort of principles given to the servants...             1) "with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ"             2) "not with eyeservice...but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart"            3) "with good will...as to the Lord, and not to men" By their example, masters could demonstrate the proper exercise of authority, and reveal much about how our Master in heaven rules over us in the kingdom of God! This series of warnings is actually a practical application of Colossians 3:17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” It is by His power and authority that we should live in our daily relationships. If He is the preeminent One in our lives, then we will love each other, submit to each other, obey, and treat one another fairly in the Lord.[iii] Our Lord Jesus became a slave in order to bring about our salvation (Mark 10:45), and thus also became an example of submission for slaves (1 Peter 2:18-25). Paul often referred to himself as the Lord's slave (see Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 9:19). Beyond this, every Christian has been delivered from slavery to sin, and has become a slave of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:16-20; 14:4; 1 Corinthians 7:22). And so the instructions which Paul gives to “slaves” applies to every Christian, as Christ's slave. Paul contrasted masters according to the flesh with the Master of the human spirit, namely, Jesus Christ. Christian slaves owed their earthly masters obedience. Obedience demonstrated their submission to Christ. "Christianity does not offer us escape from circumstances; it offers us conquest of circumstances." Earthly rank has no relevance in heaven As we review this section of duties, we need to remind ourselves that only a WORD filled or Spirit-filled believer will be able to fulfill them (3:16-17). Essentially what Paul urged was humility that expresses itself in loving submissiveness to others rather than arrogant self-assertiveness. CONCLUSION It would be well for us to review Ephesians 5:18–6:9 and note the parallels between that passage and the one we have just studied. This section of Ephesians emphasizes being filled with the Spirit, while the Letter to the Colossians emphasizes being filled with the Word; but the evidences are the same: joyful, thankful, and submissive living. To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Word. The fullness of the Spirit and the fullness of the Word are needed in the home. If family members are controlled by the Spirit of God and the Word of God, they will be joyful, thankful, and submissive—and they will have little trouble getting along with each other. Christian employers and employees will treat each other fairly if they are filled with the Spirit and the Word. The heart of every problem is the problem of the heart, and only God's Spirit and God's Word can change and control the heart. Can the people who live around you detect that you are filled with the Spirit and the Word?[iv]   [i] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 78). Day One Publications. [ii] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 79). Day One Publications. [iii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 145). Victor Books. [iv] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 145). Victor Books.          Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

          Luke 9:26 says “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.    Here we see the contrast between a Christian's reputation now in the eyes of those of the world getting glory here or the good reputation before God in the future getting His glory later.  Which one is it that we seek?  Every day we have a choice are we going to look good in the eyes of the world around us or please the one who died for us.  Most of the time we don't think of it in that way.  But that is how it really is.  It is tough to be a Christian and to be excluded from many of the things that the world does even if it does not involve outright sinful behavior. Too many choose friendship with the world and therefore shame themselves and Jesus' reputation.  When the world sees a Christian they expect us to be different and it is our Godly behavior that causes them to shun us.  Yes, it hurts to be excluded, but is what the world thinks about us more important than what Jesus does?  No, and until we make a stand to be what Jesus called us to be the world will never stand up and take notice of our differentness and hopefully want to trust Christ because it knows what we have is better.  Does your life and mine reflect the glory of Jesus?  What is that we will we hear when we see Jesus after we die?                      “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26)   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions  

Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” This is a PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVE SECOND PERSON PLURAL. Notice that this dwelling is not automatic. Believers must co-operate in the Christian life as they do in salvation. The outlines of Eph. and Col. are very similar. The parallel to this verse in Eph. is 5:18! 3:16–17 There is a theological and structural parallel between Eph. 5:18–21 and Col. 3:16–17. In Eph. there is a PRESENT PASSIVE IMPERATIVE with the passive imperative our responsibility lies in being open to God's operation, the Spirit's working, and Christ's indwelling. Thus the passive imperative preserves in the grammar the most fundamental principle of God's economy, that is, that God is the One who operates in us and yet we are responsible to open to His operation, to allow Him to operate, and to cooperate with His operation. God is sovereign and we are responsible go hand in hand. “ever be filled,” while in Col. there is a Present Active Imperatives are commands that are expected to be followed not once, but as an ongoing process. “let the word of Christ dwell within you.” Also in Eph. the IMPERATIVE is followed by five PRESENT PARTICIPLES which describe the Spirit-filled life: This means, of course, the Word of God. The false teachers came to Colossae with man-made traditions, religious rules, and human philosophies. They tried to harmonize God's Word with their teachings, but they could not succeed. God's Word always magnifies Jesus Christ. It was not the word of false teachers that brought salvation to the Colossians; it was the Word of the truth of the Gospel (Col. 1:5). This same Word gives us life and sustains and strengthens us (1 Peter 1:22–2:3). The Word will transform our lives if we will but permit it to “dwell” in us richly. The word dwell means “to feel at home.” If we have experienced the grace and the peace of Christ, then the Word of Christ will feel at home in our hearts. We will discover how rich the Word is with spiritual treasures that give value to our lives. However, we must not think that Paul wrote this only to individual Christians; for he directed it to the entire church body. “Let the Word of Christ dwell among you” is a possible translation. As it dwells richly in each member of the church, it will dwell richly in the church fellowship. There is a danger today, as there was in Paul's day, that local churches minimize the Word of God. There seems to be a lack of simple Bible teaching in Sunday School classes and pulpits. Far more interest is shown in movies, musical performances, and various entertainments than in God's Word. Many saved people cannot honestly say that God's Word dwells in their hearts richly because they do not take time to read, study, and memorize it. There is (according to Paul) a definite relationship between our knowledge of the Bible and our expression of worship in song. One way we teach and encourage ourselves and others is through the singing of the Word of God. But if we do not know the Bible and understand it, we cannot honestly sing it from our hearts. Perhaps this “poverty of Scripture” in our churches is one cause of the abundance of unbiblical songs that we have today. A singer has no more right to sing a lie than a preacher has to preach a lie. The great songs of the faith were, for the most part, written by believers who knew the doctrines of the Word of God. Many so-called “Christian songs” today are written by people with little or no knowledge of the Word of God. It is a dangerous thing to separate the praise of God from the Word of God.[1] “with all wisdom” This is a play on the false teachers' overemphasis on human knowledge. The word of Christ (the Spirit-filled life) is true wisdom. Wisdom is a person (cf. Prov. 8:22–31) and a lifestyle, not isolated truth or creeds.  “with psalms” The NKJV and NASB translations imply “teaching with songs,” but the NRSV and NJB imply “teachers with songs in their hearts.” Psalms were, of course, the songs taken from the Old Testament. For centuries, the churches in the English-speaking world sang only musical versions of the Psalms. I am glad to see today a return to the singing of Scripture, especially the Psalms. Hymns were songs of praise to God written by believers but not taken from the Psalms. The church today has a rich heritage of hymnody which, I fear, is being neglected. Spiritual songs were expressions of Bible truth other than in psalms and hymns. When we sing a hymn, we address the Lord; when we sing a spiritual song, we address each other. Paul described a local church worship service (1 Cor. 14:26; Col. 3:16). Note that the believer sings to himself as well as to the other believers and to the Lord. Our singing must be from our hearts and not just our lips. But if the Word of God is not in our hearts, we cannot sing from our hearts. This shows how important it is to know the Word of God, for it enriches our public and private worship of God. Our singing must be with grace. This does not mean “singing in a gracious way,” but singing because we have God's grace in our hearts. It takes grace to sing when we are in pain, or when circumstances seem to be against us. It certainly took grace for Paul and Silas to sing in that Philippian prison (Acts 16:22–25). Our singing must not be a display of fleshly talent; it must be a demonstration of the grace of God in our hearts. Someone has said that a successful Christian life involves attention to three books: God's Book, the Bible; the pocketbook; and the hymn book. As a believer grows in his knowledge of the Word, he will want to grow in his expression of praise. He will learn to appreciate the great hymns of the church, the Gospel songs, and the spiritual songs that teach spiritual truths. To sing only the elementary songs of the faith is to rob himself of spiritual enrichment. Before we leave this section, we should notice an important parallel with Ephesians 5:18–6:9. In his Letter to the Ephesians, Paul emphasized being filled with the Spirit; in his Letter to the Colossians, he emphasized being filled with the Word. But the evidences of this spiritual fullness are the same! How can we tell if a believer is filled with the Spirit? He is joyful, thankful, and submissive (Eph. 5:19–21); all of this shows up in his relationships in the home and on the job (Eph. 5:22–6:9). How can we tell if a believer is filled with the Word of God? He is joyful, thankful, and submissive (Col. 3:16–4:1).[1] The Spirit-filled life is daily Christlikeness or allowing the word of Christ and the mind of Christ to guide in every area, especially interpersonal relationships. The key is the heart of the worshiper, not the form of the music (cf. 3:17). Col 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. THE SERVICE OF LOVE: The work of Christ must be done in the manner of Christ. Believers are to live and act as those who bear his name and must do nothing that would make them ashamed to say that they are Christians. This is a principle to live by: ‘whatever you do' (v. 17), whether at home, at work, in the church, or out and about. This sense of duty must also be accompanied with a sense of gratitude and note of praise, ‘giving thanks to God the Father through him'. Giving thanks declares the gratitude of grace and the praise of peace. 3:17 “Whatever you do in word or deed” This is a major spiritual truth. Believers must relate all their motives and actions to God through Christ. Every aspect of our lives is “as unto the Lord.” Believers do not live for themselves (cf. v. 23; Rom. 14:7–9; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Cor. 5:15; Eph. 6:7; 1 Pet. 4:11). This truth could revolutionize the modern, western, individual-focused church[1] The Name of Christ (Col. 3:17) In modern society, we pay little attention to names. But the ancient world held a man's name to be of utmost importance. Often, during Old Testament days, God changed a person's name because of some important experience or some new development. As Christians, we bear the name of Christ. The word Christian is found only three times in the entire New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). The name was given originally as a term of contempt, but gradually it became a name of honor. The name of Christ, then, means identification: we belong to Jesus Christ. But His name also means authority. A man's name signed to a check authorizes the withdrawal of money from the bank. The President's name signed to a bill makes it a law. In the same way, it is in the name of Jesus Christ that we have the authority to pray (John 14:13–14; 16:23–26). Because Jesus Christ is God, and He has died for us, we have authority in His name. All that we say and do should be associated with the name of Jesus Christ. By our words and our works, we should glorify His name. If we permit anything into our lives that cannot be associated with the name of Jesus, then we are sinning. We must do and say everything on the authority of His name and for the honor of His name. Bearing the name of Jesus is a great privilege, but it is also a tremendous responsibility. We suffer persecution because we bear His name (John 15:20–21). [1] Note that Paul again mentioned thanksgiving in this Colossian letter. Whatever we do in the name of Christ ought to be joined with thanksgiving. If we cannot give thanks, then we had better not do it or say it! This is the fifth of six references in Colossians to thanksgiving (Col. 1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 17; 4:2). When we remember that Paul was a Roman prisoner when he wrote this letter, it makes this emphasis on thanksgiving that much more wonderful. As we review these four spiritual motivations for godly living, we are impressed with the centrality of Jesus Christ. We forgive because Christ forgave us (Col. 3:13). It is the peace of Christ that should rule in our hearts (Col. 3:15). The Word of Christ should dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16). The name of Christ should be our identification and our authority. “Christ is all, and in all” (Col. 3:11). Since we are united with Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have all the resources we need for holy living. But we must be spiritually motivated. Because we have experienced the grace of Christ, we want to live for Him. Because we have enjoyed the peace of Christ, we want to obey Him. We have been enriched by the Word of Christ, and raised to the rank of nobility by the name of Christ; therefore, we want to honor and glorify Him. Can we desire any higher motivation?[1]        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions    

            Ephraim got an inheritance from the Lord as His people when they entered the promised land.  This inheritance was to be one that had crops, land, animals, houses, and fruit trees which they did not plant nor build.  God had said He would drive the people out little by little so that the land would not be overgrown and taken over again by wild animals and become difficult to live in. God put this in the Bible in Exodus 23:29-31 so that we would know that just as He said He would drive these people out little by little, that this is a picture of driving out the sin in our lives once we become believers. He also states that we also have the responsibility of driving out the sin in our lives, but now we have His Power as believers to do so.  So, it is not let go and let God, rather God said He would, but we have to do our part in ridding our lives of the sin that He puts His finger on and says must go. Are we depending on and trusting in His power to do what He asks us to do or are we trying in our own strength?  If we are trying instead of trusting, we will fail and be like the Israelites who did not drive the sinful inhabitants out and so were plagued by them the rest of their lives.                     Joshua 16:8-10 The border went out from Tappuah westward to the Brook Kanah, and it ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families. 9 The separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.10 And they did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and have become forced laborers. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. (Psalm 61:4)   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions  

Love: a new goal Col 3:14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 3:14 “put on love which is the perfect bond of unity” Love, which issues in unity, is the distinctive mark of the Christian (cf. Eph. 4:2–3; 1 Cor, 13; Gal. 5:22). Paul leaves the greatest and highest grace to the last: ‘But above all these things put on love'. Christian love is above all these other important and beautiful graces because it is self-sacrificing, self-giving, and the fulfilment of both the law and the gospel. It is a new commandment given to us by our Savior (John 13:34–35). The local church needs lashings of love for unity to be maintained. Put on … love (Col. 3:14). This is the most important of the Christian virtues, and it acts like a “girdle” that ties all the other virtues together. All of the spiritual qualities Paul has named are aspects of true Christian love, as a reading of 1 Corinthians 13 will reveal. Love is the first of the fruit of the Spirit and the other virtues follow—joy (Col. 3:16), peace (Col. 3:15), long-suffering, gentleness, kindness, and meekness (Col. 3:12). When love rules in our lives, it unites all these spiritual virtues so that there is beauty and harmony, indicating spiritual maturity. This harmony and maturity keep the life balanced and growing. The gnostic system could never do this.[1] Once again, Paul gives the Colossians the responsibility for making changes to their lives. The new clothes are beautiful gifts from God, but putting them on is the work of every individual Christian. The most important item of all is love, which Paul imagines as either an overgarment or a belt. Love unites all the other qualities, and makes the outfit perfect.[1] THE SUPREMACY OF LOVE: ‘above all these things put on love'. Philosophy was the ‘false teachers” trump card, however, ‘the love of God poured out in our hearts' (Rom. 5:5) is the ultimate thing. It is superior to all other graces (1 Cor. 13; 1 Thes. 3:12). THE STRENGTH OF LOVE: ‘which is the bond of perfection'. Love is like cement or belt that binds all the holy graces together in perfect harmony. Love completes and to keep our illustration of holy apparel, it completes the outfit. If there is no love then the other graces are only duty, cold morality or at best good manners. But love makes them all acceptable to God (even when they are imperfect). Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. In this verse Paul turned from character to conduct. How can a Christian know when he is doing God's will? One answer is: the peace of Christ in the heart and in the church. When the believer loses his inner peace, he knows that he has in some way disobeyed God. 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ” This term originally meant “binding together that which was broken” (cf. John 14:27; 16:33; Phil. 4:7). There are three ways the NT speaks of peace: (1) as the objective (doctrinal) aspect of our peace with God through Christ (cf. Col. 1:20); (2) as the subjective (experiential) aspect of our being right with God (cf. John 14:27; 16:33; Phil. 4:7); and (3) as God's uniting believing Jews and Gentiles into one new people (body) through Christ which is the mystery of God (cf. Eph. 2:14–17; Col. 3:15). The word translated “rule” is an athletic term. It means “to preside at the games and distribute the prizes.” Paul used a variation of this word in his Letter to the Colossians: “Let no one declare you unworthy of a prize” (literal translation, Col. 2:18). In the Greek games, there were judges (we would call them umpires) who rejected the contestants who were not qualified, and who disqualified those who broke the rules. The peace of God is the “Umpire” in our believing hearts and our churches. When we obey the will of God, we have His peace within; but when we step out of His will (even unintentionally), we lose His peace. THE SIGN OF LOVE: love teaches us how to talk to each other, how to cope with each other and how to forgive. It fills the heart with God's peace (v. 15). This is a subjective ‘peace' (it is felt within) which is intended to ‘rule', i.e. to ‘act like an umpire' who keeps us right and tells us when we are wrong. There must be no racial barriers, cultural barriers or social barriers when love is in control. Love is a telling sign of regeneration. We must beware, however, of a false peace in the heart. Jonah deliberately disobeyed God, yet he was able to go to sleep in the hold of a ship in a storm! “I had peace about it!” is not sufficient evidence that we are in the will of God. We must pray, surrender to His will, and seek His guidance in the Scriptures. The peace of heart alone is not always the peace of God. Something else is involved: if we have peace in our hearts, we will be at peace with others in the church. We are called to one body, and our relationship in that body must be one of harmony and peace. If we are out of the will of God, we are certain to bring discord and disharmony to the church. Jonah thought he was at peace, when actually his sins created a storm! When a Christian loses the peace of God, he begins to go off in directions that are out of the will of God. He turns to the things of the world and the flesh to compensate for his lack of peace within. He tries to escape, but he cannot escape himself! It is only when he confesses his sin, claims God's forgiveness, and does God's will that he experiences God's peace within. When there is peace in the heart, there will be praise on the lips: “And be ye thankful” (Col. 3:15). The Christian out of God's will is never found giving sincere praise to God. When David covered up his sins, he lost his peace and his praise (Pss. 32; 51). When he confessed his sins, then his song returned.[1]  “rule” This is a PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVE. In contrast to the false teachers acting as umpires in 2:18, Christ is our only judge, guide and arbiter.  “you were called” God always takes the initiative in calling, electing, and wooing believers to Himself (cf. v. 12; John 6:44, 65; Eph. 1:4–5, 11). The term “calling” (kaleō) is used in several theological senses: (1) sinners are called by God through Christ to salvation; (2) sinners call on the name of the Lord to be saved (cf. Rom. 10:9–13); (3) believers are called to live Christ like lives (cf. Eph. 4:1); and (4) believers are called to ministry tasks (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4–7).  “in one body” This speaks of unity amidst diversity (cf. 1:18, 24; Eph. 4:4–6)! Notice that the emphasis is not on personal election, but corporate election. Salvation is corporate, not just individual. In reaction to the abuses of power in the Roman Church, the Protestant Reformers emphasized the rights and responsibilities of the individual before God. However, their formulation became a biblical overstatement. The Bible does not teach the “priesthood of the believer,” but “the priesthood of believer s.” It is not a doctrine which emphasizes the freedom of the individual, but the body-life responsibility of each believer (cf. 1 Cor. 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:).  “be thankful” This was a PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVE, “keep on always being thankful.” Thankfulness is a sign of Christian maturity, of the Spirit-filled life (cf. v. 17; Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 5:18). It is not a resignation to determinism (Islam), but a biblical world-view that God is with us and for us even amidst the difficulties and circumstances of this fallen world!        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

                Many times we want to be thought of highly enough that others would do something for us. But think about this that Jesus who is God in human flesh came to earth and humbled Himself and served others while He was here. Philippians 2:1-11 speaks of thinking of others more highly than ourselves and looking out for their interests too. It also says being humble was the mindset that Christ had and we should have it too. Is this the way we go about our day, do we think of what we could do for others rather than what we can do for ourselves or what others can do or have done for us?          For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Col 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 3:12 “chosen of God, holy and beloved” These terms were used to describe Israel (Exod. 19:5–6), but now they describe the church (cf. Gal. 6:16; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6). Notice that the goal of the People of God is holiness (cf. Eph. 1:4), not a privileged standing. Israel was chosen as a tool to reach all humans made in the image of God. Israel missed her evangelistic mandate (cf. Gen. 12:3; Exod. 19:5). The Church has clearly been given this assignment (cf. Matt. 28:19–20; Acts 1:8). Believers are called to holiness and to be witnesses. Christians are defined here as ‘the elect of God, holy and beloved'. This means that God has chosen them from eternity for salvation. Once saved, Christians are holy before God, being set apart in Christ by the Holy Spirit who indwells them. If we are saved we are highly loved by an act of divine love that flows from his heart (Rom. 9:13a)[1] Chosen by God, set apart for God, loved by God, and forgiven by God. They all add up to GRACE! Now, because of these gracious blessings, the Christian has some solemn responsibilities before God. He must put on the beautiful graces of the Christian life. Paul named eight graces.[1] “Put on the new man,” says Paul. “Put on mercy, kindness, and humility. Put on meekness, longsuffering, and love.” In short, put on Christ.[1]  “put on” This is an AORIST MIDDLE IMPERATIVE which indicates urgency. This is the continuing use of clothing as a symbol and mandate for the Christian life. It is even possible that this was baptismal terminology (cf. Gal. 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ). Put on …NASB “a heart of compassion” and indicates deep feelings[1] NKJV “tender mercies” TEV Today's English Version “compassion” NJB The New Jerusalem Bible “heartfelt compassion”                 This is literally “bowels of compassion” (cf. 2 Cor. 6:12; Phil. 1:8; 2:1; Philemon 7, 12, 20). The ancients believed the seat of emotion was located in the lower intestines (abdomen). Kindness, gentleness and patience are part of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul describes in his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 5:22). They help Christians live in harmony with one another. Compassion and humility may sound like weaknesses. But Jesus showed in his own life that compassion and humility are at the heart of God.[1] Put on … “kindness” is the desire for another's good, and shows sweetness of disposition. This should be the Christian's response to others (cf. Rom. 2:4; 9:23; 11:22; 2 Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:22; Col. 3:12; Titus 3:4). Put on … “humility” Humility of mind' speaks of lowliness (Eph. 4:2; Phil. 2:3–5) and allows us to recognize that we have no reason or right to be self-confident.[1] This is a uniquely Christian virtue (cf. Eph. 4:2; Phil. 2:3). The Stoics viewed meekness (humbleness) as weakness and did not include it in their list of virtues. Only two people in the Bible are called humble, Moses (cf. Num. 12:3) and Jesus (cf. Matt. 11:29; Phil. 2:8). This becomes the will of God for every believer (cf. Matt. 18:4; 23:12; James 4:6, 10; 1 Pet. 5:5, 6). This term is used in a negative sense in 2:18, 23. The pagan world of Paul's day did not admire humility. Instead, they admired pride and domination. Jesus Christ is the greatest example of humbleness of mind (Phil. 2:1ff). Humility is not thinking poorly of oneself. Rather, it is having the proper estimate of oneself in the will of God (Rom. 12:3). The person with humbleness of mind thinks of others first and not of himself.[1] Put on … “gentleness or meekness” means Power under control. This originally referred to domesticated animals (horses, camels, donkeys) whose strength had been channeled for their master's purpose. God does not want to break us, but direct His giftedness to His glory. Paul often uses this metaphor for the Christian life (cf. 1 Cor. 4:21; 2 Cor. 10:1; Gal. 5:23; 6:1; Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:25).      Put on … ‘Meekness' is the opposite of self-interest and reveals itself in gentleness. It is a spirit of quiet submission, not weakness but rather a spirit of Christian courtesy. Thomas Watson once said, ‘Meekness is a grace whereby we are enabled by the Spirit of God to moderate our passions' (see 2 Cor. 10:1[1] Put on …Longsuffering or patience” This is often used of God's patience with people (cf. Rom. 2:4; 9:22; Titus 3:2, 1 Pet. 3:20) or Jesus' patience (cf. 1 Tim. 1:16; 2 Pet. 3:15). It is used to exhort believers in their treatment of one another (cf. 1 Cor. 13:4; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:2; 2 Tim. 4:2). This word is literally “long-temper.” The short-tempered person speaks and acts impulsively and lacks self-control. When a person is long-suffering, he can put up with provoking people or circumstances without retaliating. It is good to be able to get angry, for this is a sign of holy character. But it is wrong to get angry quickly at the wrong things and for the wrong reasons.[1]      Patience in the face of provocation and suffering. This is a divine attribute (Rom. 2:4; 9:22). It is the opposite of anger and ‘it is associated with mercy'. Kindness, gentleness and patience are part of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul describes in his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 5:22). They help Christians live in harmony with one another. Compassion and humility may sound like weaknesses. But Jesus showed in his own life that compassion and humility are at the heart of God.[1] Col 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.  ASB, NKJV “bearing with one another” NJB “bear with one another” TEV “be tolerant with one another” Put on forbearance …bearing with one another is a PRESENT MIDDLE PARTICIPLE (used as an IMPERATIVE) which implies voluntary non-retaliation (cf. Eph. 4:2; Phil. 2:3–4). This word literally means “to hold up” or “to hold back.” God is forbearing toward sinners in that He holds back His judgment (Rom. 2:4; 3:25). Meekness, long-suffering, and forbearance go together.[1] Paul emphasizes forgiveness, as Jesus used to do. Forgiving one another and being forgiven by God belong closely together—indeed, they are inseparable (Matthew 6:14–15).[1] Put on forgiveness … “forgiving each other” This is a PRESENT MIDDLE (deponent) PARTICIPLE. It is from the same Greek root as grace, “freely forgive.” One sign of believers being forgiven is that they forgive others (cf. Matt. 5:7; 6:15; 18:22–35; Mark 11:25; Luke 6:36–38; James 2:13; 5:9). Forgiveness of others is not the basis of forgiveness, but it is its fruit. “whoever has a complaint” This is a THIRD CLASS CONDITIONAL SENTENCE which meant probable future action. There will be complaints! Christians will be at odds with other Christians, but Jesus' cross should put a stop to it (cf. Rom. 14:1–15:13).  “just as the Lord forgave you” This is the basis for believers' actions toward others (cf. Eph. 4:32; Rom. 15:7). The point here is that of keeping oneself in check even when irritated by others, and the forgetting of offences personally received. We have to do so looking to Christ as our example: ‘even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do'. Believers can, and must, be a forgiving people (Matt. 6:14–15). Peter was told to forgive up to seventy times seven (Matt. 18:22). Note that Paul is still discoursing on Christian freedom! The antinomians will not like this clear and indisputable call from Paul because they consider themselves not under the law of obedience. However, a forgiving attitude marks out a true Christian from a false one.[1] This is the logical result of all that Paul has written so far in this section. It is not enough that the Christian must endure grief and provocation, and refuse to retaliate; he must also forgive the troublemaker. If he does not, then feelings of malice will develop in the heart; and these can lead to greater sins.[1]        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

                 Many people refuse to recognize Jesus as God, worship Him, and trust in Him.  But in Luke 8:26-39 we see these demons, apparently thousands of them who have possessed this man recognize Jesus as the Most High God. They know that one day they will be sent to hell and so they ask Jesus not to send them there at this time.  This man has been shackled, bound with chains and the strength of the demons in him allow him to escape each time.  He is tormented and living like an animal until Jesus comes along.  Jesus has more power than any chain, shackle or anything man can come up with.  Jesus casts the demons into some pigs and sets the man free. The man becomes a believer in Christ and wants to follow Jesus, but he is told to go tell everyone what Jesus has done for him.  Jesus can set us free from any problem that overwhelms us so that we can live for Him. Are you struggling with a sin that is beating you over and over? He can set you free. Have you ever trusted in Jesus as Savior? Have you been to Jesus for His cleansing power and been washed in the blood of the Lamb? I had someone one time ask me if Jesus can set us free, why are we not free.  The answer is we are only as free as we want to be and if you are not free it is because you don't want to be.  Are you ready for Jesus to set you free?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhG25DnZoog                           Luke 8:26-31,38-39 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!" 29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. 30 Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. 38 Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you." And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

  After warning us against the sensual sins, Paul then pointed out the dangers of the social sins (Col. 3:8–9 Because we are alive in Christ, we must seek the things that are above. And, because we died with Christ, we must put off the things that belong to the earthly life of past sin. The result is that we can become like Jesus Christ! God wants to renew us and make us into the image of His Son! The Greek verbs translated put off and put on (Col. 3:9–10) indicate a once-for-all action. When we trust Christ, we put off the old life and put on the new. The old man has been buried, and the new man is now in control. But the verb translated “renewed” is a present participle—“who is constantly being renewed.” The crisis of salvation leads to the process of sanctification, becoming more like Jesus Christ. God's purpose for us is that we be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29).      Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F

GOD'S TRUE FAMILY                  Jesus had just got through teaching on the soils and the seeds when this scene happens in Luke 8:19-21. This parable in Luke 8 shows you that not all people who go to church or follow Jesus are the real thing.  The parable of the four soils or seeds makes this very clear.  This is not four different kinds of Christians in this parable; it is one real Christian who bears fruit and three who never become Christians.  So, Jesus speaks here of listening carefully.  He says that those who because of not believing will have what truth they seem to have taken from them, but more truth would be given to those believing what He had already told them.  Jesus says when they tell Him that His mother and brothers are outside wanting to see Him that only the true believers are His family, not those who say and do not do.  What do your words and deeds say about you? Which soil are you?  Are you a true believer?              Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You. "But Jesus answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the Word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:19-21)   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

It may surprise us to read that holiness starts with a negative action: ‘Therefore put to death …' (v. 5); later we have the positive side: ‘Therefore … put on' (vv. 12–17). These appeals are undoubtedly of a high moral and spiritual standard and they will challenge and search the soul; but they must not be rebelled against nor neglected. It is the Christian's calling to seek God's grace so as to walk in a holy manner. Paul exhorts them to refuse to yield to the appeal of sin: ‘Put to death your members'. We possess a fallen human nature, but the call is to subdue the passion and power of the flesh (cf. 1 Thes. 4:3, 7). Holiness negatively considered (vv. 5–11) Sinful self-indulgence (vv. 5–7) Col 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. The word mortify means “put to death.” Because we have died with Christ (Col. 3:3), we have the spiritual power to slay the earthly, fleshly desires that want to control us. Paul called this “reckoning” ourselves to be dead to sin but alive in Christ (Rom. 6:11). Our Lord used the same idea when He said, “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out” (Matt. 5:29–30).[i] John Owen's said The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin.[ii] The reliance on the Holy Spirit to help us overcome sin is the only way that works. All other ways of mortification are vain, all helps leave us helpless; it must be done by the Spirit…Mortification from self strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world.[iii] 1Sa 15:32 Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me." So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." 33 But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. Not only was Paul negative in this paragraph, but he also named sins; and some people do not like that. These sins belong to the old life and have no place in our new life in Christ. Furthermore, God's judgment falls on those who practice these sins; and God is no respecter of persons. God's wrath fell on the Gentile world because of these sins (Rom. 1:18ff), and His wrath will fall again. “Because of these, the wrath of God is coming,” Paul warned (Col. 3:6,). Five self-indulgent sins of the flesh, mind and heart are listed here. Christians must put them all to death. ‘Fornication' is sexual immorality in general and includes sex outside of marriage which is contrary to God's law. ‘Uncleanness' is moral impurity of all kinds and has an inward reference here to the mind and thoughts including “lustful impurity that is connected with luxury and loose living.”.                                 ‘Passion' is lust that uses others for self-gratification. It describes a state of mind that excites sexual impurity. The person who cultivates this kind of appetite can always find opportunity to satisfy it[iv] ‘Evil [wicked] desire' is a craving for evil things. desires lead to deeds, appetites lead to actions. If we would purify our actions, then we must first purify our minds and hearts. What we desire usually determines what we do[v] If I create in my children an appetite for candy, then I must satisfy that appetite. If they become overweight and unhealthy, then I must change their appetites, and I must teach them how to enjoy foods other than sweets. “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 51:10) should be our prayer; for it is out of the heart that these evil desires come (Mark 7:21–23).[vi]  ‘Covetousness which is idolatry' is not a reference to stone or silver gods or goddesses, but to a greedy heart. Greed is idolatry. Literally, it is ‘to have more'—thus adultery is idolatry, as it wants more.         Covetousness is the sin of always wanting more, whether it be more things or more pleasures. The covetous person is never satisfied with what he has, and he is usually envious of what other people have. This is idolatry, for covetousness puts things in the place of God. “Thou shalt not covet” is the last of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:17). Yet this sin can make us break all of the other nine! A covetous person will dishonor God, take God's name in vain, lie, steal, and commit every other sin in order to satisfy his sinful desires.[vii] Col 3:6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. Do believers in local churches commit such sins? Unfortunately, they sometimes do. Each of the New Testament epistles sent to local churches makes mention of these sins and warns against them. I am reminded of a pastor who preached a series of sermons against the sins of the saints. A member of his congregation challenged him one day and said that it would be better if the pastor preached those messages to the lost. “After all,” said the church member, “sin in the life of a Christian is different from sin in the lives of other people.” “Yes” replied the pastor, “it's worse!”           God hates these sins. They are against his moral law (Exod. 20), and those who do them are called ‘sons of disobedience' (v. 6); unrepentant sinners will feel the just wrath of God (Matt. 10:28; 25:19–30; 2 Thes. 1:8–9).        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions   [i] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 134). Victor Books. [ii] VI:7. [iii] VI:7. [iv] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 135). Victor Books. [v] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 135). Victor Books. [vi] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 135). Victor Books. [vii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 135). Victor Books.

         Luke 7:47-50 tells the story of a very sinful woman who by faith trusts in Christ and is forgiven her many sins.  I am always thankful to see those who at a young age trust Christ and don't end up in a life of misery because of their many sins.  But it is amazing sometimes to see how people who have lived such a sinful life, that when they do trust Christ, how much they end up being used by Him.  Jesus says the same thing here, that this woman knowing just how sinful she was showed great love and sacrifice in what she did for Christ.  It takes the same grace to save a young person who is without great sin in their life as it does to save a great sinner, yet how often does that person who has been saved most of their life remember how great a Savior Jesus is and but by the grace of God they could have been in the same place as the great sinner? If you were saved at a young age, don't forget to be thankful for all that God saved you from and serve Him in a mighty way.  If you have been saved from such a sinful life, don't ever forget how much He loves you.  Be a grateful servant and do much for Him because He deserves all the honor and glory for what He has done and continues to do in our lives.                  Luke 7:47-50 "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." 48 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” (Luke 7:23) “Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” (Luke 7:35)   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

In view of these truths Christians need not pursue another way that claims to provide more than we have in Christ. God has provided all that we need, both for acceptance by Him and for godly living in Christ. All we need to do is to apply the implications of these truths,   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

In Luke 7:11-17 we see Jesus having compassion on a widow by raising her son from the dead.  This was the woman's only son and she was emotionally and financially destitute without him to support her.  Jesus demonstrates the kind of love and compassion we should have for those who are not able to take care of themselves.  We cannot raise the dead as Jesus did, but we can pray for, support, and help those who have no one and nothing or not enough to financially take care of them. It is interesting that nearly all of the instances of raising the dead in the Bible are for women.  We are to take care of the helpless, the hopeless, and hurting people by showing them the love of Christ.  Who is it that needs us to help them in some way today?                    Luke 7:11-17 Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. 12 And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." 14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." 15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. 16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people." 17 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Paul moved from doctrine to practice, from the truth to its application in daily living. In order to encourage his readers to turn away from their false teachers Paul reminded them of their union with Christ. He also urged them to continue living in keeping with their position in Christ. Chapter three begins the practical division of the book of Colossians. Paul now moves to the positive. Not only does the death of Christ relate to the believer but so does the resurrection of Christ. The one relates to our salvation in the past; the other relates to our future. Not only is the Christian to relinquish his pre-death life but he is to seek the post-resurrection life of Christ. Jesus liberated us from legalism. We have new privileges in Christ. Chapter three launches our responsibility to live up to our privilege.             Chapter 3 follows chapter 2. In chapter 2 he talked about those things which are below. He's thinking about those things that are on the earth, and he defined those things which are on the earth. And then he goes into chapter 3 and says, “But if you be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.”   Our passage is really a hinge passage.  In the first half of Colossians, we have four chapters and we're moving our way into the second half now, in the first half as Paul tends to do in many of his letters, he is making many revealing statements of theological truth.  This includes statements where he is saying things like here is who Christ is.  That's one category of these revealing statements, here is who Christ is.  He is the image of the invisible God, He is the firstborn of all creation, by Him all things were created, He is before all things and in Him all things hold together, and He is the head of the body, the church.  So, it's here who Christ is.  Then there are these statements of here is who you are, Christian.  You were formerly alienated and engaged in evil deeds, but “now you have been redeemed and forgiven and reconciled, now you have been rescued from that domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13) and transferred into the kingdom of His beloved Son.”  So, it's here who Christ is; here is who you are, believer.  Then category three; has been and here is who they are, meaning the false teachers.  Those would be the ones who would seek to take you captive through philosophy and empty deception.  Those would be the ones who would seek to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or festivals or new moons or Sabbath days.  Those would be the ones who would seek to defraud you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of angels.  Those would be the ones who would take their stand on visions that they say they have seen and who are inflated without cause in their fleshly mind.  And those would be the ones who promote self-made religion (Colossians 2:23), self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, which he says, “are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”    But in Colossians 3, Paul is moving away from this is who Christ is and this is who you are, and this is who they are type of statements, he's moving away from these revealing statements to giving us more commands.  Now he is going to do so in Colossians 3 and 4 and be no less theological and no less doctrinal, but the words here in Colossians 3 and 4, that we're going to cover in the future have more of a finger in your chest, step on your toes, this is what you have to do now tone to them.            In verses 1 and 2, he is going to highlight events that happened at a fixed point in the past.  “You have been raised up with Christ,” he says.  Then in verse 3 he is going to use a different verb tense, one that has more present-day ramifications.  “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  In verse 4 he is going to get into yet another verb tense, one that is more futuristic in its orientation when he says, “When Christ who is our life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”  So, as we survey this section of inspired Scripture what we're going to witness is Paul not only slowly transitioning from giving more commands than mere statements.  Layered on top of that we're going to see him make these statements that pull in from the past, that point to the present and also highlight the future.  It's a magnificent section of Scripture.  No wonder H. C. G. Moule, the old Anglican bishop, said this.  He said, “It is one of the golden paragraphs of the whole Bible” "If then you were raised with Christ" OR therefore since We could translate "If" as "Since" (first class condition in Greek). It introduces another "in Christ" position that Paul assumed to be true for the sake of his argument and which is indeed true (cf. 2:20). Paul returned to his thought about the believer's union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (2:9-15).           That God has already raised us with Christ, is an assumed fact. It is a fact that God has raised us with Christ (Eph 2:5,6). God sees better than we do but he expects us to see what he has done in Christ with the eye of faith. This has nothing to do with our feelings. We cannot taste, feel or smell positional truth. Our position in Christ is infallible, unalterable, eternal and exalted. God said it and our faith lays hold of it. All God wants is for us to lay hold of our privilege by faith. Our present resurrection with Christ is one of many expressions of our position in Christ. Positional truth cannot change. It is something we have forever with Christ. God provides our position with Christ. He establishes this position forever entirely apart from merit at the moment of our salvation. We can draw power daily from this resource. PRINCIPLE: God expects us to live the Christian life on the declared fact of our resurrection with Christ.                    Two present commands identify the Christian's responsibilities: "keep seeking" (v. 1) and "set your minds on" (v. 2). Since God raised us with Christ, and we are already as good as seated with Him in heaven, we should keep seeking heavenly things. Keep looking up (cf. Heb. 12:12:1-2) "seek those things which are above" is translated as Keep Seeking "Seek" is the first of many commands in the remaining practical section of Colossians. "Seek" means to pursue, search for, endeavor to obtain, desire to possess. If a legalist were writing this he would write "Don't ...." but Paul writes "Seek..." God wants us to apply our eternal privileges to time. Make those privileges our scope of daily living. Center our lives on the ascended and glorified Christ. "'Seek' (zeteite) implies here not an investigation but an effort to obtain.       We are to travel in this world as we walk through our lives, but instead is a reference to the direction that our gaze should be going, as those whose citizenship (Philippians 3:20) is in heaven, as those whose inheritance (I Peter 1:4) is reserved in heaven and as those who (as Hebrews 11:16 says) are awaiting a heavenly country.           What you seek is what your ambition is. Your ambition is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33) The devil doesn't care what on earth you may seek, as long as you do not seek those things which are above.        The next verses explain how to go about seeking things above. Non-Christians are earth-bound, secular, materialists. They operate in a world of taste, see and feel. They spend all their time trying to keep body and soul together. That is life to them. They do not know that there is more to life than that. For the Christian, his life is Christ (v.4). This is far more than existence. When we center our lives on Christ, life takes on a purpose, a life worth living.           The Bible is the mind of God reduced to writing. We have what we need for the Christian life in writing. We have the Holy Spirit to help us dig it out.            God wants us to rest on what Christ has done, not on what we do. Everything we have before God is because we have been incorporated in Christ at our salvation. The Christian experience must relate to our position in Christ. "where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God" Jesus is seated at "the right hand of God." This is the completeness of our position. Our status quo before God in Christ is already finished in God's eyes. Our position is complete in the mind of God. "The description of Christ as 'seated at the right hand of God' is another implied response to those who were seeking to diminish Christ's role as mediator, inasmuch as the right hand of God is a metaphor for the place of supreme privilege and divine authority."5 Colossians 3:2 "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." "Set your mind on things above"           The Christian's second responsibility it to continually set his or her mind on the things above (the things of heaven; i.e., our spiritual blessings and hope, our Savior's desires, etc.) rather than on the things that are only physical and temporal. They should occupy a large place in our thought lives.        Paul turns to a stronger term than "seek" of verse one -- "Set your mind." "Set your mind" places stress on the whole bent of life while "seek" emphasizes the pursuit of more concrete goals.     "You must not only seek heaven; you must also think heaven." 1 lightfoot            From now on the Christian will see everything in the light and against the background of eternity. He will no longer live as if this world was all that mattered; he will see this world against the background of the larger world of eternity. … He will, for instance, set giving above getting, serving above ruling, forgiving above avenging. The Christian will see things, not as they appear to men, but as they appear to God."2             "The Christian has to keep his feet upon the earth, but his head in the heavens. He must be heavenly- minded here on earth and so help to make earth like heaven."3            The two commands differ in that the first emphasizes the more practical pursuits of life whereas the second stresses the whole bent of the life. The first is outward and the second is inward.         Intellectual brilliance, advanced education, or unusual physical strength are not required for a Christian to become great in God's estimation. What He requires is faithful perseverance in the basics of the Christian life. Any Christian can do this since we all have the help of the Lord Himself.           If the Christian is to survive in spiritual war, his mind must focus on eternal things (2 Cor. 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.   "Seek" in verse one implies striving; Set your mind implies concentration. "Mind" includes understanding, attitude and the will. It means to employ one's faculty for thoughtful planning, with emphasis upon the underlying attitude -- to have an attitude, to think in a particular manner as in the attitude that Christ Jesus had (Phil. 2.5).            "Christ's sitting at God's right hand is the exercise of all the majesty and the power of deity according to his human nature."2 "That is a place, heaven itself, where a glorified Man, Himself God the Son, is seated, His work of salvation finished."3     This word also means to keep on giving serious consideration to something -- to ponder, to let one's mind dwell on, to keep thinking about, to fix one's attention on as here -- "Let your mind dwell on the things which are above." God wants us to love "things above." The Greek emphasizes "things above." "Things above" are the things which are ultimately essential, belonging to God. He wants our desire to orient around them.    Our greatest need is to think about God's divine operating assets which he has provided for us. God wants us to think about Christ and what he has done for us. We need to think about our union or position with him eternally. "not on things on the earth" "Things on the earth" is set in contrast to "things above." These are moral things, not physical things. This is not Gnostic contempt for material things. Paul is not pushing spiritual escapism such as becoming a monk or hiding from everyday life. Rather, our Christianity operates within the framework of everyday life whether in work or marriage. God created physical things for our enjoyment (Ps. 24).           Philippians 3:19-20 contrasts those who "mind earthly things" with those whose citizenship is in heaven. PRINCIPLE: God does not want us to focus on the trivial but on the eternal. APPLICATION: Most of the things we think about are materialistic. It is not wrong to think about material things as long as material things do not become ultimate importance in our hearts. We must make a living; we must shop for groceries. God expects us to become productive members of the human race.   Our problem is we think about material things exclusively. If we are earthbound, we will be miserable. We will have a worm's eye view of life instead of a bird's eye view. Materialism is so insidious that we succumb to it without realizing it. If we are honest, there is none of us who are not susceptible to it. We are forced to admit that "I do have materialistic tendencies." We do not need faith when we deal in material things. We taste, feel, see and touch material things but faith takes us into another arena. Faith takes us into a spiritual stratosphere. There we can see things we could not see with a material viewpoint. Faith is the spiritual telescope that brings the things of God afar off near to our soul. We can, therefore, see things we could not otherwise see. Faith puts reality on intangible things. Eternal things are real but they are only real to those who have faith to see them. It was written of Moses, "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27). God calls upon us to think about eternal things. He wants us to be heavenly-minded. However, we are not to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. Most of us are so earthly minded that we are no heavenly good.    Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

         Luke 6:47-48 says “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. I pray that your life is built on that Rock which is Jesus Christ.  He is the one who died for your sins, paid your debt, and either has or can set you free from the penalty of sin, death, and hell.  If you were building a house hopefully you would build it on a solid foundation so that it would stand the test of time and all that comes against it.  It is the same with your life, if you are not trusting in Jesus Christ and Him alone for your salvation you will never make it to heaven. Is your faith one that is based on works (what you have done) or one of what Jesus has done?  When the storms and tough times of life come your faith will stand if it is based on Christ alone, if not it will all come tumbling down.  What kind of faith do you have? Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

This section closes the second chapter of Colossians in which the emphasis was on danger. Paul defended the preeminence of Jesus Christ, and he refuted the false doctrines of legalism, mysticism, and asceticism. It now remains for us to believe what he wrote and practice these spiritual principles. The answer to legalism is the spiritual reality we have in Christ. The answer to mysticism is the spiritual union with Christ, the Head of the church. The answer to asceticism is our position in Christ in death, burial, and resurrection. We put all of this into daily practice as we fellowship with Christ through worship, the Word, and prayer. As we yield to the indwelling Spirit, we receive the power we need for daily living. It is in our fellowship with other believers that we contribute spiritually to the growth of the body, the church, and the other members of the body contribute to us. What a wonderful way to live! Is Christ preeminent in your life? Are you drawing on His spiritual power, or depending on some man-made “religious” substitute?[1] "Man's way of safeguard is by placing various restraints and negations of evil … God's way is by 'stripping off the body of the flesh' through death and resurrection with Christ, giving us a new life, a new nature, and a continual flow of nourishment for that new life direct from the Risen Head in Heaven." Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

                   This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:8-9)                   God wants us to read His word, meditate on it, study it, not so we can become greater in our knowledge of the word, but so that we can get to know Him better.  When we really begin to read the word and get into the meaning of it, then it can do the work it was meant to in our lives.  God wants to bless us and give us the strength to do great things for Him if we will only be strong and courageous and not be afraid or discouraged. He is with us, loves us, and wants only the best for our lives but we have to be willing to trust Him and step out in faith.  We can only do that by knowing His will from His word.  I would like to challenge you to take a chapter, or a short book of the Bible and read it every day for a week, maybe a month or 3 months and see how God's word comes alive and begins to open up and you will see the things God wants you to see, learn, and apply in your life.  Will you commit to do this and see how God works? Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Tragically, this “vain religion of the puffed-up fleshly mind” is but a mere substitute for true spiritual nourishment from Jesus Christ, the Head of the body, His church. This is one of several passages in the New Testament that pictures the church as the body of Christ (see Rom. 12:4ff; 1 Cor. 12–14; Eph. 4:4–16; Col. 1:18, 24). All of us, as believers, are members of the spiritual body, the church, because of the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12–13). As Christians, we minister to one another in the body just as the various parts of the human body minister to each other (1 Cor. 12:14ff). But if a believer does not draw on the spiritual nourishment that comes from Christ and other Christians, he becomes weak. The false teachers were not holding to the Head, and therefore they were spiritually undernourished; but they thought they were spiritual experts. Imagine thinking yourself a spiritual giant when in reality you are a spiritual midget! The correct view of Christ is one which submits to his authority and acknowledges his power as the head of the church. This will lead to God-given growth. Jesus is Lord[1] The false teachers were anxious to win converts to their cause; but the spiritual body grows by nutrition, not by addition. Every member of Christ's body, including the “ligaments and sinews” (joints and bands), is important to the health and growth of the body. No matter what your spiritual gift may be, you are important to the church. In fact, some people who may not have spectacular public ministries are probably just as important behind the scenes as those out in public. It is through worship, prayer, and the Word that we draw on the spiritual resources of Christ. All of us must be part of a local church where we can exercise our own spiritual gifts (Eph. 4:11–17). “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7, niv). The New Testament says nothing of “isolated saints” outside of the local church. But it is possible to be in a local church and not draw on the Head and the nourishment of the spiritual body. The false teachers in Colossae sought to introduce their teachings into the local assembly; and if they succeeded, they would have caused the spiritual nourishment to decrease instead of increase. Unless the members of the local assembly abide in Christ, yield to the Spirit, and obey the Word, they cannot experience the life of the Head, Jesus Christ. There is a fascination with “religious mysticism” that attracts people. Learning mysteries, being initiated into the inner secrets, and having contact with the spirit world all seem exciting. But these practices are soundly condemned by God. The true Christian glories in Christ, not in his own experience. He follows the Word, led by the Holy Spirit; and as he abides in Christ, he experiences blessing and fruitfulness. He seeks no other experience than that which relates him to the Head, Jesus Christ.[1] Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Do you completely trust in God's word Psalms 56:10-11?                            Psalms 56:10-11 says In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Here we see that David knows because of his trust in God that he did not need to fear the opposition of mere man.  He has already stated that once in this Psalm in verses 3-4.  Here there is a close connection in being able to praise the Lord because of knowing His word. If we spend the time in the word so that we can get to know the God of the Bible, then we will have great confidence in the times of trouble.  Have we read the Old Testament and Hebrews 11 with the great Hall of Faith where over and over again ordinary people became great heroes of the faith by trusting in the God who can be trusted to do what He said He will do?  If we get to know Him, then we will know we can trust Him.  Open the word today and get to know God and His love for you in a greater way.     Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Three lessons stand out here Because Jesus ‘wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us', God's law no longer condemns us (there will be no bailiffs at our door!). Christ has cancelled our debt and the law has no grounds to accuse us. Romans 8 tells us that ‘there is … no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus' (vv. 1–4ff.). Satan is a defeated foe. He is not ‘put out of existence', for we still wrestle with him even now (Eph. 6:12), but Christians will have the final victory as they are on the winning side. It is folly to think that if our good deeds outweigh our bad, we will please God. No, men are saved due to Christ's victory on the cross and God's grace in their lives and not because of their own good works (Eph. 2:8). How can God forgive sinners who break his law and still remain just? The cross was the solution, for on it Jesus Christ gave ‘himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling aroma' (Eph. 5:2). ‘There is no salvation by balancing the records. There is only salvation by cancelling records'.[i] Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions   [i] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (pp. 47–50). Day One Publications.

               In Luke 5:12-13 we see Jesus doing a miracle that was supposed to show the religious leaders that He really was God.  The man knows Jesus can heal him and so he begs Jesus to heal him of his leprosy.  Leprosy in the bible is a picture of sin in that it is not just a problem on the surface, but a deep defiling disease and so cannot be fixed by any external measures.  It is also a disease that like sin if unchecked spreads everywhere and so the person had to be isolated from others as those who do not trust Christ will one day be isolated in hell. Jesus reaches out and does the unthinkable, He touches the man and so expresses compassion, love, reassurance, and also lets him know as he is healed that he is no longer alone and separated.  He has now become a part of those around him.  When Jesus touches the leprosy of our sin and separation He welcomes us into the family of God and says you are no longer alone, but now you not only have a family, but a Savior who loves you and will never leave you nor forsake you. Have you come to Jesus and asked Him to make you clean?  If you have not then ask Him today to forgive you and save you from your sin.  As for me I am so glad I am a part of the family of God.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlT6KoT73O0                 Luke 5:12-13 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." 13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him. Lu 5:18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. 20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'? 24 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" --He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." 25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

           We see in the concept of baptism, how it symbolizes the great spiritual reality of being buried with Christ and raised to new life in faith. This symbolic act is to be understood as an essential part of the believer's identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We need to have the assurance that we if we are believers are complete in Christ and have been given everything we need for salvation to not seek to add external religious practices or ceremonies to the finished work of Christ on the cross. Paul emphasizes the power of faith and the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice for redemption and salvation. If you haven't you need to place your faith in Jesus Christ and repent and believe in the gospel. The primary message is that authentic faith in Jesus Christ, not religious rituals or external forms, is the essence of salvation and the foundation of the Christian life. These conclusions go way beyond the specific religious context of the Colossian church and have a universal application. The emphasis on true faith and spiritual authenticity over external practices holds significance in current society, particularly in the context of increasing secularization and the challenges faced by religious communities. This section serves as a reminder of the significance of genuine faith, the sufficiency of Christ, and the need to prioritize spiritual substance over external forms in the Christian walk.                Without faith in Jesus Christ, no rite or ceremony or anything done in this world ultimately has any meaning or significance.                  Hebrews 11:6 “it is impossible to please Him [God].”  And without faith, faith in Jesus Christs finished work only, what unrepentant sinners face, those who have not put their faith in Jesus Christ, is an eternity spent in hell, an unending future of facing God's unmitigated wrath in fury in a place where the flames are never quenched and the worm never dies and the torment never ends.    Colossians 2:12 What Paul is describing here, just as he did when addressing circumcision back in verse 11 and really as he is doing throughout this letter of Colossians, he is addressing spiritual matters.  He is bringing up the unequalled spiritual reality, the eternal reality that the true follower of Christ has undergone a spiritual metamorphosis.  The old man has been buried with Christ in baptism and the new man has been “raised up,” verse 12, “with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”  This was an important word for the Colossian church, a church that was made up of individuals who were still newer in their faith, a church which had been infiltrated, as we've seen, by these false teachers who were trying to persuade the members of this church to add various matters of form to the substantive truths they already knew.  This was a timely word from Paul to remind these new believers here in Colossae that they had already been spiritually circumcised, that they had already received the circumcision that he calls as “a circumcision made without hands,” one which united them in “the circumcision of Christ,” meaning the death of Christ, a death He died only once, a death which was perfectly sufficient in its atoning power and provision, a death to which nothing could ever be added.  Not only that, it was important and timely of Paul to remind the Colossians here in verse 12 of the death that they had already died, “having been buried with Him in baptism,” and of the fact that they had now been “raised up with Him through faith.” Nothing greater on this earth will be done until we get to heaven than for God to Take us from kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light Forgive us from our sins and free us from guilt From Slavery to freedom From Emptiness to Fullness    Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

         In Luke 5 Jesus does another miracle that shows He is God in human flesh. This miracle so astounds Peter that He realizes he is a sinner and how unclean he is in the presence of Jesus.  Being in this position is one that can lead us to trust in Christ, first as Savior and then for all of life's trials and needs.  The word sin speaks of falling short of the mark, we have missed the mark of perfect holiness which is what God requires of all.  What Peter does not understand at the time is what we all need to see that our own inability and sin is the best qualification for service to God because at that point we realize our need to depend on Him in all areas of our life.  Have we realized how weak and sinful we are and how much we need Christ to save us and every day to live our life in the way we ought to for Him?                  Luke 5:3-9 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

              Being circumcised, spiritually speaking, which is just a way of referring to the fact that we were saved.             When Jesus Christ died and rose again, He won a complete and final victory over sin. He not only died for our sins (salvation), but He “died unto sin” (sanctification; see Rom. 6:10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. What the Law could not do, Jesus Christ accomplished for us. The old nature (“the body of the sins of the flesh”) was put off—rendered inoperative—so that we need no longer be enslaved to its desires. The old sinful nature is not destroyed, for we can still sin (1 John 1:5–2:6). But the power has been broken as we yield to Christ and walk in the power of the Spirit.[i]           Their sinful nature (lit., “the body of the flesh”; cf., lit., “the mind of the flesh,” Col. 2:18) was decisively put off by Christ's death and resurrection. What people were in Adam—sinful, fallen, and corrupt—was destroyed by Christ. Now “in Christ” a believer is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). And having a new Head a believer has a new authority for his life—not the Law of Moses but the life of Christ. In Galatians, at the end, in the sixth chapter and the fifteenth verse, he says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision” – listen – “but a new creation.” Same as 2 Corinthians 5:17, “A new creation.”       Paul says you have new life. It's been given you in the way that Christ circumcised your heart by taking away the old nature. You don't need any outward sign. That's absolutely irrelevant.  Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions [i] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 126–127). Victor Books.

               If you call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is your King, and you address Him and say, “Yes, Sir.” If you call yourself a believer in Jesus Christ this is the authoritative, truthful Word of God and you do not play with it, but you submit to it. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, this world is not to be Heaven. This world is not your home. This world isn't to be better and better, and God has a wonderful plan for your life. Yes, He may bless you and it seems to me He loves to bless us, but that's not the attitude of the believer. It is reporting for duty, saying, “You are my King. You are my God. You are the Master of the universe. You are the Master of my soul and I am here because you are Truth, and I submit to your truth. Amen!” Easley                   "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: (Deuteronomy 28:1-2)   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Believers, having trusted in Christ's finished work, are already complete and full in Him, unable to become more complete or full. There's no need to pursue additional experiences or knowledge to truly experience God, as true believers already have everything they need in Christ. The passage serves as a reminder to remain faithful, grounded in Christ, and alert to false teachings that seek to lead believers astray. The fundamental test of any religious teaching is, “Where does it put Jesus Christ—His person and His work?” Does it rob Him of His fullness? Does it deny either His deity or His humanity? Does it affirm that the believer must have some “new experience” to supplement his experience with Christ? If so, that teaching is wrong and dangerous.           In summary, Paul warns the Colossians against being taken captive by the empty deception of worldly philosophy and legalism. Instead, he emphasizes the fullness found in Christ, where all who God the Father is dwells in bodily form, and believers are already made complete in Him.   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

                  In Luke 4:4 Jesus said, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. This is when Jesus is being tempted in the wilderness.  If Jesus is quoting this as He is being tempted, how much more do you think we need to read, know and memorize the Word of God.  In 2 Peter 1:3 it says His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, meaning that through the relationship we have with Jesus and His word we don't need anything else to fight temptation and help us live this life in wisdom and power.  Do you believe in the sufficiency of scripture and believe that it is enough to help you with any and all problems you will have in this life?  Jesus said it was.                       And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. (Luke 4:4)   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Outline Foundations of Christian living and avoiding deception. Paul emphasizes the importance of correct foundations in Christian living, as any progress made must be consistent with the beginnings of the faith. The surest preventative against sub-Christian deviations is a full experience of the fullness of Christ, which guards against being taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy. Spiritual hunger and the need for deepening faith. Need to understand the importance of moving beyond the "first principles" of Christianity and deepening one's relationship with God. Hunger for spiritual fullness and victory over sin is a common desire among believers, but it cannot be relieved by repeatedly returning to the basics. Receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Emphasize the importance of receiving Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. The phrase "received Christ Jesus the Lord" is used to remind listeners of the emphasis on Messiah Jesus as Savior and Lord. Encourage believers to examine their relationship with Christ and to continue to grow in Him to Spiritual Maturity. Living a Christian life through faith and obedience. Emphasize the importance of understanding grace in faith. Christ's grace must be understood to receive Him as Lord. Living in Christ by grace through faith leads to commitment to Him. Urge continued commitment to Jesus, emphasizing importance of living out faith daily. Emphasis on Scripture is not just coming to church on Sundays, but living a life that reflects God's word. Encourage believers to keep running the race of faith, even when facing challenges and temptations. Spiritual growth through being rooted in Jesus, trusting in Him, and overflowing with thanksgiving. Emphasize importance of putting down roots in Jesus, with examples from John 15 and Psalm 1. Building on these roots, encourage believers to grow in faith, thanksgiving, and stability through the Word of God. Cultivating thankfulness in spiritual growth. Emphasize the importance of overflowing thankfulness for Jesus, focusing on the source of everything we have (God) and the right person (Jesus). The thankful individual has their eyes fixed on the right person and place (Jesus), and is filled with love and joy. Brainerd expresses desire to live closer to God in 1746, seeking to deepen faith and thankfulness. • Brainerd's diary entries reveal his longing to spend time with Jesus and walk with Him daily.   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

In our last devotional we talked about how Moses instructed Israel to build a monument with God's law written on it and it was a picture of them remembering how good God had been to them in spite of their sin and how His love and faithfulness would continue in the future. They were swearing their allegiance to Him to live for Him from now on.  Have you stopped recently and thanked Him today for the mercy He has shown to you in your sin and the strength and grace He has given in the tough times of life. Psalm 136:2 says “Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever.” Have you most importantly rededicated all you are and all that you have to Him, especially the areas of your life where you have strayed?    John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.  “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32  Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.  hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/110230052184687338/charity/145555 The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

In what ways are we struggling or willing to struggle for the sake of our fellow believers in the Lord?  In what ways are we pushing ourselves?  In what ways are you spending yourself?  In what ways are you giving of yourself for the cause of Jesus Christ, to see the Gospel go out to unbelievers, but also to see followers of Christ, so they can be complete in Him.    Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Does our life please God?                Jesus at His baptism was shown to be the Son of God by the Holy Spirit descending in bodily form LIKE a dove.  This is God saying this Man is not like any man, He is not just a good man, a prophet, or a good teacher, He is the GOD MAN, The Savior of the World. This is the pivotal point at which in the book of Acts and here the descent of the Holy Spirit leads to the teaching, preaching, and all the other events which dominate the purpose and plan God has for Jesus and us. Jesus came to save sinners and He demonstrated that by living for God and loving the unlovely in all ways perfectly. Are we allowing God to lead us and guide us in all ways that we might be an instrument in God's hands to be used for His purposes? Is that our desire, not my will but I desire to do your will Father?                       Luke 3:21-22 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Paul had a true shepherd's heart. He wanted to see Christ formed in those people to whom he was privileged to minister. We are also called to “proclaim Him” following the example of Paul to “every man.” To remind every man of who Christ is, who they once were, who they are now in Him and seek to push them on to greater loyalty and faithfulness to the One who has saved them.   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

        Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem after going to the feast of Passover and do not realize Jesus is not there until the next day.  They go back and find Jesus teaching in the temple.  They are amazed at what He is doing and anxious over not knowing where He has been. Jesus tells them the most important thing is not where He has been but what He has been doing.  People always have places to go, people to see, and things to do, but are the things they are doing the most important thing?  Jesus tells us here the most important thing is to be about His Father's business.  Are our lives centered around doing the most important thing?  Yes, we have to live our lives, take care of our families, and make a living but in the midst of all of that if we are Christians then we are to be about the business of making Jesus known as Savior and Lord and bringing people to Christ to be saved. What is most important to us, is it what Jesus would want us to do?                             Luke 2:48-49 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." 49 And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Paul was doing here what He's done already in this letter. He's actually claiming and repurposing a word that the false teachers had been using. He's beating the false teachers, once again, at their own game. Earlier in the book we saw they use the word “fullness”, or “completeness”. They thought that they had full knowledge, complete knowledge, and Paul takes that word back from them. He's doing the same thing here, with the word “mystery.” He is in a very godly way, stealing the word back from them, to accomplish his own purposes. He's using that word “mystery” to speak again of something that was once concealed but is now revealed. Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Moses instructed Israel to build a monument with God's law written on it when they entered Canaan (Deut. 27:1-8). This is a picture of them remembering how good God had been to them in spite of how they had acted and His love and faithfulness that would still be there in the future. They were swearing their allegiance to Him to live for Him from now on. Do you have any times in your life that you have set aside to remember how good God has been to you? All of us no matter who we are have done things that God doesn't approve of and also there are times in our life when God has sustained us in the toughest of circumstances. Let us remember that and thank Him today Amen!!    John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.   “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32  Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.  hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Remember that Paul went through the ultimate change in identity. Before he was Paul, who was he?  Saul. Before he was Paul building up Christian believers in the faith, he was Saul the Pharisee, approving the execution of the earliest Christian believers. So even these two words, “I Paul,” which seem like they are just kind of thrown in randomly here, they actually have tremendously rich meaning. But it's because they call to remembrance for us this man, Paul, who was once alienated, who was once hostile in mind, who was once engaged in evil deeds. But then we remember what he became: The greatest Christian to ever live. That is what we were also, but if we have trusted Christ we have great potential to do mighty things for God too.   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

We have seen in verses 1&2 that he greets them by wishing for them the free favor of God and all the blessed fruits of it. GRACE is God's riches at Christ expense  In verses 3-8 Paul's thanksgiving to God for what he had heard concerning them, their faith, hope, and love In verses 9-11 we saw his prayer for their knowledge, fruitfulness, and strength In verses 12-14, His praise for all that God has done that we should realize God has qualified us to be a partaker in the inheritance, He has rescued us and conveyed us into His Kingdom and has given us the forgiveness of sins and the redemption through His blood In verses 15-18 we saw who He IS, the image of God in the flesh, the firstborn over all creation, the one who created all things and holds it all together. He is the head of the church, His body and is the firstborn from the dead that in all things He might have the preeminence          Remember that there were some issues that Paul is hitting in Colossians in relationship to false teaching. And the false teachers that had brought about the problems in Colossae had taught that there were a series of emanating spirits descending from God; that God sort of spawned an emanating spirit, and then another one came, and another one, and another one, and they just kept getting lower and lower and lower and lower and lower and lower. And Christ was one of those descending, emanating spirits. They were good at the beginning, and then somewhere along the line, they started getting less good, and less good, and less good, and then bad, and then worse, and then worse. And way down at the bottom was somebody like Satan. And that in order for a man to ascend to God, he had to climb back up that escalating ladder of spirits. No one of those spirits could do the job. No one of those Aons, no one of those emanating spirits, no one of those angelic beings, if you will, was sufficient to reconcile man to God. Man had to ascend the ladder of many of those to reach God.   Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 1:19 Fullness: Paul tells them that in Christ alone all the divine powers and characteristics dwell to refute that any other created beings (angels, man) have authority greater than Christ. “In him it was decreed that all the fullness should take up residence.” this is equal to saying that God himself (RSV “all the fulness of God”) was pleased to dwell in him. Just in case anything got left out, there is nothing in anybody else of God.  It's all in Him.  Just in case somebody didn't get covered, the powers of deity, the attributes of sovereignty were not distributed among a multitude of beings.  They are possessed by one visible in this one, Christ.  You don't need other angels to help you get saved.  That's what they were teaching.  You don't need other spirits.  You don't need other beings.  “In Him all fullness dwells.”  He had no addition.  Chapter 2 verse 3, “In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  He has no rivals.  Chapter 2, verse 9, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,” and you are complete in Him.  There is no other necessary.  John 1:16 says, “Of His fullness have we all received, and grace upon grace.”  When you become a Christian all that He is becomes Yours.    We must constantly remind ourselves that we have no knowledge of the Colossian heresy apart from inferences drawn as cautiously as possible from the argument and wording of this letter, but it would make sense in the present context if the heresy envisaged powers intermediate between the supreme God and the world of humanity, so that any communication between God and the world, in either direction, had to pass through the spheres in which those powers exercised control. Those who thought in this way would be careful to treat those powers with suitable respect. But the whole of this teaching about God and the world based on mystical insight device is undermined here in one simple, direct affirmation: the totality of divine essence and power is resident in Christ. He is the one, all-sufficient intermediary between God and the world of humanity, and all the attributes of God— his spirit, word, wisdom, and glory—are disclosed in him. The key word in Colossians is the word "all." This is an all inclusive word. When combined with "fullness," which is another comprehensive word, we have a very powerful statement about Christ. The half has never been told about Christ. It is not enough that the Lord Jesus Christ be eminent; he must be pre-eminent. This is a message we need in this generation if Christians are to continue to understand what we need to and believe about Christ.             The word "dwell" means to reside permanently in a place. It was used in the sense of the permanent residence of a town or village. "All the fullness" of God's work settles in Christ permanently. All saving power dwells in him (Acts 5:31; 17:31). The effects of the "fullness" is available to the believer. PRINCIPLE: The person and work of Christ is preeminent in every aspect of our lives. Col 1:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.   1:20 Reconcile all things to himself: The Greek word used for reconcile means to change or exchange. In verse 20 you see the word, about two or three lines down, “reconcile.” At the end of verse 21, you see it again, “reconciled” - past tense. This particular term - reconcile is the verb, reconciled is the past tense of the verb, and the noun is reconciliation – is a very important term in Christianity. You perhaps have heard about it in terms of the divorce courts, when perhaps when a divorce is begun, there is an effort on the part of the court to try to bring about a reconciliation. That is to put two warring parties back together again. But the word “reconciliation” goes far beyond a relationship between two human beings. It is used in the Bible to speak of a man's relationship to God in terms of the restoration of the right relationship between a man and God. Reconciliation then is God being reconciled back to man, or man, if you will, being reconciled back to God either way. This refers to a change in a sinners relationship to God. There is another term for reconcile that is used here in Colossians chapter 1. It is not katallassō that is used; it is apokatallassō. And again I point out to you that whenever a preposition is added to the front of a word, it intensifies the word. And so, what you have here is the word “reconciled” intensified so that it means thoroughly reconciled, completely reconciled, totally reconciled. And that is the terminology that is used here in Colossians. The word is different than the normal word “reconcile.” It has a greater intensity, and there is a reason for that. And I need to point that out to you. In Colossians, he is fighting a counterattack from false teachers. The false teachers that were really confronting the church at Colossae had said that it could not be possible for a man to be reconciled to God by Jesus Christ alone. The point that Paul is making here is this: that there is total and absolute and complete and full reconciliation through that one who is Jesus Christ. That's the reason he uses a much more intense word.           So, Paul is showing that Christ is God, in verses 15 through 19, and he closes that section, “For in Him should all fullness dwell,” because that's what pleased the Father. He is God. He is not a spirit, and He is able only and without any other assistance to reconcile men to God. And that's the point that he wants to make. Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

                In Luke 1:67-70 we see God open the mouth of Zacharias after having shut it because of unbelief in what God had told him in the temple.  God uses him to speak about the promises of salvation through Jesus Christ which had been foretold since the beginning of time as we know it since the world was created.  God has always had his prophets (those who spoke of Jesus) who told of all the great things that God would do through His Son Jesus and of the time when He would come. It is spoken of as already having been fulfilled because when God says something you can bank on it coming true. This redeemer was to come through the family line of David and it did.  God still speaks today through His word and can use us to tell others about Him and all that He has done and can do for those who will believe and trust in Christ.  Are we unbelieving like Zacharias or do we trust in God so much so that when He speaks to us through His word and prayer that we are willing to believe and follow Him wherever He leads us and in whatever He asks us to do?                     Luke 1:67-70 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, Luke 1:76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace." 80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Colossians 1:17 – “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” John 8:58, when Jesus is standing before the Pharisees. He says, “before Abraham was, I WAS.” That's not how it went, right? No, He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Present tense verb. Indicating the timelessness of His deity. Similar concept here, with Paul saying, “He is before all things.” A present tense statement. But Christ was not only before Abraham though. Here it says He's before “all things.” Including creation. Jesus Christ, being eternal, existed before there was any creation to speak of.  1:17 He is before all things: He existed in the beginning and he holds it all together by his power. The significance of that, of what's being conveyed here. Is the timelessness of Christ's deity John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. He was in the beginning with God.” Now, while the universe has a beginning, even the atheistic big bang people would believe that. Christ has always existed. While the universe is temporal. With a definite start date and with a definite, one day end date. Christ is not. He is eternal. Micah 5:2, it's a prophetic passage relating to Christ's first coming. Speaking of Him being from Bethlehem. It says, “His going forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” Or Christ Himself would say in Revelation 22:13 – “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Not only though, did the Lord Jesus exist before there was any creation. We see here that it is in Him that all things consist.  Look at the second half of verse 17 – “and in Him all things hold together.” It means that the Lord Jesus is the sustainer of the universe, the Source of its perpetual motion. He maintains just the right amount of power and balance needed to ensure life's existence and continuity. Hebrews 1:3 – He “ upholds all things by the word of His power.” The only reason that this planet hasn't exploded or imploded or dissolved. The only reason our whole galaxy hasn't just been dumped into a black hole somewhere is because of Christ. He's upholding everything right now. He's keeping the planets spinning. He's keeping the stars burning. He's keeping the ocean waters from flooding. He's keeping the rain cycles going. He's keeping our hearts beating. He's providing brain activity to every single one of us here this morning. Not just to us, to those out in the world, who in foolishness, reject Him. He's even giving life and breath and movement and existence to those who strongly oppose and hate Him. He didn't wind up the universe like a clock and then walk away from it. Not at all. No, He continues to sustain it all. His power upholds and guides what His hands have formed. You know the old song, maybe it is still a current song . . . “He's Got the Whole World in His Hands.” That's true! Harry Ironside wrote this, he said: “It is His hand that holds the stars in their courses, directs the planets in their orbits, and controls the laws of the universe. In verse 18. We get to our third “He is” statement. Col 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 1:18 He is the Head of the Body: Ephesians 1:22 And God hath put all things under His feet, and hath given Him to be the head over all things to the church,  Ephesians 5:23 for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and He is the savior of the body. There is a sudden shift in focus from all the things we've been considering in verses 15, 16 and 17. Paul goes from this discussion of Christ being the eternal image of the invisible God. And the firstborn of all creation. And the Creator of all things. And all things being created by Him and through Him and for Him. Now, it says, oh yeah, He's also the head of the body, the church. As this section of Colossians 1 is taking off. As he's powerfully assembling these thoughts, one after the other on top of each other. We would expect that Paul here would say something like, Christ is the supreme ruler of the universe. Or the king of the cosmos. But that's not what we see. Instead, what we see here, verse 18, “He is also the head of the body, the church.” Now, the references to “the body” here, “the church” here. Those are references to the universal church. That is, all around the world who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. from the Day of Pentecost, all the way up to the Rapture. This organism . . . this “assembly” of believers . . . which is expressed in local assemblies, like what we're doing today. That assembly, over which Christ is, look at the word there, He's “the head.” Now, a few key details and for many of us, reminders about this thing called the “church” over which Christ is the “head” . . .   First, the church is described in this way, in I Corinthians 12, all believers are baptized into it. We're baptized into this body, the church, by the Holy Spirit, the moment we believe in Christ. I Corinthians 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, [placed into on body] whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”   Second, another reminder about the church, is that it is an especially diverse body. It always has been. There is “neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, [and] there is neither male nor female.” Galatians 3:28   Third, the church is a mystery not made known to previous generations. In fact, drop down to Colossians 1:25, just a few verses down, it says, “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” So, the church is a mystery, revealed in these times to the Gentiles.   Fourth, as we're seeing from our passage, verse 18, the Head of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “He put all things in subjection under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church.” Or Ephesians 5:23 says, “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church.” So, the dominion then, the Lord Jesus Christ extends not only through the natural universe, but it extends to the spiritual realm. He is ruler, simultaneously of the cosmos, as He is the head of the church.   Now, how are we to take that, in terms of how this passage, verse 18, ties into what we've just looked at in verses 15-17? Where we see these sweeping claims about Christ's rulership over all creation. Is what he's saying now in verse 18, somehow lessen what has already been said? Is this making Christ smaller by localizing Him in the church? Not at all! If anything, what this passage does, verse 18, when we consider in conjunction with verses 15-17, is really expand the significance of the claims that are being made of Christ's role vis-à-vis the church. He is sovereign over creation, just as He is over the church. They go hand in hand. He is doubly preeminent. Preeminent over all creation. But also preeminent in the church. What that really ought to do for us, who are the church, is highlight the privilege that it is to be a part of God's family. To be a part of the church. To be a part of this family of redeemed people. To know that Christ is as intimately involved in ruling and governing the church. As He is in all of creation. The church is no “side project” for Jesus Christ. It's no “Plan B” for Jesus Christ. He loves the church . . . so much that He gave Himself for the church. He's building the church. He's protecting the church. He will pull the church out of the coming tribulation to come. He's going to return and reign with the church. See, the church is not a place. It's not an address. It's not a thing we do or a place we go. It's the body of Christ, with Christ as it's head. As His act of love for the church, He exercises control over it and direction over it. Conforming each one of its limbs and organs. That's you and me, into His image.   That brings us to our fourth “He is” statement, which comes at the end of verse And He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” He is the beginning of the church That word that you see there, where it says, “He is the beginning”, it can actually be translated either “beginning” or originator, “rulership”, or “rule”. We see it here as “beginning.” We see it in Matthew 19:4 as “beginning” where it says, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female[?]” But the same word here, for “beginning” can also be translated “rule” or “ruler” in other places. So, which is it? Is Christ here, being described as the “beginning? Or is He being described as “ruling?” The answer is – “yes.” I think there's a trace of truth to both definitions. Christ. The preeminent Christ . . . not only created everything that we see around us in the cosmos . . . He also established His church . . . and in that sense, He's the beginning of both. But at the same time, He is ruler, as we've seen, both of the cosmos and of the church. He's the head of both realms.                This work of the Spirit began on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5; 2:1–2; 11:15–16). It is a special body in which there is “neither Jew nor Gentile” (Gal. 3:28) but a whole new creation of God (Eph. 2:15). The church is a “mystery … which was not made known to men in other generations” (Eph. 3:4–5; cf. Rom. 16:25–26; Col. 1:26).     and the firstborn from among the dead: Christ is the first person to die and be resurrected who will never die again Now, we see that Christ is “the firstborn from the dead.” It's a clear resurrection reference when it mentions “from the dead.” But what about that word “firstborn”? We've encountered it already in verse 15. But how about here? Is this a matter of laying out a timeline? Is this saying that Christ is the first person to have every been raised from the dead? Definitely not that. We know that Jesus was not the first to be raised from the dead. We know that Elijah raised the widow's son. We know that Jesus Himself raised Jairus's daughter. We know that Jesus Himself raised Lazarus. So then what does “firstborn from the dead” mean here? It means, “firstborn” here, is that, of all those who have been raised from the dead. . . the Lord Jesus Christ ranks first in importance among them. He was the first to rise in an immortal body. I Corinthians 15:20 says, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” His resurrection marked triumph over death, the way other resurrections didn't. Hebrews 2:15 says, “. . . through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death.” It's by virtue of Christ's resurrection, that He's been elevated to a rank and a position higher than anyone else who rose from the dead. Romans 1:4 says, he was “declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 2:9 says, “. . . God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.” He was the “Firstfruits” of those who die (1 Cor. 15:20) since, unlike others, He rose never to die again. [i] It's only through Christ's resurrection that the future resurrection of others is secured. John 5:28 says, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs who will hear His voice and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” All of this is so that He might be known . . . Christ might be known and seen as preeminent in all things. “So that”  “He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” Christ is given first place over all Creation. He is preeminent. The same eternal Logos (John 1:1) who “became flesh” (John 1:14) and “humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:8) is now “exalted” by God the Father “to the highest place” and has been given “the name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:9).[ii]   What an answer that would have been to those who, in Paul's day, were trying go bring Christ down a few notches. To strip Him of His preeminence, as though they could. They promoted their heretical teachings there in Colossae. To those who have presented such a false Christ, a weakened Christ, a cheap Christ. Paul here says “no.” Christ is preeminent. He is the image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of all Creation. He is the Creator of all things. All things were created by Him, through Him, and for Him. He's the sustainer of all things. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning. He is the firstborn of the dead. He is, as we see at the end of verse 18 here, to have “first place” in everything.   We've considered here in these verses, the extent and the range of Christ's preeminence in the creation and in the church. Now we need to ask ourselves Does Christ have preeminence in My life? The question we have to ask ourselves, as we've taken these truths. Does Christ have preeminence in My life? Or are there other That are crowding Him out? As you leave here this morning. Ask yourself, sincerely.  Am I so stuck in my own little world, my own little fishbowl. My own little bubble, that I've failed to bow my knee, daily, to the One who created the world and sustains the world? Do I have such a slender view of the church, as being a place full of programs and rhythms and people I've been around my whole life . . . that I fail to acknowledge, daily, that it's the Lord Jesus Christ who governs and reigns in His church? Am I allowing . . . in what I read, or what I watch, or who I associate with . . . influences in my life that would take away from Christ's preeminence over my life? Or at least my recognition of His preeminence over my life? It surely is through His death and resurrection that we have been saved. We praise Him for that. But the Christian life doesn't end there. It really starts there, and it demands, once we acknowledge His death and resurrection, that we live in light of, His preeminence.   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions [i] Geisler, N. L. (1985). Colossians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 673). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. [ii] Geisler, N. L. (1985). Colossians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 673). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

               Deuteronomy 13:1-4 deals with the issue of false prophets and teachers. The Bible tells us there are people out there that want to draw us away from God and lure us into other things that ultimately will cause our downfall.  In the Old Testament and today this is one of the worst things a person can do is lead another away from God. We need to be very careful of who and what we listen to.  Just because it is on the internet, they are a pastor, or the person is on TV or the radio does not mean they are a sound biblical teacher.  Many radio and TV stations do not care what someone teaches as long as they are getting paid and anyone can put anything they want to on the internet and portray themselves a good teacher. We are to separate and call out those who are false teachers. We need to make sure we stay away from them and others do too. Let us be diligent in making sure those we listen to or read their materials are really sound in the faith, so that we will be too.               "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 "and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods' -which you have not known-'and let us serve them,' 3 "you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 "You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. (Deuteronomy 13:1-4)          Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

From Paul's petition that the Colossians be enlightened about God's redemptive working in their lives, he moved naturally into his epistle's main emphasis—the exaltation and preeminence of Christ. In this paragraph (vv. 15–20) Paul mentioned seven unique characteristics of Christ, which fittingly qualify Him to have “the supremacy” (v. 18). Christ is: (1) the image of God, (2) the Firstborn over Creation, (3) Creator of the universe, (4) Head of the church, (5) Firstborn from the dead, (6) the fullness of God, and (7) the Reconciler of all things. No comparable listing of so many characteristics of Christ and His deity are found in any other Scripture passage. Christ is the supreme Sovereign of the universe![1]            Moving from describing what Christ has already done for us. To whom He is in His core. He hangs his thoughts, on the same two words. “He is.”                       To the Pharisees of His day, Jesus affirmed His deity before them in John 8:58, with the words “I AM.” Now, what we have Paul doing to the Colossians of his day and to the church of our day. He's building on what the Lord has revealed about Himself, when He said, “I AM”, by saying, “He is.”   To the church there at Colossae. This young church that was being threatened with this false and heretical picture of Christ. We're going to get more into that, in Colossians 2. Paul here, in our text for today, describes Christ for who He is. That's the title of today's message, “He Is.” Because in our time together, we're going to work through these four magnificent and unequalled verses. Verses which one commentator says, “there never was a higher Christology.” What we're going to do, is work through these verses, through the lens of those four “He is” statements.   Colossians 1:15 - “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” So, right away we have to ask the question? Who is “He” referring to here? Who is the “He” of verse 15? Well, the “He” is the “beloved Son” mentioned back in verse 13. “He” is the One, as we saw back in verse 14, is the One in whom we have “redemption” and “forgiveness of sins.” That's a reference, of course, to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth. The son of Joseph and Mary. The Galilean. The long-awaited and foretold Messiah of Israel. The One who died on a Roman cross. The One whose lifeless body was placed in a sealed tomb. The One who eventually rose from the grave. That man. Jesus. The God-Man. Is described by Spirit-lead Paul here, as the “image of the invisible God.”                 John 4:24 says, God is spirit and He cannot be seen Though it is grammatically possible to translate this as “Firstborn in Creation,” the context makes this impossible for five reasons: (1) The whole point of the passage (and the book) is to show Christ's superiority over all things. (2) Other statements about Christ in this passage (such as Creator of all [1:16], upholder of Creation [v. 17], etc.) clearly indicate His priority and superiority over Creation. (3) The “Firstborn” cannot be part of Creation if He created “all things.” One cannot create himself. (Jehovah's Witnesses wrongly add the word “other” six times in this passage in their New World Translation. Thus they suggest that Christ created all other things after He was created! But the word “other” is not in the Gr.) (4) The “Firstborn” received worship of all the angels (Heb. 1:6), but creatures should not be worshiped (Ex. 20:4–5). (5) The Greek word for “Firstborn” is prōtotokos. If Christ were the “first-created,” the Greek word would have been prōtoktisis.[i] 1 Timothy 1:17 says, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” Now, contrast the invisibility of the true God, with all the false gods of the world. Whether that be Brahma of the Hindu religion. Or Buddha, or the countless other deities whose likenesses have been carved into tree trunks or painted in caves over the centuries. For those so-called “gods” who are fabricated and made in the image of sinful humans; they are totally visible and creaturely and observable. They have mouths and eyes and noses, and hands and feet. It reminds us of Psalm 115:5-7 which says the following about false gods and idols. It says, “They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear, they have noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot walk; they cannot make a sound with their throat.” Then that same psalmist concludes, “Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them.” We see this phenomenon, men bowing down to deaf and dumb and worthless idols, not just in the Old Testament, in Psalm 115, but in the New. Romans 1:22-23, again, speaking of the unbeliever, says, “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and of four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” Isaiah 44:14 He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak; He [a]secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it shall be for a man to burn,For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.16 He burns half of it in the fire;With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.He even warms himself and says,“Ah! I am warm,I have seen the fire.”17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,His carved image.He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”   1:15 He is The Image of the Invisible God: Christ was the perfect image, an exact likeness and in the very form of GOD John 14:9 – “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Those words, bringing it back to Colossians 1, testify to the fact that Jesus is a visible representation of God. Now we have Paul here in Colossians 1:15, referring to Christ as “the image of God.” That word for “image” is eikon. It's a word, a Greek term, which we get our English word, “icon”. It means “copy” or “likeness.” Which fits perfectly here. Because what Paul is saying here in Colossians 1:15, is that Jesus is the perfect image – the exact likeness – of God Himself. Jesus is essentially and absolutely the perfect expression and representation of God the Father. As it's put by the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 1:3 – “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact imprint of His nature.”   2 Corinthians 4:3 says, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”                 Back in Colossians , as Paul is writing this Colossian church, you'll recall was staring down the threat of this new heretical teaching. This “Christ-plus” form of theology. This “Christ-plus” form of worship. “Christ-plus-angels.” Or “Christ-plus-philosophy.” Or “Christ-plus-ascetism.” Paul redirects them here, with this supreme truth: Which is that the Christ that they worshiped. The Christ that they'd been taught about by Epaphras, was all the Christ they needed. A Christ who was more than a good man. More than a great teacher. More than a compelling miracle worker. Rather, He is the image of the invisible God. An exact, visible representation of God, and in fact, God Himself.   The Firstborn over all creation: That term – “firstborn” is used in at least three different senses in scripture.   First – you'll see it used in a very literal sense. Like in the description of the birth of Jesus. Luke 2:7 it says that Mary “gave birth to her firstborn son.” In other settings – the word “firstborn” is used in a figurative sense. Like Exodus 4:22, that's that scene where God is speaking to Moses about the coming exodus out of Egypt. God says to Moses, “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn”'.” Now there, there's no sense of any actual birth taking place, as with Mary giving birth to Jesus. Instead, the Lord uses the word “firstborn” there, to describe the special plans and purposes and role that He has for Israel. Then there's this third way that the term “firstborn” is used in scripture. That's to designate one's place of superiority, or supremacy, or uniqueness. In Psalm 89, we're going to see “firstborn” used in that sense, of supremacy.   Psalm 89:20. It says, “I have found David, My servant; with My holy oil I have anointed him.” 27 “I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.” Now, we know that David was not the “firstborn” of Jesse. He in fact was the last born. But here, the word “firstborn” is being used to indicate supremacy, primacy, sovereignty. To make David, the king, “the highest of the kings of the earth.” That's the meaning of “firstborn” here. Going back to Colossians, it is in that sense, that third sense, that Paul is using that term.               Christ has pre-eminence which means he has the highest rank or position and inherits the Kingdom as the firstborn did in the OT They always received all the inheritance or at least double the portion of the others in the family                  This passage actually highlights and emphasizes the absolute sovereignty and supremacy of Jesus Christ. He is totally and absolutely sovereign over the skies that He formed. Over the land masses He molded. Over the species He developed.  As Hebrews 1:2 says, He is the “heir of all things.” He outranks everything. All people, everyone in the entire world He has made.                  There have been, over the centuries, many false teachers and many false religions, who have taken this verse and run with it, to suggest that Christ is a created being, and that Christ is not God. They'll point to this very verse, Colossians 1:15, as backup for their lies. They'll say things like, “look, its right there in the word.” “Firstborn”. “Christ was born; therefore, He is created.” Now, they'll try to be nice, and play nice. They'll say, He's still, of the highest rank in order of created things, and created beings.” Meaning, He's entitled to our honor and special respect and reverence. But they will still insist that He was born. He was born as a created being. Just like you and I are born as created beings, but He's not God.           Let's go through some of the reasons why “firstborn”, that term “firstborn” in verse 15, does not, and cannot mean “created.”   1.    First, it's impossible for Christ to be both created, and the Creator of everything. If verse 15, as the Jehovah Witnesses and other groups would have it, is saying that Christ is created. A created thing cannot create itself. Creatures aren't self-created. They are created, by instead, whatever created them. Second, here's another reason why “firstborn” cannot mean created. We're told elsewhere in the scriptures that the “firstborn” Son of God received worship from the angels. Hebrews 1:6, speaking of God the Father says, “And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘And let all the angels of God worship Him.'” Well, creatures, we know from going back to the ten commandments in Exodus 20, mere creatures are not to be worshiped. So, if Christ is a created being, the angels shouldn't be worshiping Him. It would be a violation of the ten commandments. He'd be wrongly and idolatrously receiving worship from other created beings. The angels would be wrong to worship Him. We would be wrong to worship Him. Also if this were true under the Mosaic Law, the Jews were right to kill Him. For He blasphemed by holding Himself out to be God. 3.    A third reason why “firstborn” cannot mean created. Verse 15, and that word there for “firstborn”, it doesn't stand in isolation with what's being said in this section of scripture as a whole. The point of this passage, verses 15-18, as we're going to see, in its entirety, is to demonstrate Christ's preeminence over all things. Which includes the fact, as we'll see in verse 16, that He is the Creator of all; and includes the fact, in verse 17, that He upholds and sustains all things. The context of this whole section very clearly is that Christ has priority and preeminence over His creation. Superiority over and supremacy over everything. Not that He's a created being. If Paul were suddenly, in verse 15, to say He's a created being, he'd actually be agreeing with the very heresy he's trying to refute throughout this whole book. So, for those reasons, and for so many others, we affirm that what Paul here was saying, when he said that Christ is the “firstborn over all creation”, is not that Christ was created by God. Or that He is less in essence than God. Quite the contrary. The word “firstborn” here, instead is a statement about Christ's position of supremacy over His creation. It's a statement of His rank of rulership and dominion. It's a statement of His deity and His preeminence. In fact, the false teachers, who have twisted “firstborn” to mean what they want it to mean. Would do well to read the next verse. Look at verse 16, it says, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.”            So, here in verse 16, Christ's supremacy is expressed in terms of His relationship to creation. His rulership over creation. You'll note that the way that this is done is through these three different prepositions that are being used here. It is “by Him all things were created.” Then it says, “all things have been created through Him.” Last, it says all things have been created “for Him.” “By Him.” “Through Him.” “For Him.” Each of those prepositions expresses a different thought. We're going to look at each of those prepositions and thoughts as we work our way through this verse.            First, is the statement here, that: “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.” So, “By Him all things were created.” When it says here that all things were created “by Him.” The idea is they were created through the power that was essential to Him. Creative power that is sourced in Him. Creative power that is a part of His being. Note the scope of His creative power.           The magnitude of His creative power is referenced in these three different areas that we see laid out in the rest of verse 16.               First, His creative power reaches everywhere. First, he says, “All things in heaven and on earth.” So, Christ created all things in the heavens. Meaning, He created the stars, and the planets, and the galaxies, and the constellations, and all other planetary marvels. He created all things. Then it says He created things both living and non-living here on earth. It says, “both in the heavens and on earth.”            Second, it says His creative power extends or reaches to all things “visible and invisible” there in verse 16. As we're going to see when we get to Colossians 2, the false teachers there in Colossae were promoting these false dualistic beliefs. Under which material things, things you can touch and taste and smell. Things that are “visible”, to use the word here, were considered essentially evil. Whereas immaterial things, “things . . . invisible” were considered fundamentally good. Paul is collapsing these two ideas in together, and he's saying that Christ created all of it. He created all the things we can see.  He created all the things we cannot see. He created the trees and flowers. But He also created that unmistakable scent that each one gives off. He created the person. But He also created the conscience that resides within that person. He created the planet we live on, materially. Just as much as He creates the seasons or has created the seasons of summer and winter. Seasons of cold and darkness and seasons of warmth and light. He's created it all. Visible, invisible, all of it.      Third, His creative power, it says, includes “thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities.”  1:16 Paul gives us the ranks of angels and tells us that Christ created them and is superior to them to stop the heresy of angel worship being taught by false teachers.          Ephesians 1:20-21, it says, “. . . when He raised Him from the dead [speaking of Christ] and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion . . .” Or Ephesians 3:10 says “. . . the manifold wisdom of God [that] might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.” Colossians 2:15 says, “When he had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” Then here in Colossians 1:16, Paul refers to “thrones and dominions and rulers and authorities.”  Those are referring to angels. We know from Colossians 2, that the false teachers that had started to infiltrate Colossae there, they were promoting the worship of angels, as a part of their heretical teaching.  Paul is outright rejecting those beliefs and practices here.             Paul is making it clear here in verse 16, that angels, whatever their rank, whether holy or fallen, whether “thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities.” They are all mere creatures. Their Creator and Ruler is none other than the preeminent One, the Lord Jesus Christ.            Again, he's getting out in front of this heresy. He's saying to the Colossians here, essentially “Why would you be worshiping angels?” “When the One you ought to worship, is the One who created those angels.” Christ Himself.               At the end of verse 16, it also says, “all things have been created through Him.” That speaks of Christ being the divine agent in creation. In other words, Christ is the Person of the Godhead through whom God's creative acts were performed. Of course, God the Father is the Creator. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Or Psalm 33:6, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made. But the three Persons of the Trinity participated actively together in the works of creation. John 1:3 says, “All things came into being through Him, [Jesus Christ, that's a reference to Christ] and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” Hebrews 1:2 says, “. . . in these last days [He] [meaning God the Father] has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”             In other words, in the act of creation, God did not act apart from Christ. Rather, it was through Christ, that God performed His various creative acts. The Son was the “master Workman” in Creation. Christ was the agent through whom God accomplished His creative acts. The point is, you cannot say that although Christ created some things. That He Himself was created originally. The One who is “firstborn” over all creation, is most certainly not a creature. Instead, as we see here, He is the very Creator.            At the end of verse 16, we're told that all things were created “for Him.” He's the One “for” whom all things were created. Meaning, the purpose and the goal of all things in creation, lies in their relation to Him – to Christ. They are literally for Him, “unto Him”, it could be translated. We need to think of the profoundness of that statement that's being made there. That all things are “for Him.”             People today, should be praising Jesus Christ when they see anything in creation. Whether it be six feet in front of us. Or the minute complexities of life as seen through a microscope. Or when it's looking out into the galaxies through a telescope. Glory should be attributed to Him. Not to the angels. Not to Mother Nature. Not to some atheistic principle of evolution.             No! It's all, as this text says: “By Him.” And “Through Him.” And “For Him.” Our natural tendency, even as believers. Which is to label Christ. We think of Christ as Christmas Jesus. The One who was in the manger in Bethlehem. We think of Him as carpenter Jesus. The son of Joseph and Mary. Building furniture. Never talking back to his parents. The One who grew in wisdom and stature and favor both with God and with man. We think of Him as crucified Jesus. The One who bore the punishment for our sins and the stripes that were laid across His back and took the crown of thorns upon His head. Fulfilled the Father's perfect plan by offering salvation for those who would believe in Him. Or then we put Him in the category of the comforting Jesus. The One whose promises we look to for hope and support. The One we look to in prayer.  The One we cry out to. The One through whom we find kinship with others who have believed in His name. That's good to do all of that. Because He is each of those things. But behind it all, is this great truth. That the Jesus of the bible. The Jesus of Nazareth. Is the eternal Son of God. The second Person of the Trinity. The “image of the invisible God.” The “firstborn of all creation.” The Creator. All things were created by Him. All things were created through Him. All things were created for Him.         [1] Geisler, N. L. (1985). Colossians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 672). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.   [i] Geisler, N. L. (1985). Colossians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 672–673). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.   Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

              Luke 2:8-11 says Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  Here we see in the book of Luke for the third time the appearance of an angel, a response of fear, the command not to fear, and the announcement of a birth that brings joy. This time it is not to a family, but to the lowly shepherds who were considered the least of all society and had a reputation of being untrustworthy. As in many places in the Gospels God shows His love for all people, especially those of the common people and lowly of status. God cares for all people and has a special place for those of low status as they are the ones who usually are willing to trust in Christ, whereas those with much status and wealth are usually not willing to humble themselves to trust in a Christ of humble nature. This is the good news that Jesus will save those who will humble themselves and come to Him only on the merits of what He has done.  Many think they are good enough or do not need to be changed because of who they are and what they have accomplished.  Are you one of those, or are you willing to humbly ask God to forgive you for being a sinner in need of a Savior? If so, don't put it off, do it today.                    Luke 2:8-11 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.      Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

1:12 Qualified: To receive an inheritance in heaven through Jesus' work on the cross If Jesus had not died for our sins we would only receive wrath Of course, the one blessing that ought to move us constantly to thanksgiving is that God has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12). The word fit means “qualified”: God has qualified us for heaven! And, while we are waiting for Christ to return, we enjoy our share of the spiritual inheritance that we have in Him (Eph. 1:11, 18–23). In the Old Testament, God's people had an earthly inheritance, the land of Canaan. Christians today have a spiritual inheritance in Christ. Canaan is not a picture of heaven, for there will be no battles or defeats in heaven. Canaan is a picture of our present inheritance in Christ. We must claim our inheritance by faith as we step out on the promises of God (Josh. 1:1–9). Day by day, we claim our blessings; and this makes us even more thankful to the Lord. As we review this marvelous prayer, we can see how penetrating it is. We need spiritual intelligence if we are going to live to please God. We also need practical obedience in our walk and work. But the result of all of this must be spiritual power in the inner man, power that leads to joyful patience and long-suffering, with thanksgiving. Have you been praying this way lately?[1] Light: Refers to the Kingdom of God   Christ Is the Saviour (Col. 1:13–14) Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, Man's greatest problem is sin—a problem that can never be solved by a philosopher or a religious teacher. Sinners need a Saviour. These two verses present a vivid picture of the four saving actions of Christ on our behalf. 1:13 Delivered: This word in the original language Greek meant to draw to oneself or to rescue Jesus rescued us from Satan's kingdom and Hell He delivered us (v. 13a). This word means “rescued from danger.” We could not deliver ourselves from the guilt and penalty of sin, but Jesus could and did deliver us. We were in danger of spending eternity apart from God. The sword of God's judgment was hanging over our heads! But this deliverance involved something else: we were delivered from the authority of Satan and the powers of darkness. The gnostic false teachers believed in an organization of evil spirits that controlled the world (see Col. 1:16; 2:10, 15): angels, archangels, principalities, powers, virtues, dominions, and thrones. John[1] He transferred us (v. 13b). This word was used to describe the deportation of a population from one country into another.[1] Jesus Christ did not release us from bondage, only to have us wander aimlessly. He moved us into His own kingdom of light and made us victors over Satan's kingdom of darkness. Earthly rulers transported the defeated people, but Jesus Christ transported the winners. The phrase His dear Son can be translated “the Son of His love.” At the baptism and transfiguration of Jesus Christ, the Father declared that Jesus was His “beloved Son” (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). This fact reminds us of the price the Father paid when He gave His Son for us. It also reminds us that His kingdom is a kingdom of love as well as a kingdom of light. The experience of Israel in the Old Testament is an illustration of this spiritual experience; for God delivered them from the bondage of Egypt and took them into the Promised Land of their inheritance. God brings us out that He might bring us in. Kingdom: This is our current Kingdom of salvation and eternal Spiritual relationship with God Son of His Love: This Kingdom is given to His Son Jesus as an expression of Love. He is the beloved Son whom He loves V14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 1:14 Redemption: This word in the original Greek meant to deliver by payment of ransom It was used in reference to freeing slaves from bondage. Believers have been delivered from the bondage of sin Through His Blood: Christ was a blood sacrifice like the OT lambs. John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! He redeemed us (v. 14a). This word means “to release a prisoner by the payment of a ransom.” Paul did not suggest that Jesus paid a ransom to Satan in order to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness. By His death and resurrection, Jesus met the holy demands of God's Law. Satan seeks to accuse us and imprison us because he knows we are guilty of breaking God's Law. But the ransom has been paid on Calvary, and through faith in Jesus Christ, we have been set free. He has forgiven us (v. 14b). Redemption and forgiveness go together (Eph. 1:7). The word translated forgiveness means “to send away” or “to cancel a debt.” Christ has not only set us free and transferred us to a new kingdom, but He has canceled every debt so that we cannot be enslaved again. Satan cannot find anything in the files that will indict us! Forgiveness of Sins: We have been given a pardon from the penalty of sin. To pardon is to remove the penalty without having deserved forgiveness In recent years, the church has rediscovered the freedom of forgiveness. God's forgiveness of sinners is an act of His grace. We did not deserve to be forgiven, nor can we earn forgiveness. Knowing that we are forgiven makes it possible for us to fellowship with God, enjoy His grace, and seek to do His will. Forgiveness is not an excuse for sin; rather, it is an encouragement for obedience. And, because we have been forgiven, we can forgive others (Col. 3:13). The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant makes it clear that an unforgiving spirit always leads to bondage (Matt. 18:21–35). Jesus Christ is preeminent in salvation. No other person could redeem us, forgive us, transfer us out of Satan's kingdom into God's kingdom, and do it wholly by grace. The phrase, “through His blood,” reminds us of the cost of our salvation. Moses and the Israelites only had to shed the blood of a lamb to be delivered from Egypt. But Jesus had to shed His blood to deliver us from sin.[1]       Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Hi, This is Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries. It's the Christmas Season again, so let's remember that Jesus gave Himself to provide the ultimate gift of salvation, when He died on that cross so that we might go to heaven. Eph 2:8-9 says For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. And Jesus said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' So today and every day why don't we give the gift of our time, our resources, and our abilities, to someone in need, that's the least we can do since Jesus gave us His all. Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions