As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
(Galatians 6:10)

I have been meditating on this scripture for days, the more I meditate on it the more it breaks my heart. I write this as a warning and exhortation to you my loved ones! A warning because we can get busy, doing good to those who are outside of the household of faith. By feeding them, clothing them, listening to them, warning them of sin in their lives, we drive distances to reach them, we spend money and tracts and bibles, we bear with them with such patience when they decide to stiffen their necks against God. We don’t give up on them, we continue to pray and endure with them, some of us will weep with them, and embrace them. But how much more my dear brethren should we do good to those who are of the household of faith! How much more, should we care for one another. How much more should we bear each others burdens. How much more should we bear with one another when we offend each other, or even sin against each other. People on the streets offend us, but we are so quick to forgive, and still strive with them in love. I hardly see anyone backbite those who are outside of the household of faith, but oh how often I hear backbiting and gossip about a fellow brother or sister. The church who was bought with the blessed blood of Christ, needs a baptism of love! Love, that will cover a multitude of sins! Love that will show the world that we are Christ’s disciples!
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
(John 13:34-35)
This is the love we need! Love that will bring Glory to God, love that will be manifested as Jesus prayed:
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
(John 17:20-23)
Our blessed Lord didn’t pray that a few of us would be one, but for all who believe on the Son! My loved one’s, may we endeavor to keep the unity within us. May we put as much effort or maybe even more to do good to one another that are within the body of Christ. Christ is one, He‘s not divided! Christ is coming! May we be found perfect and spotless on that blessed day!
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
(Colossians 3:12-14)

In Christ,
Lina Urban

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Lina

Dear Lina,

Thank you for your heart-felt exhortation, which I receive with all my heart.

The scriptures you mentioned were at the back of my mind when I posted a thread not too long ago, called Love One Another?

I wanted to draw to attention that this is a [u]third[/u] key commandment on love, which is entirely from the New Covenant and cannot continue to be ignored by Christians. It is separate from and different to 'love thy neighbour'.

You said:

I was thinking about 'the world' yesterday, and a few scriptural definitions of 'world' began to fit together in my understanding - quite differently from what I've been led to believe by my evangelical past, would qualify as attributes of 'worldliness'.


John 1
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and [u]the world knew him not[/u].
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

John 3:16
For [u]God so loved the world[/u], that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

1 John 2:15
[u]Love not the world[/u], neither the things [i]that are[/i] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.


What is 'the world'?

1 John 2
16 For all that [i]is[/i] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life [goods (Tyndale)], is not of the Father, but is of the world.

James 4
1 From whence [i]come[/i] wars and fightings among you? [i]come they[/i] not hence, [i]even[/i] of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [i]it[/i] upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that [u]the scripture saith[/u] in vain, [b]The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy[/b]?

Acts 7:9
And the patriarchs, [u]moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt[/u]: but God was with him,

Mark 15:10
For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

Acts 13:45
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were [u]filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul[/u], [b]contradicting and blaspheming[/b].


Matthew 26
3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4 And consulted that they might take Jesus [b]by subtilty, and kill[/b] [i]him[/i].

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15 And said [i]unto them[/i], What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him [Jesus], and fled.
57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led [i]him[/i] away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were [already] assembled.
58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came...

65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
67 Then did they [the chief priests, and elders, and all the council] spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote [i]him[/i] with the palms of their hands,
68 Saying,
Prophesy unto us, thou Christ,
Who is he that smote thee?

Matthew 27:6
And the chief priests took the silver pieces [back from Judas], and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. :-o

John 8:44
Ye are of [i]your[/i] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Psalm 37
35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he [i]was[/i] not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

1 John 2:17
And the world passeth away, and the lust [John 8:44] thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.


I think the thing that shocked me most, was to realise that 'the world' was represented so fully and unashamedly by the religious leaders. In 'Israel' (the nation), they were also the civil leaders, and yet there was nothing 'civil' about their behaviour. It could have been any other part of town populated with any other profession of ruffian.

How cultured Jesus is by comparason, even under that extreme pressure. As Peter says 'who when He was reviled, reviled not again'.

I see I must be examined by this definition of 'worldly', and be found dead to both sin and the world [u]in Christ[/u], and, alive to God in Him.

Good point, Dorcas. The cross is what will unite the brethren (and expose the goats)!

Good word Lina.

Very true that we have more compassion for the lost then our brethren.

Jesus passion was surely on His people and so was Paul's

2 Timothy 2:10
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.


This is a verse that pop in my mind after reading Lina's post.
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, [b]we have fellowship with one another[/b], and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Interesting in Acts. In Acts we find that true unity will not only show the world that we are Jesus disciples but also put fear in them not to join the group, meaning less or no goats/lukewarm christians in fellowship.

A lot of Christians say that they want unity, but they don't realize unity cost "them (self)". Just like what Dorcas mentions about being dead to the world and alive to Christ.

Good word, sisters!

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Lisa

Your post also reminded me of my dream I had 2 nights ago.

I believe that this dream is about the state of the church. Very unhealthy right now.

In my dream I was on the phone talking to a woman. I remember being right outside of her apartment using the phone booth. I wasn't planning to come over, but she wanted me too, so I said I would. When I enter her house I knew their plans and the reason why they wanted me over. They were all in the living room each laying on their own bed and expecting me to serve them and make them something to eat. I saw right through their plans and thought how evil that is to expect to be served and they seemed proud of it, but I didn't mind serving so I told them I would make them something to eat. I decided to make them scramble eggs.

I believe the living room represented fellowship with His people. Them being in bed means laziness. Them expecting me to feed them means that many of God's people are depending on man to feed them the word and not seeking God themselves. Them wanting me to serve them means many christians are still self centered, immature. Me serving them eggs means that they are not able to eat meat, still babies, still needing to learn the elementary things of Christ, cannot go on to perfection.

God knows how much my heart and thoughts are on the church and wanting to understand why many are not progressing to maturity, even with so much christian stuff thats out there to encourage them onto perfection. I believe the Lord was showing why and how they still need to be fed the elementary things. You cannot feed meat to those who are still immature or else they will trample on it.

I guess many of God's people are still like the Corithians. Paul rebuked them sharply, but also remind them who they are in Christ. Even Paul had diffulcuty with such christians.

This is where unity gets diffulcult. There are still many who desire to remain "babes (wanting to be served)" in Christ when they should already be teachers by now.

But we are approaching the end soon and those who are found lukewarm will be spewed out. I believe also that God is gathering the like minded saints together where there will be powerful unity again like the book of Acts that He will use in the end times to glorify His name. They are the chosen army who will do great exploits in the last days!

_________________
Lisa

Oh, to walk in love that Christ may be glorified in all our ways! It was said of early Christians, even by the heathen about them, "Behold how they love one another!" Can that always be said of us? Or must it be said, "Behold how they quarrel; behold how they criticize; behold how they backbite one another; behold how they scandalize one another." What a shame if such things could be said of us! "All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou Shalt Love."

-H.A. Ironside

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Lina

firstlove,
I saw2 other possibilities in your dream. You were asked to come over[you were wanted] and when you got there ,whatever anyones motive,you served gladly. To me you have much to offer the bretheren.[possibly in some form of service]
The other possibility is that .....I need to be able to receive service.Jesus both served and received service.
,,,,David