cost of pursuing Christ

What is the cost of pursuing Christ and his kingdom?

Why does love cause you to feel both great sorrow as well as joy, sometimes both at the same time?

How will the members of your family, who profess to love Jesus treat you?  Will they support you or tear you apart?  How will you treat them?

How will the members of your church congregation/parish, including those who preach treat you?  Will they persecute, judge, and condemn you? How will you treat them?

When you commit to God, there is nowhere to hide.  Yes he protects you, and for that I give him praise.

Please keep your eyes and heart on him.  Run to him.  Plead with him for a heart that cries out for people, in the ways he does.  Many times I contemplate taking the easy road, to give into what the world wants, but I cannot.

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luke 15

What is the gospel of the kingdom from Luke 15?


church leadership

• Man's Kingdom: The designated leader is unable, even unwilling to leave the flock in any other hands for fear of loss.

• God's Kingdom: The designated leader is released by a well nurtured and equipped flock to go and find the lost.

disciplinary action

• Man's Kingdom: When people stray and allegedly function disloyally to community or leadership, they are disciplined and exiled to some degree.  They might be allowed to return after a process of proving loyalty again, but even so never really trusted again.

• God's Kingdom: When people stray and allegedly function disloyally to community or leadership, they are loved; sought after and welcomed back before needing to hear ANY reason.

eternal inheritance

• Man's Kingdom: Inheritance is apportioned to the deserving (human measure & standard) usually by merit or pecking order. (i.e. each person gets a slice of a pie, its size determined by external reasons)

• God's Kingdom: Inheritance is always shared to the nth degree with ALL, ALWAYS; whatever the circumstances (unconditional).  (i.e. every person gets the whole pie, while simultaneously sharing all of it with everyone else)

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james

... it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”   But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.  For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.  For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.”  (James 2)

Question: If you murder someone but don't commit adultery, have you still broken the law?  Which law?

So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember you will be judged by the law that sets you free.  There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.

REMEMBER: The bible equates murder to hatred (Num 35; 1John 3).

ALSO NOTE: Favouritism is equated to murder because to prefer one person above another reveals the heart of snubbing, dislike, ignoring, hatred, bigotry, etc.  In short, favourtism is another form of hate.

In other words, as breaking even one plate in a set of tableware results in a broken set,so breaking even one of the 'laws' still results in breaking the 'Law' no matter how much you profess "It was just one plate" or "It was only a small plate".  There is ONLY one LAW.

Why does James also reveal that favouring or rejecting a person based upon the "type of sin they have done will "cause you yourself to sin"?  How does favouring or showing prejudice break violate the need to "love others as yourself" or "love others as God loves you"?

QUESTION

How are we to love people who do wrongly against us?

• Reveal what they have done to them and if they refuse to listen and change, leave it in God's hands.
• Always hope and encourage restoration.
• Choose to focus on the influences upon them rather than choosing to fight them themselves.  Thus be quick to forgive them, don't take offense, show them mercy and grace, etc.
• Always find ways of blessing them, praying for them, rejoicing and weeping alongside them, being generous in their needs, do more than is expected or asked for them, etc ... without ever expecting appreciation or good will to be given in return.
• Recognise they are 100% free (due to Christ) even if they choose not to act upon this freedom.

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