To Love What He Loves

Ephesians Ephesians 5:25-27 (KJV) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; [26] That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, [27] That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Jesus Christ loved the Church. The church being the redeemed, the born again, the elect, those that were and are and are to be the born of the Father from above. Paul does not hesitate to take the broad and focus it to the narrow. As stated in John 3:16, we know that God so loved the world but here His love is focused on a select people. The church or the ecclesia...the called out belonging unto the Lord. Oh that the church would love His church as He loves the church. He loves the church: 1) Deliberately according to Ephesians 1:4 2) Definitely according to Romans 8:28-33 3) Determinately according to Romans 8:29 Even from the passage in Ephesians you may see that Christ gave himself for the Church and that is salvation. He cleanses the church through His word and that is sanctification. He presents His church as perfect and that is glorification. Oh, what love is this? That the Saviour would do so for such unworthy and inept beings such as ourselves! From here to eternity is His love for His church. Now let me say, this ought to be our desire for the church as well. Simply because He loves it, then we (the church) should also love. Perhaps John expresses it best in his little epistles. I think so. That we have love one for another. If those who profess salvation would only "love" the church you would find revival, reformation, regeneration, etc. You would find joy in serving, learning, and following after Him. If only we loved the church faithfulness would not just be a desire but an actual characteristic come worship time or prayer meeting time. God's people would be where He is, that is where His true people gather. To love the Lord ought to be equated to Loving as He loved and loving what He loved. Remember the church of Ephesus, leaving their first love. Let it not be said of you or of me. Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart... Pastor Jim

A Hunger for Righteousness

Jesus said: "Blessed are those who do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled." (Matt.5:6) It is the nature of the believer (new nature) to desire the righteousness of God, the conformity to Christlikeness, and the righteousness of fellowship with the Father. This desire is only created in the new creature or the believer that is of genuiness. Now then, it should be expected of the sheep that they be fed as well as expected that the Pastor or undershepherd would feed them according to I Peter 5. Now let us consider two scenarios that may be seen in light of the presuppositions in the above. The first to consider is that the shepherd, being faithful and true to his Lord and his duty attempts to feed the flock but the flock refuses to eat as provided by the shepherd. Of course there would be, by nature, malnutrition among the flock. What is the problem that they are not partaking of the righteous manna as provided? Could there be a sickness in the flock? Couold there be a stubborness in the flock? Could there be wolves in sheeps clothing? Or could there be....? You use your imagination, I'm sure that you heard even more illegitimate reasoning that could be implemented. Regardless of the reason or excuse, there must be in all sheep a hunger and a thirst for righteousness. A true believer has a tremendous appetite for God and His word. A great desire is given to every believer to be like Christ by the working of His heavenly Father. Could it be that there are those who profess to be sheep that really arent sheep at all. There joy being that of the world. The pleasures, luxuries, and the ways of the world are much more conducive to their natural appetite and so that is where they feast. The second scenario would be that of a faithful flock with an unfaithful shepherd. He is unfaithful to His Lord by neglecting the "feeding" of the flock. How many congregations will there be that know little about their Lord due to the failure of the shepherd? Now here is a wolf in sheeps clothing for sure. Little, if any, theological substance to his attempt in teaching or preaching. His messages are of the humanistic level. He works at creating a relevant message that is so contemporary that it forsakes the divine. He will use a lot of illustrations and stories that are current that the sheep are to "identify" with. Oh it will be of the current nature, a new way of preaching, a new gospel, a new take of "Jesus". And the sheep are starving, malnurished, and literally astray from the Lord. He offers no hope just relevance. He has forsaken the inspiration and the sufficiency of the scriptures and is misleading the flock to pastures that are not green and without the water of life. He has presented the misnistry of Christ as another worldly market. This man is a shame and reproach upon the power and person of Christ and would be more beneficial to people as a salesman rather than a Pastor. May God give us a Passion for truth and righteousness and may we settle for nothing less. Pastor Jim