What a wonderful message Pastor Bill delivered this morning; and what a challenge to love our enemies... we are able to love those who love us; but can we love those who don't love us? We are supposed to.
Later in the morning, we had our Biblical Growth Class where we were discussing the epistles (letters) of Paul to the churches that we starting throughout the regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea. There was a lot of info to cover, but some of that involved Paul's charge to the churches in the region of Galatia (NE corner of Mediterranean) to be "crucified with Christ" - that our sinful ways / our sinful being was nailed to the cross and was crucified with Christ. The life that we live is no longer the sinful, law-code guilt life that we were subject to before Christ - but freedom! Because we shared in the crucifixion / death of Christ, we also share in His resurrection - in new life!!!! Paul summarized this by stating that we are new creatures; the old has gone the new is come!
If we are to live lives of loving our enemies, we must be crucified with Christ and live life by the spirit (which Paul also talked about). It all comes back to the cross. Loving our enemies is not about trying harder, or reading books, or holding each other accountable - those might help as we try self-improvement -- but the answer to loving our enemies lies not in self-improvement, but in Christ-improvement -- the answer to loving our enemies is death; death of ourself; sharing in the death of Christ so that we might also share in His life. "For I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live!"
God bless you richly, abundantly, and extravagantly with the fruit of the Spirit that is living inside of those who are adopted as his children.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment