The bible’s profound declaration is, “God is Love”. Everything God does emanates from Love. Though Adam and Eve’s sin caused us the human race to step out of living, moving and having our essence in God or Love, Love was active to save mankind 1 John 1:29.
It’s only as we receive or know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge that we return to living, moving and having our being in Love or God Ephesians 3:19, 1 John 4:16.
Although Love is latent, He produces actions. Love propelled the plan of redemption because He loved (Wanted Himself) in us. He is not seeking for us to fill-up His lack because He alone is self-sufficient. He is pure and loves mankind sincerely as His children by creation. He is inviting all mankind to return to Him through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Lamb. Why? Because He loves us John 3:16.
All who accept His invitation (Christ Jesus) are blessed with “eternal life or Love” which has overthrown the “spirit of this age” and are no longer of the world though in the world John 17:14. As a result, while journeying through this world, Love is working in and with Christ’s disciples to possess their being, live and move in Love. The life of Love is curing and protecting those in Christ from the diseases of pride of life, lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh.
God’s love has been shed in the hearts of all His people (the body of Christ or the Church) because it’s only through Christ’s love that we come into the fullness of God — into heaven’s love, peace and wisdom different from that of the world Romans 5:5, John 14:27, James 3:17.
Having been born-again of the Spirit, the community of God’s people are called not to mimic actions of love but to live the life of love (Christ’s divine nature) through God’s great and precious promises 2 Peter 1:4. What are the “great and precious promises”? “I will live my life in my people AND walk amongst them 2 Corinthians 6:16, Matthew 18:20. Those in religion mimicking actions of love end up loving some people and hating others. But those led by the Spirit to living the life of love hates no one. This is the awesomeness of God’s grace at work in those who have relationship with Christ.
God’s life of love is lived through us only as we let Him guide us to understand Love. Whilst it’s possible for all humans to mimic actions of love, wisdom and have worldly peace, only those whom Love dwells in and with can live the life of peace, wisdom and love which is the fruit of the Spirit (Actions motivated by Love) Galatians 5:22. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes had the doctrine of Love, acted lovingly towards some people but never lived the life of love Matthew 23:1-2 3, 4 and 5. Even Hitler had people he acted lovingly towards. Anything short of God living through us can mean anything but the life of love.
The bible never refers to action(s) as love rather, it’s the Spirit behind the action(s) which accord to God’s word that is referred to as Love. Paul the Apostle clarified this delicate divide when he said, ‘giving away all of our possession and submitting to die in the place of another person can be done yet not in or by Love’ 1 Corinthians 13: 3, 1-2. This is why Paul distinctly referred to the work of the Thessalonian church as “labour of love” 1 Thessalonians 1:3. Not all labour or action is of or done by love.
Many of Jesus’s labours or actions don’t pass our human estimation of what love and politeness is because He lived the life of love led by the Spirit to please His Father first and foremost. Maybe you’re thinking, this is precarious. Yes, it is! However, Romans 8:14 and 1 Corinthians 2:15 explains it well. It’s the true life of love.
As said earlier, although Love is latent, the Spirit makes Love or God manifest in actions. For this reason, Peter exhorted the Church thus, ‘Above all, let Love grow earnestly or deeply in you —towards everyone because Love covers or forgives a multitude of sins’ 1 John 3:23. Notice Peter’s exhortation syncs with the second greatest command of God to His people both in the Old and New Testament Matthew 22:39. The command to love others or one another deeply is given only to those who have God or Christ since no one can love another in the sense God desires without Him or Christ. So, the fulfilment of this command is predicated on the first command to love (Have) God with all of our being (spirit, soul and body) Matthew 22:38, 1 John 4:19, 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
How can we truly love one another earnestly?
When we let Love or Christ fill our soul and motivate us, our love for one another deepens. Then, our “thinking” (covert) and “actions” (overt) towards everyone and especially “people of the household of faith” becomes as Christ (As He is so are we in this world) Galatians 6:10, Matthew 10:42.
It’s important to reiterate that action(s) is/are not what is referred to as love rather, it’s the Person that motivates our action(s). Hence, the life of love is a lifestyle of loving our brothers and forgiving 1 John 4:20-21,Matthew 7:12.
How does Love forgive or cover a multitude of sins?
James the Apostle explained it when he said, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins”. If we’re motivated by Love to reach out to those who don’t have Christ or derailing brothers, love will save them from death by forgiving (covering) their sins. The action of reaching out is not the love. The reaching out can be of self and not love. This is why verse 1 of Galatians 6 said, “you who are spiritual” meaning, you are motivated by love — let meekness govern your reaching out as exhibited in Paul’s speech, “for love’s sake” Philemon 1:8-9.
Christ needs to grow deeply in us because none of us by ourselves can love and forgive sins in the sense God desires without Love being deeply rooted in us. It’s Love that covers or forgives (not overlooks) a multitude of sins. Only Love can forgive sins.
To forgive others so that we can be forgiven is not exactly God’s ideal of forgiveness. This type of forgiveness is self-motivated, cheap, ineffective, full of guile, null and void. Oh! Don’t worry I forgive, I forgive you! Really?! Where is the healing and reconciliation!? Forgiving is something only God can do through us and it has immediate healing and a reconciling effect both on the person forgiveness is flowing out from and the recipient of the forgiveness Matthew 6:15.
The Church (People of grace or power) are admonished, “confess your sins (faults) one to another… ” So that forgiveness, healing and reconciliation flow freely through us for one another to the praise of God James 5:16, 1 John 5:17.
The uniqueness of the church’s purpose and mission is pivoted on and driven by Love. So, we know, the start and end of our Christian life is Love. Every temptation we Christians face is a temptation to step out of love. Therefore, Jesus’ strongest admonition to His sheep is, “abide in me and I in you”. Outside of Love all of our good deeds can be anything but far from love.
God’s heart towards mankind is love (Christ). Those who reject the life of love sentence themselves to the wrath of the second death because, the day of judgement is a day of the revelation of perfected love 1 John 4:17, Romans 8:19. The Church’s purpose is to live the life of love with His many sided wisdom in pursuing her mission of pointing the world to Christ.
Living the life of Love is beautiful with implications summarized thus: Christ by the Holy Spirit will live through us to please His Father just as He did during His earthly ministry and not to please everyone and be loved by everyone. The whole essence of living the life of love is for God’s glory which enhances our well-being now and forever.
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name Psalms 86:11.
… He (God) testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will’ Acts 13:22.
Though God testified that David’s heart pursued after Him, David did not fail to see that many of his imaginations and actions fell short of the state of his heart. He saw his soul’s wrong meditations and the consequences in his fleshly actions that displeased God.
But, David acknowledged the truth that God wants only pure, true and sincere worship or devotion. So, in his anguish for a solution, he prayed to God, ‘Unite my heart to fear (worship) your name’. He was active in his longing for God’s help regarding the matter. He wanted his whole being to join in blessing and praising God Psalms 103:1
This is the heart beat of every true follower of Christ. It is the sign of a vibrant faith.
Scriptures clarifies the truth that, pure and sincere devotion involves our heart, soul and body. It’s God’s work in our heart overshadowing our soul and bearing its fruit out of our body. This is what it means to worship in spirit and truth John 4:23-24. Meaning, the actions of our body should reflect what is in our soul as our soul takes instruction from our heart or spirit where God is working His will.
What did David mean by asking God to unite his heart?
Could it be that he was asking for sanctification? I believe he was. He had a good grasp of the dichotomy of spirit (heart), soul and body and wanted them to unite to glorify God. In other words, he wanted his heart, soul and body to agree with God’s opinion or thought. He desired the free and smooth sailing of God’s command in his daily worship and service to Him.
However, David realized he couldn’t do it by himself, He needed God’s sanctifying power.
David didn’t allow God’s testimony of him to be used by the deceiver (Satan) to delude him. Rather, by faith, he hungered for His righteousness—thereby letting God’s testimony of him serve as a catalyst for, ‘His will in heaven to be done in his life on earth’ Matthew 6:10.
David’s prayer is not surprising. The people of old who pleased God did so by faith, that is, their obedience to God’s command was through Christ though He had not physically been made manifest to mankind on earth.
Did God answer David’s prayer?Yes! He answers the prayers of His children for help always.
Reading through the scriptures, it is clear that David transformed from one who put Uriah in the front line to die, to being a godly king. Towards his end, he testified, ‘that God had given him rest on every side’. Though, within context, ‘rest on every side’ in its use in earlier and later passages with reference to David related to physical wars. However, its spiritual dimension can’t be ignored because, the bigger picture in all of David’s dealings was the spiritual. This was why God testified, that David’s heart was after His own heart or way.
David desired a good standing in God’s sight both for himself and his people just as it applied to other saints of old like Abraham, Moses et al. Hebrews 11:26.
For those whose hearts acknowledge and desire God’s will, when the soul and body unite with the heart, God’s will is easily accomplished—obedience to Christ’ command through the Holy Spirit sails freely. This is the effect of sanctification.
In the New Testament, Paul’s prayer for the church in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 lined up with David’s, “… May every fiber of my being unite in reverence to your name” (Psalms 86:11b Living Bible).
Our Savior (Jesus Christ), authenticated the thought behind both David and Paul’s prayers by His reply to the question: What is the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-38.
His answer was simple but profound, ‘Love God holistically (spirit, soul and body). And it is exhibited by the second greatest command in Matthew 22:39—meaning, as God has loved you and helped you to love yourself, love others in the same way. Put differently, let your light shine! God grants our prayer for sanctification because, He wants to see us building on His solid Foundation with the right materials 1 Corinthians 3:11. Not with wood, hay and stubble—but with gold, silver and precious stones 1 Corinthians 3:12.
The testimony of God about His Son’s body (the church) on earth is that she is the light and salt of the world. And, He wants to see that testimony lived out. Hence, the exhortation and admonition, “…let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” Matthew 5:16, Galatians 6:10.
Paul the apostle tells us, ‘The opposite of us letting our light shine out will be, to live as enemies of His cross that saved us’ Philippians 3:18. But, when His light in us shines out, what glory it brings to God!
Like David, a servant with a heart after God’s heart, let us pray, “… May every fibre of my being unite in reverence to your name” and from Paul’s example, a man full of grace, let us desire and pray: ‘May the God of peace himself cause us to be completely dedicated to him; and may our spirit, soul, and body be kept intact and blameless at our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming’. Amen!
It is good to know and handle the word of God because it contain His Spirit as a light that gives life (John 8:12, 1:4). However, we can handle His word without its spirit or life and light (2 Corinthians 3:6, Jeremiah 2:8).
This danger is subtle and can creep upon us if we presume our busyness— evangelizing, teaching, and caring for people, active in social networks and blogging as tantamount to having His life in abundance (John 10:10).
Even being consumed with our legitimate means of livelihood can conceal our lack of His ever abundant life beckoning on us.
The truth that God’s word is crucial and ineluctable for humans and the universe is undeniable. By His word, the cosmos was spoken into being, and our life’s origin is from Him.
To us humans, Adam being the first, God spoke not that our life should be rather, He entered man by His breath—that is, His very spirit (Life) took residence in Adam. Hence, man became a living soul. Adam came to know the life inside him as the Word — his God and Creator in whom he lived, moved and had his being (Acts 17:28).
Therefore, in their activities in Eden’s garden, God’s every word became their light and first priority. And it was to be an inheritance to their descendants.
But, with the passing of time, they gave God’s word second place in their daily living through the deception of the serpent, the devil. This meant they departed from His path of light and life into darkness or the broad way — a tragic fall from God’s grace! Hebrews 12:15a. From being a living soul, they became dead souls with fleshly might, which was no match for their enemy, Satan (a fallen angel and his cohorts).
Obviously, the kingdom of darkness gained a boast over man. Suddenly, man who through God’s grace had boldness and dominion over all of His creation had lost His glory. As a result, when God called out to Adam and Eve, they didn’t have boldness to fellowship with Him any more.
Though they still handled or remembered His word to them not to eat from the tree of good and evil, the life and light of His word had been lost. They had no power of life to obey it again. Once God’s word takes second place in man, its life and light goes out.
This should deter us ever looking away from Christ Jesus, THE NEW AND LIVING WAY that gives us boldness to fellowship with God at His throne of grace Hebrews 4:16, 10:19-22. Looking away means relegating Him to second place in our lives.
Jesus hates to be our second love or priority. It is a colossal mistake with hellish consequences.
Making Him our second priority is like knowing and handling the word without the life and light. And without light, gloom and darkness prevail. Hence, man loses direction and the essence of living which is—to praise and worship God daily.
The words of prolific writer, C. S. Lewis captured the fact of human neglect of her duties to God: “Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy”.
The word “happy” is mankind’s way of describing peace and joy. But, the word of God says to us, peace and joy are founded upon righteousness as a virtue of His kingdom (Romans 14:17). The rejection of the spirit, light and life in His word equates to us robbing ourselves of true happiness. Mankind’s own happiness is transient because it is based on things that are temporal and does fade away.
God destined righteousness, peace and joy (happiness) for man is wrapped up in His Son and in Him alone. His word carries the impact of His life as a light shining on the narrow path for all who will embrace and cling to His Son—herein is real happiness found (Psalm 119:105). His word is destined for first place in us humans and over all things and in all things. It must be so for us to have coherence, escape corruption and enjoy happiness for all eternity.
Jesus’ narrative of the rich man who existed in transient happiness while in his mortal body but ended up in perpetual unhappiness in his immortal state is a warning for mankind and the church to give God’s life and light found in His word first priority while the opportunity remains.
All who have been called into Christ are daily in this battle to “abide in Him” (1 John 2:28) described as “looking unto Jesus” in (Hebrews 12:2) and referenced as ‘your first love or the love you had at first’ in Revelation 2. In other words, to abide in Christ is to look steadilyon Him (keep Him as first love) and not to make Him second priority in our daily living. That is to say, Christ as God’s light and life bound up in the word must not be separated. Handling His word without its light and life will at most, make us moralistic people.
Mistake of the Ephesians Church
What happened to Ephesus church as representing a certain church age in (Revelation 2:2-4) is an admonition for us in the twenty-first century church. They remembered the word, laboured hard, had patience and even fished out false apostles among them yet, Christ’ life and light (first love) that worked within their hearts was faded. This is a thing you and I must guard against in our own lives (Matthew 22:37-39).
Intimate relationship or fellowship with God should always come first and from its backdrop, relationships and all its activities with others.
Adam and Eve experienced the glory of God living in, walking and talking with them in Eden’s garden while He remained first in their everyday living. But as said earlier, painfully, they were eventually defeated in that garden because they demoted God’s word to second place.
God’s infinite wisdom and redemptive purpose was to later hatch, His Word became flesh and dwelt amongst men. And, in the garden of Gethsemane, the Word shed His blood, died and resurrected. Now, He lives not just among us but in us, walking and talking with us as Adam and Eve experienced Him in Eden’s garden. This time, and in this Gethsemane garden (the world), the Man Jesus has defeated the serpent.
Therefore, today, the scriptures exhort and admonish man boldly, ‘Christ in you—the hope of glory’ (Colossians 1:27). Not we working for the gospel but, the spirit, light and life of His word or the gospel working in us and giving out its fruit through us.
Paul the apostle had a good grasp of this. As the gospel (light and life of God’s word) worked in him, he strived to imprint the truth of Gethsemane’s victory into the heart of the church. Nevertheless, he never failed to also remind the church to learn from man’s fall in Eden through Satan’s deception (2 Corinthians 11:3).
For emphasis, Satan’s deception worked only because Adam and Eve forgot their first love. This is why the Holy Spirit is with us, always reminding and helping us not to forget our first love, Christ Jesus. And we are admonished to encourage one another daily to this end (Hebrews 3:13).
So, God is not looking for us to just know the letter of His word or is He seeking to talk “to” us, no, rather, He desires to talk “with” us—herein is life. And, He wants to “walk” with us not just “show” us the way— that is light as found in His word (Christ). He is the Light of the world (John 8:12, Revelation 21:23). Outside Him is gross darkness.
As redeemed and beloved children of God, may we find grace to keep coveting after the spirit, light and life in His scriptures, that is our first love!
Our fellowship with one another or together is as a consequence of our first or primary fellowship with God through Christ by the Holy Spirit. This sequence is ordained by God because He seeks to accomplish in our fellowship one with another that which is impossible without Christ. In other words, there is a fellowship with one another that is achievable without Christ Jesus.
So, a fine relationship or fellowship can exist between friends, marriages, parents and children, unions, communities, religions and countries without it being the kind God seeks or the type that Jesus Christ prayed to His Father about on behalf of His body on the earth in John 17. It is insightful that He prayed to this effect before He returned to His former glory which He laid down in order to found His Kingdom in the earth.
It remains a fact that through leadership skills, rules and regulations, justices, fear of the consequences of breaching governmental laws, zeal to attain ambitions etc the world may have fellowship or live in harmony (the tower of Babel comes to mind Genesis 11).
The saints are exhorted in the bible to pray ‘for kings and those in authority—so that we may live harmonious lives’ 1 Timothy 2:2. God’s intention through the prayers is to save those who have not received His Son, Christ Jesus—the only way to eternal life. The “harmonious living” which some people who reject and mock the return of Christ may enjoy differs from the “peaceful lives” marked by a pure and blameless call on the body of Christ 2 Peter 3: 3, 14.
The importance of the above is this; we who claim to be born again by and into the Spirit of Christ need to soberly examine what we are fervently building as fellowship on the earth today. We need to see through the eyes of the scriptures by the Holy Spirit if indeed we’re part of and participating as precious stones in the ongoing temple Christ is building through His ceaseless intercession in heaven Matthew 16:18, Romans 8:34.
His Body
What about the churches— that is, the gatherings, assemblies or fellowships of those professing Christ? Though this may alarm many people, the truth is that the churches are not the body of Christ. Please calm down! Read on and judge what is written by scriptures like the Bereans Acts 17:11.
The ekklesia popularly referenced as the Church or saints not churches is the body of Christ Ephesians 1:1, 22-23. In I Corinthians 11:16 Paul said, “…nor do the churches of God”. Here, the word is not just churches but the “churches of God”.
To understand Paul’s usage of the term “churches of God”, we have to read 1 Corinthians 11: 17-19 in which he indicates that he was writing to the church. It is on this ground that what Paul wrote then is seen as written also to all believers in all of the church ages which includes us today.
Without neglecting to be contextual, we also notice that in mentioning their specific bad manners with regards to the Lord’s Table and the factiousness, Paul was addressing it as a thing that will keep authenticating “the church” as different from those just professing Christ within the Churches.
In 1 Corinthians 11:22, Paul uses the term “the Church of God” as referring to Christ’s body. And scriptures clearly state that the body of Christ is one though made up of many individual parts not corporate parts 1 Corinthians 12:12, Hebrews 6:11.
The emphasis being; in the churches scattered all over the world, individuals within each of the churches that have received and are abiding in the Spirit of Christ, form His one body as lively stones being built up as one spiritual temple 1 Peter 2:5. So, Christ’s body does not have types e.g., evangelical, charismatic, reformed, multicultural, institutional or house churches etc.
Truly, no one has ever been or will ever be a part of the body of Christ because they belong to any of the churches no matter how well the churches presume to fair in Christ.
Paul the apostle therefore says, “But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!” 1 Corinthians 11:18-20. That is, “you” (who are part of His body) approved of God as genuine may be manifest—a manifestation which even creation longs to know—that is, His body, the sons of God or the “church” (not churches) of the living God Romans 8:19, 1 Timothy 3:15.
The Rewards
God has but one church or body of which there are no grades! Her individual parts are functioning differently for one purpose and one crown not many crowns. Each individual receives a crown equal in every way as it fulfils that which God had assigned Matthew 20.
While the individual parts that constitute the “one church” Ephesians 4:4 are still clothed with mortal bodies, our comprehension of crown and rewards is affected Ephesians 1:18. The perception of a lesser crown is mere thinking. Because all the crowns constitute one crown, no one will regret not doing enough that could have enabled them receive a better or more glorious crown. Christ is the reward awaiting the saints in all her sufferings! Hopefully, that means more than enough for us!
Let’s beware of the mentality of the elder brother of the repented prodigal son. Matthew 25:30 sheds spiritual light on Matthew 25: 24-29, indicating that the talent is not skills but the redemption (Christ) God has given to us.
Think about it, God will not throw anyone into outer darkness because he or she did not use their skills. Unequivocally, the passage is actually speaking about the foolishness of burying, trampling under feet or crucifying Christ the second time Hebrews 6:6, 10:29.
The incentive to continue to abide in Christ, in His commandments by faith working through grace in our inner most being is not to get a better crown but to be redeemed to the utmost. This is the reason to submit to God, one another and resist the devil. It is not to win applause in heaven and receive a more superior crown than the others who are also redeemed.
The prize, reward or crown is Christ Jesus whom we have and will have!! For His sake and through Him, we are to continue laying down our lives that His glorious life might crown His temple for all eternity 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, Revelation 2:10, 3:11 “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown”.
Notice! We already have the crown. Treasure Him that no man seduce or lead you away from Him 2 Corinthians 11:3.
Rather, through Christ by the Holy Spirit’s power we are to individually grow in our fellowship with God and one another or together in the one faith, love and hope. At the consummation of all things, God himself shall be our exceeding reward Genesis 15:1NIV.
Is the bible actually true or what? Careful reading of the bible affirms that it is saying, ‘Before Christ came into the world, mankind did not have life as a result of Adam and Eve’s fall’. We just existed! We were working, discovering and inventing things, eating, having sex and making babies. In this sense, humans are not far from the ants who, also work smartly, build and engage in reproduction.
So, Christ Jesus came to give mankind life, life in its abundance!
Does this suggest that holy men and women of old before Christ did not have life too? The bible gives this notion and I second its truth. They had glimpses of His life from a distance and longed earnestly to possess it. The longing kept their hearts and minds towards God. So they served Him with reverence and fear.
But, since Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection some people have been escaping from merely existing into life. And no longer are those who have the glimpse of life just longing after Him—they are possessing life, life in all its abundance. Nicodemus had something of the glimpse of life so he went to see Him (Life) better at night. Christ Jesus nodded him towards the life—‘get born again, and then you will see life clearly. You will not only see it, you will possess it by water and the Spirit’ John 3:1-5.
Since His resurrection, a body of people on the earth described as His body possess life and increasingly have Him in all of His fullness. Note, it is not just having life but possessing life (Christ) in His fullness— having a real vibrant relationship with the living Christ Jesus the Head and High Priest of His body on the earth John 10:27. Not a fairy tale.
“If the Lord is not a real and vital part of our lives, then we are only half living”— Crosswalk. In which case, God is asking, where art thou? Genesis 3:9.
Dear friend, are you part of His body? The Holy Spirit will bear witness to you in your spirit Romans 8:16. His joy and peace will evidence it to you in your inner man. Restfulness in your inner being will testify to it. Crazy thoughts and jumpy actions will be vanishing as you are astonished by His awesome power resurrecting you to an increasingly godly and goodly thoughts and actions that gladdens the heart under every situation. Which is to say, all things are now working out only for good in your life! All things are beginning to be made by the Holy Spirit to serve as a springboard to prepare you as a part of the bride (wise virgins) for the bridegroom (Eternal Life).
The measure of life, abundant life that mortals can contain is made available by Christ Jesus to all who ask for it Psalm 86:5. How merciful and gracious God is!
Merciful because He looks to His Son’s sacrifice and grants forgiveness to all who ask for it though they be sinners—gross sinners who murdered His Son, Jesus.
Gracious because He is all powerful to rescue all who are in hiding beaten or negotiated down (Genesis 3:1-6) by the dominion of darkness if only we will come out to meet Him as He walks towards us and not hide behind trees (ministries and other people, so to speak Proverbs 11:21) Genesis 3:8. By His power, He translates all who receive and accept His Son (the Messiah) from the darkness of hell into the light of heaven—that is, His Kingdom. This is the power of the second Adam, the life giving Spirit.
The life of God in the earth is flowing in His Kingdom on the earth. And the Kingdom soon will overun the kingdom of this world as the will of God is increasingly being done in the earth as it is done in heaven.
Sinners and religious (pious) people must now flee to Christ Jesus for safety. The appointed time God has given for all men to be saved is running out Romans 13:11. The righteous are being taken out of the earth yet men know it not. God is rejoicing as His own return home.
God is strengthening the body of His Son on the earth to tell the world that God loves them. God does not want anyone to perish Titus 2:11, 2 Peter 3:9. Enough people have perished because while on earth clothed with mortal body, they only existed having refused and rejected life. Receiving this life (Christ) is so crucial and as such, God gave opportunity to even those who existed before Christ’s advent the chance to receieve Him, in their hearts.
Mankind (men and women) need eternal life in this present life. Therefore, have life that you may live ABUNDANTLY forever not exist forever. Goodness and religion do not give life! Life gives goodness and devotion. Those who know and possess life know this reality, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” John 10:10.
Life is at your disposal; take Him in richly Colossians 3:16!
However, we can handle His word without its spirit or life and light (2 Corinthians 3:6, Jeremiah 2:8).
