God’s Love and Ours

God’s Love and Ours

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.



Jesus, I could sing In the tongues of men and angels But if I have not love I am just a clanging cymbal, and empty sound 2x Chorus: This is a love song This is a love song Jesus, a love song to You A song of devotion, a reverent passion Savior, a love song to You Jesus, I could pray With a faith that moves a mountain But if I have not love It is just a noise resounding, an empty sound 2x Chorus 2x This is a love song to You Hear our devotion Chorus It's the overflow of hearts As we gaze upon Your beauty A reflection of Your worth For we've seen a glimpse of You in Your glory, Lord

Christ made alive in the Spirit

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18 NIV

So cool that Christ Himself was made alive "in the Spirit." He brings us to God. He does that. Not us. Not you. You don't bring me to God. Your Pastor, you leader, doesn't bring you to God. Christ brings you to God. That is why He is the ONLY true and necessary Head of the Church. Only He can do this. And why??? Because HE is "alive in the Spirit."  Do you see that?? Christ is still alive... right this very minute. Alive in the Spirit of God, His Father. And His Father is indeed our Father as well. And we also are made Alive in the Spirit because we are risen up with Him and seated with Him in the Heavenly realms. Are we seated with Him because of something we have done?  No. If this were so we would then boast. No, we are saved by grace through faith. We are brought to God by grace through faith. We are put to death in the body like Christ by grace through faith. We are made alive in the Spirit, with Christ... by grace through faith. There is nothing we can do. Nothing.


But.....


Because HE has done it all.

Because of THIS, this He has done FOR us....


We cannot sit still. Once made alive in the Spirit ... that NEW CREATION within us, which IS ..  HIS very Life in us.... leads us to DO what the Spirit then tells us to do.  That is exactly what the Son did. He DID what the Father was doing...primarily living a Life of Love and laying down that love for sinners. Sinners loved Christ. They loved being around Christ. They loved HIM. Why? Because HE was full of the Spirit. He was alive in the Spirit. Being alive in the Spirit simply means we keep in step with the Spirit. Or at least we try. We pray in the Spirit. And we work ... for God ... in the Spirit. We work not to GAIN anything... for we cannot. Do you see this? There is nothing WE can do to be made alive in the Spirit. Nothing but faith. And even our Faith comes from the Spirit. We can do nothing at all, not even give ourselves faith. It is God who gives us everything we need for life and Godliness.

And once made Alive in the Spirit we are ... well... made ALIVE! Do you believe this??? This is the NEW Creation which Jesus speaks of. It is a Spiritual happening deep down inside. It IS a personal relationship with Christ; it IS a personal relationship with the Father. It is VERY personal. Just as it was for Christ.

Think about it! Christ, ... suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you us to God...was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”

There is nothing quite as glorious as this... in all the universe. What sort of God do we serve?? This sort of God!  This is all done by GRACE!

The problem with lazy Christians today,
or quilt-ridden Christians today,
or self-righteous Christians today,
or nominal Christians today,
or Sunday-only Christians today,
or power-hungry Christians today,
or insecure Christians today,

or ME!

...is not that we focus on Grace and that focus has made us lazy. The problem is that we are NOT focusing enough on the FULL depth and glorious truth of this AMAZING Grace. We are not seeing ... I am not seeing ... the complete and wonderful view from God's eyes and heart. And from that view we are FULL. And complete. And NEW. As full, complete and new Spiritual people, we take this LIFE in the Spirit and we simply DO what the Spirit leads us to do, not in a perfect way, but in the best way possible. Christ was led by the Spirit; and so are we.

We love. And we work. We work because of HIS grace.

Grace Works.


“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18 NIV

~~

All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.

1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.



Jesus Prays for His Disciples

6 “I have revealed you[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of[b] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.



Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.



25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Let the Winds Blow!

Awake, awake o north wind,
Awake awake o south wind

Blow over me



Come o winds of testing

Come winds of refreshing

Blow over me



Awake, awake o north wind,

Awake awake o south wind

Blow over me



Come o winds of testing

Come winds of refreshing

Blow over me





Let the winds blow(15x)



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



I won’t be afraid

I will face the wind

I won’t be afraid

I'll embrace the flame



Let the winds blow(15x)



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



Take me through the fire

Take me through the rain

Take me through the testing

I’ll do anything

Test me try me prove me refine me

Like to gold, like to gold



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



Take me through the fire

Take me through the rain

Take me through the testing

I’ll do anything

Test me try me prove me refine me

Like to gold, like to gold

Lift Us Up to Fall

I especially love songs that are prayers. And here is a great one!

~~
You move the earth

You hold the stars

Come move in us

Come hold our hearts

You send the rain

And life begins

So rain on us and reign within our lives again



WE’RE WAITING HERE

WAITING FOR YOU, GOD

WITH OUR HOPES AND FEARS

WE COME EMPTY HANDS HELD OUT

LORD, DRAW US NEAR

HEAL THESE BROKEN HEARTS

AND LIFT US UP TO FALL BEFORE

EVERYTHING YOU ARE



You lift the sun into the sky

You lift us up

Open our eyes

To see Your face

And what You’ve done

You took the nails to give us love

And we stand in awe before Your throne



There’s nowhere else that we can go

Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Come Lord ,here to dwell

Let all Your children lift one voice

And this is my prayer...

9 And this is my prayer: that your love* may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,* 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,* 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness* that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God.

Q: What makes us able "to discern what is best"? A: Abounding love in knowledge and depth of insight

Q: What leads to us being "pure and blameless until the day of Christ"? A: Abounding love in knowledge and depth of insight

Q: From where does the fruit of righteousness come? A: Through Jesus Christ our Lord!!

Q: For each of these, to whom does all glory and praise proceed? A: God

Awesome prayer for the saints!! Phill.1



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Observations & Questions

Eph. 6:18f- And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.

Observations:
1. If we are to imitate Paul we also should pray in the Spirit.
2. We should also pray for all the Saints.
3. Words "will be given."
4. Purpose is to make known the mystery of the gospel.

Questions:
1. If there is praying in the Spirit is there also NOT praying in the Spirit?
2. Whom would Paul consider one of the Saints?
3. Could words "given" refer to prophecy as defined in his letters to the Corinthians?
4. In Paul's mind; in view of all scripture, what is the gospel?

Observations and Questions






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Rich Quote!!!

Here's a quote:
"I think if we were given the Scriptures, it was not so that we could prove that we were right about everything. If we were given the Scriptures, it was to humble us into realizing that God is right, and the rest of us are just guessing." ~ Rich Mullins~


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Romans 8:14

...those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.


This is not just a verse. What could this possibly mean? The best way to proceed is a personal study of the Spirit in the Bible. Read all the verses. Don't worry. Ask God to help with understanding. God does speak to His children. And we can have an intimate, personal walk with him. The Spirit will lead us to work. So be ready. But the Spirit will lead! And in so doing we are co-heirs with Christ and adopted by God! Do you hear that?? Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Hallelujah!!


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