Grow cold…

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you. How often I wanted to gather your people together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you didn’t want that. Look, your house is left to you deserted. I tell you, you won’t see me until you say, Blessings on the one who comes in the Lord’s name.” Now Jesus left the temple and was going away. His disciples came to point out to him the temple buildings. He responded, “Do you see all these things? I assure that no stone will be left on another. Everything will be demolished.” Now while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” Jesus replied, “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I’m the Christ.’ They will deceive many people. You will hear about wars and reports of wars. Don’t be alarmed. These things must happen, but this isn’t the end yet. Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in all sorts of places. But all these things are just the beginning of the sufferings associated with the end. They will arrest you, abuse you, and they will kill you. All nations will hate you on account of my name. At that time many will fall away. They will betray each other and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because disobedience will expand, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come. (Matthew 23:37—24:14, CEB)

What is the sign of the end, the disciples want to know.

Many will say they are Christ, and they aren’t, so do not be fooled.

There will be wars, nations will rise against nations.

There will be famines and earthquakes all over the place.

This is not the end.

You will be arrested, abused, and killed because of the gospel.

And until the gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed throughout the world to all nations, the end will not come.

So once every nation has heard the gospel, the end will come.

But the interesting lines to me here are: “Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because disobedience will expand, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.”

Disobedience to the gospel will expand, and the love of many will grow cold. Love grows cold when we do not share it. When we hoard it for ourselves or those we deem worthy.

It is not about who we deem worthy; it is about who God deems worthy, and that is everyone. If the love you give does not flow to everyone, then you are disobedient to the gospel and causing love to grow cold.

But those who endure in love will be delivered.

Love like Jesus!

everything

Everything is permitted, but everything isn’t beneficial. Everything is permitted, but everything doesn’t build others up. No one should look out for their own advantage, but they should look out for each other. Eat everything that is sold in the marketplace, without asking questions about it because of your conscience. The earth and all that is in it belong to the Lord. If an unbeliever invites you to eat with them and you want to go, eat whatever is served, without asking questions because of your conscience. But if someone says to you, “This meat was sacrificed in a temple,” then don’t eat it for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. Now when I say “conscience” I don’t mean yours but the other person’s. Why should my freedom be judged by someone else’s conscience? If I participate with gratitude, why should I be blamed for food I thank God for? So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, you should do it all for God’s glory. Don’t offend either Jews or Greeks, or God’s church. This is the same thing that I do. I please everyone in everything I do. I don’t look out for my own advantage, but I look out for many people so that they can be saved. Follow my example, just like I follow Christ’s. (1 Corinthians 10:23—11:1, CEB)

The first three sentences here say a great deal.

Everything is permitted. You can do whatever you want. However, just because you can does not mean you should, and it does not mean that it is beneficial to all. It may be of great benefit to you and great harm to others, and so you can do it; however, maybe you should think about it and reconsider.

Everything is permitted. Again, you can do whatever you want. However, as above the thing you do might build up your life and detract from others. What we do should build up others, not just us. In building up others’ lives, we are in turn building up our own.

In everything we do we should be looking out for the other.

Love like Jesus and do what brings the greater good for all.

imitate…

Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor because we are parts of each other in the same body. Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil. Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need. Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption. Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ. Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God. (Ephesians 4:25—5:2, CEB)

Imitate God like dearly loved children, living your life with love, following the example of Christ!

Love like Jesus.

Be like Jesus.

Do not be bitter, angry, evil. Instead, be kind, compassionate, forgiving.

Love like Jesus.

Imitate Jesus.

not a hair…

Some people were talking about the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and ornaments dedicated to God. Jesus said, “As for the things you are admiring, the time is coming when not even one stone will be left upon another. All will be demolished.” They asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen? What sign will show that these things are about to happen?” Jesus said, “Watch out that you aren’t deceived. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I’m the one!’ and ‘It’s time!’ Don’t follow them. When you hear of wars and rebellions, don’t be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end won’t happen immediately.” Then Jesus said to them, “Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other. There will be great earthquakes and wide-scale food shortages and epidemics. There will also be terrifying sights and great signs in the sky. But before all this occurs, they will take you into custody and harass you because of your faith. They will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will provide you with an opportunity to testify. Make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance. I’ll give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to counter or contradict. You will be betrayed by your parents, brothers and sisters, relatives, and friends. They will execute some of you. Everyone will hate you because of my name. Still, not a hair on your heads will be lost. By holding fast, you will gain your lives. (Luke 21:5-19, CEB)

More talk of signs. Jesus essentially says that many bad things will happen before the kingdom comes, but there is no way to be certain.

We need to guard our hearts against things that will lead us from God and stay fast to loving the word as Jesus loves us.

But through it all, not one hair on your head will be lost. I take great comfort in this. By holding fast to Jesus we will gain our lives.

Hold fast and do not fear, your hair is safe, and God’s love is needed by the world.

signs

Pharisees asked Jesus when God’s kingdom was coming. He replied, “God’s kingdom isn’t coming with signs that are easily noticed. Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ Don’t you see? God’s kingdom is already among you.” Then Jesus said to the disciples, “The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Human One, and you won’t see it. People will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Don’t leave or go chasing after them. The Human One will appear on his day in the same way that a flash of lightning lights up the sky from one end to the other. However, first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be during the days of the Human One. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise in the days of Lot, people were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building. But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. That’s the way it will be on the day the Human One is revealed. On that day, those on the roof, whose possessions are in the house, shouldn’t come down to grab them. Likewise, those in the field shouldn’t turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to preserve their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in the same bed: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together: one will be taken and the other left.” The disciples asked, “Where, Lord?” Jesus said, “The vultures gather wherever there’s a dead body.” (Luke 17:20-37, CEB)

I find it amusing that people read this and say these are the signs of the coming Kingdom of God, when Jesus clearly says at the beginning of the lesson, “God’s kingdom isn’t coming with signs that are easily noticed. Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ Don’t you see? God’s kingdom is already among you.”

God’s kingdom is not coming with easily recognizable signs, because don’t you see it is already here!

We are living in God’s kingdom, and we are so focused on when it is coming and what the signs will be, we miss it. We are so focused on the raining fire and sulfur we miss what is happening around us.

We are so focused on our own lives and the sins of others that we miss God in our midst.

Focus on God, and allow Their love to permeate your life, and then maybe you will see it.

Love like Jesus, and look through God’s eyes.

what would happen?

Brothers and sisters, we must always thank God for you. This is only right because your faithfulness is growing by leaps and bounds, and the love that all of you have for each other is increasing. That’s why we ourselves are bragging about you in God’s churches. We tell about your endurance and faithfulness in all the harassments and trouble that you have put up with. This shows that God’s judgment is right, and that you will be considered worthy of God’s kingdom for which you are suffering. After all, it’s right for God to pay back the ones making trouble for you with trouble and to pay back you who are having trouble with relief along with us. This payback will come when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his powerful angels. He will give justice with blazing fire to those who don’t recognize God and don’t obey the good news of our Lord Jesus. They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the Lord’s presence and away from his mighty glory. This will happen when he comes on that day to receive honor from his holy people and to be admired by everyone who has believed—and our testimony to you was believed. We are constantly praying for you for this: that our God will make you worthy of his calling and accomplish every good desire and faithful work by his power. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored by you, and you will be honored by him, consistent with the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12, CEB)

The author of the epistle follows Paul’s lead and starts the epistle by reminding the readers that the author prays for them. They are remembered and lifted to God because of their faith and that they are children of God.

How many people do you pray for daily?

I have an app, Ceaseless, that connects to my contacts and randomly pulls three a day for me to pray for. It allows me to send them a message to let them know I prayed for them. I also have another app, Echo, which lets me put in prayers and reminds me on Thursdays (because that is when I set it to do that) to pray for a specific person at a specific time.

It is good to have reminders to pray for others, but what would happen if we all prayed daily for others around us?

How can you step up and pray for others.

What can you do to lift others to God?

injustice…

God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodly behavior and the injustice of human beings who silence the truth with injustice. This is because what is known about God should be plain to them because God made it plain to them. Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So humans are without excuse. Although they knew God, they didn’t honor God as God or thank him. Instead, their reasoning became pointless, and their foolish hearts were darkened. While they were claiming to be wise, they made fools of themselves. They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that look like mortal humans: birds, animals, and reptiles. So God abandoned them to their hearts’ desires, which led to the moral corruption of degrading their own bodies with each other. They traded God’s truth for a lie, and they worshipped and served the creation instead of the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 1:18-25, CEB)

God’s wrath is revealed against those who perpetrate injustice. They have traded God’s truth for their own lie and worshiped and served their own needs over what God has called them to do and be.

We have an administration that claims to be Christian, but they are not feeding those in need. The lowly have been cut off from food by those who claim to be doing the will of God. Seriously, how do we let this happen? They are saying, as of the writing of this, that those who will not vote for the continuing resolution to fund the government and destroy the ACA, making health care costs triple or more in some cases, are the ones withholding food, when the funds are there for the SNAP program, but even though the administration has been told by several judges to use the money they will not fund SNAP until the ACA is destroyed. So choose healthcare or food. And that is following God, how?

We need to stand against injustice.

Live in love.

resurrection

Jesus responded to the Jewish leaders, “I assure you that the Son can’t do anything by himself except what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he does. He will show him greater works than these so that you will marvel. As the Father raises the dead and gives life, so too does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. The Father doesn’t judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son so that everyone will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him. “I assure you that whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and won’t come under judgment but has passed from death into life. “I assure you that the time is coming—and is here!—when the dead will hear the voice of God’s Son, and those who hear it will live. Just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. He gives the Son authority to judge, because he is the Human One. Don’t be surprised by this, because the time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice. Those who did good things will come out into the resurrection of life, and those who did wicked things into the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:19-29, CEB)

We will all be resurrected. But which one will you get?

The author of John records here, Jesus said, “because the time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice. Those who did good things will come out into the resurrection of life, and those who did wicked things into the resurrection of judgment.”

Those in the grave will hear his voice, meaning God’s, and will come up out of the grave, to life or judgment. Those who did good and loved others will come to life, and those who did evil and looked out only for themselves will be judged.

Which resurrection will you get?

not a new command

From the elder. To the chosen gentlewoman and her children, whom I truly love (and I am not the only one, but also all who know the truth), because of the truth that remains with us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be ours who live in truth and love. I was overjoyed to find some of your children living in the truth, just as we had been commanded by the Father. Now, dear friends, I am requesting that we love each other. It’s not as though I’m writing a new command to you, but it’s one we have had from the beginning. This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love. Many deceivers have gone into the world who do not confess that Jesus Christ came as a human being. This kind of person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves so that you don’t lose what we’ve worked for but instead receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not continue in the teaching about Christ does not have God. Whoever continues in this teaching has both the Father and the Son. Whoever comes to you who does not affirm this teaching should neither be received nor welcomed into your home, because welcoming people like that is the same thing as sharing in their evil actions. I have a lot to tell you. I don’t want to use paper and ink, but I hope to visit you and talk with you face-to-face, so that our joy can be complete. Your chosen sister’s children greet you. (2 John 1-13, CEB)

“It’s not as though I’m writing a new command to you, but it’s one we have had from the beginning. This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love.”

Live in love. Seems easy. And yet people do all sorts of mental gymnastics to get out of it. But being a homosexual is against the bible, and we can not love them because they are obviously going against the scripture. Well, if we actually take a moment and learn the actual meaning of the text and the contextual elements surrounding the writing, we see that what is taken as current homosexuality is not intended for that, and therefore our understanding of the text in condemning LGBTQIA2S+ people is incorrect. So, no, you can not hate them because they do not fit into your understanding of the Bible.

We use all sorts of gymnastics to get around actually loving. It is not a new command but one we have always had, even before Jesus. Love. Simple.

Stop making excuses and actually do what God told us to. Love.

Live in Love!

prophecy

We didn’t repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes. He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. In addition, we have a most reliable prophetic word, and you would do well to pay attention to it, just as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Most important, you must know that no prophecy of scripture represents the prophet’s own understanding of things, because no prophecy ever came by human will. Instead, men and women led by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:16-21, CEB)

“Most important, you must know that no prophecy of scripture represents the prophet’s own understanding of things, because no prophecy ever came by human will.” No prophecy is the prophet’s understanding but God’s because the prophecy is not from the prophet but God.

So do not believe the prophecy based on who gives it, but on the fact that it is from God.

Look at all God has done and is documented, and see there is a basis for trust in the prophecy that comes from God.