BLESSED NEW YEAR

Blessed New Year to everyone of 

Sowers Of The Word. 

Thank you all for you service to the Lord here and in the world over. 

May the Lord bless and use you all and your families to be a blessing to many in the coming new year to win many souls into His kingdom, build up the Body of Christ's Church and to bring our heavenly Father much praise and glory for all eternity.

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JESUS IS LORD.

BY GRACE

- When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day's pay for his time, that is a wage.

- When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize.

- When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award.

- But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award-yet receives such a gift anyway-that is grace. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.           

-Author Unknown 

                                                                                           

For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any many should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10).

2:8 Paul again reminds his readers (cf. v.5) that they owe their salvation entirely to the undeserved favor of God. "Grace" is the objective, operative, and instrumental cause of salvation. Paul expands v.5 by adding that the medium that apprehends salvation is "faith", which is also its necessary condition. Faith, however, is not something a person can produce; it is simply a trustful response that is self evoked by the Holy Spirit.

      Lest faith should be in any way misinterpreted as our contributing in any way to our own salvation, Paul immediately adds a rider to explain that nothing is of our own doing; rather, everything is a "gift God." The entire process of salvation comes from nothing that we have done (cf. Rom 10:17).

2:9 Paul firmly excludes every possibility of self-achieved salvation by adding to his emphasis in v.8, "not of works." The apostle does not specify these "works" as those related to the law, since he is not thinking only of Jewish Christians. Any kind of human self-effort is comprehensively ruled out by this terse expression. The reason is immediately attached: it is to prevent the slightest self-congratulation. If salvation is by sheer unmerited favor of God, boasting is altogether out of place.

2:10 This verse is the outcome of the whole process. It shows what salvation is intended for: to produce the good works that attest its reality. While works play no part at all in securing salvation, Christians will prove their faith by works. Here Paul shows himself at one with James (see Jam 2:14-26).

         We are God's "workmanship"-his work of art, his new creation. "Created" is a verb used exclusively of God and denotes the creative energy he exerts. The creation takes place "in Christ Jesus" (cf. vv.6-7). The life of goodness that regeneration produces has been prepared for believers to "do" from all eternity. Here is a further reason why Christians have nothing left to boast about. Even the good they now do has its source in God, who has made it possible. 

[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].

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JESUS IS LORD.

BLESS THE LORD AND DON'T FORGET HIS BENEFITS!

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.


1-2 Praise of God begins with the self. As the psalmist exhorts himself to praise the Lord with his "soul" and "inmost being" (i.e., his whole person), he has nothing else in mind than full commitment to the act of giving thanks. The "name" of the Lord calls to remembrance all his perfections and acts of deliverance. "Praise" is the response of awe for God, while reflecting on what the Lord has done for his people. The opposite of "praise" is forgetfulness. To "forget" the "benefits" of the Lord is to disregard his covenantal lordship.


3 The forgiveness of "sins" is God's gracious act pf removing the consequences of sin as well as the sin itself. The "diseases" may be sicknesses, but are more likely a metaphor for adversities or setbacks.


4 Instead of letting his beloved be taken by adversity, the Lord redeems by exalting him to royalty with his "love and compassion." "Love" is the assurance of the constancy of his fidelity toward his own. The complement of "love" is divine "compassion", that quality by which God as the heavenly Father empathizes with human frailty.


5 The Lord forgives, redeems, sustains, and fully restores all the covenantal benefits, even though sin has breached the covenant. The Lord "satisfies" his children with all the blessings of the covenant so as to "renew" them like an "eagle." The "eagle" symbolizes vigor and freedom.
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 1: Old Testament].

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JESUS IS LORD.

BE STILL, AND KNOW!

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
(Read: Psalm 46).

10 The Psalmist encourages the godly to "be still" and to "know" that the Lord is God. Though it was tempting to ally themselves with foreign powers, to rely on military strength, or to give themselves over into idolatry and pagan ways, the godly must learn to persevere to the end. The "knowledge" of God includes a factual knowledge about him, his past acts, and his promises. The life of faith is lived in commitment to God's sovereignty, rule, and ultimate exaltation over all the nations.
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 1: Old Testament].

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OH GIVE THANKS!

O GIVE thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever. (Read: Psalm 107:1-3).


1 The beginning of this Psalm links it to the two preceding poems (105:1; 106:1). The key point of this psalm is that God's mercy endures forever. He is always willing to restore those who call on Him. [THE NKJV STUDY BIBLE Second Edition].

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JESUS IS LORD.

STOP BOASTING ABOUT TOMORROW

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on business and make money. Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor-a puff of smoke, a mist-that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]. You ought instead to say,  "If the Lord is willing, we shall live, and we shall do this, or that [thing]."  But as it is, you boast [falsely] in your presumption and your self-conceit. All such boasting is wrong. So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4: 13-17).

13 This section gives another example of the "wisdom" that characterizes the world (cf. 3:15). James addresses businessmen, probably christians, since v.17 seems to suggest that the readers know that their practice is wrong. He begs them to pay careful attention to the seriousness of what follows. The form of the word "say" suggests that the situation under consideration was something that occurred frequently. Notice the well-laid plan: (1) "go to this or that city," (2) "spend a year there," (3) "carry on business," and (4) "make money." The starting time is arranged ("today or tomorrow"); the city has been selected; but God has no place in the plans.

14 No allowance is made for unforseen circumstances. These businessmen are confident that they will be able to carry their plans through to completion. Thus James points out their fallacy. They " do not even know what will happen tomorrow," to say nothing about a year from now. They have been planning as if they know exactly what the future holds or even as if they can control the future. Not only is their knowledge limited, but their lives are uncertain. to point up the transitory nature of life, James employs another illustration from nature-"You are a mist" In the morning it covers the countryside; before noon it is gone. But some of James readers had been planning as if they were going to be here forever!

15 Instead of saying v.13, the christian businessman "ought to say, :If it is the Lors's will." No christian can live independently of God. For believers to leave God out of their plans is an arrogant assumption of self-sufficiency, a tacit declaration of independence fro God It also overlooks reality. Whether people recognize it ir not, they "will live and do this or that" only "if it is the Lord's will." We should always condition our plans on the will of God. (Prov. 16:3, 9).

16 Some of James readers, however, rather than subjecting their plans to God's will, were making it their practice to "boast and brag." To make plans without considering God's plan is the same thing as arrogantly claiming to be in full command of the future. 'Such boasting." says James, "is evil." It not only lacks the quality of being good, it is aggressively and viciously wicked.

17 Although this statement may apply to any number of situations, James intends it to refer to the immediately preceding context. Perhaps this is a maxim that means something like "You have been fully warned," as if James were saying, "Now that I have pointed the matter out to you, you have no excuse." Knowing what should be done obligates a person to do it.

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JESUS IS LORD.

VENGEANCE IS NOT MINE: IT BELONGS TO THE LORD

Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble-aiming to be above reproach-in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God's] wrath; for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," (requite), says the Lord. But, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil (master) evil with good. (Read: Romans 12:9-21).


17-21 Paul takes his stand alongside believers by giving them explicit counsel about how to face the hostile world. "Do not repay evil for evil" (v.17), for to do so would be to follow the inclination of the sinful human nature. The remainder of v.17 means that believers are constantly under the scrutiny of unsaved people as well as of fellow Christians, and they must be careful that their conduct does not betray the high standards of the Gospel (cf. Col 4:5; 1 Tim 3:7). Each situation that holds prospect for a witness to the world should be weighed so that the action taken will not bring unfavorable reflection on the Gospel.
      The charge to "live at peace with everyone" is hedged about with two qualifying statements. "If it be possible" suggests that there are instances in human relations when the strongest desire for concord will not avail. If disharmony and conflict should come, however, we should accept the responsibility for resolving it. Believers may not be able to persuade the other party, but they can at least refuse to be the instigator of trouble. God wants us to be peacemakers (Matt 5:9).
      This peace-loving attitude may be costly, however, because some will want to take advantage of it, figuring that Christian principles will not permit the wronged party to retaliate. In such a case, what is to be done? The path of duty is clear: We are not to take vengeance, for vengeance trespasses on the province of God, the great Judge of all. We must "leave room for God's wrath" (v.19), trusting that he will take care of the situation. He will not be too lenient or too severe. Here Paul quotes Duet 32:35, whose context indicates that the Lord will intervene to vindicate his people when their enemies abuse them and gloat over them.
      Paul does not suggest that God's wrath will be visited on the wrongdoer immediately. On the contrary, the hope is that those who have perpetrated the wrong will have a change of heart, will be convicted of their sin, and will be won over by refusal of the Christian to retaliate (v.20). Here again Paul lets the OT speak for him (Prov 25:21-22). "Burning coals" are best understood as the burning pangs of shame and guilt. There is, of course, no definite promise at this point that offenders will be converted. By going the second mile and showing and showing unexpected kindness, believers may also spare their companions from having the same experience. In that measure. society has benefited.
      Guidance on the problem of coping with evil reaches its climax in the final admonition: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (v.21). Being overcome by evil means to give in to the temptation to meet evil with evil, to retaliate. To overcome evil with good has been illustrated in v.20. The world's philosophy leads people to expect retaliation when they have wronged another. To receive kindness, to see love when it seems uncalled for, can melt the hardest heart.
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].


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JESUS IS LORD.

HELP A BROTHER OUT!

Bear (endure, carry) one another's burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ, the Messiah, and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]. (Read: Galatians 6:1-5).


6:2 The law of Christ referred to here is probably the summation of the law: "Love your neighbor" (see 5:14; Matt 22:39; John 13:34, 35). The term fulfill suggests that choosing to bear another Christian's burdens (or restore another Christian from burdensome sin, v. 1) is precisely what Christ expects of all believers. The Greek word for burdens refers to something beyond the normal capacity to carry, as opposed to a "load" (v. 5), which is what a person could be expected to carry.
[THE NKJV STUDY BIBLE Second Edition].


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JESUS IS LORD.

GOD'S HOUSE IS NOT A SHOPPING MALL

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written, "MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL NATIONS'? But you have made it a DEN OF ROBBERS." (Read: Mark 11:15-19).


15-16 The cleansing of the temple, in fulfillment of Mal 3:1-3, was Jesus' next messianic act during the Passion Week after the Triumphal Entry. When he entered the temple area, the smell of the animals entered his nostrils; and the noise from the money changers' tables beat on his ears. Why were they there? For the convenience of pilgrims, the cattlemen and the money changers had set up business in the Court of the Gentiles. The animals were sold for sacrifices. It was far easier for a pilgrim coming to Jerusalem to purchase one that was guaranteed kosher than to bring an animal with him and have it inspected for meeting the kosher requirements. The Roman money the pilgrims brought to Jerusalem had to be changed into the Tyrian currency, since the annual temple tax had to be paid in that currency. Exorbitant prices were often charged for changing the currency. By overturning the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, Jesus was directly and forcefully challenging the authority of the high priest, because they were there by his authorization.
         Jesus also put a stop to casual use of the temple by those who used it as a shortcut between the city and the Mount of Olives (v.16).


17 The first passage quoted by Jesus is Isa 56:7, a prediction that non-Jews who worship God would be allowed to worship in the temple. By allowing the Court of the Gentiles, the only place in the temple area where Gentiles could worship God, to become a noisy, smelly public market, the Jewish religious leaders were preventing Gentiles from exercising the spiritual privilege promised them. How could a Gentile pray amid all that noisy stench? The second quotation (from Jer 7:11) emphasizes that instead allowing the temple to be what it was meant to be, a place of prayer, they had allowed it to become a robbers' den. This is to be understood both in terms of the Jews' dishonest dealing with the pilgrims and especially in terms of using all their merchandising activities to rob the Gentiles of their rightful claim to worship Israel's God.
    Jesus concern that Gentiles receive equal privileges with Jews to worship God would have been particularly meaningful for Mark's predominantly Gentile readers.
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Vol 2: New Testament].


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JESUS IS LORD.

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Read: Ephesians 6:10-20).


10 Paul now begins his final instruction in this letter. His addressees are to let themselves be strengthened in Christ himself (Php 4:13). Even though victory is secure, it has to be won through battle. All the resources that the Christian soldier needs are drawn from Christ and "his mighty power." Three of the four words for power in Eph 1:19 are brought together again here. Paul's readers will recall that this is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (1:20) and brought them to life when they were dead in trespasses and sins (2:1). Its adequacy cannot possibly be in doubt.


11 The call to "put on" God's armor recalls a similar appeal in 1 Thess 5:8. This accoutrement is provided by God and modeled on what he wears himself (Isa 11:5; 59:19). It is a complete outfit ("full armor"). The soldier must be protected from head to foot, and his armor is made up of all the various pieces, both defensive and offensive.
    "Stand" is a key word in this passage (cf. vv. 13-14). It is a military term for holding on to one's position. The equipment enables the soldier to ward off the attacks of the enemy and to make a stand against him. Before any offensive can be launched, one must first of all maintain his own ground. The fourfold use of "against" stresses the determined hostility confronting the Christian soldier. The commander-in-chief of the opposing forces is the devil himself, the sworn enemy of the church. He is the master of ingenious stratagems and his tactics must not be allowed to catch us unawares. These stratagems probably reflect his deliberate attempts to destroy the unity of Christ's body (3:14-21; 4:1-16). through the invasion of false doctrine and the fomenting of dissension (4:2, 21, 31-32; 5:6).


12 In military strategy one must never underestimate the strength of the enemy. Paul is certainly not guilty of such fatal misjudgment but gives a realistic report of its potential. The "struggle" (lit., "wrestling") is not merely against human foes but a war to the death against supernatural forces.
    Four aspects of the corporate menace are presented here. The particular terms used are in themselves morally neutral, though in Paul they invariably indicate something sinister (1:21; 3:10). "Rulers" are "cosmic powers." Until the end of this age these demonic forces, already defeated by Christ on the cross (4:8), exercise a certain limited authority (here "authorities") in temporarily opposing the purposes of God. The title "powers" denotes those who aspire to world control. It was attached to savior gods in the ethnic religions and identified with the sun. The expression "the spiritual forces of wickedness" suggests the heavenly bodies, which were regarded as the abode of demons who held human lives in their grip. Pagans had no option but to resign themselves to an unalterable destiny. But Christians can fight against such malign influences. "The heavenly realms" probably denotes the unseen world in general, including both good and evil forces.


13 Because the warfare in which Christians are engaged is on the scale described in v.12. the command to take advantage of the "full armor of God" is reiterated from v.11. The verb, though translated "put on," is a different one from that in v.11; here it means 'take up, assume". Thus, when the battle is at its fiercest, the soldiers of Christ will still be able to hold their line even against the most determined attack (i.e., "the day of evil"). When the emergency is over, it will be found that not an inch of territory has been yielded. Christians will "have done everything," not only in preparing for the conflict but also in pursuing it.
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].


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JESUS IS LORD.

RU A LETTER?

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ , ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tables of stone but on tables of flesh, that is, of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:1-3). 


3:1 Having again declared his sincerity (2:17), Paul asked if he needed a letter of commendation to back him up, as some others did. The language implies that false apostles mentioned later in this letter (11:13) had tried to gain acceptance by using such references.


3:2 You are ... written in our hearts: The Corinthians were Paul's letter of recommendation. These verses do not mean that letters of recommendation should not be used. Paul himself used such letters before his conversion (see Acts 9:1, 2) and after (see 8:22; Rom 16:1; 1 Cor 16:10; Col 4:10). In this case Paul did not need one because he already had one: the believing Corinthians and his ministry among them. Paul's love for the Corinthians was known to all who were acquainted with his ministry. One of the qualifications for ministry is love for people, both God's people and the lost.


3:3 an Epistle of Christ: Paul appealed to the Corinthians themselves for proof of his ministry's authenticity. God had changed them-an obvious matter of public record.
[THE NKJV STUDY BIBLE Second Edition].


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JESUS IS LORD.

YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SAY; SO SPEAK WORDS OF LIFE!

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they who indulge (love) it will eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. (Proverbs 18:21). 


 What people say can lead to life or death. This proverb affirms this point and then explains it: "those who love it will eat its fruit." The referent of who "it" must be "the tongue," i.e., what the tongue says. So those who enjoy talking must bear its fruit, whether good or bad. We should be warned by this proverb, especially if we love to talk. 
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 1: Old Testament]. 


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JESUS IS LORD.

PRAISE IS WHAT I DO!

Through Him therefore let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of our lips that thankfully acknowledges and confess and glorify His name. 
(Read: Hebrews 13:9-16)


15 The verse begins with an emphatic "through him." It is through Jesus and not the Jewish priests (or any other priests) that people "offer" to God acceptable sacrifices. "Offer" is a technical word for the offering of sacrifices of animals and the like. The author uses it of the only sacrifices Christians offer-spiritual sacrifices (cf. Rom 12:1; Jam 1:27). So he urges them to offer "a sacrifice of praise," i.e. a sacrifice consisting of praise. This sacrifice is to be offered "continually." In systems like Judaism sacrifices were offered at set times, but for Christians praise goes up all the time. Since a loving God is working out his purposes all the time (Rom 8:28), there are no circumstances in which praise should not be offered (1 Thess 5:18). The sacrifice is further explained in an expression from Hosea 14:2 (Prov 18:20), "the fruit of lips that confess his name." In light of the Cross, there is no room for sacrifices such as those the Jews offered. Now believers offer the sacrifice of praise and acknowledge Christ. 
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament]. 


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DON'T JUST TELL ME YOU LOVE ME, SHOW ME YOU LOVE ME!

17 But if any one has this world's goods-resources for sustaining life-and sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him?
18 Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth-in practice and in sincerity. (Read: 1 John 3:16-24).


17 Again John's penchant for providing practical "tests" of the validity of one's faith comes to the fore. How can we know whether we would sacrifice our life for a fellow believer? We can know by being compassionate toward such a one in his or her present need. If we are unable or unwilling to sacrifice material advantage for the sake of our fellow believers, we know that the love of God is not in us. What are the conditions for our involvement? If we are in a position to see with our own eyes someone's need (as, for example, the good Samaritan did, Lk 10:29-37) and can offer help, then we cannot do otherwise than act. To withhold help in such a situation is to shut off compassionate action and to deny the presence of God's love in our own heart.


18 Turning back to "little children", John admonishes with the tone of a spiritual father pleading for the heartfelt response of his children. Love requires more than idle talk or exalted theology. It demands simple acts, which anyone can see, in order to meet the needs of brothers and sisters in distress. Any expression of love that fails here is not only empty but blasphemous (cf. Jam 2:15-16; 1 Cor 13:1-3).
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].


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JESUS IS LORD. 

THE IMPERATIVE OF LOVE

11 Because this is the message-the announcement-which you have heard from the first, that we should love one another,
12 [And] not be like Cain who [took his nature and got his motivation] from the evil one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his deeds (activities, works) were wicked and malicious and his brother's were righteous-virtuous.
13 Do not be surprised and wonder, brethren, that the world detests and pursues you with hatred.
14 We know that we have passed over out of the death into the Life by the fact that we love the brethren, [our fellow Christians]. He who does not love abides-remains, is held and kept continually-in [spiritual] death.
15 Any one who (abominates, detests) hates his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (persevering) within him. (1 John 3:11-15).


   As the knowledge of God is tested by conduct (1:5-2:11), so being "born of God" (2:29) is tested by righteous action and love of fellow believers. The command to love fellow believers was first introduced in 2:9-11 as a test of whether one was walking in light, i.e., had true knowledge. Here it is the sum of the new life in God. In the former instance it was leveled as a charge against the heretics. Here it is addressed to the community of faith for encouragement and admonition. Most likely the disregard for love by the heretics had caused a lessening of an emphasis on love within the Christian community. The author presents the case for love first by the negative example of Cain (vv. 12-15), contrasted with the positive example of Jesus (v. 16).


11 The admonition that "we should love one another" is highlighted by the return to the critical formula. "This is the message you heard from the beginning," an almost identical reminiscence of 1:1, 5.  The command to "love one another" has its origin in the nature of God. The entire goal and aim of the Gospel is to create and strengthen love (1 Tim 1:5). 


12 The mention of Cain points back to 3:8 and reminds us that hatred is also from the beginning. The choice between the children of God and the children of the devil, between hatred and love or life and death, stems from the earliest moment of human existence. It also points to Jn 8:37-47, where some Jewish opponents of Jesus had exhibited the same kind of hatred toward Jesus that Cain expressed toward Abel (Gen 4:1-8). There Jesus labels his enemies as people who "belong to your father, the devil ... [who was] a murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:42).


   The sequence of thought in this section is significant. It is not that Cain by murdering his brother became the child of the devil; but, being a child of the devil, his actions were evil and culminated in the murder of his brother. The reason why he "murdered" (lit., "butchered") him was that his brother's acts were righteous. Righteousness draws hatred from the devil and hatred from the children of the devil. Darkness cannot tolerate light; immorality, morality; hatred, love; or greed, sacrifice.


13 The hatred of the "world" for the community of faith must not surprise the believers. The author does not say that the world always hates believers; it did not always hate Jesus. But whenever the community of faith acts so as to expose the greed, avarice, hatred, and wickedness of the world, it must expect rejection; and if it should go so far as to interfere with its evil practices, as Jesus did in the temple, it may expect suffering and brutal death (cf. Jn 15:18-19, 25; 17:14). 


14 John looks back to v.10 and answers the question: How do we know those who have been "born of God"? or, Who are the children of God? "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers" (cf. Jn 5:24).  This conviction is not based on self-judgment or self-justification but on the certainty that love is the basis for life in the believing community. This is a self-test by which each person can examine himself or herself. Love will not, of course, cause one's passage to spiritual life but will give evidence of it. Conversely, to be unable to love means that a person is without spiritual life and remains in death.


15 Here John links hatred with murder (cf. Matt 5:21-22).  In the heart there is no difference; to hate is to despise, and murder is the fulfillment of that attitude. Cain, by murdering his brother, was cut off from the covenant community. So no murderer is within the community, nor anyone who "hates his brother." Such a person has no life of God and no fellowship with the faithful.
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].


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ARE YOU WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF LOVE OR ARE YOU STUMBLING IN THE DARKNESS OF HATE?

9 Whoever says he is in the Light and [yet] hates his brother [Christian, born-again child of God his own Father] is in darkness even until now.
10 Whoever loves his brother [believer] abides (lives) in the Light, and in It or in him there is no occasion for stumbling or cause for error or sin.
11 But he who hates (detests, despises) his brother [in Christ] is in darkness and walking (living) in the dark; he is straying and does not perceive or know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (Read 1 John 2:3-11).


9 This verse brings us to the third false claim that the author denies. Whereas obedience to the new command leads to love among the Christian community, among the opponents who claim to "be in the light" there is hate. This hate for one's fellow believer shows that the light they follow is nothing but darkness.
   How does John understand hate? His answer lies primarily in what one does. Hate is the absence of the deeds of love. To walk in the light is to love one's brother, and God's love will express itself in concrete actions. If these are missing, it is not because love can be neutral or can exist unexpressed. Love unexpressed is not love at all. When it is absent, hate is present.
   In this instance, hate is the failure to deny oneself, the unwillingness to lay down one's life for a brother (Jn 15:13). On considers one's own plight first (1 Cor 13:5); disregards the robbed and afflicted (Lk 10:30-37); despises the little ones (Mt 18:10); withholds the cup pf cold water from the thirsty (Mt 25:43). Whenever a brother has need and one does not help him, then one has, in fact, hated his brother.
   Does the word "brother" refer here to one's neighbor or to one who belongs to the community of faith? In this instance it probably refers to a member of the community of faith. It is not that John lacks concern for those outside the faith: rather, in this letter he has the community of believers in view. Moreover, if believers cannot love their fellow believers, it is doubtful that they can truly love their neighbors.


10 The author now gives us a positive test of living in the light. Unlike his opponents, his concern is with deeds, not claims. "Whoever loves," he says, is "in the light." Conversely, the one who does not live "in the light" will not manifest God's love.

11 Now the author picks up the concept of "darkness" from v.9 and gives it a final elaboration and conclusion. One who "hates his brother" is not simply "in the darkness" but is condemned to spend his life in darkness. Though he has eyes, he can see nothing. And the darkness so blinds his eyes that he has no idea "where he is going." Life is a search, but for him it is without direction. He never knows whether he is closer to or farther from his destination. The only certainty is that he is without hope of reaching it. So hate destroys any window for light from God. To live without loving one's brother means to deny oneself the presence of God and the reality of fellowship with the community of faith.
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].


[http://twitter.com/SowersOfTheWord].
JESUS IS LORD.

DON'T GROW WEARY IN DOING GOOD TO OTHERS!

9 And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.


10 So then, as occasion and opportunity open to us, let us do good (morally) to all people [not only being useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith-those who belong to God's family with you, the believers. (Read: Galatians 6: 6-10). 


9 The great hindrance to good sowing is weariness that results in discouragement and eventually in giving up. Four months elapse between planting and harvest (Jn 4:35); and, while it is true that in spiritual sowing the results may occasionally come sooner, more often they take much longer. The best reason for resisting weariness and giving up is that if the necessary preparation is done, the harvest is certain.


   One cannot help feeling that Paul may be talking to himself as he thinks of the extensive but thus far unrewarding efforts he had expended on the churches of Galatia. The change to the first person plural supports this supposition.


10 Finally. Paul speaks broadly about the obligation to do good to all people, returning again primarily to the thought of giving money. But suppose a Christian is limited in resources? In that case, says Paul, he or she should give primarily to Christian causes, knowing that if they are not supported by Christians, they will not be supported at all. One with unlimited funds should give to every valid charity that comes along.


    Two parts of this verse are of special interest. (1) Paul speaks of the "family of believers." This really means those who have become related to us by believing in Christ and points to a relationship transcending all others. Giving should not be unduly restricted by denominational or party loyalty. (2) Paul mentions "opportunity" (also translated "time" in v.9). This word denotes "proper time" for anything; consequently a time that occurs only once before it is lost forever. No one can hope to reap a harvest before the time appointed for it by God (v.9). But if one does not seize the time appointed for sowing, he or she will never reap a harvest.
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2; New Testament].


[http://twitter.com/SowersOfTheWord]. JESUS IS LORD.

WHEN SPREADING THE GOSPEL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, DON'T FORGET THE POOR!

   And when they knew (perceived, recognized, understood and acknowledged) the grace (God's unmerited favor and spiritual blessing) that had been bestowed upon me, James and Cephas (Peter) and John, who were reputed to be pillars of the Jerusalem church, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, with the understanding that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised (Jews). 
   They only [made one stipulation], that we were to remember the poor, which very thing I was also eager to do. (Read: Galatians 2:1-10).


10 Paul had already shown a concern for the poor at the time of the famine visit when he traveled to Jerusalem with Barnabas as a representative of the church at Antioch (Acts 11:27-30). At the time of the council he was reminded of this good work and encouraged to pursue it. Out of this request, with which he was in great sympathy, arose the collection from among the Gentile churches that occupied so large a part in Paul's later thought and writings (cf. Acts 24:17; Rom 15:26; 1 Cor 16:1-4; 2 Cor 8-9).
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].


[http://twitter.com/SowersOfTheWord]. 
JESUS IS LORD. 

THE WAY TO GREATNESS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS THROUGH SERVING OTHERS!

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Read: Matthew 20:20-28).


24-27 The indignation of the ten doubtless sprang less from humility than jealousy plus the fear that they might lose out. These verses demonstrate that interest in egalitarianism may mask a jealousy whose deepest well-springs are not concern for justice but "enlightened self-interest." The disciples revert to the squabbling of an earlier period (Mk 9:33-37; cf. Matt 18:1). Jesus calls them together and draws a contrast between greatness among "Gentiles" and greatness among heirs of the kingdom. Power and authority characterized the Roman empire. Greatness among Jesus' disciples is based on service. Anyone who wants to be great must become the "servant." In the pagan world humility was regarded as a vice. Imagine a slave being given leadership! Jesus' ethics of the leadership and power in his community of disciples is revolutionary. [NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].


The measure of greatness is not position, power, or prestige; it is service.
[THE NKJV STUDY BIBLE Second Edition].


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JESUS IS LORD.

GOD HAS MADE US ABLE MINISTERS OF THE NEW COVENANT, FOR THE OLD KILLS!

[It is He] Who has qualified us 9making us to be fit and worthy and sufficient) as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not [ministers] of the letter-that is, of legally written code-but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the (Holy) Spirit makes alive.
(Read: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6).


v.6 Paul realized that being divinely commissioned required being divinely equipped. His equipment to be a minister of a new covenant was given at his Damascus call when he was named a "chosen instrument" of God and filled with his Spirit (Acts 9:15, 17-19). There follows a contrast between two basic characteristics of the old and new covenants. The basis of the old covenant between the Lord and Israel was a lifeless, written code, "the book of the covenant" (Ex. 24:7). The basis of the new covenant between God and the church is a dynamic, pervasive Spirit. The written code (or 'letter") pronounced a sentence of death 9see Rom 7:9-11; Gal 3:10), but the Spirit brings transformation of life (Rom 7:6; 8:3). Though the new covenant was ratified by the shedding of Christ's blood 9Heb 13:20) and is symbolized in the communion cup (Lk 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25), it becomes operative only through the indwelling Spirit who imparts new life. Where "the letter" was powerless, the Spirit is powerful in producing holiness of life, enabling a person fully to meet the righteous requirements of the Law (Rom 8:4). This is what makes the new covenant 'new' and the old covenant (3:14) "old" (see Heb 8:6-13).
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].


[twiiter.com/SowersOfTheWord]. JESUS IS LORD.

IF I DON'T TITHE, AM I UNDER A CURSE??

by Robin Hair on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 9:03am

Fact or Fiction? - According to Malachi 3:8-10, if New Testament believers do not tithe today, they are under a curse.

1. Fiction: The book of Malachi was written to the Nation of Israel, not the New Testament Church. Israel was under the Law of Moses and therefore commanded to tithe. In the Old Covenant, Israel was under a system of blessings and curses. (Deut.28, Lev.26)) They were blessed if they obeyed God’s laws or cursed for their disobedience. Whenever ministers teach this portion of scripture as proof that New Testament believers are to tithe or they will be under a curse, believers should read beyond this usual quote to read the entire book of Malachi to find out who God is speaking to.

Let's go through Malachi, chapter 3: In verse 11, God speaks through the prophet Malachi to remind His people Israel of the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28. In doing so, God was rebuking them for their rebellion against His laws. Simple obedience would bring them back under His blessings once again and they would no longer be punished. This curse was a divine curse that originated from God, not the devil as some teach. When Israel was under the curse for not obeying God, He was sending His wrath or punishment upon them. This is why in Romans 4:15 says, “Because the law worketh wrath...” The Apostle Paul makes it clear in Galatians 3:10-11 that only those who are under the works of the law are under a curse, not those who live by faith.The law is of works, not faith. (Galatians 3:12) Since God imposed the curse, only He could lift it. Jesus as God in the flesh, lifted the curse of the law when he died on the cross by becoming a curse for us.(Galatians3: 13) The curse that He delivered us from was the curse mentioned back in Malachi and this was one of the curses that was imposed under the Mosaic Law.

Sin separates people from God. Under the Mosaic Law, sin brought God’s wrath (anger) upon His people when they broke it. Jesus has delivered us from God’s wrath! He took the punishment for our sins on the cross and paid the penalty of death required by the law. Now we are no longer under God’s wrath (anger) but are now under His grace (unmerited pardon and forgiveness). God’s wrath is not for those who are in Christ. (I Thessalonians 5:9) Jesus took God’s wrath and punishment for our sins on the cross; we are not under wrath, but grace.

Just as Jesus shed his blood to atone for our sins, he also delivered us from the curse of the law. Christ did this in order that the blessings of Abraham could come by faith. Are you in Christ? Do you live by faith? Have you been delivered from the law? THEN MALACHI 3 DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU! Since the New Covenant has been established, believers are not required to tithe and are not under the Law of Moses because there has been a change in the law. (Hebrews7: 12) (Romans 7:6, Galatians5: 18) The New Testament scriptures teach believers how we are to give now and it is by grace. Believers in Christ are not under the Law of Moses but grace in Christ. (II Corinthians chapters 8 & 9. Romans 7: 4-6, Galatians 2:16-21, 5:18) 

2. Fiction: Christians are not under a curse if they don’t tithe. The fact is that they are bringing themselves under a curse if they do. (Galatians 3:10) How is that possible? Tithing is anordinance of the Law (of Moses). If we place ourselves back under this Law and try to justify ourselves by keeping these laws, we are in effect agreeing to all the Law says. This includes the curses of God as well as the blessings. But what does the word of God say? “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”(Galatians 3:13) What does this word redeemed mean in this particular passage? In the Greek it means, of Christ freeing men from the dominion of the Mosaic Law at the price of his vicarious death. [Joseph Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament] Believers, no, we're not under the dominion of the Mosaic Law and its ordinances because Christ freed us from that when He died on the cross.

Jesus became our substitute on the Cross and literally fulfilled the Law for you and me. When He died to the Law, so did we. (Galatians 2:19-20, Colossians 2:20, 3:3, II Timothy 2:11) * (The scriptures prove that tithing was an ordinance instituted under the Law of Moses and is not a New Testament ordinance. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find the church teaching or practicing tithing.) In Malachi 3:7-9, God says through the prophet, “yet from the days of your fathers, you have gone away from my ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of Hosts. But you said, in what way shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me! But you say, in what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse (or broke the law) for you have robbed me even this whole nation” (Israel). Continuing in Malachi 3:14, “You have said, it is useless to serve God what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance”... These Old Testament ordinances of the law were blotted out through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Jesus had fulfilled the entire law for us because we could not do it ourselves. The law was then removed out of the way when the New Testament was ratified. Colossians 2:14 says, “having wiped out (or blotted out KJV) the handwriting of ordinances (or requirements) that was against us, which was contrary to us and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” The law was against us, not for us. It only could condemn us to death. Jesus defeated death on the cross so that we might have eternal life. The Law of Moses was taken out of the way because it could only accuse us of sin, it could not save us from our sins. Only the blood of the perfect, spotless Lamb of God could do that. For more proof of this we can look at Ephesians 2:15. “Having abolished in his flesh (through the cross) the enmity, even the law of commandments (Mosaic Law) contained in ordinances; so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.” Through Jesus’ atoning work on the cross, he made peace between us and God and one another! We've been reconciled to God through the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, NOT TITHING!

These Old Testament ordinances were fleshly as the book of Hebrews teaches us. “Then indeed even the first covenant (Old Covenant) had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.” (Hebrews 9:1) This worldly sanctuary was “concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come.” (Hebrews 9:10-11) and “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience form dead works (of the Law) to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the mediator of the New Covenant by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant (Old Covenant), that those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance For where there is a testament there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.” (Hebrews 9:14-16 all scriptures are NKJV unless otherwise noted) Hebrews 8:13 says, “In that he says a new covenant, he has made the first one obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

Clearly, the Old Testament Law has been made obsolete and is no longer in force or effect. Believers today are under the New Testament and this is what we are to follow.

We are to obey the New Testament pattern of giving. In the Church today, we are no longer commanded to tithe but to give by grace. (II Corinthians chapters 8 & 9) We are free to give liberally and free from condemnation if we do not have anything to give. We are to each give according to our ability. (II Corinthians 8:12-14) We are to share in all things so that no one has too much or others do not do without. As a matter of fact, when the Church was first birthed, many gave far beyond a mere ten percent; they shared everything they had for the sake of the church and the Gospel of Christ. I wonder when we in the Church today will make those same kinds of sacrifices?

BOTTOM LINE:  Tithing is an Old Covenant ordinance, not a New Testament one. You are not under law, but grace.  

AFTER WORKING HARD FOR THE LORD, FIND A SOLITARY PLACE AND REST FOR A WHILE!

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. (Read: Mark 6:7-13, 30-33).


30 Mark resumes the account of the mission of the Twelve. The disciples, here called "apostles" returned to Jesus with a report on their apostolic work of preaching, casting out demons, and healing.


31-32 Their activity had created much interest. So many people were coming and going that the disciples had no time even to eat. Since the disciples were doubtless tired from their missionary activities and from the demands of the crowds, Jesus decided to seek rest for them in a quiet and solitary place.
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].

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JESUS IS LORD.

GOD'S KINGDOM CANNOT BE SHAKEN!

"See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven." Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." 
(Hebrews 12:25-29).


   Earthly, material things (i.e., things that can be "shaken") will not last forever. By contrast, God's kingdom is unshakable, and the author uses the contrast as an exhortation to right conduct. He has made it plain that God will not trifle with wrongdoing. The persistent sinner can count on severe judgment. God will bring all things present to an end. Accordingly, the readers should serve him faithfully.


27 The writer picks out the expression 'once more" to point out the decisive significance of the things of which he is writing. There is an air of finality about it all. "The removing" of which can be shaken will occur in the final day. This physical creation can be shaken, and it is set in contrast to what cannot be shaken-the things that really matter. The author does not go into detail about the precise nature of the ultimate rest. "So that" introduces a clause of purpose. It is God's will for this final differentiation to be made so that only what cannot be shaken will remain.


28 The "kingdom" is not a frequent subject in this letter. This is in contrast to the Synoptic Gospels where 'Kingdom" frequently occurs in the teaching of Jesus. But this passage shows that the author understood ultimate reality in terms of God's sovereignty, in contrast with earthly systems. They can be shaken and in due course will be shaken. Not so God's kingdom! The author does not simply say that it will not be shaken but that it cannot be shaken. The kingdom is something we "receive." It is not earned or created by believers; it is God's gift (Luke 12:32).
[NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].
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JESUS IS LORD.