We
live and our children live to declare the works of the Lord! That is our and their
spiritual battle ...always has been. What we do in the flesh should be only that which enables our spiritual battle. Why?
Because the Word of God, which is the Truth of who we are and why we were
created, must be true in every human life no matter where they are.
If we boast
about what we did/do or our children did/do, we cause others to stumble... all are
children of God (adults too). Our boasting causes others to stumble by making them feel bad in the
place where they are and hopeless even. To them it appears as though human works count more than Christ's.
Just being Americans selling our
'motto' of freedom to others can cause them to think and feel that they are somehow
less than we are and that the place they live in is somehow wrong/bad. Why else do they stream into this country... to get that 'kind' of freedom which we sell like its candy.
We like to justify doing that on many grounds. We often claim that the women/children are being oppressed or that those people over there cannot
worship freely... as if they have no freedom to believe in the One True God where they live. Or maybe we tell them that they don't really worship God correctly and that is oppressive. As if we here in this country have got it right in every instance.
You know, Jesus was very simple about what we are called to do: Believe in the One who Sent Him ~John 6:29... to Love God, Love our neighbor ~ Mark 12:30-31; baptize in the name of the Father/Son/Holy Spirit ~ Matthew 28:19; and to offer reconciliation ~ 2 COR 5:18.
As for freedom to worship and baptize, Jesus said, do not stand in the synagogues or on the
street corners... go into your pray closet. And, so anyone can baptize in their own home. In this sense, any believer in the One true
God can practice their faith wherever they are.
They can love God with all
their heart, soul, mind and strength and they can love their neighbor and even baptize. Moreover, in
times of trouble or hardship they can give their testimony and demonstrate to others their faith by forgiving others even those who may be the cause for their hardship (for they know
not what they do). If they continue to do that... then they/you are a living an
example of the One true God.
...that is living by faith
...that is living by faith
The Lord said... "you will have trouble in this world [John 16:33] and this world is passing away [1 COR 7:31]. Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" [John 12:25].
ReplyDeleteThe God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us ~ Acts:17:24-27.
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