WORDS

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:  Prov.1:5.  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matt.12:36.  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:  James 1:19…

Our little personal world of self is filled with words about ourselves.  We are happy when those around us give us praise and unhappy when they don’t.   We use many words to establish our little kingdoms of what ever they might be.  Words to manipulate and subdue.  Words to reject.  Out of our stress and frustrations we verbally shred those that we sometimes love the most.  

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.  Prov. 18:21. 
James shares this with us:  5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!  6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.  Peter shares this with us:  For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 1 Pet. 3:10.  John records that in heaven HIS Church will be singing:  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; Rev.5:9

So when will we really begin to listen to what Christ Jesus teaches on the subject.   Christ Jesus is now the Eternal Word of God for all eternity.  HE is LORD…  But most treat HIS love for us and commandments like yesterday’s newspaper.  He did not present HIS commandments like MOSES but in grace and love and with an invitation to come into HIS KINGDOM out of the cold rain of the world and to get dry and warm by HIS fire.  Of course we all have a freewill that was bashed up by Adam in the fall.  But even by the creation we know that the Creator is there.

So let’s start on just a few of HIS COMMANDMENTS:  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.  John 12:34-35 & 1 Cor.13.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  38 This is the first and great commandment.  39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  Matt.22:36-40

So Jesus taught:  If ye love me, keep my commandments. Jn.14:15.   He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Jn.14:21.  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.  Jn.15:10.

So what are HIS COMMANDMENTS besides loving GOD first in all things and our treating our neighbor as we treat ourselves.

First off Jesus supported 9 of the 10 commandments in his ministry, HE left out the Sabbath.  The Sabbath Rest was fulfilled in the Holy Spirit’s ministry on Pentecost of entering into HIS rest as in Hebrews 4 as being now able to walk in the Spirit.

In Matt.28:19-20, Christ Jesus commands HIS church to share HIS message: “19 Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them [a]into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you [b]all the days ([c]perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. [d]Amen (so let it be).” AMPC.  and we know this was to every member to do because of the LORD’s Prayer in John 17:20 Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching,   21 That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.  22 I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one:  23 I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.

And in this prayer our LORD also commanded for there to be a oneness of perfect unity so that HE could be seen through HIS CHURCH by the world.  Love allows two points of view to become one in the Truth of God due to love and humility.  Pride causes division.  To agree to disagree is destructive to the Truth of God and the Power of HIS CHURCH.  Paul teaches on it this way.   And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.  12 His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church),  13 [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [[a]full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.  14 So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of [b]unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.  15 Rather, let our lives lovingly [c]express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).  16 For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.  Eph.4:11-16.  Amplified.

SALVATION OF COURSE IS BY AND THROUGH FAITH ALONE IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST JESUS ON THE CROSS.  BUT THEN AS A CHRISTIAN THERE IS THE PROCESS OF OBEDIENCE AND SANCTIFICATION OR TO MAKE HOLY.  THE LORD CALLED IT PRUNING.

THERE IS BUT ONE CHURCH OF CHRIST JESUS AND ALL WHO LOVE AND OBEY HIM ARE MEMBERS.

Yours, in HIS great love and wonderful grace and mercy,  Ken<><    www.Trinity-Aloha.org