LOVE

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  John 21:13

So Jesus tried to draw Peter into Agape,  But Peter replied with Philia…  and finally Jesus had to settle with Philia as Peter was not yet up to  Agape.  (Total commitment and devotion is Agape,)   Philia is a (deep, personal affection,  close friend.)  So I guess we can also settle for Philia as second best,   but the Body of Christ when completed will be glued together with Agapi Love and totally into (feeding HIS lambs.)  So if you are not yet into learning how to feed the “LORD’S” lambs, you have some growing room yet to grow and to experience.

The Ancient Greeks’ 7 Words for Love (And Why Knowing Them Can Change Your Life)
Eros, or sexual passion. …
Philia, or deep friendship. .
Ludus, or playful love. ….
Storge, familial love, unconditional.
Philautia, or love of the self.
Pragma, or longstanding love.
Agape, or empathetic, universal love
So, the next time you talk about loving someone—as a friend, as a lover, as a human—consider keeping in mind the Greek words for love so you can articulate more precisely the unique shades of the single emotion. …

At 90 now, sort of difficult to go from point A to B.   Even to get out of a chair is a test.  This morning I had a tree trimmer cutting back a tree from Sunshine Tree Service.   In the process the Lord gave me the impression to give him, the owner,  a bit of Sonshine.  “IS THAT YOU, LORD?”  Thought it was???   The ministry business cards are in the box over the printer,   The tracts are in a box next to the annex and the Jesus Book that seemed to be what the LORD wanted to give him ????  So where is that book?   So I managed to get off of my butt, find the cards, find the tracts and finally found the Jesus Book and got it together and then slowly walked out to where they were dumping the chips from the tree in the garden.  He rolled down the truck window on the way out, so I asked him if he would like a little Sonshine to go with the Sunshine and spelled it out for him.   He gave me a really big grin and accepted the gift and went on his way..  Probably only in eternity will I find out what happened with all of that.  But I know that being obedient gave me a wonderful feeling of peace in serving my LORD, at least in thinking it was of the LORD.  Of course we find out by doing.   

We tend to use the word LOVE a lot and we are use to the context telling us to what degree.   So if we say,”I love you,” to a wife or I love my new shoes, we quickly understand the difference.  But with the ancient Greeks, they had a word for about anything.  That is one of the reasons that the translators had a difficult time with translating the New Testament from Greek into English.  In fact a few words they did not even translate like baptism and bishop as it would conflict with the 1600 meanings of words and could have caused the translators a bit of pain.  Also translators were limited to trying to understand what God was meaning like the word believe that we use a lot for everything, but really,  in the Greek of the scriptures it  mean to “trust in, rely upon and cling to” like sitting in a chair.  When you set in a chair you totally trust the chair to hold you up or you will not sit there.  So when we “believe” in Jesus it has the same meaning.  But most Christian that I know have not truly learned to totally trust in Jesus and are more into a Do It Yourself Program and trying to build their own chair. In fact, I understood the other day that only about 25% of evangelicals now believe the Bible to be accurate and of course even less than that for the liturgical folks who believe they can write their own Bible.   So the Evangelical’s tend to become indulgent, the Liturgical’s tend to become sanctimonious and the Pentecostal’s tend to become a carnival. Which underlines how much we need each other in the LORD’S   LOVE, HOLINESS & POWER in Agape Love in order for the world to really see Jesus as LORD.   I was taught in the beginning that just accept Jesus as my Savior and ask HIM to forgive me and then get baptized and it was a done deal.   For me that lasted about 9 months with the kids in highschool calling me deacon but due to lack of growth and spiritual nutrition my house of cards totally came apart.   Nearly shot myself after during wreck.  But only had a 22 so thought better of it as could end up in the hospital for life and that could be worse.

So later at age 23 I ran into a young man of 19 who had really make Jesus LORD & SAVIOR.  I had never found anyone like Floyd Aires before.   So went through that door again after really messing up my life.   But finding that Jesus certainly is the door and the way to GOD the Father as through a narrow straight road called sanctification.  Or the process of being conformed into the image of being like Jesus.  My personal road had been rather rocky with a lot of battles that I did not always win due to Adam’s left over Junk still in me and this world.   The Scripture that comes to mind is.   1 John 15-20:   “15 Do not love the world [of sin that opposes God and His precepts], nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful  pursuits and  ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever.18 Children, it is the last hour [the end of this age]; and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming [the one who will oppose Christ and attempt to replace Him], even now many antichrists (false teachers) have appeared, which confirms our belief that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us [seeming at first to be Christians], but they were not really of us [because they were not truly born again and spiritually transformed]; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out [teaching false doctrine], so that it would be clearly shown that none of them are of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error].

It is my prayer that if you have read this you will give it the thought that it needs to change you, especially those of my biological family.   Really want to leave no one “Left Behind” as according to 2 Thess. 2:7-12 there will not be a second chance to change your mind once the door is closed.

Yours, in HIS great love and wonderful Grace & Mercy,   Ken<><    www.OhanaChurch.Life