Disciples Duty to Pray - Cost of Discipleship Pt 105

Chapter 18 - The Disciple and Unbelievers

Bonhoeffer-'The disciples are taught to pray, and so they learn that the only way to reach others is by praying to God. Judgment and forgiveness are always in the hands of God. He closes and he opens. But the disciples must ask, they must seek and knock, and then God will hear them. They have to learn that their anxiety and concern for others must drive them to intercession. The promise Christ gives to their prayer is the doughtiest weapon in their armory.'

My thoughts-

Mat_6:5  And when thou prayest…
Mat_6:6  But thou, when thou prayest…
Mat_6:7  But when ye pray…
Mat_6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye…
Mat_9:38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest…
Mat_14:23  And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray…
Mat_19:13  Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray…
Mat_24:20  But pray ye…
Mat_26:36  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
Mat_26:41  Watch and pray
Mat_26:53  Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
Mar_6:46  And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.
Mar_11:24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray,
Mar_13:18  And pray ye…
Mar_13:33  Take ye heed, watch and pray…
Mar_14:32  And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
Mar_14:38  Watch ye and pray…
Luk_6:12  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Luk_6:28  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them…
Luk_9:28  And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.
Luk_10:2  Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore…
Luk_11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray…
Luk_11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray…
Luk_18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint
Luk_21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always…
Luk_22:40  And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray…
Luk_22:46  And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray…
Joh_14:16  And I will pray the Father…
Joh_17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
Joh_17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh_17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word
Act_8:22  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God
Act_8:24  Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord…
Act_10:9  On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray…
Rom_8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
1Co_14:13  Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray...
1Co_14:14  For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
1Co_14:15  What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also…
2Co_5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co_13:7  Now I pray to God that ye do no evil...
Php_1:9  And this I pray, that your love may abound …
Col_1:9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you...
1Th_5:17  Pray without ceasing.
1Th_5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th_5:25  Brethren, pray for us.
2Th_1:11  Wherefore also we pray always for you...
2Th_3:1  Finally, brethren, pray for us...
1Ti_2:8  I will therefore that men pray every where...
2Ti_4:16  At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
Heb_13:18  Pray for us...
Jas_5:13  Is any among you afflicted? let him pray...
Jas_5:14  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord
Jas_5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
1Jn_5:16  If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Praying is very important.

Jesus prayed and taught His disciples to pray.

The Holy Spirit prays for us.

We are told to pray for others. We are told to ask of God. We are told to pray without ceasing. We are told to pray fervently.

So, do we pray as we should?

Are we communicating with God as He desire we do?

How many people consider prayer pointless?

Prayer is made through faith, the same faith that pleases God, the same faith that makes salvation in Christ Jesus possible.

Eph_2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

We pray through faith.

We ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for us because we know we are so far from doing the will of God as we should that only He can express our heart to God in such a way that it's truly understood.

When Bonhoeffer writes this…

'The disciples are taught to pray, and so they learn that the only way to reach others is by praying to God.'

It is truth. We are to PRAY for others.  We are to pray fervently. We are to pray without ceasing. We have to realize that our Savior alone reveals His loves to others, and we must ask Him to reveal that love. It is OUR duty to pray for others! Jesus WANTS us to pray for others! Praying for others reveals in a small way or perhaps the greatest of ways, our LOVE for others.

Our prayer is heard as long as we are NOT praying for our sins, praying to be allowed to sin.

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Our prayer, our asking will produce results, we will be heard and what we ask for we will receive if we are NOT praying for sin.  And that's in all things. If we are praying for finances and God knows that we will sin if given all that we are asking for, we will not receive it.  If we are praying for others, and praying in such a way to bring glory to ourselves and NOT God, then our prayers will not be received.  We cannot ASK AMISS and expect to be heard, expect to receive.  We must pray that GOD'S WILL not ours is done and this is in ALL things! We can't presume to know better than God. We can't believe that our will is the will that should be indulged in any way.

Truly all glory goes to GOD, all praise to our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!

We must pray all by HIS glory!

Let HIS WILL be done!

We must pray.

Just because we have an inkling God knows all does NOT excuse us from praying, not when our God WANTS us to pray, not when our God tells us we should pray, and pray without ceasing.  Our God wants us to pray so that we are always in contact with HIM, He is always in our awareness and in such a way we are recognizing HIS LOVE for us, we reverencing HIM for His amazing LOVE in creating and redeeming us!

All through HIM, always!

The Word not received... Cost of Discipleship Pt 104

Chapter 18 - The Disciple and Unbelievers

Bonhoeffer-'The Word recognizes opposition when it meets it, and is prepared to suffer it. It is a hard lesson but a true one, that the gospel, unlike an ideology, reckons with impossibilities .

The disciples can even yield their ground and run away, provided they do so with the Word, provided their weakness is the weakness of the Word, and provided they do not leave the Word in the lurch in their flight. They are simply the servants and instruments of the Word; they have no wish to be strong where the Word chooses to be weak. To try and force the Word on the world by hook or crook is to make the Word of God into a mere idea, and the world would be perfectly justified in refusing to listen to an idea for which it had no use.

But at other times, the disciples must stick to their guns and refuse to run away, though of course only when the Word so wills. If they do not realize this weakness of the Word, they have failed to perceived the mystery of the divine humility. The same weak Word which is content to endure the gainsaying of sinners is also the mighty Word of mercy which can convert the hearts of sinners. Its strength is veiled in weakness; if it came in power that would mean that the day of judgment had arrived. The great task of the disciples is to recognize the limits of their commission. But if they use the Word amiss it will certainly turn against them.

What are the disciples to do when they encounter opposition and cannot penetrate the hearts of men? They must admit that in no circumstances do they possess any rights or powers over others, and that they have no direct access to them. The only way to reach others is through him in whose hands they are themselves like all other men.'

My thoughts-

Act 17:5  But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
Act 17:6  And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
Act 17:7  Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
Act 17:8  And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.
Act 17:9  And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
Act 17:10  And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Act 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Act 14:5  And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,
Act 14:6  They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:
Act 14:7  And there they preached the gospel.

Jesus said- 'Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another…'

*******
Sent away, fled-  these are men of God, appointed to spread the word of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When Bonhoeffer speaks of the Word being weak why is it that I cannot help but shudder at the thought? I understand what He's saying, but something in me just wants to shout that the Word is power unto salvation in Jesus Christ, how can it ever be weak. But this weakness he's speaking of is a knowledgeable weakness of which there can be NO shame. It is just as a child is not expected to have the strength of the adult, you don't feel shame as a child because it is something that is factual. A sick person cannot believe they should be strong when in truth their illness has taken that from them. Should they feel shame over something out of their control?  The weakness of the gospel only means that it is NOT something that can be FORCED, not ever! It is not a power that uses evil in any way to become strong. It is LOVE and the power in the Word comes from Jesus Christ who WILLINGLY laid down His LIFE! Was He weak when He did that?!  Those crucifying Him thought so. They mocked Him, they told Him if He truly were the Son of God to take Himself off the cross.

Luk 23:35  And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
Luk 23:36  And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
Luk 23:37  And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.

They clearly thought HIM weak, in fact the weakest of the weak possessing none of the power of the Father. Was He weak?  NO!

The moral strength, the love strength that it took for our Savior to allow Himself to die, He who was GOD, IMMORTAL; He who could call ten thousand angels to save Him, it took everything He possessed to endure the painful, humiliating, crucifixion.  The strength of His character, of the LOVE that God alone possesses was so intense that to call our Savior weak for enduring the cross would be totally ludicrous.

The Word of God is not weak in the sense men account weakness, but it will NOT be misused, it will NOT be forced upon anyone whatsoever! The love that is in the Word of God cannot be forced on others, and if people associate that with an inferior weakness they are mistaken. When Bonhoeffer says that the disciples can even run away as long as they do so with the WORD, He comprehends that it is NOT weakness to leave the place where the Word of God is rejected. The weakness comes when someone stays and tries to force the Word of God on those who are not inclined to it.

We have to be ever ready -

1Pe_3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear

But we are NOT to force others to listen, we are not to give answers where no one is asking for the reason.  We can try to open the Word of God to others, but never argue it believing if only WE could convince them they'd understand, if only we could talk at them long enough the light would dawn on them. We cannot believe that we must wear people down so that they accept the Word falsely just to get us to shut up.

Truly it is the Holy Spirit who will convict the hearts NEVER US! We will NEVER, EVER convict a single heart of truth.  Only the TRUTH can do that, and Jesus is that TRUTH!

The lyrics to this song impressed me a bit today, and the part where it reads 'The spirit inside is the spirit who brought the Son back to life'  or something along those lines, really brings it home that it is NEVER us doing any good inside of us but the Spirit living in US, it is NOT by our own power we do anything good and we can't fool ourselves and believe it is. Only by the Spirit of Christ living in us do we do anything remotely good, and that good is simply our SUBMISSION to the Spirit, allowing Him to live in us all by the GRACE and MERCY of our GOD! All because our SAVIOR died so we could LIVE in HIM, through HIM- literally! Truly literally, a real living force living within us through HIM.
 
It's exhausting trying to do good and it should be, because we have to realize it's Christ in US that does the good, and we are NOT ever supposed to take any credit for doing any good. There is a great danger in our believing we've achieved some sort of level of goodness, all the goodness is CHRIST in US, all glory and power, all honor and praise, all thanksgiving to our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!

We must YIELD to Christ, this isn't a suggestion but a fact, a real fact.

Please LORD, help us yield to YOU!

All in You, all through YOU!

God's word must be willingly received - Cost of Discipleship Pt 103

Chapter 18 - The Disciple and Unbelievers

Bonhoeffer- 'But the Christian is not only forbidden to judge other men, even the word of salvation has its limits. He has neither power nor right to force it upon other men in season and out of season. Every attempt to impose the gospel by force, to run after people and proselytize them, to use our own resources to arrange the salvation of other people, is both futile and dangerous. It is futile, because the swine do not recognize the pearls that are cast before them, and dangerous because it profanes the word of forgiveness, by causing those we fain would serve, to sin against that which is holy.  Worse still we shall only meet with the blind rage of hardened and darkened hearts, and that will be useless and harmful. Our easy trafficking with the word of cheap grace simply bores the world to disgust, so that in the end it turns against those who try to force on it what it does not want. Thus a strict limit is placed upon the activities of the disciples, just as in Matt 10 they are told to shake the dust off their feet where the word of peace is refused a healing.

But the word of God in its weakness takes the risk of meeting the scorn of men and being rejected. There are hearts which are hardened and doors which are closed to the Word.'


Mat 10:14  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Mat 10:15  Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Received.

There is  difference in being received and forcing yourself upon someone.  And that is in any sense of the word. You can tell when people want to listen to you and are readily hearing what you're saying and when they aren't. To go before people and preach at them all the while they are growing more and more angry at you, despising you for forcing your words upon them, is wrong.

Bonhoeffer speaks the truth of it. As disciples of Christ we are to bring the word to others, this is the command of our Savior.  If we don't listen to our Savior we are willfully desiring to harden our own hearts.  Some are not preachers, or evangelists, but all the disciples of Christ live a life that allows that life to be witness to others and should ANY opportunities arise to speak the word of God we are to do so, all through the Holy Spirit. We can speak but only the Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of people, not us. Not the most eloquent speech ever given can convict a single heart of truth. The power lies in Christ through the Holy Spirit, not in us. We are to speak and the Holy Spirit does the rest if a person is seeking truth in Christ. If we don't speak when we are prompted to, then we are accountable for that lost opportunity.  However, we are NOT to force the word of God upon anyone at all. There are religions, there are groups of people who believe they have to force others to hear, as if forcing them to hear alone would convince them of the truth, as if force is something GOOD and not evil.  Our God does not FORCE.  If you've had the word of God forced upon you, as many a child will say of their upbringing, and others who've been caught up in a zealot's rant- it does no good.

Speaking of God and allowing others to hear as they wish to hear, to receive as they are willing to receive is what God wants.

When the disciples are told to shake the dust off their feet after leaving a house or city that does not receive the word of Truth being spoken, they are being told that for a reason.

First, they have to realize that not all will receive the truth of Salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. Secondly, they have to comprehend that they've done the will of God by offering the gift of truth. Thirdly, they need to fully understand that once they've done all they could to give the truth, if it's rejected they are finished with trying to give it to those people, that city, again.  Does that mean any of those rejecting the truth can't later come to it? No. But, God does not want His disciples to do anything remotely like forcing the word on anyone.

God's word must be WILLINGLY received- always- if it's to be truth to Salvation in Jesus Christ.

Forgive- not judge Cost of Discipleship Pt 102

Chapter 18 - The Disciple and Unbelievers

Bonhoeffer- 'Christian love sees the fellow-man under the cross and therefore sees with clarity. If when we judge others, our real motive was to destroy evil, we should look for evil where it is certain to be found, and that is in our own hearts.

But if we are on the look-out for evil in others, our real motive is obviously to justify ourselves, for we are seeking to escape punishment for our own sins by passing judgment on others, and are assuming by implication that the Word of God applies to ourselves in one way, and to others in another. All this is highly dangerous and misleading. We are trying to claim for ourselves a special privilege which we deny to others. But Christ's disciples have no rights of their own or standards of right and wrong which they could enforce with other people:  they have received nothing but Christ's fellowship. Therefore the disciple is not to sit in judgment over his fellow-man because he would wrongly usurp the jurisdiction.'

My thoughts-

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

This commandment is new because Jesus Christ, God, became flesh (Mat_1:23) and dwelt among us (Jn 1:14) and up to that happened mankind did not have that privilege. Our Creator came to live with us, among us, and He revealed His love in so many ways it would be impossible for any to write of them all. (Joh 21:25) Jesus says- a new commandment I give you… LOVE OTHERS AS HE HAS LOVED US.

This did NOT do away with the OLD commandments- but ADDED to another in a new dimension due to the circumstances. 

Christ came and revealed His love to us in a way that would have been impossible to reveal except He did as He did.

The previous Ten Commandments were given out of love- and we were told to LOVE GOD and LOVE MANKIND, but we could NOT have been told to LOVE as we have BEEN LOVED, not until our God came in the flesh and revealed His love so perfectly to us.

We are told to LOVE as HE LOVED.

Did Jesus judge and condemn every sinner He came in contact with? Did He teach us to be harsh and judgmental against others? Did He teach us to talk about and tear down each other because of our faults? Did He spend so much time talking about how bad others are that we learned that from Him? No! No! NO!

Yet we find it so easy to pass judgment from the least little thing to the greatest things we are there ready to point our finger at others and talk about their short comings, as if somehow their faults are more awful than our own, they are NOT. 

All sin, no matter the sin is worthy of DEATH. How does lying warrant the same penalty as murder? All sin is contrary to the love of God and if there it no love for God there is death because God is life! All sin is breaking the commandments of our God and in need of forgiveness, repentance.

We cannot pass judgment upon someone without sinning ourselves, it's impossible!

We are NOT commanded to judge, we are commanded to LOVE. We are to leave the judging to GOD.

Whenever we are tempted to pass judgment and focus our thoughts on another person's shortcomings, we'd better be ready to recognize we are at that very moment committing a sin.

When we are told that we are forgiven as we forgive others, God means what He says! When we judge rather than forgive others we are being judged, not forgiven.

Please LORD, help us to be FORGIVERS, and NOT JUDGERS.  Please LORD, help us to FORGIVE so that we may be FORGIVEN, so that we may be YOUR DISCIPLES!

'Judging others makes us blind' Cost of Discipleship Pt 102

Chapter 18 - The Disciple and Unbelievers

Bonhoeffer- 'Judgment  is the forbidden objectification of the other person which destroys single-minded love. I am not forbidden to have my own thoughts about the other person, to realize his shortcomings, but only to the extent that it offers to me an occasion for forgiveness and unconditional love, as Jesus proves to me. If I withhold my judgment I am not indulging in  tout comprendre c'est tout pardonner and confirm both his grace and his judgment.

Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are. But in the love of Christ we know all about every conceivable  sin and guilt; for we know how Jesus suffered, and how all men have been forgiven at the foot of the cross.'

My thoughts-

Judgment of another person- that's when we stop loving them, isn't it? We might think it's nothing, Satan wants us to believe it is nothing. Satan wants us to shrug it off and not even concern ourselves with the fact we judge other people. So what, doesn't everyone do it? How else are we supposed to determine if someone s a fool or not? Don't we have to judge others, they're not being good, right? So we have to judge their sinning to know they're sinners, yes?   Do we even hear what we are saying, what we are thinking, the lengths we'll go to in order to justify ourselves?

There are a lot of fools in the world, a lot of stupid people, a lot of sinners...wait… that describes ALL of us! Seriously, it does. You might think you're not stupid and you're no fool, but guess what? I'm sure there are those out in the world who you've met during your life who wouldn't hesitate to call you both. People form opinions all the time about those they meet and they're not always favorable. And even if NO one has ever considered you a fool, or stupid, you are still a sinner and you always will be. You've committed actions that could be judged by others if others choose to judge.

We cannot JUDGE except we comprehend that HOW we judge we are to be judged. If we are harsh in our judgment, that same judgment will be given to us. If we are lenient we have to realize that that with God - our being allowed to be judged at all by Him is lenient. That we've been given a life with the chance to choose Salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord is the greatest of leniencies.

When we judge we are judging based on our own opinions and our opinions mean so very little in the grand scheme of things.

Bonhoeffer says this- ' I am not forbidden to have my own thoughts about the other person, to realize his shortcomings, but only to the extent that it offers to me an occasion for forgiveness and unconditional love, as Jesus proves to me'

We are not forbidden to think about others, and their SHORTCOMINGS- but we MUST think about them in that way with the goal in mind to EXTEND forgiveness, not to gossip, not to tear someone down. We have to truly LOVE them, all of them from the strangest of strangers, to the one you love and know that best. That love isn't a love that will HURT, regardless of the songs and such love is NOT SUPPOSED to hurt, only Satan has made it acceptable for us to say we love and all the while we are loving we are hurting those we love.

Whenever we notice what we believe is someone sinning, or someone caught up in a way of life contrary to God's truth and ways, we need to forgive and ask for forgiveness for them. Will it be extended to them, only God knows. God is the One who extends forgiveness, it is HIS to give. We can ask and know that if at all possible He will forgive all we ask Him to forgive.  We do NOT love as Jesus would have us love if we do NOT ask for forgiveness for others and forgive them ourselves.

Bonhoeffer wrote- 'Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are. But in the love of Christ we know all about every conceivable  sin and guilt; for we know how Jesus suffered, and how all men have been forgiven at the foot of the cross.'

It is true, judging makes us blind, deaf, and dumb to the point we can't see that our judging itself is our sinning and we will be judged for that sin if we don't confess and seek forgiveness, repenting of that sin.

We have to WAKE UP and realize that we must truly LOVE as our Savior would have us LOVE if we are truly HIS disciples!

By the grace of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST may we live our lives in HIM, loving others as HE would have us LOVE them, as HE loves US.

Surrendered

Surrendered.  When we hear that word we almost immediately think of someone - whether it be an organization, a country, a team, or an individual- giving up the fight.  We say that they surrendered, they gave up, the other side won. Inevitably we think of those who surrender as weaker, as losers, as those who should have shame in the face of their superior adversary.

Yet we need to surrender our self to our Savior, don't we? And that's an amazing and wonderful thing. Surrendering to Jesus in truth makes us stronger…

Let me pause there for a moment. 

Does surrendering to Jesus make US stronger?

As soon as we begin to think of ourselves again aren't we taking on something less than one who has surrendered?

When one army surrenders to another is the surrendered army stronger for it? No. In fact the goal is to weaken the other army as much as possible.

When we watch a boxing match and the white towel is thrown in the ring and the boxer surrenders, is that boxer deemed stronger for having done so? Again the goal is to weaken that boxer, his reputation is tarnished even if it is a single match he's lost.  The object of surrendering as a rule is NOT to make the surrendered party stronger.

It's the same for us really, and we NEED to understand this.

It is CHRIST in us who is all things, not us. We are not made stronger, CHRIST in us is strong and through our association with Him, He is our strength.

He's our ROCK, we do not ever become the ROCK. 

Deu 32:3  Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
Deu 32:4  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Psa 18:2  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Mat 16:13  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:14  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Mat 16:15  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter.
 And upon this ROCK I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

(THAT ROCK is NOT Peter, but JESUS CHRIST!)

Mat 21:42  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

Mat 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Psa 18:31  For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
1Pe 2:6  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Jesus is our FOUNDATION, Jesus is the ROCK, we are but stones upon Him, Our Foundation. We are built UPON Him, without HIM we are NOTHING.

To believe that we somehow become the rock is wrong. We have to surrender to Jesus and we surrender our self will, we surrender all that we are to Him. When we surrender to Him we ARE admitting that beyond any shadow of doubt whatsoever we are WEAK, we are not on level with Him and we will NEVER be on the same level as our Savior!

Those who surrender to Christ in the hopes of being turned into something they are not in and of themselves, will be greatly disappointed or extremely deceived. We can be born again when we surrender, and we are new creatures in CHRIST, not in spite of CHRIST.  As soon as we get any idea that we have any power of our own outside of CHRIST we are no longer surrendered  beings, and we have to remain FOREVER surrendered to Him.

Unlike armies, and boxers, chess players, and the hundreds and hundreds of sports and game players, who when they surrender, more often than not, look forward to a rematch so they can become conquerors OVER another, we are only ever conquerors IN CHRIST, when we remain surrendered to Him, fully, wholly surrendered to Him not keeping anything back of ourselves, not living at all under our own power but all through HIS.

Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We must NEVER be separate from our God, our Creator, our Redeemer! We must forever be IN HIM, comprehending He is our all and all and without Him we are nothing! NOTHING!

If we are in the LOVE of Jesus we have won the greatest gift there is EVER going to be in life- here on earth and in heaven. There is NOTHING greater than living in CHRIST JESUS with HIM as our Conquering KING!

We would be YOURS Lord Jesus, wholly and solely YOURS and no other's, not even our own, especially not our own. We desire to live in YOU as YOURS, and YOU in US! Please LORD, help us to surrender ourselves in every way to you, not holding back at all in any thing.  Knowing as we CLING to YOU we have YOUR strength to trust in always, refusing to trust in our own strength which is nothing but an illusion.

You are EVERYTHING, ALWAYS!

BY YOU!
BY YOUR LOVE!
YOUR AMAZING, AMAZING LOVE!

Fabricated Love or True Love-God (Cost of Discipleship Pt 100)

Chapter 18 - The Disciple and Unbelievers

Bonhoeffer- 'Any misguided love for the sinner is ominously close to the love of sin.

But the love of Christ for the sinner in itself is the condemnation of sin, is his expression of extreme hatred of sin.

The disciples of Christ are to love unconditionally.  Thus they may effect what their own divided and judiciously and conditionally offered love never could achieve, namely the radical condemnation of sin.'

My thoughts-

Think about this a moment, don't just read the words and let them skip over you as if you're skipping stones across a small brook to the other side- touching the water, but never really sinking in.

Truly if our love for anyone else is a love that is not of Christ, it is close to the love of sin. Any love that doesn't stem from Christ, is a perverted love. If any of our love come from any other source whatsoever it's sin, right? 

God is love.

1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16

If God is love- our love must be God's love if it's a REAL love and not something mankind has manufactured with the help of Satan taking love and making it into something evil at it's very core- selfishness, prideful.

The very closest, I believe, a person can feel, a love that is a tendril of God's true love, is the love of a parent for a child, and a child for a parent.  I say tendril because so much of all love even love of parents for children and children for parents is selfish and prideful, sinful. 

I'm sure there are people reading this (well, sure as I can imagine- if people are reading this) that there are some who think I'm crazy for saying this, because they can't imagine a love a mother has for a child being anything but genuine and natural, something we call normal.  We are shocked and dismayed when we read of mothers abusing their children, mothers abandoning their children, mothers hating their children, because we somehow believe there HAS to be a natural mother's love that would only protect and care for their child. Love by our God's definition is NOT the love of a mother for a child- it is GOD HIMSELF.  And like it or not, if any love a mother has for their child is NOT coming from their love of God, then there is a very good chance that mother's love is something manufactured and even if it appears to be genuine in all respects- it can't be at its heart. What it can be is a magnificent counterfeit- so magnificent that none can tell the difference, but it cannot be real.

We as a people have truly fooled ourselves into believing love is all sorts of things, and this belief has colored God's love into something too often abhorred rather than desired.

When God tells us to love Him and to love Others He is telling us to treat them as He has commanded us to treat them, as HE treats them, unselfishly, caring for them more than self even unto death because we care so much.

Can you imagine choosing to die for someone who hates you, dying for someone who has despised you and has constantly chosen to do things that hurt you?  Can you imagine doing that because you love the one who hates you, not caring that they hate you and hurt you, but wanting to sacrifice yourself for them with the HOPE they'll accept that sacrifice and understand your love?

We can truly scarcely begin to comprehend what LOVE is, because our twisted idea of love is what we cling to.  And we mostly cling to love as something that selfishly benefits us in some way. Is it any wonder it's so easy for people to divorce when their love is a purely fabricated love and not real at all, not stemming from God who is Love!

The Bible tells us this…

Mat_24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

That love is waxing cold because is stems from SIN and not from God at all!

God's love is a love choosing to die for one who is completely at odds with you.  We can't imagine that can we? And before you say that you can, tell me, would you give all your worldly goods to one who hated you? If that person came to you and told you to give them all your money, would you?  We're talking money, not your life, but money. If they told you to give them their car, would you? If you can't even give them all your worldly possessions how can you say you'd be willing to die for them?

If we are not willing to give up all for each other, we are not in possession of Christ's love. If we value our money and possessions more than we value another's life, even that life of one we'd consider most unworthy, then how can we love with God's love? How? That is HIS love! Sacrifice, and yet we do SO LITTLE sacrificing!

Remember this--

Mar 12:41  And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
Mar 12:42  And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
Mar 12:43  And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
Mar 12:44  For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Can we even imagine such sacrifice? Truly, can we?

Bonhoeffer-'Any misguided love for the sinner is ominously close to the love of sin.'

MISGUIDED love for the sinner-  OMINOUSLY close to the LOVE of SIN.

Bonhoeffer- 'But the love of Christ for the sinner in itself is the condemnation of sin, is his expression of extreme hatred of sin.

The disciples of Christ are to love unconditionally.  Thus they may effect what their own divided and judiciously and conditionally offered love never could achieve, namely the radical condemnation of sin.'

TRUTH!

Christ's love is all that Christ is and Christ HATES sin!  Sin is to be destroyed! Sin warrants death it's so evil and despised. Sin is to be done away with forever! Christ's very life is a testament to the evil of sin. He became Human and DIED to save us from the evil of sin. 

It can be nothing but the truth- that Christ's love is the condemnation of all sin.

We are to LOVE unconditionally as we are loved by CHRIST, accepting HIS condemnation and hatred of sin as ours.  We accept that HE and HE alone has the right to judge because He is the ONLY ONE who has ever and will ever conquered SIN. It's through HIS righteousness we can live, that we are given His power by the Holy Spirit. We are to LOVE unconditionally and let HIM be the JUDGE while we forever remain the disciples of the JUDGE.

Loving unconditionally. 

Loving without conditions.

Loving - hearts breaking when others refuse the love of Christ, no condemnation, no hatred, no judging of them, loving them.

By His GRACE!
By His MERCY!
In His LOVE!
In His RIGHTEOUSNESS!

All in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior now and forever!