#WordAtWork “We also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13
7 Mountains of Culture
Love is the Only Way. Cause Love is the Only Way
LISTEN NOW! With today’s 24/7 media cycle, it appears that the constant incoming information of headlines is causing more division and strife in our nation and generation than ever witnessed before. So, what do we do? How do we respond? Is there any option out there to combat the increasing volume of hatred in the world? Jesus said to love our enemies and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr showed us how to love our enemies by the life that he lived. We can learn so much by doing what Jesus commanded us to do and imitating the life that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr walked out. Some can often ask what it looks like to walk out what Jesus commanded each and every one of us to do. By revisiting the actions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we can see ourselves imitating the faith of those who have gone before us. Be encouraged and empowered as we revisit Dr King together.
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First Love Teaching Series
FIRST LOVE! Love Your Enemies…Imitating Those Who Have Gone Before Us (Part 15)
FIRST LOVE! Love Your Enemies…It’s Redemptive! (Part 16)
Martin Luther King Jr. ‘Love Your Enemies’ November 17, 1957
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Monday morning in favor of a Washington state high school football coach who was fired from his job for silently praying on the field after games.
Coach Joe Kennedy has been battling the Bremerton School District since 2015. The district claimed that his prayers violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. But the high court has now ruled that Bremerton School District actually violated Coach Kennedy’s First Amendment rights.
SCOTUS Blog tweeted, “SCOTUS sides with a high school football coach in a First Amendment case about prayer at the 50-yard-line. In a 6-3 ruling, SCOTUS says the public school district violated the coach’s free speech and free exercise rights when it barred him from praying on the field after games.”
#Truth “O’ that I might know Him…” Everything we know about God is not the center of God’s universe, it is our limitations of what we know about God’s universe. For Jesus, Himself, is at the center of God’s universe. To know Jesus and learn more about Jesus is to know more about God’s universe and Him Who sits in its epicenter until everything has been place under His feet. Then, at that time, Jesus, will lay it ALL DOWN at the feet of God, Who is the center of ALL THINGS. Philippians 3:9-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:24-26
There is nothing worse that having a nice meal with either no salt or not enough salt. For years, many years, sad to say, I did not understand the “how of salt”. I though that you just “add salt” to your food and this would give you food and salt, like salt was another “food item.” I was mistaken. You see, salt is an amazing thing. Not enough salt and it leaves the food tasteless, too much salt and it ruins the food, yet in other circumstances lots of salt can preserve food. Salt is not another “food item,” it is added to “bring out the flavor” of the food that you add it to. God created the universe, the earth, sky and sea, and yes, He created you and me. Jesus tells us, that as His followers, we are “the salt of the earth” and the Apostle Paul tells us to “Let our conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, SO THAT you may know how to answer everyone.” It is interesting that he says, “how to answer everyone” and not to “know the answer for everyone.” You see, each of us are created uniquely different, yet we are all created in God’s image and likeness. Our conversation about the things of God to those who we encounter is not a “rubber stamp” and “factoids” cranked off like those words of the religious Pharisees. No, it is the adding of the salt in each unique conversation, truth filled with grace, that brings out a unique flavor of experience and presentation that you may have never shared before and may never share again. It will be the salt on each encounter, each relationship, each experience that brings something out that only God knew was there. Yes, the truth of God is never changing, but the presentation of that truth, the grace of how we share that truth all depend on us seasoning it with just the right amount of salt. The salt of God’s Word. Colossians 4:6
Since the beginning of time, when our God created the heavens, earth, and man there has been a mystery. No matter how amazing those in past generations were, and many were, what I am about to share with you was a mystery to them.
God first walked with man in the garden, in the cool of the day having fellowship, man with God and God with man up until the fall of man. God was everywhere, man was down on earth. God walked along side of man and man with God until the fall.
Later God appeared to man, but He was covered in a cloud. The only one who could see God face to face was Moses, God’s friend. It was such a powerful thing to look upon our holy God that Moses’ face so powerfully shined from the impact of God’s glory on his face that he had to wear a vail to cover his face. God had to hide Moses behind a cave like rock area so that he could survive when God passed by and showed Moses His back. What an awesome God we serve. Holy, Mighty and Worthy to be praised.
Later, God sent His Son, Jesus, Who left the splenders of heaven where He and God (His Father) had fellowship in a forever place that exists outside of time. Jesus came to earth, born as a child (all God and all man), lived a sinless life, made the Father known to us with His goodness, love and compassion for us and desire to forgive us. Then Jesus paid the price for us. A price that no other one in all of earth or heaven could pay. He paid with His holy blood being sacrifice upon the cross so that a sin offering could be made before God for our sins. Now, through Jesus, our sins could be forgiven, and we could be restored into a right relationship with God as was in the Garden of Eden.
Yet, this time, God does not just walk along side of us, no, that mystery since the beginning of time now has been revealed. God dwells in us, for that mystery is “CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY.” That’s right, the mystery was that God always wanted to dwell inside of man and desire man to dwell inside of Him, to “become one” as He and Jesus are one. Now by God’s Spirit, Christ dwells in the heart of every believer. Wow, now you know the mystery, God’s mystery revealed, your hope is Christ in you, the HOPE OF GLORY!