Teaching - Love is The Evidence
The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 1: 5-11 in the New Living Translation Version
[This is the 26th lesson of this series]
Do not be surprised that among the most brutal opponents of a believer is a fellow believer who happens to belong with a different Christian denomination. Christianity as a religion has branched into different denominations very early on and have not stopped branching out ever since. Several of these sects are claiming theirs is the only way. They have the words (the teachings) to everlasting life.
The Way
Yes, many are forgetting that Jesus didn't come to establish a religion nor a denomination. Jesus is the Way, the Only Way. In fact, the earliest followers of Christ were called followers of The Way.
Jesus is The Way as He is The Truth and The Life (Everlasting Life). If Jesus (The Word) is preached then it will not return void. It will be a precious seed deposited into one's innermost being, waiting to be nourished into full maturity.
Our Way
It is human nature to oppose others or other groups of people, especially those who are teaching something not traditional (the ones we grew up in) or even controversial (something weird or different).
Let us not forget that religious leaders before Jesus arrived and during His time rejected any radical teaching and every radical teacher who they do not know and who were not part of their religious group. And yes they rejected John the Baptizer and Jesus Himself.
In the same way, the disciples of Jesus were critical of those who didn't belong to their group. There was that man the disciples were telling Jesus about who they saw was casting out demons in Jesus' name when they were sent out to do the same. The disciples told Jesus they stopped that person because they didn't know him and he wasn't one of them. The gospels narrated that Jesus told His disciples not to stop that man from doing what he was doing.
Let us also not forget that the disciples also opposed Paul. There were also many instances after the disciples have eventually accepted Paul's conversion when Peter and the super apostles had issues with Paul and his teachings, and vice-versa. Yes Paul wasn't a part of the original group of super friends. It is almost a given that Paul was treated as an outsider by those who were with Jesus in the flesh.
Love
Eventually, all of the writings of the super apostles and of Paul (who stated he was least of the apostles and not even worthy to be called as one) was about loving one another. In the end, one thing remained, love. They all learned to love one another. And not with their own fickle and ever changing love, but with the Father's love, the love Jesus demonstrated to them and the love of the Holy Spirit, real love.
How believers still have not realize why Jesus has not come back is not only because the whole world has not been reached yet (we are getting there) but also because His church is still bickering among themselves. The church is still fragmented, pulling one another down, slandering, arguing and there is no love like how Jesus told His disciples would be known by. The world will know the disciples of Jesus by their fruits.
He/She who has ears, let them hear. I know we will have our Scriptural texts to contradict what other believers believe in, we cannot all believe in exactly the same thing. There will always be slight variances as well as we are all different because of where we grew up in, where we came from, our background and our experiences. But the one main belief that should be the same is Jesus of Nazareth.
Peter said on top of our faith, let us add goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection (brotherly/sisterly affection) and love, against which there is no law. And these are all fruits of the Spirit. This is the evidence of a transformed life in Christ Jesus. Love is the evidence, the ultimate evidence, not just knowledge, self-control and the rest on that list.
Let's read that excerpt from Peter's second letter once again.
Eventually, all of the writings of the super apostles and of Paul (who stated he was least of the apostles and not even worthy to be called as one) was about loving one another. In the end, one thing remained, love. They all learned to love one another. And not with their own fickle and ever changing love, but with the Father's love, the love Jesus demonstrated to them and the love of the Holy Spirit, real love.
How believers still have not realize why Jesus has not come back is not only because the whole world has not been reached yet (we are getting there) but also because His church is still bickering among themselves. The church is still fragmented, pulling one another down, slandering, arguing and there is no love like how Jesus told His disciples would be known by. The world will know the disciples of Jesus by their fruits.
He/She who has ears, let them hear. I know we will have our Scriptural texts to contradict what other believers believe in, we cannot all believe in exactly the same thing. There will always be slight variances as well as we are all different because of where we grew up in, where we came from, our background and our experiences. But the one main belief that should be the same is Jesus of Nazareth.
Peter said on top of our faith, let us add goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection (brotherly/sisterly affection) and love, against which there is no law. And these are all fruits of the Spirit. This is the evidence of a transformed life in Christ Jesus. Love is the evidence, the ultimate evidence, not just knowledge, self-control and the rest on that list.
Let's read that excerpt from Peter's second letter once again.
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