Tag: Love

Commandments

Give to All Who Ask

Peter

The Commandment to Give to All

Give spiritually and physically, do not reason with your carnal mind.

Mat 5:42  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

 Luk 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

 The Commandments are all inseparable, and giving to all who ask is intricately linked to doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.  We do not just love those who love us; we love all men, even our enemies and sinners.

Luk 6:31  And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 

Luk 6:32  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 

Luk 6:33  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 

We give to all who ask of us because we love God, and this is the Commandment.  The Lord has placed the person or situation before us to test our faith and see if we give or not. When we start reasoning that such a person is doing evil, is a drunkard, is lazy, not deserving, or not truly in need, we have departed the faith and are under the law of sin and death.  Doing so, we have become a respecter of persons, being partial, and are judging another man’s servant.  James speaks of the dilemma that arises when we leave the simple Commandment and begin to reason within ourselves.

Jas 2:1  My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 

Jas 2:2  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 

Jas 2:3  And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 

Jas 2:4  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

The Lord is raising us from the spiritually dead, not for our benefit but for His benefit.  We are raised and given many spiritual gifts and blessings, even physical ones, so we can be His witnesses and ministers in spreading the Gospel that heals the sick, cleanses sins, raises the spiritually dead, and casts out many devils [lies].  We did nothing to earn any of His blessings, and thus we freely give, asking nothing in return.

Mat 10:7  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 

While the everlasting gifts and true treasures of the Lord are spiritual truths, make no mistake, the Commandment applies to the physical as well.

1Jn 3:17  But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 

The Lord owns much more than just all the cattle of the earth.  Everything in the worlds He has created belongs to the Lord.  All of our possessions, be they physical or spiritual, are granted to us to serve the counsel of His will.

Psa 89:11  The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it. 

1Co 10:26  for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains.

Our attitude is the attitude of Christ, who committed everything He had, and He owns it all, to manifest the glory of the Father.  Whatever we have or whatever we do, it is to the Lord’s glory, and we are mere stewards of what the Lord owns.  Whatever we have, it was given to us by the Lord, and it should not be hoarded selfishly but wisely and generously shared with those in need whom the Lord brings into our path.

1Pe 4:9  Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 

1Pe 4:10  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 

1Pe 4:11  If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

What we give is not necessarily what the person requests, yet we give them what they need based on the ability the Lord has given us.  The Lord works all things, and all our encounters with people have been arranged by Him.  The Lord creates both the need and the request and also makes the provision for us to give.  Peter and John had nothing of physical value to give when asked by a beggar, so they gave what the Lord had given them, the spiritual treasure of the Gospel, as their gift.  The story is a parable of spiritual healing through the gifts God has blessed us with, that we now give to others.

Act 3:1  Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 

Act 3:2  And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 

Act 3:3  Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. 

Act 3:4  And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 

Act 3:5  And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 

Act 3:6  Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 

Act 3:7  And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 

Act 3:8  And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 

Act 3:9  And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

God loves a cheerful giver, and the more we embrace the Gospel and lay down our lives in service to the Lord, we become zealous to do good works and provoke others.  An absence of giving to those who ask of us shows our hearts are hardened, and our faith, devoid of these good works, is dead.  We need to repent and die to our selfishness in hoarding what belongs to God.

Jas 2:14  What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 

Jas 2:15  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 

Jas 2:16  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 

Jas 2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

All of us have been thieves in the past.  We steal and rob God when we claim His name and do not obey the Commandments, including the one about giving to all who ask.  Being forgiven and raised by the Gospel, we now labour for righteousness that we may have the goods to help those who ask of us.  Ministers of Christ have a zeal to help and minister in all ways.

Eph 4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

This is the mark of a true Christian, and we are to be generous with what the Lord has given us, be it physical or spiritual gifts.  This is especially true for the precious few who share in our like-minded faith.

Rom 12:13  Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Our obedience to the Commandment to give is multiplied by the Lord.  Others see our good works, and we provoke them also to love and good works.  One of the reasons we assemble together is to tap into the multiplication principle and provoke others.  It is more difficult to give and to receive when the saints do not gather together.

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Scriptures teach it is better to give than to receive.  The reasons for this are the multiplication principle of the Lord and the truth that we reap what we sow.  If we sow blessings to others and help them, we ourselves are blessed and given the same measure again.  It is how we grow into the maturity of the fullness of Christ.

Act 20:35  In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

Pro 11:25  The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. 

Luk 6:38  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Our life is no longer our own; we have been redeemed by the Lord.  We, as Christ in this world, now live to serve others and perform the greater works of Christ.

Mar 10:45  For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 

Loving God and our neighbor as ourselves requires us to give and make ourselves available to help where a need is brought to mind.  We do not need to be asked, as the Lord quickens our spirits to the need as we walk with spiritual eyes, keeping the Commandment in mind.  We give spiritual truths, we give physical things like money or food, and we also give the precious commodity of our time, which is our life.  The parable of the Good Samaritan was given in response to a question Jesus was asked about who our neighbor is that we are to love.  The parable ends with Christ telling us to go and do likewise as the Samaritan who gave in many ways to meet the need the Lord put in his path.

Luk 10:29  But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 

Luk 10:30  And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 

Luk 10:31  And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 

Luk 10:32  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 

Luk 10:33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 

Luk 10:34  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

Luk 10:35  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 

Luk 10:36  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 

Luk 10:37  And [the lawyer] he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

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Articles

A New Commandment

Rohnel

Love One Another, as Christ Loves

Rohnel, and my beloved husband, Peter, angels and servants of God and Christ, unto the little children scattered in the world beloved of God, called to be saints, called to be faithful: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Psa 68:26  Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. 

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

Keep my Commandments and Live

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Joh 14:21 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. 

A New Commandment

In the letter below, we repeat the point of what godly love is several times. It is the essence of understanding the true Gospel of Christ. Bear with it until you know it in the marrow of your bones. Fearing the Lord means to love Him.

Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 

Pro 3:8  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 

According to Christ, the Law and the Prophets hang on these two great Commandments:

Mat 22:36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Mat 22:37  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.

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

When Christ comes into our lives, He gives us a new Commandment which makes the two great Commandments perfect. This New Commandment is to love one another as Christ loved us, laying down our lives for one another and keeping His Commandments. Christ fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, making it perfect.

Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 

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. 

Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

The Law of Liberty, which is the Law of Christ, is being fulfilled every day in our lives when we love ourselves and our brethren with the love of God, which is the great Commandment. The Law of Christ is His Commandments.

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Gal 5:14  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Eph 5:1  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 

Eph 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 

Loving your neighbour as yourself is seeking the spiritual wealth and health of our brethren above ourselves. A selfless sacrifice of our lives defines the works and acts of Jesus Christ and His Christ. Being redeemed by the Lord, we belong to Him, and this is our reasonable service.

1Co 10:24  Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The new Commandment Christ gives us is to love one another as He loved us. Christ gave up His life for us so that the Comforter IS [every day] come to us in our appointed times. The Comforter is the Commandments, the Spirit of Promise is the Wisdom of Christ, and the Understanding of the Father. God is Spirit and Love manifested within us when He comes for salvation. When this Love is in us, we work no ill to our brethren and fulfill the perfect law of Christ.

Rom 13:9  …  Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

1Co 13:4  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 

1Co 13:5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 

1Co 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 

1Co 13:7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.   

1Co 16:14  Let all your things be done with charity. 

Col 3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 

When we hear the Gospel, this is the beginning of our walk with Christ. This love is what we are hearing from the beginning, which is the true love of God. Christ is the Word [His Commandments], and He was in the beginning. The true Gospel of Christ is to know and keep His Commandments, which were given to Him by God, the Father.

1Jn 3:11  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

From the beginning, we hear the true Gospel being preached to us, after we have been given eyes to see and ears to hear, after we have been raised from spiritual death to see, believe, and confess the Commandments of Christ. This is the beginning of our new life in Christ, the beginning of a new creation [you and me]. Think spiritually.

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 

Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 

We write again. What is the true Gospel of Christ? The true Gospel is the mind of Christ, and it is the Commandments of the Father, that live in Christ, which speak from our heaven and cause us to love our neighbours as Christ.

Joh 8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 

The Living Commandments is the Spirit of Truth and the Word of His Grace, and this is the Gospel which we hear from the beginning.

Joh 15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 

Act 14:3  Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 

We know, after being enlightened, that is to say after the Promise IS come to us, what the love of God is versus the false love the world calls love.

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Loving God, the Father, and Christ, His Son, by keeping the Commandments, is how we love our brothers and sisters and all of humanity. The OT is a shadow of what is being said in the NT.

Eze 44:24  And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths. 

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

We have many Commandments commanding us to love one another. It is the essence of Christ’s doctrine. Loving one another is to have mercy, opening blind eyes and deaf ears to teach the true Gospel of Christ and to walk out this Gospel in vessels of clay.

Joh 15:17  These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 

Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 

We show our enemies this same love. The biblical definition of love is keeping Christ’s Commandments. Thus, loving our enemies, we display and teach them the Commandments of Christ. Loving our enemies, teaching, showing, and walking out the true Gospel of Christ, is the true love of God. It is the same love we have toward every human being.

Rom 12:20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 

Rom 12:21  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Rom 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 

The sons of God judge themselves to see if they are in the faith of Christ. His Commandments purge our consciences in preparing the temple in which Christ comes to dwell. The faith of Christ is His mind. We have to have this mind first before the Comforter comes to us.

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

If we love and judge ourselves to see if we are in the faith of Christ, we have confidence to love our brothers and sisters without hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is to say and not to do, and it is the leaven of the Pharisees [Luk 12:1].

1Pe 1:22  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 

1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

To love each other according to Christ’s new Commandment requires us to lay down our lives for one another, according to the measure of faith we have been given. Think spiritually.

Joh 15:12  This is my Commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 

Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 

Joh 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 

We have comfort and hope that is in Christ’s Commandments alone, and thus we speak of things as if they already were accomplished, Lord willing. Our flesh, that is to say, our carnal arguments, withers away in the Day of the Lord. So now we ask: How does Christ, who is not a respecter of persons, see us through His Commandments? How do we see ourselves, and how do we see others?

Rom 2:11  For there is no respect of persons with God. 

1Pe 1:24  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 

Christ sees His true sons as a work in progress, His workmanship, spiritual Jews and Gentiles alike. We, therefore, see our brethren in the faith through the same lens. We are not talking about those outside the faith [the world].  Christ works with the world in their appointed times. As the children of God, we are fearfully and wonderfully made, being in the process of being made over to bring forth good works that are obedience to the Commandments.

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Psa 139:14  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 

Psa 139:15  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

Now, after we receive the true Gospel, we lay our lives down for each other, seeing each other and ourselves as God sees us and as Christ sees us, who laid down His life for us. To lay down our lives is to not accuse and excuse within ourselves but to do the Commandments in place of our carnal arguments, lies and idols of the heart.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

Joh 10:15  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Christ and His Christ, the sons of God, speak of things that are not yet as if they already are accomplished. Therefore, we travail with brethren until Christ is formed in them.

Rom 4:17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 

Gal 4:19  My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, 

We obey Christ rather than winning the approval of the world of carnal reasoning. Peter and James declare that friendship with the world within and without is enmity with God. Sons of God are staying focused on our calling to love ourselves, our brothers, our enemies, and all the world with the true love of Christ, according to the new Commandment Christ gave us.

Jas 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 

Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

We strive to flee from evil, cling to that which is good, and set an example. We are unworthy servants, and this is our duty.

Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. 

Joh 13:15  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 

Joh 13:16  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 

Joh 13:17  If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. 

The world within and without beholds how we are walking. Does the Spirit stay on us? Are we the lambs of God? Are we projecting the light of Christ to the world as we walk? We are commanded to examine ourselves.

Joh 1:32  And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

Joh 1:36  And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

1Co 9:27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 

Our brethren see the fruit of the Tree of Life manifesting in the sons of God, His little children. We strive to continue in Christ’s love. As shepherds of the sheep, those whom the Lord sets in the church are to be the examples of Christ.

Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 

Joh 15:9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 

1Co 11:1  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 

We learn the lessons of the past and reach forth to what is set before us. We focus on today. We forgive ourselves and others, laying down our lives for our friends, which means not to lean on our own understanding but to trust the Lord and do what He commands.

Joh 10:17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 

Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

The Commandments, the plumbline, and also the reed of God are the only measures to inspect how we are doing. We see multiple witnesses of angels, symbolizing those with the resurrected Christ in them, measuring the temple and city of God. These are parables telling us to examine ourselves.

Zec 2:1  I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 

Zec 2:2  Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. 

Rev 21:15  And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 

Laying our lives down and taking them up again is a parable, meaning we become all things to all men to bring the Gospel to all. Paul had become Christ in this world and was an angel of the Lord in preaching the Gospel to those in his path.

1Co 9:20  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 

1Co 9:21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 

1Co 9:22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 

We move away from the things that make us sin and move toward the thoughts and actions of Christ that fill us with His Power, His Commandments, which is the joy of the Lord. We strive to maintain good works and thus, by example, stimulate and provoke our brethren to do likewise.

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

The true children of God embrace the mistakes we are making. We know that it is through much endurance and chastening that we are being saved. There are tribulations yet to come that are not written, which we are unable to bear right now [Rev 10:4]. We live by every Word of God, even our failures, the occasion the Lord seeks, to burn out the wood, hay, and stubble within us, making us anew. Within us are vessels [thoughts] both of honour and dishonour. Always apply the spiritual application of the Word.

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

2Ti 2:20  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 

2Ti 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

We are grateful for all things. The Lord wastes nothing, and all things are ours, that is to say, we live the good and the evil and the perfect. We do not know what the future brings except that the Lord’s Promises never fail. Christ does what He pleases.

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

The multitudes are separated from the love of God and have not age-abiding life, as many are called, few are chosen, and even fewer are being made faithful in every age. The blessed few being made faithful are happy to be counted worthy to suffer for His Name’s sake. So, we use pain, frustration, and inconveniences to motivate us rather than to discourage us because we know we are being made perfect in love, a beautiful, sharp threshing instrument in His awesome Hands. This is a process of patience and long suffering.

Isa 41:15  Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. 

Heb 2:10  For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

We feed the Lord’s sheep and His lambs when we love them as Christ has and continues to love us. We speak Truth and walk in love. The Lord prepares us well for our calling.

Joh 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Eph 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

When we fear, we do not live to our fullest capacity. When we act in unbelief, we act in fear. When we love, we do not fear.

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

1Joh 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

We do not lie to ourselves but speak Truth within and without. We lack confidence when we are not abiding in the Truth the Lord taught us. One cannot speak with integrity about a lifestyle we are not living. Others behold how Christ walked, and thus our hearts tell us instantly if we walk not in love.

1Jn 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 

1Jn 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 

1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 

Peace comes from knowing and doing the righteousness of Christ’s Commandments. We love our brethren through obeying Christ.

Isa 54:13  And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 

Isa 54:14  In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. 

The sons of God pay close attention to their lives. We redeem the time because the days are evil. Distractions are more and more every day; therefore, we stay in the Word, studying, quietly doing our own business so we may feed the flock of God within and without.

1Th 4:11  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Through the Gospel, we are filled with joy unspeakable. and given the zeal to do all for the Kingdom’s sake. Paul speaks to us this day because, as the son of God, Paul’s words are Christ’s words and never pass away.

Act 20:22  And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

Act 20:23  Save that the Holy Spirit witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 

Act 20:24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Php 2:17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

Php 2:18 For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

We give to those less honourable, and that is how we love. We express the Power of God, which is Christ, through walking out His Commandments. We give more honour to the less honourable, which, spiritually speaking, are the Commandments of Christ. The Commandments of Christ are not esteemed in the religious world. In the Assembly, it is those who are less honourable that we are commanded to esteem more.

1Co 12:23  And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

1Co 12:24  For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 

1Co 12:25  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

The Living Christ is teaching us to love our brethren, and the Lord Himself gives us the increase.

1Th 4:9  But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 

1Th 4:10  And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; 

The new Commandment of Christ makes us perfect. Laying our lives down means to obey all the Commandments of Christ. We are doing it only by the Lord’s mercy and indwelling grace, which is the Gospel and the Power of God unto salvation.

1Ki 8:61  Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. 

Pro 11:5  The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. 

Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. 

The new Commandment of Christ to love one another as He has loved is actually an old Commandment. We heard the Commandment when we first heard the Gospel by the mercy of God. We often remind ourselves of these Commandments because they are the essence of eternal life and of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. If we obey the new Commandment that encapsulates all of them, we abide in the light and love of God, and there is no occasion for us to stumble.

1Jn 2:7  Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 

1Jn 2:8  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 

1Jn 2:9  He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 

1Jn 2:10  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 

Be often reminded of the Commandments. To be a helper in your joy, the Lord had us write summaries and many articles on the Commandments that are posted at www.truthinscripture.com. There is a subsection in the top menu titled “Commandments.”  Blessed are they who know and obey the Commandments.

Mat 10:27  What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

Act 4:20  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 

Receive ye the Gospel, receive ye the Holy Spirit.

Letters

Learning to Esteem and Love the Lord

Peter

Seeking the Commandments to Live

Peter and Rohnel, to the scattered pilgrims of Christ in the world, to the little children, and to the faithful: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are reminded by the Scriptures to diligently pursue God’s commandments that our flesh does not esteem, even after we receive the Gospel. A willing Spirit has to contend with weak flesh that is set at enmity with the holy things of the Lord.  We are being transformed, a new heaven and earth are being made as the old is destroyed. Let’s therefore patiently hearken unto the Lord and seek to hasten the completion of His good work in us.

Deu 4:1  Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. 

Deu 4:2  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 

The carnal mind of mankind does not esteem Jesus Christ. I speak of the true Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, who is also the Spirit of God’s Commandments, and not the Jesus Christ whom much of the world knows and esteems. The Words of the Father are His Holy Commandments and are sent in the appointed time to save us from our sins. The Father sent Christ, the Word of God, into the world to speak the commandments and save the world from their sins. This Christ is the Saviour.

Joh 12:49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

The first man, Adam, in every man is a marred vessel that is at enmity with the Spirit of God, which is the Commandments.  Thus, a new vessel needs to be made in the hands of the Potter.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 

1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 

1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 

A blessed few, the Elect, see this transformation now in this age and never taste of death, which is the sleep Paul cites in explaining the mystery of the coming of the Lord for salvation.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

All things are being made new and are being changed when the Lord comes to dwell within us. Our understanding of Christ has also changed. When our appointed time of salvation arrives, the Lord comes to us in Spirit and in Truth.  We now have a new Jesus, the Truth, the Living Word of God, whom we worship in Spirit. When the Promise of our Baptism in Christ comes, the Christ we knew in the flesh we no longer know, as all things are becoming new.

2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

Understanding Christ as the Commandments that come to dwell in us is receiving the Gospel and how we prepare for His coming. The hidden mystery, concealed from all generations, is being revealed to the saints.

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 

We only see and receive this Gospel by the mercy of God, who draws us near and opens our eyes and ears to see the Son as the Living Commandments. No man comes to Christ on their own or chooses to follow Him. Our eyes are opened to see the Son as the Commandments, and we are given faith to believe in them, and thus we are being raised into eternal life.

Joh 6:37  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 

Joh 6:40  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me drag [draw] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

It is a battle to learn to esteem Jesus Christ, the living Word.  All flesh esteems Him not, meaning we esteem not the Commandments. All mankind, even those who claim His name and profess faith [us in our former ignorance], show little respect, actually disdain for the Commandments. There is nothing about them that we innately desire, as all flesh is set naturally at enmity with the things of the Spirit. Many give lip service to Christ, but our hearts remain far from seeking to love God by obeying the Commandments. We cannot believe the report of the Gospel and await a time when we are drawn to Christ and given the gift of His faith.

Isa 53:1  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD  revealed? 

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

Esteeming the Other Jesus

When our spiritual journey begins, we first come to know the other Jesus. The flesh Jesus, unlike the living Word, is esteemed and admired by many millions worldwide and is often spoken of, praised, and sung about. We wander in the wilderness for many years, believing this Christ is the true light from heaven, making little progress towards salvation.  We abide in a light that is actually darkness, which is also referred to as strong delusion.

Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 

The deadly wound our beast receives when first coming to know Christ is quickly healed, and we remain a beast being deceived and deceiving.

Rev 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 

Rev 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 

When this is our Jesus, judgment is always out there in the future, and our emphasis is on outward rather than on the inward, as we naturally seek the esteem of men above the Lord.

Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments

In the journey to salvation, we go astray from the Commandments being taught by false prophets and deceivers who teach us everything but the true Gospel. We esteem not the holy things of the Lord, His Commandments, and show disdain for them by wallowing in our many lusts and calling ourselves delivered. In our appointed deception, we trust in lying words that do not profit us in Spirit and follow after the gods of our carnal mind.

Jer 7:8  Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. 

Jer 7:9  Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 

Jer 7:10  And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? 

The events in the Scriptures are spoken and done in parables.  Thus, we as spiritual Pharisees do not understand that the Lord was speaking about the Holy Commandments of the Father, which we do not esteem and follow after. Our flesh seeks the honour of men, and we reject the Lord and all His ministers that preach the Gospel.

Joh 5:39  you Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 

Joh 5:40  And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 

Joh 5:41  I receive not honour from men. 

Joh 5:42  But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. 

Joh 5:43  I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. 

Before the Lord opens our eyes to see our sin, we are unaware in our delusion that we despise the Lord’s name. We have mixed up the bread of life, the Commandments, with the idols and lust of the flesh. This is adding to and taking away from the Word, and thus spiritual sickness is the consequence.

Mal 1:6  A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? 

Mal 1:7  Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. 

We trust in our knowledge that deceives us, and we are blinded to see the death that still rules in our inward parts.

Mat 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 

Mat 23:28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 

Our time in deception focused on the outward righteousness and gaining the praise of men is Spiritual Babylon, where we await the Lord sending His angel to preach the Gospel to ears the Lord opens. We honour the Lord with our lips, but our hearts are far from obeying His Commandments.

Luk 16:15  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. 

Mat 15:8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 

Lightly esteeming the Commandments, we forget about them, and the result is that we are unfaithful to our Husband and Lord. We take no heed of the many Commandments and warnings, and drift away, forgetting the Commandments and not entering into our place of rest, that is, the Lord’s Commandments.

Deu 32:15  But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 

Jer 50:6  My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace. 

Heb 3:11  So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

Heb 3:12  Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

The true sheep of God, a precious few, do hear the voice of Christ, and come out of their deceptions and begin to follow the Lord, and we are prepared for His coming in power.

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 

Following Christ is esteeming the commandments, taking up our cross, and laying down the desires of our flesh. It takes the power of the Living God to come to us and enable this massive change in our hearts.

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

Luk 9:24  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 

When the living Christ comes, we truly know the grace of God and begin to bear the fruits of righteousness.

Col 1:6  Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 

It is the Lord’s purpose to turn us first into destruction, being dead in our sins, and then turning our hearts back to Him, the living Commandments.

Psa 90:3  Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. 

We are turned back to the Lord, the Commandments, when the eternal Judge comes to dwell in the temple of God. Now we are learning Christ’s righteousness being taught of God, and every knee shall bow to the Lord.

Isa 60:14  The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel

It takes many trials of our faith in the Commandments to learn that we cannot serve two masters. We either esteem the Lord and honor Him, striving to obey His Commandments, or else we serve our flesh and show we still lightly esteem the Commandments. The natural enmity between flesh and Spirit is only overcome when the Lord brings the power of the Gospel to teach us the right ways of God.

Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Joh 6:45  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 

The cost of being a disciple, a follower of the Lord, who is the fiery commandments of God, is very high. We are told to count these costs before we start to follow Him. There is no profit for the flesh and only suffering and loss. We remind ourselves of these costs so when the time comes, we can pay the cost and obey the Lord. The road is narrow, and the price of what needs to be given up is high.

Php 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake

Luk 14:33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple

A spiritual man judges all things and is made Spiritual by the coming of the Lord to their inward parts. The measuring stick or the plumbline by which we examine ourselves and judge all matters is the Commandments.  These are what is “least esteemed” in the church and why Paul rebuked the carnal Corinthians for going to man’s law and logic to make judgments. The saints shall judge the world in righteousness as we are made into sons of God and become Jesus Christ through whom the greater works are done. We are being raised and trained to be saviours.

1Co 6:4  If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge [The Commandments] who are least esteemed in the church. 

The living commandments that abide in our hearts and minds expose our sins, revealing the darkness within that needs to be cast out and overcome. Before faith comes, we do not come to the light, as no flesh wants its nakedness and darkest sins revealed. When the Lord comes, we are drawn to them, the throne of grace, and that is how our deeds begin to be wrought in God and no longer originate from our carnal impulses.

Joh 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

Joh 3:20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 

Joh 3:21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

We are all clay in the Lord’s hands, having no free will and relying on the Lord for our very being. Whether we esteem His Commandments or not is all His work in us. The Lord does not leave us to our own devices to figure it out. God, through Christ, makes known His Commandments, which are the power that brings salvation, that also reveals His wrath or judgment against our sin. We know the Lord by knowing the Commandments, which manifest Christ’s glory, that is, our obedience.

Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 

Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 

Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 

Those marked by God are those who receive the Gospel that is preached unto them. Our disdain for the Commandments is turned into esteem when a cherub, a messenger of the Lord, is sent to preach the Gospel to us. When that Gospel is received, we begin to come towards or seek the Commandments and strive to be obedient. Those who cry and sigh over their sins are those who acknowledge needing a Saviour, a spiritual physician, and the Lord answers the prayer and comes.

Eze 9:3  And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 

Eze 9:4  And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 

We are saved by truth and grace. Mercy/truth opens our eyes to see the Lord in truth, and the grace that follows is how we are quickened out of our sins. The desire to love God, meaning to obey the Lord, is put into our hearts and grows by the Spirit of Grace that is the Father’s Commandments.

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

There is no boasting of anyone as the Lord orchestrates every aspect of our transformation from not esteeming the Commandments to loving them and seeking them earnestly.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 

Receiving the Spirit of the Living Commandments is receiving the grace of God into our hearts and minds. This grace is what saves us from our sins and teaches us to choose obedience to the God we love and seek with our whole heart.

Job 5:17  Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: 

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 

Eze 36:27  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 

With open spiritual eyes, one quickly learns to revere and highly esteem the Holy One of Israel. The shame of our sin, our nakedness, starts to fade as the trials and judgment by the commandments bring correction and teach us His righteousness. We learn to look to the Commandments and seek life.

Psa 119:15  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

Isa 17:7  At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. 

 Seek the Lord to Live

When the Living Christ, that is, the Gospel and the Living Commandments, comes to us, judgment has come upon the house of God. The weapons of His warfare accomplish these wondrous works of God. The Commandments are the weapons of His indignation that bring about vengeance for His Temple. We escape out of Spiritual Babylon in no other way.

Jer 50:25  The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans. 

Jer 50:26  Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left. 

Jer 50:27  Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

Jer 50:28  The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple. 

When the Gospel is preached to us and we hear it, our Day of Vengeance has come, and what a blessing it is.

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 

May this study help us remember the Commandments that are the Living Christ and our Savior. We are caused to seek the Lord and His power unto salvation to overcome spiritual death and enter into newness of life. His mighty power is the Commandments that are His strength.

1Ch 16:11  Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. 

Amo 5:6  Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. 

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 
Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

When Christ lives in us, the throne of mercy and grace is established in us, and that is where we go in our time of need.  We are promised to find the commandments and bring them to mind when we seek them. These are the strange works of God to the children of men and the way of salvation.

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 

Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

We are delivered out of our abominations, the plagues of serpents, when we lift up the Commandments and submit ourselves to them, dying daily on the cross.

Joh 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man [the Commandments] be lifted up: 

Joh 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 

Those in whom Christ dwells have the same experience as the Lord, as they are Christ in the world. Many trials of faith come to grow us unto perfection as we are given choices to obey the Commandments or not. This is the way unto maturity and how the gold of our precious faith is bought in the fire of the Lord. We stay on our cross, being dead to the law of the carnal mind and willingly suffering persecution and the reproach of man to be obedient.

Gal 2:19  For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

Remember the cost to be paid. Do not be surprised and expect reproach and persecution from the world that esteems not the holy things of God. We no longer run after the activities the world esteems. These become fiery trials to test our faith and see if we obey our Father in heaven or follow the whims of men.

1Pe 4:4  Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 

1Pe 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 

The Lord’s prophets are given great honor from the Lord, but not from their own house and kin. As Christ’s family did not receive Him at first, so it is with the sons of God in every age.

Mar 6:4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

Mat 10:36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

As our faith grows, our ministry grows, and we have great boldness to preach Christ, knowing it brings much affliction. The ministers of Christ have the Lord with them and follow the commandments in seeking to please their heavenly Father and not men. As the Lord was in the world, so are we.

Joh 8:29  And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I always do those things that please him. 

Losing many things is a big part of the loss and suffering that are key trials of our faith. The Lord is separating a people unto Himself, and the blessing of eternal life far exceeds the pain and cost of the things being taken away.

Mat 19:29  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 

There is no turning back once we have received the Gospel. We remain at work in the Lord’s field. We do not go back to bury the dead; we keep our hand on the Gospel in everything we do.

Luk 9:62  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. 

Some encouragement to end this study and look past our past failures to obey the Lord. Spiritual publicans and harlots who recognize their need for a Savior enter into the Kingdom of God and receive the Living Spirit, before those who do not need a physician and trust in their own righteousness. Today is the day of salvation, and forget what is past and follow Him today. Those who know they are the chief of sinners are the first to enter into the Kingdom.

Mat 21:28  But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 

Mat 21:29  He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 

Mat 21:30  And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

Mat 21:31  Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Repent and hearken unto the Lord is what we, the sons of God, strive to do. Seek the Commandments and bear the suffering and reproach that is only for a little while. Our suffering is nothing compared to the hope of the glory yet to be revealed in us.

Isa 51:7  Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin

Commandments

Commandments in the Church A-C

Rohnel

The Commands of Christ Jesus, the power of an endless Life

Rohnel, and my beloved husband, Peter, servants of God and Christ, unto the twelve tribes scattered in the world beloved of God, called to be saints, to the little children and to the faithful: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Psa 72:18  Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 

Psa 72:19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. 

2Co 1:3  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 

2Co 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 

Adorning the Gospel of Christ  

Exo 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. [Christ did not do away with Moses but made it perfect].

Psa 119:16  I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. 

Psa 119:17 GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. 

1Jn 2:3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 

1Jn 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 

1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

Rev 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 

Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  

Commandments in the Church A-C

Herewith the Commandments of our Lord, Jesus Christ, as it is written in the New Testament given by His Apostles in alphabetical order [my own] A-C. Some Commands are overlapping in other letters; some are left out here, but after you, the Reader, reads all the letters regarding the Commands of Christ, Jesus, you will know what they are. This is the Bread of Life, which we eat daily, that makes us wise unto salvation. Also, some Commands carry a lot of Scriptures, and it is safe for us to read them all, binding them as a sign upon our hands so it may be as frontlets between our eyes. The commandments included in this posting are these.

  • Abide in what you have heard from the Beginning
  • Acts 15
  • Admonish One Another
  • Armour of God
  • Ask
  • Bear Another’s Burdens
  • Be a Sacrifice
  • Bear the Infirmities of the Weak
  • Be Content
  • Be Fruitful
  • Be Holy
  • Believe
  • Be Ready
  • Be Subject
  • Be Thankful
  • Beware of the Circumcision
  • Boldness
  • Brotherly Love
  • Continue in the Faith
  • Covetousness

 ABIDE IN WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD FROM THE BEGINNING 

What did we hear from the Beginning? What did we hear when Christ had and is having mercy on us to open our blind eyes and deaf ears? We heard the Gospel, the Good News, ordained by messengers sent by God. The Gospel are the Commandments of God, the Father, given to us by Christ and His Apostles and messengers in every age. Do not stray from the Gospel. Do not stray from what you have heard from the Beginning. It is the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls. Those who deny the Gospel deny the Father and His Son; that is to say, they do not believe in the Power of Christ’s resurrection within us to save us from spiritual death. These mockers walk after their own carnal thoughts and have not the Spirit of Christ. The mystery is now made known, and it was hidden before, believe our report. We also heard from the Beginning that we should love our brothers by keeping Christ’s Commandments. Nothing else will do; we love our brothers when we keep His Commandments and teach others to follow after us.

1Jn 2:22  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 

1Jn 2:23  Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 

1Jn 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

1Jn 3:11  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 

1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 

1Jn 3:16  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 

1Jn 3:17  But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 

1Jn 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 

Jud 1:17  But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 

Jud 1:18  How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 

Jud 1:19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 

ACTS 15 – Four necessary things

Here is a link to http://www.truthinscripture.com to the study, The Council of Jerusalem, which discusses these Commands at length and in depth. Here is a summary: Meat offered to idols is pursuing the lusts of riches without Christ’s Commandments, which pollute us. It is the sin of idolatry where we bow down to our own reasonings and do not hold fast to our Head. Abstaining from blood means abstaining from our carnal thoughts and reasonings, going up and down in our heavens, and instead resting in the Lord’s Commandments. It means to do no violence in our lands, which means once again to be at rest. Abstaining from strangled meat, which is suffocated meat, means there is no suffering involved; that is to say, unlike Christ’s Commandments, which cause suffering, this strangled meat is knowledge without suffering for it. It is another Gospel, another Jesus. Lastly, abstaining from fornication means not having relations with our natural father, the devil’s wife, which spiritually means not straying from the Gospel of Christ and building up a spiritual kingdom without Christ.

Act 15:20  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. 

Act 15:28  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 

Act 15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. 

ADMONISH ONE ANOTHER

Admonishing one another is the true love of God. We exhort with longsuffering and patience and with all authority because we have the written Word and do not lean on our own understanding when we exhort each other. We admonish each other in the Church of God, saving each other, making each other perfect, and that is to say Christ in us, the Hope of Glory, does all the work; boasting is excluded. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of the enemy. Rebuke a wise man and he will love you because he gets wiser still.

Rom 15:14  And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. 

1Th 5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 

ARMOUR OF GOD

In the Day of the Lord, we stand, we do not fight, we guard the way to the Tree of Life as the covering cherubs. There is no violence in our land because we have put off the evil works of darkness. We are no longer under the schoolmaster; Faith IS come. Therefore, our loins are girded with Truth, which is the glorious Gospel of our Saviour. Our breastplate is the righteousness of Christ’s Commands that if we do them, we are being saved by them.  Our feet are shod with the Gospel of peace, which is to always be ready to preach the Gospel within and without. Our shield of Faith is again the Commandments of Christ, which put to silence all the lies, fables, the endless genealogies, and commandments of men. Our sword and helmet of salvation is the Word of God; it is all Scripture, the old and the new. We remember that the days are evil, therefore we walk in the Light in our Day of the Lord. The Day when we are being perfected is the third day of our spiritual walk symbolically.

Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 

2Co 6:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

ASK

Is our Father in heaven and Christ, His Son, not our Father? They created us and gave us our inheritance before we even were. Shall we then not ask the Father through Christ to give us wisdom in all and ask for the Holy Spirit to come, believing we shall receive? Are we not the Lord’s people, and will the Father give us a stone if we ask for bread? Ask and you will have the Gentiles for an inheritance, that is to say, overcoming of sin. Ask of the Lord the former and latter rain and prepare to receive Him. Repent of your sins and stop doing them, believe in His Blood, that is to say, receive John’s Baptism, the Gospel. Wait for the Promise, I say wait with meekness and humbleness, praying, believing you will receive. Christ asked the Father to give us the Comforter. Those who received the Holy Spirit now ask the Father through Christ to give it to the true and faithful brethren, who make themselves ready for His Coming.

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 

Eph 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 

Jas 1:6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 

1Jn 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 

BEAR ANOTHER’S BURDENS

We are commanded to bear each other’s burdens. Why? Because Christ bears our burdens and as He is, so are we. The Lord bears and carries and delivers us, and we do the same to those He puts in front of us. We are being made perfect, and in the Assembly of God, we are in different stages of maturity in our walk, and that is why we bear with those not so far along, to come and see the true Christ, to teach the true Gospel of Christ to them. We are also commanded to bear our own burden that is to say, study at home, so they who teach us, those who were taught by God, may see our progress. We do not burden the Church unnecessarily, but also study at home so we may all come to a perfect man in Christ. Bear the yoke in your youth, that is to say, do not just warm yourself by the fire, eating the Lord’s Supper, but go home and be in the Lord’s Word. Simon, a Cyrenian, was compelled to bear the Lord’s cross; in type, in shadow, it means we, as the Lord’s people, bear the cross of the chosen elect in this age, our fellow brethren.

Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 

Gal 6:3  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 

Gal 6:4  But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 

Gal 6:5  For every man shall bear his own burden. 

Gal 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. 

1Th 4:11  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 

1Th 4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 

BE A SACRIFICE

Doing all the Commandments of God, we are still unprofitable servants, only doing our duty to God. How can we ever thank God, the Father, and the Lord for all They are doing for us? Thus, keeping the Commandments with a joyful heart and offering up sacrifices of praise, thanksgiving, and prayer is the right thing to do. What is man that the Father and Son even acknowledge us? We are not our own anymore but were redeemed from among men to be a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, unto God and Christ. It is only just that we serve and worship God, the Father, and Son, Christ Jesus. Kings rule and priests serve; we are in God’s service, bought with a price.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Eph 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 

Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 

BEAR THE INFIRMITIES OF THE WEAK

Are you strong in the Spirit? Are you reborn? Can you see clearly now? Bear the infirmities of the weak; that is what we are called to do as the Lord’s holy arm. We do not live for ourselves anymore, and he that is faithful in little, is faithful in much. Give what you can to those asking of you. Bear with those who are weak, give them comfort and hope, waiting on the Promise. Take their infirmities and bear their sicknesses as Christ did and do for us. Cast out the lies, and when we ourselves are weak, then we are strong. We know what those who are weak are going through because we have been before them. Let those who still wait on the Lord in meekness and quietness do the things the Lord requires of them.

Act 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

Rom 15:2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. 

Rom 15:3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. 

Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 

1Co 9:22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 

1Co 9:23  And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. 

2Co 13:9  For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. 

1Th 5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

BE CONTENT

The opposite of contentment is greediness. Greedy for the wrong meat, the knowledge that does not save. This meat, speaking in a parable, takes away our lives, and we become dead in Spirit. It is the knowledge that oppresses because it is without Christ. The glorious Gospel of Christ, which saves us, is not attractive to the natural man.  When we are not content with the knowledge of Christ, His Faith, we stray to bow down to the idols of our own hearts. We seek out other avenues. The Command to be content teaches us to forsake ungodliness and live soberly, being in Christ’s Presence every day. What does it help to gain the world, that is to say, gain all the knowledge, but lose one’s soul? Only Christ saves our souls. As the Psalmist writes, please save my darling from the lions. The love of money, which means the love for the knowledge without Christ, is the root of all evil. It is the pride of life, and we are created that way, but Christ has overcome the pride of life because greater is He that is in us than that which is of the world.

Php 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 

1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain. 

1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 

1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 

1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

1Ti 6:17  Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 

1Ti 6:18  That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 

1Ti 6:19  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 

BE FRUITFUL

We are the Lord’s workmanship who work all things after the counsel of His will. The Lord redeems us from the snare of the carnal mind and its lusts, which is the law of sin in our members, to set us up high above all peoples. As the Lord increases in us and we decrease, our faith grows, and we go from glory to glory. We forget what is behind and stretch forth to the things set before us, living in the Day of the Lord. We strive to add virtue to our Faith, that is to say, we strive to maintain good works and to add the knowledge of Christ, knowing His Commandments. Temperance is not to stray from the Gospel and to become occupied with knowledge that is not of Christ, and to that add patience in our longsuffering, and to that true godliness which is from the heart, the inside of the cup, and to that brotherly kindness and love which is keeping the Commandments of Christ. Doing all this, we make our calling and election sure. Paul desired to see fruit in the Church, which is love.

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 

Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

Php 4:17  Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 

2Pe 1:6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 

2Pe 1:7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 

2Pe 1:8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

2Pe 1:10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 

BE HOLY

On this Day of our walk, the Lord’s Day, when judgment falls upon His House, we are commanded to be holy because the Lord is holy. To be holy is to be made perfect according to the measure of faith we have been given by the Lord. The Lord was perfected on the third day, and we are being perfected now on our third day. We make straight paths for our feet because all things become new. We do not continue in sin, nor do we go about our business the usual way. We are set apart from the world, a peculiar people, unto the Lord. The Lord’s Temple is holy, which we are, and we are a kingdom of holy priests. The holy anointing oil the Lord anointed us with are His Holy Commandments. Everything about this Day is holy; therefore, we are commanded to be holy, that is to say, be set apart, be perfect. It is all the Lord’s work and nothing of ourselves. If you are not in this Day yet, wait for it, this beautiful Promise of Life to come is a gift of God after you have done His will. Repent, and ask the Lord to come and make His abode in your hearts and minds. The Lord comes to His chosen and faithful in this age and in every generation. You have been chosen to wait for the Lord.

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 

Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 

1Pe 1:13  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 

1Pe 1:14  As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 

1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 

1Pe 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 

BELIEVE

We are told that those who believe in Christ are being saved. Only the Holy Spirit reveals the Faith of Christ to a person. The Lord is working a work today that we would not have believed in times past. Be not afraid, only believe. Those who do not have the Word of the Lord abiding in them believe not; they are not of Christ’s sheep. The Lord chooses His people before the foundation of the world. The Faith of Christ is a gift. Lord, please help our unbelief. Do not be afraid, believe.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 

 1Jn 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 

BE READY 

Be ready and know what this Hope is when you are asked. It is the Hope of Glory, which is Christ and the Father in you. Wait patiently for the gift from above. Study to show yourself approved and obey the Commandments, then this Hope will come to you, the overcoming of sin. Hope makes us not ashamed. Rejoice in this Hope. The hope of the righteous shall be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. It is good for a man to hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. I say, quietly wait for the Lord.

Rom 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 

 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: 

BE SUBJECT

Christ is very clear that we have to submit ourselves to every ordinance of man, whether good or bad. Very few people receive this Command. Therefore, we pay taxes and toll money, parking fines, and levies as an example in all areas of life where it is required of us according to the laws of the land. We give to Caesar that which is his, notwithstanding the fact whether the authorities placed over us are good or evil. We strive to do the right thing, that is, to morally excel for the Lord’s sake. If the Government misbehaves and is corrupt and evil, we still obey the laws of the land because we are Christ’s bondservants and belong to Him, doing everything to please our Lord and Saviour, thus doing it unto Him and not unto men. It goes without saying that we obey the authorities and those who rule over us in what we know is reasonable and right [what is right for each man if he is a true Christian, is that our conscience towards Christ does not condemn us]. Here are the witnesses to this Command, which our natural man hates, especially when the Government is corrupt. Remember, we do not speak evil about anything or anybody. Every man or institution stands or falls to his own master. We know the Lord works everything. We do not lean on our own understanding but trust completely in the Lord.

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 

Rom 13:2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 

Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 

Rom 13:4  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 

Rom 13:5  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 

Rom 13:6  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 

Rom 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 

Tit 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, 

1Pe 2:13  Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 

1Pe 2:14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 

1Pe 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

BE THANKFUL 

The true Church of God, the Church of the Firstborn, heavenly Jerusalem, is exceedingly thankful and content for the early mercy of God in our lives, which opens eyes and ears. Remember, the Lord speaks of things that are not as if they are, so if you are still waiting for Him to open your eyes and ears, do your best to be found faithful, repent of your sins, and ask for the Comforter, and He will do it. We are abundantly blessed with food, and the Spirit of Glory rests upon us as His people. The Lord continually leads us in the way we should go, and therefore, we are thankful beyond measure. The Father and Christ have turned our mourning into joy. If this is not you yet, wait for it; it will come. Then praise His Holy Name and be thankful because His mercy endures forever. Christ never leaves or forsakes us.

Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 

1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 

Eph 5:20  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 

BEWARE OF THE CIRCUMCISION

We have a true circumcision, and we have a false circumcision. We do not talk of a fleshly circumcision here. Spiritually, a true circumcision is those who are circumcised in heart who walk by the Spirit of Christ. The Commands here warn us against the false circumcision, the evil workers, the liars in the Assembly, the hypocrites, who upset members because they look to their own way. They believe in the commandments of men, that is to say, their own thoughts, accusing and excusing them, and not holding to the Head, which is Christ. They have a form of godliness without the Power of the Holy Spirit. They are taught in the Word and come a long way, yet they lack. Scriptures refer to these as the ones that cannot bark, loving to sleep and to slumber. Take heed to these lying spirits and avoid or rebuke them.

Php 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. 

Tit 1:10  For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: 

Tit 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. 

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 

BOLDNESS

We have Christ Jesus, our Great High Priest, who has gone before us, who was tempted like we are, yet He never sinned because He had the fullness of the Holy Spirit. He knows what we are going through because He came in the same sinful flesh. Knowing this, we have great boldness asking Him to give us mercy that is to open our eyes and ears to see Him and to ask for His grace, the Comforter, so we may obtain the power to obey Him, and that is to worship the Father. We do not waver in remembering who the One is that made the Promise to us. We exhort and love one another when we assemble, as we see the Day of the Lord come near to those waiting for Christ.  We have great confidence in the Promises of Christ, who is the faithful Witness.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 

1Jn 5:15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

BROTHERLY LOVE

There are many Scriptures about brotherly love because it is just so important. Brotherly love is not a feeling but rather fervently keeping the Commandments of the Lord and teaching others the Gospel, which are the Commandments. We see that we have to abound in this love, keeping the Commandments more and more, and this love extends to all people. We love one another with a pure heart, that is to say, we preach the Gospel to our brethren and no other doctrine. If we do not preach the Gospel to our brethren and do not walk the talk, we hate our brethren and have fellowship with the evil works of darkness. We love our brothers with a godly love, saving them, pulling them out of the fire. Therefore, we labour night and day to lay up for them and us a good foundation built upon the Rock, which is Christ, which makes us able to stand in this Day of the Lord.

Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 

Eph 5:1  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 

Col 3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 

1Th 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 

1Th 4:1  Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 

1Th 4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 

1Th 4:9  But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 

1Th 4:10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; 

Heb 13:1 Let brotherly love continue. 

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 

1Pe 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 

1Jn 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 

1Jn 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 

1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 

1Jn 4:11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 

1Jn 4:12  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 

1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 

1Jn 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us.

1Jn 4:20  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 

1Jn 4:21  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 

2Jn 1:5  And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 

2Jn 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 

Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 

Jud 1:22  And of some have compassion, making a difference: 

Jud 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

CONTINUE IN THE FAITH

Continue in the Faith is to continue in the Gospel; it is to continue in the belief that the blood of Christ saves us from all of our sins. We can only go forward, Lord willing, and that is what we do. All the bridges are burnt behind us. We have tasted the heavenly gift, this is the Faith of Christ and not the faith in Christ. We tasted that the Lord is gracious and see that the Lord is merciful. The Lord promised that after we suffered a while, He would ground and settle us. Never again will we lack food, clothes, or a resting place because the Lord settles us in our own land [Promised] and leads us to streams of Living Waters. He gives us the overcoming of our sins, which makes us righteous in His sight, that is the fine linen we wear.

Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 

1Jn 2:24  Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 

1Jn 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

COVETOUSNESS

The Psalmist writes incline my heart to Your Testimonies and not to covetousness. The Lord hates covetousness, which is knowledge, spiritual riches gained, but forgetting the Lord and His Commandments. Making our nests up high, saying, No evil come near us, is what we do at first. In the Day of the Lord, the Lord destroys all that so-called knowledge with the brightness of His coming. The resurrected Christ in us counts everything as dung except for Christ’s glorious Commandments. Covetousness is idolatry, which is the lies and fables we tell ourselves, thinking above what is written, to accomplish our own salvation, not giving honour to Christ or the Father. The Lord brings down the fruit of our thoughts in this Day, which is now upon our house because we rejected His Commandments in the past. Repent and turn.

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 

2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 

2Pe 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

The Commandments of Christ Jesus in the Four Gospels, the Commandments of Christ Jesus regarding our Assembling together as His Church, the Commandments of Christ Jesus regarding Marriage, Divorce, Husbands, Wives and Other, plus the five letters containing the Commandments of Christ Jesus, given by the Apostles in the Church, can be found on the Truthinscripture.com website. Many ask what the Commandments are, and we pray that after reading all of the above, the Reader will have a better understanding of what the will of God, the Father, through His Son, Christ Jesus, is, and that is to love, and when we love, we keep Christ’s Commandments.

Receive ye the Gospel. Receive ye the Holy Spirit.