Lion of Grace

I think Paul lists the abuses he has had to be under because He wanted to sharply contrast the heart that serves in ministry out of pride/arrogance and self importance versus the heart that serves in ministry for the sheer joy of the Gospel. That heart is willing to suffer in opposition, to be unimportant in social circles, is dedicated to Christ and not people and is often cast aside as so called trash in the world. They serve in humbleness often going unnoticed and with no accolades from mere people. The effect Paul hoped to have on the people was to wake them up to their true heart condition. To remind them that they were seeking worldly ways to be filled and were straying from the pure Gospel and WHO it was all about! He was hoping to bring them to a more mature faith. One that let go of self importance, arrogance, religion, dependence on people or idolizing people. He was reminding them to let go of everything the world said was important and was calling attention to how he LIVED. He wanted to remind them that God's Kingdom included suffering, humility and devotion to Christ and excluded the pride of life they had fallen into. The effect it has on me is to continue to guard myself against so many of these same issues we face today in the church. With the help of the Holy Spirit I pray to be reminded daily of what a true calling means and how to live that out in my life and when I fail, as often times I do, I pray to receive grace and to be strengthened and to continue to persevere on a restored Godly course. Do I avoid ministry that comes with abuse? I used to much more than I do now. I have been praying to know joy in the suffering and I have seen the Holy Spirit prepare me for suffering and guide me through it, but I have had to be committed to really seeking Him daily and to listen carefully to what He says. He will not only warn us of events that may cause suffering, but He will send the right Word for while we are preparing for it. While we are in the midst of it, He will send encouragement and He will give us a Godly response to live in it. I'm always reminded that it is an honor to suffer as our dearest friend and Savior did and coming out of suffering we find we have benefited so much in it. We have grown to a deeper maturity and have come to identify with Jesus more and that closeness is a true blessing that comes through as sheer joy.

Paul doesn't care if people judge him because he has a clear conscience before God. He knows it is God's judgement that counts. It is not for people to judge and most times, when people do judge, it is not fairly or accurately. Paul knows this, so he leaves all judgement in God's hands. Paul doesn't even judge himself because he believes in grace. He knows God is the final judge of everything and everyone, so Paul doesn't waste time agonizing over whether he is doing it all perfectly. He knows he never will and he accepts grace in it all. God looks on the heart and that is why it is so important to have pure motives in anything we do. He knows when our intentions are good, though the process may fail a bit. He looks on a tender heart that is less perfect with greater compassion than on a hard, complaining heart that is doing things by the letter of the law in arrogance. I do not see God as a harsh judge. I used to....but as I came to really know Him, I don't see Him that way at all. I don't see Him as an "easy" judge either. Why? I see Him as just. He never winks at sin, but He provided me a way to be forgiven of sin. But to those who do not embrace the way through Jesus and His atoning blood....there will be judgement and wrath. That will be the extreme opposite of anything weak or easy.

A Christian leader is a steward in that they are managers of God's house, they oversee the congregation to shepherd, teach and explain the mysteries entrusted to them. They are to be faithful to this, not having favorites, shepherding the whole flock in spirit, love and truth. Have I ever met a Christian leader that wasn't faithful? Unfortunately, yes. What effect does unfaithfulness have on the congregation? First, I think disrespect is cultivated. Someone who is unfaithful when others are looking to them for leadership, creates a lack of trust and respect. Chaos breaks out because there isn't anyone to follow in truth so fractions begin to form and and personal agendas are pushed forward usually with a lot of fighting or in hurting others. Some in the congregation get caught up in the chaos, not really wanting to be in it or to take sides in it. They become hopeless and desire to escape the whole situation. In the end, the church is so caught up in their struggles, that the truth of Jesus is totally lost. There aren't even any eyes on Him anymore. The purpose of the church is displaced and it eventually will die. What effect did it have on this person's witness? Unfaithfulness makes a person's witness not believable. If one really believes something, they live what they believe. If they are unfaithful, they create doubt in others as to what they really believe and they are proven to be not trustworthy. People won't listen anymore and/or remove themselves or become disconnected from the "leader". How can this be remedied? First, there has to be accountability and there has to be other strong leadership that will stand for truth and who will not champion other leaders or "friends" even when they are doing wrong. There should always be accountability with the intent to restore, but to continue in truth. If a leader is unfaithful, there should be discussion in private as to why this is happening. It could be anywhere from being overwhelmed by work load and dropping out, or due to personal issues that are overwhelming or simply to facing the fact that this particular leader didn't really have a "call" for this particular ministry and should be re-evaluated. The problem should be looked into by trusted, faithful leaders who can help discern the issues. For example, is the leader feeling overwhelmed and dropping out because he doesn't administrate well, taking on too much personally? Is there a matter of pride to confess if they have to be the end all, be all to everyone and everything? Does he/she create their own problem? Is depression a factor? Should professional counseling be pursued? Where could this leader better function? What are his/her gifts? As for the congregation, they need to focus on the real owner of the church, Christ Jesus. Instead of fighting, complaining, undermining leaders, demanding their own way, they should look to Who is above leadership and Who cares for them and will help them. They should focus more on compassion, caring for their leadership implementing good healthy ways to move past problems. And, they need to persevere and stay committed. We can remove ourselves from areas that are unhealthy, but stay committed to the Church and truth working together to establish love in truth.

There is such harsh punishment for those who are involved in hurting God's church because they have become instruments that undermine God's work. New tender believers are specifically mentioned here. When disunity and disgruntled fighting or pride or worldliness enter in and cause new believers to doubt or fall away, God takes that very seriously. Anyone He has called and has declared to be His son or daughter is very precious to Him. He takes very personally any damage done to them or to HIS reputation. When anyone specifically sets out to ignore good spiritual direction on how we are to live from a Biblical standpoint, then they themselves have fallen away and God either disciplines or punishes those people. The Bible gives instruction on how to deal with our differences, but the most important difference that can be made is when we submit our OWN hearts to cleansing, acknowledging our own weaknesses and sins and allow the Holy Spirit to change our hearts. Sometimes we are right and sometimes we are wrong in disagreements with others, but we have to face our own weaknesses in any situation and allow God to help us through it in a Godly way. When we learn to trust Him to intervene in His perfect way, then we can be at peace and gracious to our adversaries or we can trust HIM to open doors for our visions if they are in His will. We don't have to go in kicking, screaming and demanding or worse yet, deceitfully working behind the scenes, trying to get our way, involving others in deceitful practices. That is Satan's work for sure. That's why it would be punished.

Quality building in the church always has it's foundation on Salvation through Jesus Christ. Personal relationships with Jesus result in changed hearts. There is repentance, surety of grace and lives that are changed! We WANT to follow Jesus, confess our short comings, live in unity, discover more in God's Word and we DESIRE to live it! We live by the Spirit and have life. Slip shod building materials and methods are cheap imitations. It is dead religion, works, people pleasing, lacking truth and lacking real FOLLOWERS of the truth. No deep growth is ever present because a root system is never developed. No one acknowledges sin in their lives and so sin remains resulting in disunity, fighting, arrogance and hatred. The foundation of slip shod churches is made of man, not God. They are often church "societies" and have little or no spiritual value because they are led by worldly principles. It is very important to improve ministry skills through training with the intent to mature in our faith, but I would caution where the training is coming from. I know people who have come out of "spiritual training" with very worldly view points. The best training we have is from the Bible itself and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We can always trust in the original and the best. I Corinthians 1:18-31. We also train to run our race well. We mature in prayer as well as practicing our faith in diligence and faithfulness. We study the Word and develop truth in doctrine and become devoted to the Word as truth through devotionals and studies as well as meditating on them during our alone time with God. We open to the spiritual gifts given to us and use them to further God's kingdom. "You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win!" That takes training, practice and endurance!

Denominations encourage Christian unity by being like minded in doctrine, meeting together to worship, serve and function as a family together. The Body of Christ. Denominations can foster disunity when they view themselves in pride as having an exclusive truth or truths over other denominations. They want to split hairs over things that don't really matter and ignore the BASIC truths that hold ALL of us together as Christians. We are not a bunch of churches, we are THE Church! I don't think non denominational churches make much difference in unity. I see them becoming just another denomination that think being non denominational is better than being of a denomination! Either non denominational churches have to state some doctrines to live by (and thereby become something of a denomination) or they have to have no set belief guidelines and become a free for all for everyone toting tolerance which would be of no truth at all.

I classify myself as far as hunger for the Word....as an adult. I LOVE God's Word and actually really do read it all day long and I love to study the Word! When God opened my eyes to see the Word years ago, I was so hungry for His truth, once I found it I was amazed and still am!!! I just can't stop eating!!! As for jealousy and quarreling, I have come a loooong way in that too! I'd classify myself as middle aged. I still struggle with some of that, but I've grown immensely in allowing God access to those areas in my life. I'm quicker to give problems over to Him for solutions instead of stewing over them, getting worked up and leading to sin in my life. I have greater trust in Him that He has a plan for MY life and I don't concentrate so much on other's lives which can lead to jealousy and discontent. To grow to the next stage, I need to keep on washing in the Word and keep on trusting God in areas I struggle with and I need to keep confessing those areas asap so they don't become strongholds in my life.

We can have the mind of Christ through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Our spiritual nature responds to God's revelations as opposed to human intellect. Those who do not have the Spirit can not understand Godly wisdom because they do not have spiritual sight. They laugh at our "foolishness" because they do not have the Spirit of God to see or understand truth especially since God's truths and wisdom look very different and "upside down" from secular knowledge. We, with the Spirit though, DO see and we receive the truth and guidance of God and embrace a different life than a worldly one. Our spiritual gifts are the power of God working through us by the Holy Spirit. It's not really what WE do....it is what He does THROUGH us. Worldly man strives depending on inferior human knowledge lacking real fruit. We, through the power of the Holy Spirit, submit to allowing Him to do a good work in us and through us and bear much fruit because it is the power of God in us. That never fails!

Paul didn't want to conform to the rhetorical standards of his day in order to communicate because he did not want the message to be words from man's wisdom but from God and with the power of the Holy Spirit. He didn't want anyone believing on mere fancy words of men, but as the very words of God Himself. Mere words of man can be embraced for awhile, but are changeable and passing philosophies. Paul wanted them to embrace the unchangeable truths of God. The danger of repackaging the message is that it compromises truth. The Word is truth....no need to amp it up or water it down or make it user friendly. There will be no life changing power in it that way. When Paul relied on a demonstration of the Spirit's power, he relied on signs and miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit. He also relied on the deep convicting power of the Holy Spirit to change lives. He knew mere rhetoric may have had the affect of getting people to listen or debate, but He wanted His words to come with power, going deep into souls with truth and He relied on the Holy Spirit for that.

Wisdom: Christ is reality and His values, guidance and thoughts are truth and are more reliable than any worldly wisdom out there! Righteousness: We are righteous through Christ and no other way. He took our sins upon Himself and suffered the penalty that should have been ours. We are forgiven and free! Holiness: Set apart as God's holy people we become children of God through the blood of Jesus. Redemption: We are bought by the blood of Christ, again, released for freedom. How far do these go to lay the basis of a truly Christian philosophical system? They ARE the foundation of a Christian mindset. They are 100% truths to embrace when you become a Christian. Christ is all. Christ is all.

Homosexuality is not a sin Abortion is not murder Post modern thinking: If I think it, it must be true. The greatest are those who have made it (by a worldly standard.) To be humble is to be weak. If the grass looks greener on the other side...go get it at any cost. Adultery, switching partners is fine if you're not happy. It's ALL about our own happiness. Our bodies are to be flaunted for all to see. Our worth is in our sex appeal. Men are to be weaklings in our homes. Raunchy humor and shocking language is funny. Gosh....I could go on and on.

Most non Christians I know, stumble over a real understanding of God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to change their lives. They are reluctant to embrace Jesus because they view "changed lives" as being forced to give up things they enjoy and being judged in them. They look through eyes of condemnation and wrath as opposed to love and grace. They don't understand that when they embrace the true Gospel with God's grace and loving, good care, they will want to change whole heartedly! We can bridge this gap by focusing more on love and forgiveness and allowing time for GOD to call them and do a good work in them. We can be in a non christian's life to walk beside them without batting them over the head with constant criticism. We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading as to what He is doing in another's life and be a co-worker in those areas and always TRUTH with LOVE! When I first came to Christ, with loads of baggage and sin, I had (well meaning) Christians hitting me from all sides on the sin in my life and the changes I needed to make. They were quick to point them out and...when I failed to live perfectly. I became so confused and overwhelmed, I nearly gave up except that I clung to the cross by God's grace. I eventually learned to listen closely to what GOD was teaching me and to discern more carefully if what others were saying to me were of merit or timely for me. I found a good Christian mentor who simply walked with me in a Godly way, helping me move forward in the areas God was working on. He taught me the truth of the Word and encouraged me to live it yet gave grace when I failed encouraging me to try again. I overcame many addictions and bad habits this way. I'm forever grateful for the grace given to me by this kind mentor. He really did live the life of Christ before me and with me and I hope to always do the same so others can know the grace of God. God changes people....we don't. Hopefully, we love them! We may give over to watering down the Gospel if we leave truth out of loving. We have a responsibility to always speak truth. We have the responsibility to teach and preach the Word in wholeness because it is the Word that is going to wash Christians and non-Christians clean. We can't be so fearful of rejection that we don't tell the truth. We can't begin to think we are so important that it is up to us to save a person. We can't start to people please and lie to keep them near. Jesus saves and ultimately it is the choice of the hearer. It is heart breaking to lose anyone because of truth, but what have we really offered them if we didn't give them the truth? I try to look at the "ones that got away" as the ones I planted a seed in. Maybe they didn't embrace it fully right now but if the seed was planted....someone down the road will water and we all know who gives the increase! The "tension" to me between culturally relevant communication and a pure Gospel message is the essence that one is of darkness and the other of light. When we "try" to blend them, there is a clash because light will always dispel darkness. We can't ever "escape" the tension because the two will never "blend." It isn't our responsibility to make the Gospel "user friendly" or "tolerant" or "multi-purpose". We have to remain in the truth! That doesn't mean we throw all the fruit of the Spirit aside when dealing with people, but we don't compromise truth and speaking the truth to be culturally pleasing.

The divisions I see in my church would be about forms of worship and a gap in how rich and poor relate to each other. That being said, I also want to say I am in the best church I have ever been in and though these divisions cause hurt, I do for the most part see a humble people trying to work through and follow Jesus. It takes time for all of us to grow. The divisions at Corinth were quarrels, contention, rivalry and strife. They also were divided on what leaders to follow instead of being united in following Jesus. What are the cause of divisions today? Same things! Quarrels over so many little things, jealousies, striving in human will, worldly "opinions" in the church and picking and choosing leadership based on status, money, looks or dynamics. In a nut shell....not seeking God or keeping our eyes on Jesus and HIS will or following HIS teachings! We obey the command to "agree with one another" by standing on the fundamentals of our faith, agreeing to disagree on the small stuff and by being humble and gentle, bearing with each other in love. We keep unity through the Spirit because we are one body with one Spirit. We CAN see those we disagree with or who have hurt us with the eyes of love. Though we may not be called to stay in abusive situations, we can forgive, stop striving and look to Jesus for growth and healing in everyone. Forgiveness. It's a powerful tool to move forward, dropping the offence and in true peace finding the common bond of faith in Christ with a brother or sister in Christ.

The gifts God gives to ensure that we'll continue in faith to the end are: Strength to be firm in our commitment. We can take advantage of prayer, scripture, fellowship and surrender to God's will. Forgiveness so we can be blameless until Christ returns. Blamelessness is God's gift to us. We are justified and declared righteous through Christ. Faithfulness of God. Great is your faithfulness Oh God! He is worthy of belief or trust, faithful and dependable. Fellowship with God. We are invited into a close relationship with God, sharing in partnership with intimacy. Each requires our active participation because we come to understand God's character through each one. When we come to know Him better our trust is firmly established in Him. When we become committed to Him and seek Him in prayer and the scripture, we soon learn He is the source of wisdom to live by and we can safely and confidently allow His will into our lives. When we embrace His forgiveness and become blameless through Christ, we rest assured that though we sin, we always will be received back when we are willing to return. Grace softens us and we don't desire to sin anymore. When we realize how faithful He is, we make Him the center of our lives. Mere man pales in comparison and our bond with God grows. As our bond grows we become AMAZED that the God of the universe desires to talk with us personally. To encourage us, chide us when we start to step to the left or the right and we live every day in communion with Him amazingly astounded and thankful that He was ever mindful of us....but filled with joy that He is!!! Which do I need more? To trust in His faithfulness. I struggle with doubt when trials come. It's like I have the knowledge of His faithfulness, but I have to really ask Him if He WILL be faithful instead of trusting and having it in my heart that He is for sure. Thank heavens I do have fellowship and I come out of talking with Him assured. Part of the problem is I want Him to be faithful to me in the way "I" think He should and His thoughts and ways are higher than mine, but "self" still hopes it will be "my" way. So, I'm still developing trust in HIS will. He really is assuring me in that, so I continue to surrender even if I have doubts. But DOUBT GO AWAY!

I just came out of a period where I learned to bless and pray for my enemies and recently have been growing even more to thank God for the opportunities to grow in even having enemies! It's really hard to look at having enemies as a blessing, but I have come to see various things in a different light. First, when we are met with on going obstacles (and it seems our enemies are persistent!) I have learned to not agonize so much over everything that is happening or what people are saying or what they are trying to bully through. I look at the situation as an opportunity to grow in faith and to trust in God. It is an opportunity to stop controlling situations by fighting back or arguing or getting even or even trying to draw my own little army around me. I can now let go, give the burden to God, let Him judge the situation and be patient while He works in it. When I can do that, I am freed to give grace and to be kind even when others have not been kind to me. I've grown to try to see that everyone is growing in different areas and at different rates, so I try not to over think the situation anymore. I listen to God more now than obsessing over the attacks or problems. He directs me in my next steps and I'm confident He knows everyone's heart in it all. Your "enemy" can look less like an enemy and more like a person in need of God (just like I am) when I look at it in that way. I've found God has asked me sometimes to stay in relationships that are turbulent (and He gives me peace in them) or He will release me from them in His time and I can go knowing I did my best to follow Christ. I just came out of a situation in that way and this lesson was another encouragement to continue in all I've learned. It is a more excellent way! I think Paul shows He was a very balanced Christian as well as a very wise one. He sought the good in people and was quick to edify them in that, but did not neglect His responsibility to remind them of truth and how they were supposed to be living. Truth with love is a wonderful balance to achieve. Paul's main purpose was to grow people in their faith and in Christ. This was a flock that had embraced Christ, but who were struggling with sin. He wanted to return them to their first love and does it with grace but not neglecting truth. He was much more harsh with Jewish leaders who had not embraced Christ or the truth. Paul thanks God that the Corinthians have been enriched in every way because his testimony about Christ has been shown in them. They have been enriched in all their speaking and all their knowledge, which includes, tongues, prophecy, words of wisdom and words of knowledge.

"Called to be a saint" means we are called to be set apart from what is common. We no longer follow the edicts of this world, but we follow what is good and holy according to God and what Jesus taught. To be a saint means that God Himself has set us apart, through the righteousness of Christ. It isn't a state of perfection in ourselves, but a state of being in Him. It is a calling and a free gift given to us on the merit of what Jesus did FOR us! Our identity is now in Christ! We are children of God! <3 It can become comfortable for us to say "I'm no saint" when we deny our real identity and when we don't have a true understanding of our salvation. It really is a sense of false humility if we say that because when we do, we place all our hope of righteousness in our own perfection or good works. All of us will fall short of that, even those we, with rare occasion will honor with the words "He's a saint" because of a life well lived. "Our" performance doesn't have anything to do with "being" a saint! We are deemed saints by the blood of Christ through His righteousness and nothing more! Others use "I'm no saint" as an excuse for their willful sins. Again, they fail to see their righteousness in Christ as the power of God in their lives to overcome sin! To be set apart as the personal property of God should inspire us to live Holy lives because we ARE holy! We are motivated to live in obedience to Him because we love Him! The Holy Spirit lives in us and He is our helper in all things! We are sanctified and are being sanctified every day! Our lives should reflect this turning from sin and all that holds us back from our higher calling. We are son's and daughters of GOD! It astounds me every time I ponder it! Shouldn't we live as such? I say YES! The world is watching to see if we really do believe what we profess. If we profess to follow Jesus, yet live apart from what He taught, we will be hypocrites in their eyes and there usually isn't any grace given by those who don't experience grace or understand mercy, so it is very important to weigh our beliefs and how well we live them out on the worlds stage! If someone professes to me that they believe something or desire to live a certain way and then I see them live the total opposite, I really question if they believe what they say. They don't seem to "really" follow. As a Christian, I give grace to others in this, carefully observing if this really is a total lie in another's life or if it is a temporary trap of sin in a life. The world sees us the same way, minus the grace, so we should carefully live our lives guided by the Holy Spirit and in His power so we can be considered as having integrity in what we profess to believe in the world's eyes.

Eternal punishment is mentioned at the end of this glorious prophecy of Isaiah because there needs to be a warning as to the consequences of not following Jesus. God's word must be listened to and His invitation must be accepted. Yes, the blessings for those who have done this are glorious, but there will be punishment for those who do not and rebel against God. Both the eternal glories and the eternal punishment are very real. We need to be warned and to warn others! There will be a final judgement. The enduring eternal Kingdom is mentioned for encouragement and hope for all those that believe and have accepted God's grace and remain faithful to God and His Word. The glories of the New Heaven and the New Earth will last forever and we, as believers will be included in on this. Those who have refused to believe will be excluded.

The orthodox hypocrites had taken what God commanded and what was good and pleasing in His sight and made them into mere rituals. God sought sacrificial offerings from the people as a sign of repentance and restoration to Himself for their sins. The orthodox hypocrites placed heavy burdens on the people through the law and often times prospered in it. God wanted relationship/restoration and to grant forgiveness. The hypocrites made it about sinfulness/guilt and ritual. The warning here is about practicing the externals of religion seeming as though "our" goodness and sacrifices or works are redeeming vs. having a heart open to God, asking for forgiveness and restoration and basking in HIS grace as He gives it. What was missing in the ritual worship/sacrifice was a real heart for God. There was a lack of heart felt repentance and a deep desire for restoration. Our hearts must be close to God. Not just an outward show of religion "at" Him. The kind of heart God is looking for is a pure and contrite heart. One who is in agreement that God's word is good and we have erred by not following it. "He who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."

I think the final state is referred to as the new heaven and the new earth because all the old will pass away and new will be established when Christ returns and puts His enemies under His feet. He will establish His Kingdom and it will be different than the one we know. In fact, the old will not even be remembered. What will be new for one, is that only the redeemed will be there. God will delight in us and the sound of weeping and crying won't ever be heard. We will be liberated from pain both physical and emotional. He will wipe every tear from our eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no more mourning. Communication with God will be instantaneous and intuitive. "Before they call I will answer, while they are still speaking I will hear." There will be peace! Wonderful peace and unity! He will make ALL things new! Pain and sorrow: Verse 19 Instant communication: Verse 24 Peace in the Kingdom: Verse 25

Israel's expectation of salvation according to this prophecy is that though they have not been faithful to God and are undeserving, they are God's children and they rely on the covenant given to them and the grace of God for forgiveness and restoration. "You oh Lord are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure. Lord, do not remember our sins forever. Oh look on us we pray for we are all your people!" Verses 64:5-7 teach us that we have no righteousness of our own. "All our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like leaves, our sins sweep us away." Our relationship with God according to 63:16 and 64:8-9 is one of a child to a Father. We are family. Children of God. All of us. This passage teaches us that only God's grace is our hope of restoration and salvation. We don't have anything in and of ourselves that merit it and anything we ever try to do to be good enough is really only like filthy rags. Nothing in us or of us will be sufficient. Only through the blood and righteousness of Christ are we redeemed.

The final state of the Jewish people will be: 1. Vindication. Those who deride Israel will see her restoration. 2. Blessing. Fortunes will turn and they will be established and given a new name. 3. Honor and Beauty. A crown will be given as an expression of love and affection. 4. Fellowship. Once forsaken, now the Lord will delight in restoring. He will redeem His bride. " My delight will be in her." 5. Joy! Israel's husband will rejoice over his restored bride. She will find great joy in His faithfulness, love and tender compassion. YES! Christians will be included in these blessings! JOY! We are the bride of Christ! How wonderful!!! Intercessory prayer is to be given until the 2nd coming of Jesus. We are to take no rest from prayer until God's will is accomplished for all people! Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. There is much to still be accomplished on Earth...so we pray!

Words like "captive" and "prisoner" are used figuratively in the sense that their meanings could be taken as "physical" captives or prisoners or as "spiritual" captives or prisoners. His over all message though is to be taken literally as how He responded to people and what we are to learn from His example. Jesus intended His words to be understood in the context that He was the promised Messiah It was His mission on Earth to: 1. Preach good news to the poor. He brought good tidings to those who were physically or spiritually down trodden. 2.To bind up the brokenhearted. He took the role as healer and shepherd especially to those wounded in spirit. 3. To proclaim freedom for the captive. To set us free with the truth and to free us from our sins. When the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! 4.To proclaim the year of our Lords favor. All our debts are cancelled and we are set free from condemnation and guilt. 5. To proclaim the day of vengeance of our God. To bring justice and judgement upon the Earth. 6. To comfort those who mourn. To replace their grief with joy. Again, for our grief over loved ones lost to death or sin but also to receive the joy of forgiveness of our grief over our own sins. We will experience great joy when Christ returns trusting in our salvation through Christ! I think we all (myself included) could do better to adopt Jesus' agenda in all these things. We of course have our strengths and weaknesses individually and as the church, but I know there are willing hearts (mine included) to live this more fully, actively seeking to learn how we can be stronger in our weak areas and continue in our stronger areas so we can serve with pure hearts as Jesus did.

I'm not sure how to answer this! First, we all sin (everyday) but God in His graciousness has with compassion heard and answered our prayers even though we have not "earned" His kindness. I think 1 Peter 3:7 and Isaiah 59:2 are more warning against rebelliousness which to me is repetitive sin from a hardened heart. If we knowingly, continually, return to any particular sin, WE choose to turn from God and separate ourselves from Him with consequences. But who can understand the mind of God and who He chooses to have mercy on?

Positive actions that align themselves with true keeping of the Sabbath in these verses are: Honoring God by keeping the Sabbath. Seeking God to please Him not ourselves. Delight in God. Relax, rest and enjoy God. Keep the Sabbath because you love God and WANT to be there! The negatives would be: Idle conversation. Speaking casually without thinking. Keeping the Sabbath but making it all about us and what we like. Rule making and legalism about keeping the Sabbath. Worldliness active on the Sabbath.

People are shamed, become bitter or hopeless and fall away by backbiting, harsh criticism and judgmental attitudes. These can be particularly destroying when one person has something against another person. Backbiting always needs more people to carry on a particular grievance or malicious tale and once many people are involved the judgmental attitudes and criticisms multiply. Once these grow, there are often so many people bullying or excluding another that the victim has no hope of recovering. Mob mentality (as I call it) is so destructive. Sadly, most of the people involved in it don't even know the truth of the matter. They just follow along, doing wrong, jumping on someone else's bandwagon. YUCK! It is the same with false accusations and slander. So many people are so willing to believe anything and pass the falsehood along without even trying to get to the bottom of what is really happening. Sometimes, people can have ruined reputations where ever they go and all for nothing except that people love to slander and talk and talk and talk! People can be so mindless sometimes! We can banish this kind of behavior by not taking part in it!!! We can resolve instead to gain understanding before we judge a situation. Just because it's your friend or even a leader saying something does not mean it is true!!! Before we decide to pass a little "morsel" along we can WALK AWAY. Every story has 2 sides at least so we can be warned to not swallow only one side and run with it. I think what is required to be really "spent" for the poor would mean to give beyond our means. This would mean we give even when it seems we can't. I've given even my grocery money with no money back-up in the bank when God has asked me to give to a particular charity or ministry or person. I've just trusted Him to provide for me and my family and He has always been faithful. For a congregation it means the same. Giving until it hurts and that is for every day and every season. Not just the holidays. Also, it can be "easy" to just give funds or goods to charities as donations. We should give of ourselves....personally becoming involved (permanently) in other people's lives even if it means we have to care for them long term. It's about giving our hearts as well as our money!