maddog

God's will and our obedience are two conditions. God's will for us is to live righteously and holy. Doing this we can approach Him confidently,knowing that He will answer our prayer. We need to be specific on what we pray for boldly. Our prayers will be answered each time, but, not in the time frame we want. We must wait on God's time. He's never late but He's always on time. Patience is the operative word!

The church, in and of itself, does not embody God's promises to His children. It is the trappings of religion. Its doctrines may provide evidence of this life. But, life is in the power of Christ and in our relationship, individually, with Him. Through Christ we have access to the tree of life. The Cross is the epitome of why why we have access. We must let our lights so shine so that others can see Christ in us and not the cloak of our religion. One can have faith that it will rain, the promotion is mine, or, I'll buy that car soon. This kind of faith is not built on the blood of Christ. Faith built on the blood of Christ gives us unwavering belief that what God says will come to pass.

A defeatist mentality results from not believing that Christ is the Son of God who has, by His resurrection,overcome the sting of death and the victory of the grave. We who believe stand on solid ground knowing we are sons of God through His Son. Faith is believing and trusting in what can not be seen. If we see it in the natural, is faith necessary? Unbelief is a key ingredient for a defeatist mentality. You live or die by the manipulations and error of the world. It's good to know that we have nothing to fear. Matt 10:28 says, 28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Cf. Phil 2: 12-13: 12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. We are Victors in God's army.

Should have a "fear" of respect, reverence, and awe since God's love resides in us. We don't fear the 2Advent. We hasten Jersus' 2 coming. The attitude of anticipation and joy. The promise is now come to be.

It's important to know God is love, so we sould have love on the inside of us. God doesn't abide in hatred and anger. Should we find ourselves carrying an attitude not based on love we must ask God's love to increase in us as the ill attitude decreases. The characteristcs of God is predicated on love. His Grace and Mercy is given because of His love for us. If He didn't love us why would He give His only begotten to us? All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. He has asked us to reach out to Him for what we need. We need only ask for forgiveness for His acceptance. He will heal us. People must seek a deeper love of forgiveness. If we don't forgive others God will not forgive our transgressions.

The Spirit of God resides in us and is greater than anything against us. We have overcome the dark side by living holy lives and living by the directions, teachings, and guidance through the revelations we receive fom the Holy Spirit. Because we know that what we have in us is greater than anything in the world, we do not need to fear. We need only to trust in God's word.

The importance of the incarnation relates to our belief in the resurrection. If He were not of both conditions, man and spirit, how could we say that our sins have been wiped clean. Some say the two could not habitate together. But, with all things, nothing is impossible with God. Satan wants us to believe that we are still bound by the tentacles of sin. Because we are still in sin, continuing in sin is a small matter. We are covered by the blood of Jesus: our sins have been forgiving. The passage of scripture below tells the significance of the incarnation: Colossians 2:6-12: 6As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. For me I know when the trumpt sounds I'll be caught up. Because I believe in the Cross and the Ressurection, I'll see my loved ones again.

Through God's Grace and Mercy He forgives us. Salvation is free but it came with a price: the Cross. Our responsibility is to live righteous lives. We express this by loving others, whether they reciprocate or not. Our duty is to love those who don't love us. We don't earn God's favor because of Christ. Gods favor is freely given. What we do establish, though, is that we live by the truth.

Lay down means to carry our brother and sister's burdens.by throwing out a life line to bring them from the dark places. Too many times we tell hurting people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, when they need a helping hand. It is impossible to bring someone to Christ ignoring their immediate needs. Once we address their immediate needs, help can begin. Those who have no place to lay their head are not receptive. Those who are hungry or without clothes aren't ready for exhortation. We must supply their immediate needs: these nedds ARE OVERWHELMINGLY more dire than anything else to them. Food pantries, clothing drives, or living arrangements are examples of this kind of love. In large or small congregations parishoneers must make a concerted effort to touch the lives of others. Identify different ministries that can attract the membership to come together and establish relationships.

Uncontrolled and non-repentant anger will birth hatred in our hearts. Hatred and murder are related because they are caused by the same evil spirit. As we live a lawless life, the evil one will continue to grow within us. We can ask God to help us get rid of the hatred. We can pray for the one we hate and for ourselves. Apologizing to the one we have difficulty with, because God has helped us remember Jesus loved all. And, if we say we are like Christ, we need to get rid of the hate and love those who love us, and, those who dispise us.

Cain resented Abel because he lived a lawless life. He didn't reverence God by living rightously. But Abel was just the opposite. Cain killed Abel because he was jealous because God accepted Abel's offering and rejected his: Genesis 4: 6And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. The illustration puts the light on why sinful people hate those who abide by the law. Clean living manifests, clearly, the contrast between good and evil.

The false teacher's doctrine on sin is that living according to the flesh is of no importance, so why worry. John reminds us that sin and righteousness can't occupy the same space. Sin is death and righteousness is eternal salvation. John is saying don't forget what you know to follow those who teach doctrine that is opposed to what you know.

The H.S. abides within us to guide, teach, and remind us of who we belong to. The H.S. is our defense mechanism that wars against our sinful nature, as sin rises within. The H.S. fills us from the time of our regeneration to help us move closer to the devine. The more we move closer the closer we become like Jesus.

Lawlessness shows up by an attitude of self-interest, ignoring the affects it causes. Just as long as I get mine. Lawlessness is the cause of sin because we are more interest in achieving what we want, and, we will obtain it by any means necessary. To live holy and rightious we must model our lives after Christ and not fall victim to the flesh.

2 Peter 11-15: tells us to be prepared for the 2 Advent (Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you.) Knowing that the 2 Coming is without question, we need to strive, with the help of the H.S., to prepare ourselves to be spotless. We are purified by God's grace and mercy. But, we must be an active participant if we want the promise of eternal life. Our salvation has been paid with a price and we have the responsibility to clean ourselves in preparation.

We are children of God when we carry ourselves justly and holy because He is holy. We should remember that the Holy Spirit was given to us to teach, guide, and remind us of the relationship we have with the Father and Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us a new birth because we come into the light from the dark. We are changed because the way we live and carry ourselves is "new." Our heart and souls have been given new life.

We need teachers to help us grow in the scriptures; to obtain a deeper understanding of our relationship with Jesus; to gather together on one accord with the same mind set; and the more we come together the more opportunities we have to bless others and to receive a blessing. Additionally, there are many who are on different spritual levels and need to grow in Christ through the teachings of those whom God has called to be teachers. We never reach a point that we know all God has for us.

Abiding/remain/continue in Christ means to keep the Word of God within you. We must abide in the Spirit by keeping our eyes on what we know, the teaching of Jesus, and responding to the situations we encounter with high morality. The Spirit will convict us when we are about or do wrong. An example would be observing improper behavior but not reporting it to constituted authority, or, living a double life. Symptoms are lying, cheating, living unclean, selfisness, etc.

That which Jesus promised has changed our lives. It's from God to teach, remind, and guide us. The Holy Spirit abides within us as we abide in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit keeps us in memory of the promises as it dwells within us. We are led spiritually through the good and not so god times in our lives by the H.S.

John is talking about how the Holy Spirit has rested on the children of God. Anointing is connected to the Holy Spirit because it is the power of God given to them. Anointing was the power given to O.T. followers. Under the new dispensation, Jesus has provided our helpmate: the Holy Spirit to give us power to fight the enemy in the present and in the future to come. Those who are Holy and do the work of the Lord. Those who operate in the dark loses the power of the paraclete.

This Antichrist is an emissary from below and whants to undermine Christian's faith and belief. The antichrists they are faced with are very different: (1)they are not the last and final one; (2) they are the ones who have come to establish a foothold in that metropolitan Christian community. We can go on-line, read many books,listen to the conversations around us. We can see the upheaval that's fouling the environment, children, schools, things in print, radio, televison, dysfunctional families: abuse, incest,immortality. and refusal of some to be attached to a Christian community.

Selfishness; bragging; lying; physical, sexual, mental abuse; hating; selfishness; stealing; backstabbing;and any characteristic that is unholy. We have a difficult time seeing ourselves as we are because we are so intent on our own interests. Concentrating on things of the world prevents us from living with God. We must stop doing as we please and concentrate on the things of Christ. When the trappings of the world falls away, the items we have cherished are gone. But, the love of God and His promises are what will last forever.

The love of the flesh, eyes, and the pride of life, is of the world and is the world. This carnal love can't exist with spiritual love. We should have agape love, unmerited love, love because God has told us to love our neighbor as ourself.

John encourages them to adhere to what they already knew about their salvation and redemption. Living contrary to what brought them into the light will put them back into the darkness. He tells he children, new in Christ, that their sins have been forgiven; he reminds and tells the fathers that their faith should be strong because they have known who redeemed them. The young men have grown stong in faith and that faith should continue to raise their faith. This comes because he knows the challenges they face.

Hate and unforgiveness blinds us because it removes us from God's forgiveness. It also takes us away from the spirit world because darkness can not exist together at the same time and in the same space. We can re-enter the light by acknowleging that the condition exists in us and we need God's forgiveness and mercy to bring us back to the light. when we don't forgive others we will not be forgiven.