Sent Words

  1 peter 3:8  Finally, be ye  all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be  pitiful , be  courteous:   Compassion is a compound word that consists of mercy and grace. It is a deeper dimension of love that goes from showing kindness to people for your sake to showing kindness to people for their sake. It is one thing to show kindness to someone because it is convenient or you have the capacity to do so, it is another thing to go out out your way to to reach out to someone FOR THEM; now that's compassion. It is being pitifully kind, and 'the-other-person' oriented. It takes compassion to be able to genuinely forgive or administer healing to someone. This is because it shifts away from doing it for your conscience sake to doing it to and for the other person with the understanding that they can not help themselves. When you forgive a person who wrongs you from the understanding that they are 'blind' and need help ...

  Hebrews 12: 14  "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"   At the thought of 'unfriendly people', the first set of image that comes to mind are usually people who are hostile to you, don't like a thing or two about you, can't stand you or just don't relate at all with others in a friendly manner. However, this goes beyond the surface to include those who do not necessarily share the same belief or values system with you; those with the same belief but varied opinion, those who pretend to be friends with you but plot against you, or those who are out-rightly  without ( col 4:5)   and persecute you...etc. The list goes on : all [kinds of] men ; and the opening scripture said to follow peace with them all!  This a rather disturbing instruction, as it could be a bit tasking to constantly keep up peace with someone who clearly do not want peace with you. But here is why it is important: readin...

  John 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 ".   Evangelism, which is sharing the good news of Christ, is largely seen as a difficult or tedious task because of the lack of or inadequate understanding behind it; owing to the thought that you are the one doing the job yourself or a church obligation that should be fulfilled.  However, the above scripture (and particularly the 'that' in red emphasis), should be able to set your heart at rest on whose job evangelism is. So reading the above scripture again with this understanding, and bearing in mind that this is Jesus Christ speaking, it would sound like this : " Ye have not chosen me, but [on the contrary] I have chosen you, and ordained you,  [so] that  ye should go [in my name/on my behalf] and brin...