If You want to start winning the war

You want to start winning the war,
you have to start engaging the enemy.
  The best weapon against hate, Love.
  Don’t attack someone because a lifestyle choice is sinful,
you are probably in sin too.
 Instead why not work together to seek out salvation
just like the scripture tells us to?

The church is not a building, the church is us
– and it reflects, or should reflect the mind of Christ
as we are his hands and feet here.

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Engaging the enemy

A a sold out, born again chaser of Christ write on his blog sheanwages:

You want to start winning the war, you have to start engaging the enemy.  The best weapon against hate, Love.  Don’t attack someone because a lifestyle choice is sinful, you are probably in sin too.  Instead why not work together to seek out salvation just like the scripture tells us to?  The church is not a building, the church is us – and it reflects, or should reflect the mind of Christ as we are his hands and feet here.

Christ Church in Newton, New Jersey, United States. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Continue reading:

And do everything with Love…

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Reflection for today: hating your brother

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

1 John 4:20, New International Version

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    "O how I love Jesus!" we sing. Jesus responds by asking how well we are doing with loving our brothers and sisters! We can't love Jesus nor God if we can't love those around us.

    Forgive me, dear Father, for the times I have harbored pettiness in my heart or been unforgiving to those who needed me to be gracious and merciful.
I recognize that when I am unloving to my brothers and sisters in Christ, I am unloving to you.
Please bless me as I work to reconcile some Christian relationships that have not gone well recently. Help these mended friendships to bring glory to you and vitality to your church. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

After Phil Ware.

Dutch translation / Nederlandse vertaling > Christelijke Overdenking: Zijn broeder haten

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2013 update:

 

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When we love we do not need laws

If everyone would keep God's laws and would keep to love,
we would not to have civil laws who should remind us what we can and can not.
If we love God we know how we should live in harmony.
Where love has entered, there is no law necessary to focus.
- Marcus Ampe

We too often love things and use people
when we should be using things and loving people.
- Author Unknown

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

The first duty of love is to listen.
- Paul Tillich

“Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:”
Proverbs 3:3

“Hatred stirreth up strifes; But love covereth all transgressions.”
Proverbs 10:12

“Do they not err that devise evil? But mercy and truth [shall be to] them that devise good.”
Proverbs 14:22

God I am grateful for the love you give me
I ask You that I shall be able to give much love to others.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Wanneeer wij liefhebben is er geen nood aan wetten
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2013 update:
 

English: Dr. Martin Luther King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington in Washington, D.C., on 28 August 1963. Español: Dr. Martin Luther King dando su discurso "Yo tengo un sueño" durante la Marcha sobre Washington por el trabajo y la libertad en Washington, D.C., 28 de agosto de 1963. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Please do also find:

1. יהוה , YHWH and Love: Four-letter words
2. Feeling-good, search for hapiness and the church
3. Breathing and growing with no heir
4. Loving the Word
5. Thirst for happiness and meaning
6. How shall the film of your life be?
7. Experiencing God 
8. What is Love 
9. Got an Empty Love-Tank 
10. Enduring Love 
11. Unconditional love 
12. The one who has not had a taste of love 
13. Unarmed truth and unconditional love
14. Love will cure more sins than condemnation
15. The Greatest of These is Love 1 Corinthians 13
16. Love and cultivate that which is pure 
17. More-Letter-Words
18. People don’t hunt out “loopholes” when they are seeking to love God and neighbours

 

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When discouraged facing opposition

It can be easy to become discouraged when facing opposition in our ministry. Here are a couple of things which can help:

Knowing that the opposition we may face in relation to sharing Bible truths means that we are on the right track:
"You will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my [Jesus'] name; but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved." (Matthew 10:22)
"If they have persecuted me [Jesus], they will persecute you also." (John 15:20)

Jesus and many other faithful ones of Jehovah have suffered far worse than mere harsh words. But when you think of it, what can Man do to us?

"And do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Ge·henìna." (Mt. 10:28)
"Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them. Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens." (Matthew 5:10-12)


What moves one to share Bible truths? Someone once said, "Preaching merely out of obligation becomes burdensome in time." If our motivation is the natural desire to share the wonderful, life-saving knowledge that we have learned with others, then it doesn't become burdensome at all.  Love for God is a primary reason why we share in the ministry, and truly being like Jesus includes being moved by compassion to preach and teach. (Matthew 22:37-39) Jesus' loving compassion for people was a key motivation for his sharing the good news with them:
^"Well, on getting out, he saw a great crowd, but he was moved with pity for them, because they were as sheep without a shepherd. And he started to teach them many things." (Mark 6:34)
"But the crowds, getting to know it, followed him. And he received them kindly and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those needing a cure." (Luke 9:11)
"This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3) 
Here are some scriptures that have helped me with discouragement in the past:

"Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let YOUR petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that excels all thought will guard YOUR hearts and YOUR mental powers by means of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6,7)
"Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding. In all your ways take notice of him, and he himself will make your paths straight." (Prov. 3:5,6)

"Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself, and he himself will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one to totter." (Psalm 55:22)
"Those who are hoping in Jehovah will regain power." (Isaiah 40:31)

For those who make other choices

“If you were from the world of humankind, the world of humankind would certainly have affection for their own. But, because you are not from the world of humankind–but rather I chose you [apostles] out of the world of humankind–for this reason the world of humankind continues to hate all of you.” (Joh 15:19 MHM)

 “For a certainty the time is coming when they will no longer tolerate healthy teaching, but instead they will appoint their own teachers to suit their fancy and to tickle their ears. They will turn away for sure from listening to the Truth, and instead they will turn aside to myths. As for you, [Timothy], always be sober-minded in everything–be willing to suffer difficulties, do the work of an evangelist, completely fulfill your ministry.” (2Ti 4:3-5 MHM)

 “And now because you do not continue running with them in their headlong rush into a licentious course, they think you the strange ones and speak abusively of you.” (1Pe 4:4 MHM)

Dutch version / Nederlands > Voor hen die andere keuzes maken

Not belittling my soul

"I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him."
- Booker T. Washington

"Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions."
Proverbs 10:12

God, give that I even can love my enemies.

Dutch version / Nederlands > De ziel niet kleineren