Through fellowship with Jesus Christ we learn that He is like us in every respect, except He knew no sin. May learn to be more like Him as we commune with Him on a daily basis.
11-23-2017
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If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].
Through this bond with Christ we will find ourselves being more like Him. In fact the Word of God says that Jesus is like us in every respect {1} {Hebrews 2:14-18}:
Therefore, since [these His] children share in flesh and blood [the physical nature of mankind], He Himself in a similar manner also shared in the same [physical nature, but without sin], so that through [experiencing] death He might make powerless (ineffective, impotent) him who had the power of death—that is, the devil— and [that He] might free all those who through [the haunting] fear of death were held in slavery throughout their lives. For, as we all know, He (Christ) does not take hold of [the fallen] angels [to give them a helping hand], but He does take hold of [the fallen] descendants of Abraham [extending to them His hand of deliverance]. Therefore, it was essential that He had to be made like His brothers (mankind) in every respect, so that He might [by experience] become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things related to God, to make atonement (propitiation) for the people’s sins [thereby wiping away the sin, satisfying divine justice, and providing a way of reconciliation between God and mankind]. Because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted, He is able to help and provide immediate assistance to those who are being tempted and exposed to suffering.
We have fellowship with Christ in his love.
- What He loves we love.
- He loves the saints--so do we.
- He loves sinners--so do we.
- He loves the poor perishing race of man, and pants to see earth's deserts transformed into the garden of the Lord--so do we.
We have fellowship with Him in His desires.
- He desires the glory of God--we also labour for the same
- He desires that the saints may be with Him where He is--we desire to be with him there too.
- He desires to drive out sin--behold we fight under His banner.
- He desires that His Father's name may be loved and adored by all His creatures--we pray daily, "Let thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10
We have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings.
- We are not nailed to the cross, nor do we die a cruel death, but when he is reproached, we are reproached; and a very sweet thing it is to be blamed for his sake, to be despised for following the Master, to have the world against us.
- In our measure we commune with Him in his labours, ministering to men by the word of truth and by deeds of love.
- Our meat and our drink, like His, is to do the will of Him who hath sent us and to finish His work. John 4:34
We have also fellowship with Christ in his joys.
- We are happy in his happiness, we rejoice in his exaltation.
- Have you ever tasted that joy, believer?
- There is no purer or more thrilling delight to be known this side heaven than that of having Christ's joy fulfilled in us, that our joy may be full.
- His glory awaits us to complete our fellowship, for his Church shall sit with him upon his throne, as his well-beloved bride and queen.
{1} Found in Suzanne DeWitt Hall's new book Where True Love Is
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| Available on Amazon, here. |
Since we are writing about fellowship with our Lord, I would like to share an excerpt from Day 5 in Suzanne's awesome new book of Daily Devotionals.
Referring back to Hebrews 2:14-18:
"Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death. It’s obvious, of course, that he didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would be able to help where help was needed." {The Message Bible}
Did you catch that? Jesus is like us in every respect.If you do not have a copy of this wonderful heart changing book, I highly suggest you order a copy today, here. Suzanne has managed to capture the HEART of GOD to ALL HIS CREATION, including LGBTQI+ through sharing the TRUTH of GOD'S WORD.
Don't brush this sentence off casually. Let it SINK IN, deep to the CORE of WHO you are. God is like up in every respect. He is like the transgender woman who is worried she'll be murdered while walking to her car after work. He is like the broken-hearted gay man who can't attend the church of his childhood. He is like the bisexual intersex person who doesn't conform to gender norms and endures the snide looks and sniggers of strangers. He is like the these people just as much as the heterosexual man who is comfortable performing his gender in a way this society finds acceptable.
I want to say thank you and send out abundant love to Suzanne DeWitt Hall for sharing the heart of God through her new book, Where True Love Is An affirming devotional for LGBTQI+ individuals and their allies.
God Bless you all with a safe and joyous holiday weekend. Don't forget to enjoy the fellowship you have in Christ Jesus.
Blessings and Peace,
Rainbow Pastor David
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