Making Disciples of His Word

Let's pretend for a moment that I am a contractor. The company that I am working for is proud to present the biggest building project this world has ever seen. Because of this enormous responsibility I am going to need all hands on deck. Thus, in light of this grand event I have created literally thousands of jobs and have successfully filled them all with able working men.

However, there is a catch. What if I told all of these men to construct this skyscraper and be a part of something great, yet I withheld all tools necessary for them to not only complete the work, but to even start it? What if I picked up my megaphone and spoke to them all, telling them that "it needs to be completed by such and such a time, but I am not giving you any tools, wood, metal, or really anything to build with?"

This reminds me a lot of this nation's history. Several centuries ago in American history when the Roman Catholics ruled the religious system, they had declared it to be illegal for the "average joe" to read the Bible. This religious group had felt it to be a sin in translating the Scriptures into the English language even though they had apparently "forgotten" that the Word of God had already been translated from Greek into Latin over a millenia before.

Were they right in withholding this holy book from the average person? Absolutely not! They were withholding the tools and the means necessary to accomplish the greatest work of all time from the very people whom God had placed in position to see it to completion. The priests were spending their lives trying to disarm the armies of God, but they could not. There are now hundreds of English translations that are easily accessible to even the poorest of the poor.

With all that said I am now aiming to cut straight to the point. So often as we use these Christian terms and talk about "making disciples" it can become easy for us to forget who's disciples we are making. It can be easy for us to desire to teach each other things, even good and Scriptural things, yet we can fail at getting them to look to Christ in His Word for the answers.

Don't get me wrong. God has gifted the church with men and women whom He has appointed by His divine decree to teach and maintain the truth; however, so often I find that we have questions, and instead of coming to His Word and asking the only One who truly has the right and full answer, we have a natural tendency to run to mere men all of the time. Thus, instead of making disciples of Christ through His Word, we are making ourselves disciples of a mortal.

One of the reasons I do not like commentaries is because my natural response when I have a question about a verse is to run to them. Instead of just getting my hands dirty and studying the Bible like a lion devouring its prey, I tend to take the easy way out. This can be the same with teachers. So often I believe that we as Christians (myself included) have become weak in the Scriptures because instead of seeking the Lord desperately in prayer and putting effort into finding the answer through God's Word, we have the ability to google search an answer to any question we might have. This can be and has been used as a curse by the enemy to make us both lazy and less efficient.

Many of you are aware of my great respect for men such as John Piper, David Platt, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, Charles Ryrie, etc. But if I simply follow them for answers to God's Word, then I am not a disciple learning from God, but one learning from mortal men. Thus, as a result, my level of influence will be smaller than theirs was because no matter how much they try, they cannot give me everything they have learned and gained through intense study and incredible devotion to God. The picture below reveals this concept and shows what discipleship will be like if it is just from man to man.

The above graphic shows the concept of a disciple taking as much as he can from the preacher and allowing someone else to do the same with him and so on and so forth. If discipleship like this continues, then each one's influence will become smaller and smaller and eventually become non-existent. However, if we are truly discipling each other the way Jesus did, then we will be pointing each one back to His Word.

The image below is the correct way in that it reveals to us that if we are pointing each other back to God's Word, then disciple #1, #2, or #3 can all have an immense level of influence because all answers lie within the pages of Scripture. Thus, their circles do not get smaller, but because they are each eating from the same source, they can all be full grown disciples of Christ and thus have greater potential!

 



So let me ask you...whom are you making disciples of? Him? You? Or a teacher and his commentary?

 

NOTE: Before you can make disciples, you must first be one.

The Camouflaged Christian

How many of us when we first became a Christian knew that we were signing up for war? For I do not want you to be unaware Christian, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12

We read about wars in our history books all of the time, but none of them can compare to the war that we are fighting. In this war we do not only face what is seen, but more so we fight that which is unseen.

Will we succeed?

Yes, but why will we triumph?

Because Christ Has already attained victory on our behalf! Now He calls each one of us to never surrender but instead commands us to stand firm (vs. 11). This "standing firm" is a military stance. It shows us that we already hold the strategic ground.

This is not some unanswerable question like "what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?" I am here to inform you right now that if you are in Christ, then you are a new creation of unstoppable and immovable proportions and you are to always have an expectation of victory because you are not in this fight alone, but the God who made all things out of nothing is silencing the enemy on your behalf.

The world is against us, but the world is only a pawn in the hand of Satan. They can do nothing outside of God's allowance, but the only thing they crave for is what their master, the Devil, has given them to do because he has put wickedness in the hearts of men.

As Christians we are the light of the world. It is through us that God is bringing hope to the nations, yet so often we are camouflaging ourselves so that the world cannot see us for who we really are. Why are we not taking up the full armor of God? Why are we not exercising our full potential?

The main character on the new show "Duck Dynasty" recently made some anatomical logicality's and Biblically sound statements concerning homosexuality. The network that films the show suspended this man from having anything to do with the TV series. However, when faced with mass disagreement for their unwise choice, they caved and restored him to his rightful place because most of their audience believes that homosexuality is wrong.

A&E may have brought Phil Robertson back on the big screen, but a day is coming when not only will they refuse to give in, but our government will be actively involved in leading and ordering the mass persecution and death sentence of all who profess the name of Jesus Christ. That day is not far from this day. In the days ahead we will begin to see our brothers and sisters rot away in a prison cell for standing for what is right.

Will we stand firm in that day? Will we "take off the camo and put on the armor?" As Pastor Jim Creath from Compass Ministries put it this morning in his sermon at church. I dare say that we must start now or we will never start. If we do not speak up and do something now, then before we know it we will have lost all of our freedom in this nation.

Pastor Jim Creath showed us this acronym for the word C.A.M.O as he opened up God's Word for us:

C - Christians (followers of Christ, little Christs)
A - Among
M - Men
O - Openly

He finished with one last statement as he shared the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, "We say this all of the time that 'God hates the sin, but loves the sinner.' To a point this is true, but who will go to hell? The sin or the sinner? The answer is the sinner!"

If we want to be used by God to win souls for Christ, then we must put on and keep on His full armor that He has given to us. Jesus said that the world will hate those who are not its own. We cannot change that, but we must remember that though Christians and non-Christians are not on the same side, we do have the same enemy and he is actively seeking to destroy us. Do not give him opportunity, but shine where God has planted you!

Jesus Christ: The Source of All Things

“He is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

(Colossians 1:15-17 NASB).

If Christ were naught, then there would be naught. What this means is that if Jesus Christ was a nonexistent meaningless nothing, then there would be absolutely nothing and nobody would ever know it.

Before we really get into talking about Christ being the source of everything, we must first look beyond the temporary and created order of things and focus our attention on the One whom is eternal and has no beginning. Our God exists eternally in a triune state of being. He is three yet He is one. If any one of these select persons were taken out of the way, then there would be no God; thus if Jesus Christ had been nonexistent for all of eternity then there would be no one with the ability of bringing Him into being for two reasons:

1. There would be no possible way to create an infinite God.
2. There would be no God at all to somehow create another.

The point is that Jesus not only holds together and is the source of all the created order, but He is also one of the three in the Godhead who is sustaining the eternal God (Himself). Without Christ there would be neither Father nor Holy Spirit, and vice versa. Jesus Christ is the source of all things because “in Him all things hold together.” If there was no Him, then there would be no “all things” and nothing would be held together because nothing would be “in Him” and thus nothing would be. Nothing exists that is not sustained by Jesus Christ, and if He is not sustained Himself by Himself, then there would be no possibility for anything to exist, even God Himself, because there is no divine sustenance being the source and the strength of all things.

When we say Christ is our source of everything, what we are really meaning is that apart from Him there is nothing. This statement is true in both the eternal and the temporal. The eternal we have already seen and the temporal we will now look at. The only reason we have life is because He had it first. Think about it: None of us have created anything out of nothing. We as human beings do not and will never have the ability of speaking things into existence. Even if we could, however, what would be sustaining that thing? You see, it is not merely enough to just be able to speak something into existence out of absolutely nothing, but God demonstrates His power in actually keeping that which He spoke and holds it there in order that it may continue to exist.

The reason why we as humans will never be capable of creating from nothing is because we ourselves are being sustained by God. We do not sustain anything and because of this we will never be the ultimate source of anything. In order to create something out of nothing, that same one must first be sustaining Himself as ultimately supreme having no need for any other. Second, they must not just be sustaining themselves, but they must be capable of holding other things together even if it is for a moment. We can do none of these things, yet God can and does them all so perfectly.

It is interesting when you look at Christ coming down to earth and placing Himself in a somewhat limited estate in the sense of Him choosing not to exercise certain key attributes to their fullest extent. In imagining Him as a man and even as a baby and a child, it blows my mind that even while Christ was lying in the manger asleep on the hey, He never broke a sweat as He Himself held together the full universe and all of its splendor. Not only this, but He was fully working with the Father and the Spirit in divinely sustaining the eternal God while sleeping in His birth mothers arms.

This is because the life of the universe was not based on His baby hand-like grip. The life of the universe, every beating heart, and all that exists is in Him. Paul uses four different terms in explaining the fullest effect of His being the source. Not only was the universe created by Him, but it was also created for Him and through Him. He is the source of all things and not only this, but all things are actually said to be in Him. They are in His reach and in His power and in His grasp. Everything in all of creation, whether saved or unsaved, corrupted or uncorrupted, all things are held together literally in God! Nothing can exist outside of the Godhead and thus all things are sourced in Christ!

 

My Dream of the New Man

For the past few days I have been soaking myself in praying to God that His truths would become a reality in my life. I have been meditating upon the verse in 1 John 2:1 as it reads, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin."

Within this book, John lays out for us two types of sin:

1. The sin of ignorance.
2. The willful sin of disobedience.

The willful sin is when we come to a fork in the road and we know very clearly what is right and what is in fact wrong, and we choose the wrong. This would result in quenching the Holy Spirit and causing Him to grieve. This type of sin places a hindrance and a separation upon our fellowship with God.

The sin of ignorance, however, is a type of sin in which I don't know that I have. One of my teachers here at Bible School uses the analogy of him walking with God and also pulling a wagon behind him full of poop. As he walks with God, the Holy Spirit will continue to shine light upon the different areas of poop in that wagon. As soon as the Lord illuminates his understanding and reveals those areas to him, he is now responsible to yield himself to God by agreeing that that which is in the wagon is poop and doesn't belong there. Immediately he will begin, by God's grace, shoveling out the poop and thus he will continue to walk with God.

- (Analogy by Thomas Freeman, read more at http://tfreeman.org/blog/).

The unknown sin does not damage or hinder any part of our fellowship with God unless we refuse to confess and turn from it when we are made aware. However, in chapter two verse one of John's letter, he is writing concerning willful sin. He tells us as believers' in Jesus Christ that we are to walk in such a way as to never again in all of this life set ourselves in sin.

I must admit, this is a convicting verse for me. It pierces my heart as I read it and meditate upon it and pray for it to be true concerning my life. For how often do I find myself in a state of rebellion merely because I like it? I won't try to make excuses nor will I attempt to place the blame upon anyone or anything else. When I sin it is because I made the willful choice and thus I am held responsible.

As a human being with a sin cursed nature I am prone to go my own way. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus that He has saved me and has made me a new man in His righteous image making it possible to walk in the light as He has given me everything I need pertaining to life and godliness. So now that you have the background information of what I have been thinking of lately, below is my dream that I awoke from on November 6, 2013.

My Dream

It was bright and early. The sun was rising and I was consciously looking for Christ's tomb. I had a desire to see His resurrection take place and as I was wandering around in a field for awhile I eventually found myself come upon a farm. I knew I had to be close so I made my way up to the farm house and found the farmer walking down to meet me.

I asked the farmer where I could find this tomb in which I had heard so much about. He gave me no answer, yet only lifted up his finger and pointed me in the right direction. I followed the path that he set me on and made my way just over the hill. The sun had not quite made over the slope yet, thus still making the light very dim.

As I came to the tomb, I noticed that the rock had been moved away from the entrance. Immediately I saw this beaming ray of glorious light piercing through the dawn. My Savior walked out in unfathomable light, yet when He did I wasn't allowed to see Him yet in all of His splendor. Thus at the moment that He came forth, the camera view of my dream quickly turned to me looking at Him.

However, interestingly I noticed that there was another light coming out of the tomb. As I fixed my eyes on the individual to see whom it could be I was left in confusion. That second light that rose from that tomb after my Savior was me. I watched this new me come forth in the light and immediately the old me was thrown into the tomb and left there to rot.

In the perspective of my old self, I was fully conscious yet I was unable to move. I could see, think and talk yet I was inactive and immobile. As I could feel my flesh rotting away, I knew that there was coming a day in which me (my old self) would no longer be in existence. The last thing me as the old man saw was my new man walking with Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Read Romans chapter six. For us who are in Christ, we have died with Christ. Literally died! Our old man has been crucified and is hanging on the cross in complete immobilization. Sin has absolutely no power over us and not only have we died with Christ, but we were also buried with Him. And not only that, but we were raised to life with Him. As believers' we are alive to God and we are commanded in this chapter to consider this an absolute fact of God's word and to live now in light of this truth.

Let us not harden our hearts this day, but let us walk in victory. Christ is already victorious in all things past, present and future, therefore, I pray that God will teach us to live in light of that victory that He has already accomplished on our behalf and that we will learn to appropriate all that we have in Christ. Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Philippians 1:3

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,"

How much of our prayers are focused on ourselves? Can we be honest and say that we pray for other people on a regular basis? And with that can we be honest and say that we are thanking God continually for those people?

 

This is something that I am still learning within my own life. I have a list of individuals that I desire to pray for and thank God for every day, but I admit that some days I find myself lacking in this area. Even still, a lot of the time when I do bring them before the Lord I quickly see myself jumping to asking God to reveal to them the sin in their life that I can see so clearly.

While this is not necessarily a bad thing, how many times do I just simply thank the Lord for putting those people into my life as a blessing? This is a challenge that I put before each one of us, that we would give thanks for the people in our lives. I pray that I will see them as more than just a human, but as a person that is made in the image of God and that in all my remembrance of them, meaning every time I pray for them, that I will thank my God in heaven.

Notice that Paul says "my God." This word "my" brings in for us a very personal outlook. Paul here is doing two things:

• First, he is showing us that God is a very personal God. God is not just the Ruler of the universe that we must fear and obey. He is much more than that. God is intimately involved in each of our lives. He knows each one of us better than we know ourselves. Out of every individual that has, is and will ever live God knows us personally and desires us to share in that personal union with Him.

• Second, he is setting an example for us to follow. We are to treat this as fact and live every day of our lives knowing and understanding and comprehending and acknowledging that God is intimately acquainted with each one of us, whether we like it or not. However, Paul wants us to enjoy this and be filled with thanksgiving because God meets us where we are at and relates to us on an individual level.

Look at the wording that Paul uses. What is this remembrance that he is talking about? I believe it is more than just prayer, although he does go on to talk about his praying for them, yet I believe he is thanking God for them every time he remembers them. In his thought process it seems that even in times when they just pop into his mind for a split second and in those times when he is actually praying and having longer lasting thoughts for them, he can't express the thankfulness of his heart enough.

Notice the whole of the verse. What else is he thanking God for? He is thanking God for the work He has done in Philippi. Paul doesn't take any credit for what God has and is doing. What a humble attitude of giving it all to the Lord. Truly we are to renew our minds and our entire thought process is to be God Himself.

1.      Do you thank God for the people He has placed in your life every time you remember them?

2.      Do we humble ourselves and give God the credit for the work He has done through the ministry that He has given unto us?

3.      Even if you have a rough relationship with someone, or for some reason they are hard to love, do you still thank God for that person every time you think of them? If not, then according to God's Word something is wrong in your life.

     
I can almost guarantee that not every single one of these believers were best friends with Paul or that even Paul had the same amount of happiness for each person. We as natural people show different levels of ourselves to different people. It would be absurd to think that everything was just peachy.

These were normal men and women who struggled with normal sin problems. Paul had a fleshly nature just like us, but he realized that even if he didn't always get along with someone they were still a gift from God to him in order to further his growth in the Lord.

Philippians 1:2

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

What does grace mean? It means undeserved kindness; unmerited favor; and true grace is un-coerced. It seems strange that Paul would write something like this because if you think about it, how can a sinful man that is completely separated from God ever even understand the grace of God...let alone give it to another sinful man who doesn't deserve it either? It is because these aren't sinful men anymore. Paul made it very clear in verse one that these individuals to whom he is writing to are saints in the Lord Jesus.

Notice what is happening with this grace. It is being poured out. It is being thrust toward. But where is it going and from where is it coming from? Paul goes on to answer these questions and actually declares that the only possible source that true fulfilling grace can come from is from God Himself. What we see here in this verse is that God is continually lavishing His grace upon these believers, who are in fact saints in His beautiful Son.

Are the saints in Philippi just going to read this letter one time and then never look at it again? I seriously doubt it and that is the same for us. I have read the book of Philippians many times and every time I read through this verse I am continually reminded of the grace that God is showing me every step of the way through all circumstances of my life and every moment of every day.

 

The very fact that I am breathing right here right now is only by the grace of God. Every happy moment, time of suffering, hurt that I feel and even death is all a result of His loving hand upon my life and it is His grace that will continue to be granted to me as I remain here in this world.

NOTE: As we continue through this study in the book of Philippians, I want you to notice the word order of every verse and see how the verses continue to build upon each other throughout this epistle.

Before you can have peace with God you need His grace. Paul understands that grace always precedes peace in every instance. And Paul gives the only logical source of where this grace and peace can be found and that is from God and in Christ Jesus alone.

Grace expresses more of the character of God than any other word ever spoken. Can you imagine if we had never jumped into sin? We would have never been able to understand the grace of God to the extent that we do. Even in our sin, as dark as it is, God can take our rebellious nature and use it to bring about something good for His glory.

Grace refers to the act of God in extending blessing to man based on the cross of Christ. Paul uses this word in every single letter and when he begins his epistles, "peace" is always second after grace. Peace is always the result of grace that is received.

Where else can you find true fulfilling grace and peace? Nowhere! God's grace and God's peace is the best kind and it is the longest lasting. The book of Ephesians actually tells us that Christ Himself is our peace (Eph. 2:14).

True peace comes only from the Godhead. What we see throughout history is that the nations of the world are always in conflict. They try and give each other a big slap in the face and then they try and make peace, yet it never lasts. There is always an end goal of one or both of the parties wanting to eventually take full control. 

 

This is why wars are rampant. So many times we try to find peace by any other means. We waste our lives looking in so many places, but if we never put our eyes on Jesus, then we will never find it. The point is that if Christ is not in it from the start, then there never was peace to begin with. Also saying that true godly peace, once it begins, never ends.

     
Notice that so far Paul has mentioned Jesus three times, thus showing the true meaning of this epistle and declaring the preeminence of our Lord. He has mentioned the Father once and he hasn't mentioned the Holy Spirit at all, however, without the working of the Spirit this letter would never have made it into print.

Divine Sustenance in Exercising Judgment

Colossians 1:16-17 says, "For by Him [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him [Jesus] and for Him [Jesus]. He [Jesus] is before all things, and in Him [Jesus] all things hold together."

This key word "all" is mentioned four separate times within these two verses and has the idea of the total value. All means all, and that's all, all means! It is all-inclusive. It represents the whole amount. There is nothing existing, besides God, which is outside of this meaning. In fact, the only thing that is not made out of anything would be God Himself, because He is not an invention.

Now let me ask you the question, what is held together by God? Everything! This includes the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, even their hosts'. In all reality, even in discussing the very nature of God, I personally believe that from a logical conclusion it would be utterly inconceivable, improbable, and absolutely impossible for God to have ever in all of eternity create an object in which He was not sustaining and holding together its very existence.

I know what you are probably thinking, however, in no way does this belief limit God. In actual terms it brings the highest glory to God because the focus is not on something He can't do. The emphasis is on His greatness and full supremacy in holding together what He has made. By His very nature God is the only self-sustaining being in existence. Everything else is held in His hand.

Throughout scripture we find many things that God cannot do, however, they are always character issues. God in very essence of nature cannot create someone higher than or equal to Him. He cannot lie nor can He tempt. He also, by no means, can create something that sustains itself.

For the very existence of a product proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that something or someone is sustaining and maintaining it. If there was to be such an item that was not held together by the sovereign hand of the Most High God, then this particular device would have no time nor place to run to because it would flee itself into nothingness faster than the twinkling of an eye.

A thought came across my mind the other day. I began having an image of the Noahic Flood. As this was an incredible judgment, I began trying to imagine God working up and moving in such a way that His power was causing the floodgates of heaven to rain upon the earth and destroy it. I immediately thought to myself that God doesn't have to work up or put forth any effort to bring chaos into creation. All He has to do is simply loosen His grasp on holding it together. If He removes His sustaining hand, then you and I are done for.

However, there is also another way He can exercise wrath and that is upon the unbelieving. He can, as we just talked about, remove His hand, or He can grab ahold of you fiercely and directly by His hand and push wrath upon you while sustaining you to live through the pain (Hell).

The human soul was created and formed by God. We were made in His image. Therefore, as humans we will never in all of eternity cease to exist. Some will inherit eternal life and live forever with God, while many will perish into everlasting destruction. So which group of people is being held together by God? The answer is "yes!" For all of eternity, whether you spend it in heaven or hell, God will be sustaining you through that.

Can you imagine the sinner in hell having divine assistance? However, this God-given assistance is only there in order that the sinner will justly pay for his crimes forever. If God would let the sinner out of His hand and refused to sustain him, then the wicked would be in fact burned up in the wrath of Almighty God and would in fact become an object of nonexistence.

Therefore, what we see from Scripture is that there are two forms of divine judgment that God has and will distribute:

1. God can simply remove His sustaining hand and let go of the object, thus making it cease to exist (Revelation 20:11) and/or slightly loosen His grip in that as it is still within His control, it is despairing and imploding upon itself.
2. God can also hold the object in a tight squeeze not allowing for them to ever have the opportunity to break loose and at the same time He is actively pouring wrath upon them in furious anger (This is His dealings with the sinner in hell).

Should we dress nice for church?

Within our culture, there is a growing trend about how one should dress themselves at church. Many will say that "God is more concerned with the heart than He is with the appearance." This statement is true, however, let's think this through.

Imagine you meet the girl/guy of your dreams. The two of you end up dating and your feelings for one another grow deeper and stronger as the days go by. Boyfriend will propose to girlfriend because he has a desire to spend the rest of his life with her. Truth is that you have already had many talks about getting married and a few months later that will become a reality.

How will you dress on that day? You will not dress like a slob to your wedding and in most cases neither will you dress casual. The culture for weddings is still to dress your best. The amazing thing is that you will never find a couple on their wedding day that is more focused on what they are wearing than on their spouse to be. Instead of dressing nice simply out of duty and having the feeling of "I have to," deep in their heart is a burning fire that wants to please their mate and they say "I get to."

Many will pay money that they don't have simply to impress the other person. They will go out of their way to make it a special day that they will never forget and out of love and respect for their soon to be spouse they will aim for the very best.

Now I am sure that most of you know where I am going with this. I think it is interesting to note that in the book of Revelation, the church at Ephesus had all of its doctrine spot on. They knew the ins and outs. They knew 1 Samuel 16:7 which talks about how God measures the heart. They knew all of these things, yet they had lost their first love (Revelation 2:4).

They had split the hairs of doctrine so well that they had it all right, yet that became their focus and instead of being consumed with God they were obsessed with just knowing about God. Earlier in this church's life, they would have gone out of their way in order to present their best before Jehovah God, yet the stages of life came in and they began taking God for granted.

Has our attitude about this subject caused us to lose our first love? Our relationship with God is about the heart, but just as a woman craves for her husband to love her, she also desires him to continually go out of his way to impress her, do things for her, and prove his love by showing in action that he wants to give her the very best.

Where is that "love" within the church? In my own heart I have seen myself try to make excuses. I rationalize it by telling myself that I am always in the presence of God, therefore I can't always look my best. If you are a believer in Christ, then it is true that you are inseparably linked with God, however, whether you and I want to except it or not there is a difference.

Our culture has chosen for there to be a specific day out of the week that we come together as a body of believers and worship our God. Why do we dress our best for a mortal girl or a mortal guy, yet refuse to honor the Immortal God by the way we dress? I say this in love so please show me grace, but if you and I dress ourselves the best for a mere human rather than for God, then it is possible that we have become man-pleasing idolaters!

God wants our love for Him to be greater than that of a man and a woman on their wedding day and He doesn't want that to end. He desires that our wedding day love for Him will continue throughout the remainder of our lives and on into eternity.

However, the same concept goes with the fact that if somebody does come to church in jeans or shorts and a T-shirt, then we are not to judge. God does measure the heart. All I am saying is that I believe we should out of love and reverence for our great God and Savior give Him the very best because that is what He deserves. None of us know the heart of another, yet each of us is to glorify God in the highest!

In conclusion, remember that everybody's "best" will be different. Not everybody will be the same, however, each and every one of us is to fully submit ourselves to the Father's will, both internal and external.

Dressing your best is not at all a way to somehow earn God's acceptance because you can never earn it. If you are a believer, then you already have God's full acceptance. Now as believers' in the risen Christ, let us work from that acceptance enjoying God and glorifying Him forever.

"...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

What Should I Personally Expect

I awoke from a dream at 4:06 am this morning. In all honesty, I can't even begin to articulate in words what I saw. A story cannot be written for what I beheld and no other human would be able to understand or grasp it because the meaning was for me.

The basic message was that as I seek to enter into the mission among indigenous people groups hoping to be a Bible translator and teacher, I am going to find myself in continual embarrassment. So often my pride is giving me this false idea that I am going to be some sort of hero for the mission, yet in all reality that is probably the farthest thing from the truth.

There will be things happen to me that I have never expected nor have I prepared for. Discomfort and confusion are mine for the taking. God will beat on my pride and continue to break me in many areas.

There were many horrible things in which I was shown that I can see would truly have opportunity to destroy me. There will be times when I just break down and cry and everyone around me will wonder why I don't just go back to the states. The people that God sent me to reach will think I am worthless, thus they will discourage me and make it evident that I need to leave.

On top of not being wanted by the tribe, the missionaries who are with me will be in hearty agreement with the people. They will see my weaknesses, which are many, and think that I am foolish for staying. Yet even in this I will stay in order that I may win them to Christ.

I do not plan on going into missions seeking a comfortable life, because it isn't there to be found. The life of one who desires to serve and be used by God involves persecution, suffering, and death. Jesus said that if we truly want to follow Him, then we will be hated. We will be martyred. We will be persecuted, put on trial, and earn the right to die. In the world's eyes there is no good that can come out of following Christ, however, God sees it as the best thing you must do!

I will go, not to find comfort, but to glorify God because Jesus Christ is worthy! All worship belongs to Him alone and it is His desire that has been placed in my heart to see every tribe, and tongue, and nation worshipping God Most High around the throne.

I will stay because that is where He has me. The enemy will try and play god by telling me a false will for my life. It is possible that Satan will use even the missionaries on my team to discourage me and tell me to leave. It will seem to be clear evidence that I should go, however, by God's grace, I will not be ignorant of the Devil's schemes.

I will pray more than ever because overseas God will be my only friend and my only true source of encouragement. It is true that there will be individuals praying for me everyday, yet they will still be 7,000 miles away.

Me in missions is and always will be foolishness to everyone who knows me, yet this I know, that His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is perfected and magnified in my weakness. In the end God will show that my life in Him was truly an indispensable part of the body of Christ and on that great and glorious day I will stand unashamed and hear those precious words, "Well done, My good and faithful servant!"

I am not saying that my life will turn out exactly this way, but this was the dream I had. So in all of this, what should I personally expect? I expect and trust that God will be faithful as always no matter what comes about!

Philippians 1:1

"Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:"

Most of us will consider the apostle Paul to be the greatest missionary to have ever lived. Being the writer of half the New Testament, taught directly by Jesus Christ, established more churches than anyone else on record and as far as we know suffered more than any other person in history for the sake of Christ. In fact, God used Paul to even lead Timothy to the Lord Jesus.

Timothy became highly involved in Paul's ministry and was also leading a church, yet both of these great men still recognized one thing: servant-hood. Nowhere in this epistle will you find either one of them boasting in what they have accomplished because they do not put their trust in themselves, but in the Lord Jesus Christ. From the very first verse, this epistle makes that emphatically clear by declaring that they are themselves, bond-servants of Christ Jesus.

According to man's terms these two individuals have a reason to boast, but not before God. So they do not exalt themselves, but they lift up their God. Notice these two very different individuals:

1.       Paul was quite a bit older than Timothy and was a Jew. He attended a Jewish based Old Testament strong school thus being founded in Jewish thought. Paul was also an apostle and had the gospel directly taught to him by the Lord Jesus Himself.

2.       Timothy was younger than Paul and was a Greek. Thus his background would have placed him growing up through a Greek school obtaining a difference in thinking. He was not taught directly by the Lord Jesus and it is likely that Timothy never even saw the Lord Jesus throughout any portion of his life. Timothy was not an apostle, but an evangelist.

Thus we have two people who are completely different, yet they are tied together by one thing: Christ Jesus! This word for "bond-servant" is a type of voluntary surrender. It is surrender of volition; of choice. They don't just "know" that Christ is their Master; they understand and obey Him living the life proving that He is their Master. Jesus has the authority over all of who they are. Every word, every thought and every action is all expressed in their obedience to Christ.

Notice that this was a past tense decision. Also notice that it is a continual present tense decision as well. They did not and they do not give Christ a portion of their lives nor do they give Christ a place in their hearts, but they willingly surrender the entirety of their being. They made this choice to follow Christ long ago, yet every day is a new day to voluntarily submit to Christ as your authority.

This word for servant also describes more than just a new believer; it is more even than a growing Christian; it is referring to a disciple of the one true God. Not just a disciple, however, but the implications go much further than even a disciple maker. They are disciples of Christ who are in turn making disciples of Christ who in turn will and are making disciples of Christ. It describes a very mature level, yet as we can see they are still not done. There is and always will be room for growth.

1.      Have I willingly surrendered all of me to all of Him?

2.      Every day am I continually submitting myself to His authority and making Him Pre-eminent over my life?

3.      In everything that I say, what do I talk about the most? Do I speak of Christ more than anything else? If not, then what is wrong?

4.      Am I continually embracing His life?

Notice it is at the very beginning of the letter that Christ is made Pre-eminent! From reading the verse you can easily tell that these guys are excited to speak about Christ and it is obvious that His name overjoys them.

From this verse alone we learn the answers to these three questions:

1.       Who wrote the letter? Answer: Paul

2.       Who is with Paul as he is writing the letter? Answer: Timothy

3.       Who was this letter directly written to? Answer: All the saints in Philippi

We must be careful to not just quickly assume that Timothy brought the letter to the saints in Philippi. As we survey this book verse by verse it can kind of seem like that at first glance, but when we reach chapter two we will find that Epaphroditus is actually the carrier of this letter and is the one who delivered it to the Philippian believers (2:19-30). Notice in those verses Timothy hasn't been sent yet at the time these saints would be reading the epistle, but Epaphroditus has.

Notice that he is writing to all the saints who are in Philippi. The word "saint" means "holy one". He doesn't say "to the church" thus making it singular, but he says, "to all the saints" likely meaning there are many believers in Philippi by this time and Paul is being very careful with his words and making sure he is all-inclusive.

The number of believers could very well be a lot more than can fit into one house, thus showing the spread of the gospel throughout the city. There may even be several new believers who will be reading this and Paul wants to meet everybody where they are at so he continues by saying, "to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:"

Paul does not say to all the leaders (overseers and deacons) and every believer in Christ. Paul does this for four reasons:

1.       He wants both new believers and old believers, children in the faith and mature Christians to realize that no matter what position they are in, whether in leadership or not, they are saints of the one true God.

2.       The second reason he does this is because he doesn't want anyone thinking that those on leadership deserve to be first in anything. The leaders in the church were appointed to that office by God, but in no way does that mean that God loves them more or that they somehow earned the right because they are all that. They don't deserve to lead someone just as much as you don't deserve to lead someone, but it is purely by the grace of God that He has sovereignly placed every individual in Christ to be in a specific role and perform a specific function in the body that no one else could perform.

3.       The third reason is showing that Paul wants each individual believer to have a copy of this letter. Paul recognizes that this is divinely inspired and he doesn't just want the leadership to read it and regurgitate it to the rest of the believers, but he wants every believer to know God's Word and what God says about them on a personal level of being not just a convert, but a saint.

4.       The fourth and final reason why Paul puts so much emphasis in them being saints is to guard them from any wrong thinking or doctrinal attack that could possibly hinder their walk. He isn't going to hide anything from them, but instead he wants to tell them exactly who they are in Christ and who God sees them to be now and Paul wants them to stand their ground on the solid Word of God trusting and banking on these precious truths.

What we learn from this is that whatever position the Lord has placed you in is the highest and most satisfying position that you could be involved in. We need to trust that God has a specific purpose for our lives and we should never get the idea that something is wrong if you are not in a leadership position or if the group you are leading is very small. God has a plan to use each one of our lives in a very strategic way and we need to be willing servants in that plan and allow Him the right that He has to do with us as He pleases. I guarantee that no matter who you are in the body, whether you are a pastor of a 4,000 member church or a 32 year old man teaching a Bible study of six people, God calls us to be faithful in the place that He has us to be in and to trust that He is working all things out for good.

Paul doesn't want his readers to just think that he is talking to the leadership, but please don't get the impression that he is downplaying or in some sense talking against being on leadership or aiming to be on leadership because that is not what he is doing. He has merely listed them second in this order so that his audience may acknowledge and understand that just because they have the title does not mean they are anything special.

Catholicism does not believe that all believers are saints. They have to do certain rituals and sacraments and live a certain way and be a certain person before they can ever even be considered for the possibility of entering into sainthood. Obviously they have never read the book of Philippians because if they had then they would have read the first verse, literally the eleventh word, and they would not be catholic anymore. I urge you, therefore brethren, believe the Bible, God's Holy Word.

The verse goes on to say, "In Christ Jesus." This is one of Paul's favorite sayings. This profound statement so captured Paul's thinking and truly transformed his entire way of life that it made it's way into almost every if not all of his writings, but what does "in Christ" even mean? How can I be in God? The term "in Christ" means that there is a human side to the salvation equation. Christ Jesus the man is seated at the right hand of God and that is exactly where I am at positionally. Paul was excited to have this amazing truth revealed to him. I guarantee that he was overjoyed to be the messenger in telling others these marvelous mysteries as well.

Paul reveals to us that the word "all" gives emphatic stress on the doctrine of unity. Every believer in Christ is unified together as one body. Paul excluded no one! A saint being in Christ is an objective fact about every Christian. A Christian is not defined by how he acts but by his identity in Christ. "In Christ" is a union that views an unholy person as holy and views a sinner as a saint.

Try reading the verse without the words "in Christ Jesus." What happens? It all falls apart. You see if you take out the words "in Christ Jesus", then the words "all the saints" must be taken out as well because there is no such thing as a saint apart from Christ Jesus. Christ is our linchpin. It is because of Christ that we can even be named saints. He is the source of our saintliness and anything holy and good and pure that can ever come out of this broken and weak vessel is wholly a work of God and His grace upon us.  One thing that we must never forget is that our position is not based on our experience.

So what we see in the latter part of the verse is that Paul and Timothy are also servants of the church. Servants in the church are made up of overseers and deacons but what is the difference?

An overseer was an authoritative position. This term can be used of all supervisors, not just in the church.

A deacon was a non-authority position. There was probably money that was being collected to be sent to Paul and their needed to be people (deacons) to handle that.

Hebrews 13:7, 17 shows us the parameters of leadership. They are not to be arbitrarily commanding, which means they are not to exercise any type of absolute authority that is marked by unrestrained and/or tyrannical power.

NOTE: In my experience I have often times seen that leaders as a whole correct when you’re wrong, but fail to commend when you’re right. Be the leader that God has made you to be and shine forth Christ in all things.

A Case for One God

Who says there is only one God? What if there is more than one supreme deity? What if Greek mythology is right by claiming the existence of many gods inhabiting Mount Olympus? What if Mormonism is correct in stating that each one of us will eventually become gods someday? How do we answer Hinduism which believes that there are literally millions of gods indwelling every known thing held in this universe?

Let me ask you, is God one or many? There are only two reasons in this entire universe given that answer these questions:

1. God declares to us in His Word that He Himself is the only God.
2. Having more than one God is a logical impossibility.

"Come now, and let us reason together." - Isaiah 1:18

Now, I understand that the verse above is not written in the context of the subject that I am writing about. However, what we can draw from this and many other passages in Scripture is that God is very logical. He is pro-logic and has made us to function coherently as well. He did not give us a brain to waste, but He desires us to use this three pound instrument to think. We were made to reason. Look at the verses below:

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" - Deuteronomy 6:4

 

"...there is no God besides Me." - Isaiah 44:6

 

Deuteronomy 32:39; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:60; 1 Chronicles 17:20; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 86:10; Isaiah 43:10-11; John 17:3; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5.

 

There is no question on the fact that Scripture is clear by declaring that God is one and there is none besides Him! Now that we have established this truth from God's Word, there should be absolutely no question on the fact that God is one. So then why is it logically absurd to say there is more than one All-Supreme Being?

As I stated above, Scripture is clear on God's oneness and supreme authority.  However, if one were to reason the logical fundamentals, then you would discover that the very definition of God means to be of the highest essence. Thus it is impossible to have two highest entities.

God, by defining nature, is higher than everything and every person. If you think about it, the only possible way there could even be a god is if He were at an infinite level above all the rest. If God was not infinite, then God would not be God. Therefore, He is bigger and higher than everyone and everything, thus there can be no room for seconds.

God is not fighting someone for sovereign control. Whether you like it or not, Jesus is God and all authority is in the palm of His hands. Again, I want to emphasize that GOD by very definition proclaims that He is the Author, Founder, and Creator of all things and all peoples.

The likelihood of there being multiple gods is not improbable, it's impossible! No angel, nor principality, nor rulers, nor powers, nor world forces, nor any other created thing, would be capable of existing apart from the one God giving it life and setting it in motion.

NOTE: If GOD is infinitely, inconceivably, and incomparably above all persons and all things, then there can be no equal; And if you are not equal, you are not GOD!


The Blessing of Pain

Pain is referred to as a feeling or a sensation of hurt. This can manifest itself in the forms of our physical well-being and also our mental condition. Generally, neither human nor animal enjoys the feeling of pain, however, what we see within the pages of Scripture is that God actually created this sense for our good. Though we may not like it nor appreciate it at times, He intended us to benefit from this.

The book of Genesis outlines for us the origin of all things. In fact, the very first chapter records for us where everything came from. However, I want to challenge you by asking, would you believe me if I told you that God made us with the capability to feel pain on day six of creation?

For many of us, our natural instinct is to think of pain as being a result of our sin. This, however, is not the case. The only thing sin did was demoralize our hearts in how we respond to pain in our lives.

Genesis 3:16 says, "To the woman He said, 'I will greatly multiply your pain...'"

Did God say to the woman that He would create pain for her? No! He specifically said He would "greatly multiply" the pain that was already there. Notice these are God's words immediately following the fall of man, thus there had to be pain before sin ever entered the world.

Imagine Adam and Eve in the garden before corruption took over. If one of them were to step on a rock or stub their toe, it would have hurt. Obviously, because of the verse reference above, bearing children did cause at least a small amount of pain for the woman.

For us, a common misconception is to have a false thinking that Adam and Eve had perfect bodies in the garden. They were not perfect; they were innocent. Their bodies did not decay, but they were not immune to pain.

Pain is good in that it:

1. Reveals what is in our hearts.
2. Can warn us of danger.
3. Gives us opportunity to trust God.
4. Loosens our grip on this life.
5. Reminds us that God's comfort is greater than our suffering.

Pain is a gift from God, but was multiplied as a curse from God. Sin does not cause pain. Sin causes death!

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death..."

Closing Remarks: There will be no pain for the child of God in eternity. We will be in a much better position than Adam and Eve ever dreamed of, thus our bodies will be absolutely perfect in every way. Nevertheless, there will still be variations of strengths and weaknesses and gifts and talents among us.

When pain and suffering come your way, count it all joy! Give thanks and praise to God your Father knowing that this is His will for you in Christ Jesus.

God's Attributes are Infinitely Equal

What defines an attribute? An attribute is an inherent characteristic of an individual. The attributes of man vary and are at different levels depending on the person. However, in the case of God, there are no variations within His character. They are each infinitely wonderful and glorious. There is not one attribute of God in which He exercises less or more than another.  God exerts His grace upon all of mankind and all of creation in the same infinite degree as He applies every other attribute that is defined within Him.

God is creative, eternal, immutable, perfect, incomprehensible, incomparable, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, wise, faithful, jealous, joyful, peaceful, patient, mysterious, free, sovereign, majestic, supreme, real, holy, wrathful, just, righteous, loving, merciful, graceful, kind, good, beautiful and glorious! In all of these things and even more, God is the meaning of infinite in all of His ways.

Before jumping into any Biblical concept, we must first have an accurate understanding of who God is. Without God and His character as our starting point, it becomes very easy to fall into a false set of doctrinal beliefs that can have a catastrophic effect on an individual’s hermeneutics and truly hinder the walk of a Christian.

So who is God? What is He like? How has He revealed Himself inspirationally in His Word and generally throughout all of creation? These are very important questions that we need to address before ever coming to any conclusion.

There is a view out there, known as Calvinism, that can at times tend to really emphasize the attribute of God’s sovereignty. This isn’t necessarily a huge problem, yet at the same time it’s a real misrepresentation of the Godhead. Yes, God is sovereign. His sovereignty goes to infinity and beyond! However, when one seems to emphasize one attribute over another they (myself included) begin to grow in their hearts and in their minds a clearly imbalanced view of God.

In no way am I saying that I have it all together or that I know everything about God, because in all honesty I am far from truly tackling this subject. However, I see Biblically and experientially within my own life that when we overemphasize one of God's attributes, we fail to maintain an accurate and appropriate perspective on who God says He is and how God says He works. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally this type of mindset can sprout forth heresies in all four directions and many never come to realize the dangerous possibilities of heretical teachings that are not far off.

Let me explain. The Jehovah’s Witnesses' emphatically declare to be of highest importance the attribute of God’s love. They state that God is so loving that He would and could never send an individual to hell for all of eternity for simply not believing in Him. Every believer in Christ has the responsibility to stand up and raise their objections. We as Christians' are to stand upon the essentials of the word of God and be willing to die on this very clear and extremely important hill of doctrine.

God is love, yet He is wrath. He is just. He is jealous and righteous. God alone carries the divine right and obligation to send all that is sinful into a Christless eternity in order to be tormented day and night in the burning consummation of His fury.
 
We must recognize that at the same time God exercises His love, He is exerting His wrath. At the same moment that God is sovereign over all the universe and every circumstance in life, He is also managing His complete and infinite freedom.

The image below is a simple illustration showing that each of God's attributes' are at an infinite equality.

 

God's Wrath is a Blessing to the Christian

As I was praying this morning I began thanking God for His grace, kindness, and mercy towards me. I thanked Him for His justice in my life, and then I found myself thanking Him for something that I don't normally thank Him for. I expressed my gratitude for His wrath.

Does this sound strange? Do you ever do this? As I began to think more about what I said, the Holy Spirit revealed to my heart that if God was not wrathful, then I would still be lost in my sin. This is true for all believers for two reasons:

1. God had to pour out His wrath upon Christ on the cross in order to even offer the way of salvation.
2. God also had to pour forth His wrath toward us by taking our old man and placing him on the cross with Christ. Thus our old man has been crucified and God has made us new.

The above examples show that God's wrath is His blessing poured out in our favor!

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving of full acceptance, that if one desires to understand God in His love, they must first have an accurate view of God in His wrath.

Therefore, the very reason we as Christians have the right to proclaim the name of Christ is a direct result of His wrath in our lives. He gave us life by showing us wrath. Consider it a blessing.

The Challenge of Forgiveness

What do you think about forgiveness? Who should it be extended to and in what cases? How often should I forgive? What if their sin against me is just too great?

These are all questions that we struggle with when faced with the choice to forgive or resent. Let's be honest and admit that when somebody hurts us, our natural inclination is to hate. Our natural desire is to get back at them for what they have done, or to even simply become such a worldly success in hopes that they regret doing wrong toward us.

These attitudes, thoughts, desires, beliefs, and/or actions are natural to us because they are our default. Many times we will make the expression or statement about something we are really good at by saying, "It's like second nature to me!" I want to tell you right now, so listen up, unforgiveness and sin of any kind are not "like" second nature to any of us, they are first nature! This is who we are apart from God.

Think about it. What would be the easiest thing to do in a situation where you are the victim, or you are the one feeling violated? No matter who you are in this world, the most effortless and weak thing to do is to hold a grudge. It is not, however, just the most effortless or simple, but it is what is most pleasant in our eyes. As sinful humanity, we take great pleasure in thinking the world revolves around us and our problems. We seem to find enjoyment, delight, and satisfaction in watching other people suffer.

So how does Christ address this area in our lives? In the book of Matthew, the disciple Peter brings a question to Jesus. This is one of those moments when Peter thought he was really being generous. According to the Jewish custom, it was acceptable to forgive someone up to three times, then after that they were encouraged by their peers, their culture, and sadly just the plain evil of their heart to give that individual no more chances. In the verses below, notice what Jesus says:

"Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive Him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." - Matthew 18:21, 22

Christ is not saying that as soon as someone has wronged you 490 times, then at that point you don't have to forgive them anymore. What He is proclaiming is actually a representative of true unending forgiveness. Forgiveness means, "to cease to feel resentment against (an offender)" and it also implies letting it go and never bringing it up again. It has the idea of dropping it, or forgetting about it, because in all honesty, if you are keeping track, then you have never truly forgiven anyone.

Rarely will I pick up a remote and find myself watching television. Yet when I do, I find it interesting to watch murder cases, such as on Dateline, 48 Hours, etc. If ministry wasn't where the Lord was pushing me towards, then I would enjoy being a Crime Scene Investigator. The challenge of bringing in all of the evidence and finding out who did it by building the story of what happened, excites my thinking. I get a kick out of solving the case and answering the mysteries.

Yet the number one thing that breaks my heart the most on almost every one of these shows may surprise you. It's not the murder that pierces my gut, although I do feel for the families, but what cuts me to the quick is to watch the families and friends of both the victim and the murderer show absolutely no forgiveness. There is such a lacking in this area. It's like they don't even know that it is a word in the dictionary.

Instead, these people who once conversed with this now criminal, show hatred, disgust, bitterness, unforgiveness and so on towards this man or woman. What they fail to realize is that they are all capable of exactly the same thing, and now by hating this person, they have thus murdered him/her in their hearts. They have placed themselves into further bondage and condemnation, acting unjustly, rebellious, and having a higher view of themselves which ought not to be.

Many times we as Christians can act like the world in this fashion, however, God's word is very clear by informing us that if you do not know God, then you know not true forgiveness; thus it is impossible to do something you know nothing about. In fact, the only way we can wield a forgiving heart is by looking to our Savior and showing the same grace to others that He has shown to us. If our sin was infinitely against God yet He forgave us, how much more should we forgive others no matter who they are for the minor offense they have caused us?

Forgiveness is not holding it against them anymore. It is letting it go and never bringing it up again. It is recognizing your own fallen nature and sympathizing with them, although not condoning their actions.

The Lord is still bringing this to fruition in my life. I have, by His grace, come up with a resolution that I want to live my life by in this area. Resolved, as Christ forgave me on August 10, 2008 of all my iniquity past, present, and future; by that very power of His finished work 2000 years ago on the cross where His blood was shed, so I have forgiven everyone that I ever and will ever come into contact with already. The date that He forgave me was also the date that I, by His grace, forgave everyone else.

I would love to see a generation rise up that is willing to be the bigger person and forgive.