Post on 09-Mar-2016
description
Glad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad Tidings
Volume 17, Issue 1 January/February 2013
2
Glad Tidings Glad Tidings Glad Tidings Glad Tidings is published six
times per year by
Living Hope
International Ministries
458 Old Niskayuna Road,
Latham, New York 12110
USA
Office 518.785.8888
Fax 518.785.1990
E-mail info@LHIM.org
Website www.LHIM.org
Glad Tidings is mailed free to anyone who requests it. Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.
Something To Consider ............... p.3
by Vince Finnegan
Long Suffering & Kindness ......... p.4
by Vince Finnegan
Seek Yahweh:
May Yahweh Be With You ............ p.6
by john Cortright
Prepare Your Minds;
Fix Your Hope On Grace .............. p.7
by Mary Ann Yaconis
The Congo Connection .............. p.9
by Cheryl Elton
Love Like God ............................. p.12
by Vince Finnegan
Mark these important dates on your calendar!!Mark these important dates on your calendar!!Mark these important dates on your calendar!!Mark these important dates on your calendar!!Mark these important dates on your calendar!!Mark these important dates on your calendar!!Mark these important dates on your calendar!!Mark these important dates on your calendar!!
February 22February 22February 22February 22----23 23 23 23 ���� Galatians Seminar Galatians Seminar Galatians Seminar Galatians Seminar ���� Living Hope Community ChurchLiving Hope Community ChurchLiving Hope Community ChurchLiving Hope Community Church
March 16March 16March 16March 16----17 17 17 17 ���� Kingdom Fest Kingdom Fest Kingdom Fest Kingdom Fest ���� Long Island NYLong Island NYLong Island NYLong Island NY
April 2April 2April 2April 2���� Spring BEC Spring BEC Spring BEC Spring BEC ���� Living Hope Community ChurchLiving Hope Community ChurchLiving Hope Community ChurchLiving Hope Community Church
June 30June 30June 30June 30----July 6 July 6 July 6 July 6 ���� Family Camp Family Camp Family Camp Family Camp ���� Silver BaySilver BaySilver BaySilver Bay
July 28July 28July 28July 28----August 2 August 2 August 2 August 2 ���� Teen Camp Teen Camp Teen Camp Teen Camp ���� Silver BaySilver BaySilver BaySilver Bay
May 31May 31May 31May 31----June 1stJune 1stJune 1stJune 1st���� Women’s Advance Women’s Advance Women’s Advance Women’s Advance ���� Living Hope Community ChurchLiving Hope Community ChurchLiving Hope Community ChurchLiving Hope Community Church
Glad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad Tidings
January/February 2013
3
Earthshaking, a bombshell, is the revelation recorded in the book of Hosea. Yahweh told His
prophet, Hosea, to marry “an adulterous wife” or as another translation states “wife of
harlotry.” I do not think she was already adulterous before they married; rather, she had an
adulterous character and would eventually commit the act. He also told him that the children
they had together would have the same kind of character as their mother. He married her, had
three children, and then she left him for another man or men.
Equally as shocking, or even more, so was God’s command to love her again and take her
back. Hosea obeyed by buying her back for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and half of
barley. We understand Hosea and Gomer’s relationship as parallel to Yahweh and Israel’s
relationship. When Hosea prophesied about Israel’s idolatrous ways (also called adulterous
ways), he did so with all the passion and compassion of one who was a victim of adultery. He
understood the pain Yahweh felt about Israel’s love for other gods. Hosea prophesied with
humble passion. To think Hosea took her back and more so that someday Yahweh will take
Israel back as His people is astounding.
Infidelity in marriage is devastating and provides a very descriptive analogy to understand how
God feels about Israel. What could be more harmful than infidelity? There is something that
would be worse − if the lover was the child of the spouse! The Church today who worships
Jesus as God in essence steals the devotion and fidelity that should be reserved for Yahweh
only and gives it to His Son. If He suffered over Israel, how much more does He suffer over the
church today?
To some degree, we should recognize and feel Yahweh’s pain as Hosea did so that we may
understand and love Him more. Knowing that so many have disrespected our glorious God
and Father should be part of our motivation for worshipping Him as He wants to be
worshipped (according to the Scriptures).
Our commitment as we begin a new year should be to worship and glorify Yahweh with more
commitment and determination than ever before.
With my prayers for you,
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER:
Love God
4
Longsuffering and KindnessLongsuffering and KindnessLongsuffering and KindnessLongsuffering and Kindness By Vince Finnegan L ongsuffering and kindness
are two of God’s many out-
standing characteristics that He
wants His children to emulate.
In Noah’s time, the wickedness of
man was so great that “every imagi-
nation of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually" (Genesis
6:5). God was grieved in His heart,
but Noah found grace in the eyes of
the Lord. Because of Noah, God
patiently endured everyone else
until the ark was prepared. God’s
patient endurance is called
“longsuffering” in the King James
Bible and patience in the New
American Standard Bible.
I Peter 3:20 (KJV) Which sometime were disobe-dient, when once the longsuf-fering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
When God revealed His proper
name, YAHWEH, to Moses, part of
His description of Himself was that
He was longsuffering.
Exodus 34:6
And the LORD [YAHWEH] passed by
before him, and proclaimed, The LORD
[YAHWEH], The LORD [YAHWEH]
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffer-
ing, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Longsuffering or suffering long is
having forbearance and self-
restraint before proceeding to ac-
tion. It is to be long on patience
with others even if their actions are
evil. God’s longsuffering for all of
mankind from the beginning is mind-
boggling and heart-warming. He is
so indescribably good! When we
consider the rebellious evil actions of
humanity throughout the ages, it is
unimaginable that God has allowed
us to continue. However, He has
done so because of His longsuffering.
II Peter 3:9 and 10
The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slack-
ness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a
thief in the night....
Longsuffering is part of His great
love, and God wants His children to
behave as He does. He has given us
the ability to have the same longsuf-
fering towards others. As we are
mindful of His longsuffering for us,
then we, too, can be longsuffering
with others. Much fighting, anger,
and division in the Church can be
eliminated when we manifest long-
suffering for one another.
Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you that ye walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in
love;
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace.
All of us at times have difficulty in
our walks with God. During these
times, to be with us is not always
pleasant. When others go through
the same things, longsuffering
helps us to endure those unpleas-
ant times.
I Thessalonians 5:14 and 15
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn
them that are unruly, comfort the fee-
bleminded, support the weak, be patient
[longsuffering] toward all men.
See that none render evil for evil unto
any man; but ever follow that which is
good, both among yourselves, and to
all men.
God’s Kingdom is coming. Jesus the
Christ is coming back to rule here
on earth. Today is an evil day with
many trials and tribulations, but we
can be longsuffering because his
coming is drawing near.
James 5:7-9
Be patient [longsuffering] therefore,
brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for
the precious fruit of the earth, and
hath long patience [longsuffering] for
it, until he receive the early and latter
rain.
Be ye also patient [longsuffering];
stablish your hearts: for the coming of
the Lord draweth nigh.
Grudge not one against another, breth-
ren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the
judge standeth before the door.
God’s kindness is equally amazing.
When God brought the children of
(Continued on page 5)
5
Israel to the border of the Promised
Land, they refused to obey Him and
go into the land. Nehemiah re-
flected back on God’s attitude to-
wards this hardened, rebellious
people.
Nehemiah 9:17
And refused to obey, neither were
mindful of thy wonders that thou didst
among them; but hardened their
necks, and in their rebellion
appointed a captain to return to
their bondage: but thou art a
God ready to pardon, gracious
and merciful, slow to anger, and
of great kindness, and forsook-
est them not.
That God did not utterly for-
sake them was indeed great
kindness. Once again, God is
our model to follow regarding
this aspect of love. His kind-
ness is that which leads men
to repentance, to changing.
Romans 2:4
Or despisest thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and longsuf-
fering; not knowing that the goodness
of God leadeth thee to repentance?
The Greek word translated
"kindness" is also translated
"goodness" four times and
"gentleness" once. All these words
aid our understanding as they are
synonyms expressing a generous,
sympathetic, considerate attitude
towards others which is transposed
into actions. God manifested forth
His kindness to us when we were
hateful and totally undeserving of it.
Titus 3:3-5
For we ourselves also were sometimes
foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving
divers lusts and pleasures, living in
malice and envy, hateful, and hating
one another.
But after that the kindness and love
of God our Saviour toward man ap-
peared,
Not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the
Holy Ghost;
Kindness is contrasted with the
hardhearted attitudes of bitterness,
wrath, anger, etc.
Ephesians 4:31 and 32
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and an-
ger, and clamour, and evil speaking,
be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, ten-
derhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you.
Rather than being harsh, rough,
severe, or violent, kindness is being
tender with people. As a file bears
down on its object, wearing and
tearing until it eventually grinds
down the surface, so is the harsh-
ness of this world on the hearts of
humanity. Kindness is the opposite
of harshness. So rarely is this qual-
ity manifested that when someone
is truly kind, it shines out just as a
halogen light in darkness. No man
of himself has this quality of life.
Kindness comes from God and is
manifested in the life of one who is
walking by the spirit.
God’s extraordinary kindness is evi-
denced all around us in that we
have life, food, air, water, etc. His
promises about the return of our
Lord Jesus Christ and eternal
life are an incomprehensible
kindness, yet His Word de-
clares that they will come to
pass.
Ephesians 2:7
That in the ages to come he
might show the exceeding riches
of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus.
In view of His kindness, how
could we be anything but kind
to all with whom we come in con-
tact? Our kindness to others is to
be unconditional. We are kind, not
because people deserve it, but be-
cause God commands it.
Luke 6:35 and 36
But love ye your enemies, and do good,
and lend, hoping for nothing again; and
your reward shall be great, and ye shall
be the children of the Highest: for he
is kind unto the unthankful and to the
evil.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your
Father also is merciful.
Where would we be without His
longsuffering and kindness? Be
like your Father to others.�
(Continued from page 4)
6
T he Mishnah provides insight
into early Jewish thought
and practice. It comprises the
earliest recorded words of the
ancient scribes and priests. This
was the oral law, which laid the
foundation for another later
document – the Jewish Talmud.
The sect of the Pharisees rose to
great prominence, especially after
the destruction of the Temple in 70
AD. In the eyes of the Pharisees,
the oral law was just as important
as the written Torah. The sect of
the Sadducees divided greatly with
the Pharisees on this point, as they
acknowledged that only the written
Scriptures were authoritative.
However, after the First Jewish War,
the Sadducees as well as the
Essenes became less and less
significant in Judaism, and the
Pharisees became the sole guiding
rule for the Jewish faith. The use of
the Mishnah as a source for proper
religious practice can justifiably be
questioned. However, reading the
Mishnah to gain historical
understanding about Judaism offers
great insight. “The Mishnah may be
defined as a deposit of four
centuries of Jewish religious and
cultural activity in Palestine,
beginning at some uncertain date
(possibly during the earlier half of
the second century B.C.) and ending
with the close of the second century
A.D.” One very insightful practice
regarding the use of the name of
God is recorded in the First Division
of the Mishnah, called Zeraim, in
the tractate, Berakoth. Here it
states:
“And it was ordained that a man
should salute his fellow with the use
of the Name of God; for it is
written, And, behold, Boaz came
from Bethlehem, and said unto the
reapers, The Lord be with you. And
they answered him, The Lord bless
thee. And it is written, The Lord is
with thee, thou mighty man of
valour.”
When a man saluted or greeted
another it was proper to use the
name of God. This common
tradition was part of ancient Israel
and apparently was still being
practiced in Second Temple
Judaism. This use of the name of
God to greet and to bless can be
seen in the book of Ruth.
Ruth 2:4
Now behold, Boaz came from
Bethlehem and said to the reapers,
"May the LORD [Yahweh] be with
you." And they said to him, "May the
LORD [Yahweh] bless you."
As well, when the angel came to
Gideon, he invoked the name of
God in his greeting.
Judges 6:12
The angel of the LORD [Yahweh]
appeared to him and said to him, "The
LORD [Yahweh] is with you, O valiant
warrior."
One of the great uses of invoking
God’s name can be seen in the
instruction to Aaron to bless the
children of Israel. In this blessing,
Yahweh’s name was used in
bringing His grace and peace upon
God’s people.
Numbers 6:23-27
"Speak to Aaron and to his sons,
saying, 'Thus you shall bless the sons
of Israel. You shall say to them:
The LORD [Yahweh] bless you,
and keep you;
The LORD [Yahweh] make His
face shine on you, And be
gracious to you;
The LORD [Yahweh] lift up His
countenance on you, And give you
peace.'
(Continued on page 8)
Seek Yahweh: By John Cortright May Yahweh Be With YouMay Yahweh Be With YouMay Yahweh Be With YouMay Yahweh Be With You
7
A recent movie, Les
Miserables, brought
back to remembrance
my senior high school English class
where we read and discussed Vic-
tor Hugo’s novel. At that time, I
was completely crushed at the
unjust pain and suffering. Because
of the pain, I lost insights into the
heroic character who, having him-
self received mercy and grace, be-
stowed this same mercy and grace
to others. At the end of his life, he
was truly the victor over evil. To
be able to sustain a Christian life
means that we live above the evil
of the world. Peter explains to us
how we as Christians maintain a
Christ-like life.
1 Peter 1:1
To those who reside as aliens, scat-
tered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who
are chosen according to the fore-
knowledge of God the Father, by the
sanctifying work of the Spirit, to
obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled
with His blood: May grace and peace
be yours in the fullest measure.
Early Christians had to be able to
live in the difficult times of ex-
treme oppression which they en-
dured from within the Christian
church, from Jews who did not
accept Christ, as well as from Gen-
tiles who worshipped pagan gods.
To encourage them, Peter begins
his letter with a reminder of the
absolute joy of the coming of Jesus
Christ and the Kingdom that is to
follow.
I Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who according to
His great mercy has caused us to be
born again to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, to obtain an inheri-
tance which is imperishable and un-
defiled and will not fade away, re-
served in heaven for you, who are
protected by the power of God
through faith for a salvation ready to
be revealed in the last time.
We are to remember that salva-
tion is awaiting those who have
faith. Salvation is imperishable,
will not decay or be forgotten, and
will most certainly not fade away.
After bringing to the believers’
minds that this hope awaits them,
the letter continues with how to
attain salvation.
I Peter 1:6-9
In this you greatly rejoice, even
though now for a little while, if nec-
essary, you have been distressed by
various trials, so that the proof of
your faith, being more precious than
gold which is perishable, even though
tested by fire, may be found to re-
sult in praise and glory and honor at
the revelation of Jesus Christ; and
though you have not seen Him, you
love Him, and though you do not see
Him now, but believe in Him, you
greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible
and full of glory, obtaining as the
outcome of your faith the salvation of
your souls.
As with those of faith who were
living at the time this letter was
written, life is much the same for
us today, and we are to rejoice
greatly in salvation. It is “just a
little while” we have to endure. If
necessary, trials are an opportu-
nity to demonstrate that no mat-
ter what the evil of this world
throws at us, we are able to re-
main in faith. Our faith is re-
warded with a joy that is
“inexpressible and full of glory.”
I Peter 1:13
Therefore, prepare your minds for
action, keep sober in spirit, fix your
hope completely on the grace to be
brought to you at the revelation of
Jesus Christ.
We are to be prepared in our
minds for action. Faith is such an
action. Do I face each day with
faith that God will: provide for my
needs; comfort me when all seems
lost; fill me with spiritual knowl-
edge, wisdom, and discerning of
spirits; and give me words to
preach the gospel?
(Continued on page 8)
Prepare Your Minds; Fix Your Hope on Grace
8
"So they shall invoke My name on the
sons of Israel, and I then will bless
them."
A similar salutation was being used
at the time of Jesus and the first
century church. Although there are
no extant New Testament
manuscripts which contain God’s
name, this same pattern of blessing
in a salutation can be seen when the
angel came to Mary in Nazareth.
Luke 1:28
And coming in, he said to her,
"Greetings, favored one! The Lord The Lord The Lord The Lord isisisis
with youwith youwith youwith you."
In each of the church epistles
written by the Apostle Paul, God’s
grace and peace are mentioned in
the salutation. Not only is the
Father mentioned in giving this
blessing, but so too is His Son, Jesus.
Romans 1:7a
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Both God the Father and His Son,
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, are
mentioned in the greeting and
closing salutations. Also, one very
unique usage occurs in the end of 2
Thessalonians. In this closing
statement, although the name of
God cannot be found in any known
text, the exact phraseology of
invoking God’s name is given. It is
the same pattern described in the
Mishnah when saluting one’s fellow.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace Himself
continually grant you peace in every
circumstance. The Lord be with you all!The Lord be with you all!The Lord be with you all!The Lord be with you all!
Invoking God’s name, Yahweh, in a
greeting and in a blessing was
common practice in ancient
Judaism. This same practice can be
seen in New Testament records as
well. Additionally, according to the
Mishnah, which provides religious
and cultural practices of second
temple Judaism, it was ordained
that a man should greet his fellow
after this manner.
To invoke God’s name in a greeting
or to bless someone in the name of
Yahweh, the existing One, is an
awesome privilege. It is much more
than a reactive “God bless you”
when someone sneezes or a catch
phrase in an opening greeting or
standard closing line at the end of a
letter. It is seeking God’s blessing of
grace and peace upon another
individual. What an incredible,
powerful impact this could have on
someone, to be greeted and blessed
in the name of the Father God,
Yahweh, and in the name of His Son,
our Lord Jesus, the Messiah!�
(Continued from page 6)
May Yahweh Be With You
continued...
We are to be spiritually alert to
our godly morals and values and
be circumspect in our everyday
interactions with others (I Peter
2:1). While being sober minded,
we are to fix our hope completely
on the grace that God gives to us
through His son, Jesus Christ.
When we are living for Christ as
mature Christians, then our minds
are sober, and we can have faith
in God’s grace.
The word “fix” used in verse 13
has several meanings that work
well in this context. “Fix” can
mean to mend or correct some-
thing such as thoughts that are
not accurate concerning the
Scriptures and the hope; to agree,
to direct or concentrate the eyes,
attention, or mind; and to make
or become stable, firm, or secure,
or become so. The word “fix” is
used by photographers when
treating photographic films or
plates with chemicals in order to
make a permanent image. To fix
our hope COMPLETELY on God’s
grace that will be brought to us
when Christ returns, gives us the
image that we are to focus upon.
God’s grace is what allows us to
live for Him now and will be in
action in full when Jesus Christ
returns.
If necessary, Peter writes, we will
be tempted and tried by this
world. Certainly the characters in
Victor Hugo’s novel were in the
midst of many trials, yet some
withstood to triumph with good-
ness. Will we be perfect in with-
standing such trials? Probably
not, but we must continue to pur-
sue godliness. As we concentrate
our attention on God’s grace that
will be brought to us at the com-
ing of Jesus Christ, our faith will
continue to keep us through the
darkest night or the most tempt-
ing of worldly lusts. We know our
frailties, but we have faith that
God will bestow grace upon us
when Christ returns. Without
grace, we have no hope. With
God’s grace, we have assurance
of the hope.�
(Continued from page 7)
9
Congo Connection By Thom Riley
I had the privilege of travel-
ing to the DRC (Democratic
Republic of the Congo) and
the RC (Republic of the Congo)
this past summer to visit the min-
istries we partner with in these
countries.
Although I had ample time to pre-
pare physically and mentally for
the trip, there is simply no way to
understand the culture and the
people from afar. I hope the fol-
lowing conveys to you some small
portion of the wonderful things
that YHWH allowed me to ex-
perience.
While preparing for the trip, I
was afforded the opportunity to
share a Congolese type meal
and spend a wonderful evening
with some local Congolese
saints that lived in the DRC.
Through various miraculous
circumstances, they are now
living here in the Latham/
Albany, NY area.
During that fellowship time, I
learned a lot about their culture
from their firsthand experiences.
As such, I formed some opinions
based upon what they shared
with me. I had decided soon after
I was invited to go on the trip that
I was going to avoid the tempta-
tion to learn as much as I could
about the culture (I have a ten-
dency to want to be very pre-
pared) and the people via online
resources. I decided that I didn’t
want to form an understanding of
the people of the DRC and RC
from what others wrote and said
about them. I wanted to experi-
ence firsthand the people and
their culture. The fellowship I had
with these Latham Congolese
saints was amazing. I felt like a
parched ground being flooded
upon by the wisdom and experi-
ence of these wonderful believ-
ers. It very much enriched me and
helped to prepare me for my jour-
ney.
They shared with me some of
their life experiences. They told
many stories about their years in
Africa, and although all were
unique and unusual, I contem-
plated on two common themes −
they had to rely upon YHWH daily
and the devil is very visible and
real in their culture (not hidden
like he is here in the US). This en-
abled me to understand an impor-
tant aspect of their culture that
helped me greatly while in the
Congo. Since the devil is not hid-
den like he is here, the general
population has a common knowl-
edge of him and the evil he pro-
motes. Unfortunately, many rely
upon this evil power.
This is especially true from a
tribal perspective (we might re-
late this to an extended family
that shares the same cultural
views). However, the wonderful
news is that those that know
YHWH and His Son Jesus Christ
are well equipped because they
know by experience just how
powerful evil is. Yet, most impor-
tantly they know how much more
powerful our LORD and His Son
Jesus Christ are.
I could write pages upon pages
about how much need there is
throughout the country, espe-
cially when compared to the
wealth that we enjoy here in
the US. Rather than do that, I
would like to bring your atten-
tion Acts chapter two verses
forty four through forty seven.
Acts 2:44-47
44 And all those who had be-
lieved were together and had all
things in common;
45 and they began selling their
property and possessions and
were sharing them with all, as
anyone might have need.
46 Day by day continuing with one
mind in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house, they
were taking their meals together
with gladness and sincerity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor
with all the people. And the Lord was
adding to their number day by day
those who were being saved.
I experienced these verses first-
hand many, many times. Our
brethren in the Congo truly un-
derstand this section of YHWH’s
(Continued on page 11)
10
1 John 4:7and8
B eloved, let us love one
another, for love is from
God; and everyone who
loves is born of God and knows God.
The one who does not love does not
know God, for God is love.
The Apostle John writes under
the direction of the spirit; there-
fore, he is a vehicle of communi-
cation for God our Father. Hence,
the salutation of “beloved” is
heart rending for it says to us
that we are dearly loved, dear to
our Father’s heart. The exhorta-
tion that follows is to love others
as God loves us. “Born of God”
and godly behavior are convinc-
ingly connected throughout the
epistle of 1John as is evident in
the preceding verses. Loving oth-
ers and knowing God are also
persuasively linked together. By
the practice of love, we learn to
know God more and more, and
conversely, a stranger to love is a
stranger to knowing God.
The Difference Between
Knowing and Not Knowing
God is Loving One Another
The phrase “God is love” is not
interchangeable with “love is
God.” Our self-contrived impres-
sion of love is not how we under-
stand God. When we develop a
correct biblical understanding of
God, we can begin to understand
genuine love. Love does not de-
fine God; rather, God defines
love. All in the world think they
know what love is based primar-
ily upon their own limited human
experiences. Self-interest and
human values provide the core of
what most consider to be love.
Many take their self-contrived
understanding of love and judge
God for not loving as they think
he should. God is love so logically
He is the standard for love.
Without God, the lordship of
Christ, and the direction of the
holy spirit, knowing or practicing
true love is impossible. Human
love is centered in the flesh,
based upon self-interest only,
and as such in many ways is the
antithesis of God’s love.
1 John 4:9 and 10
By this the love of God was mani-
fested in us, that God has sent His
only begotten Son into the world so
that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved
God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for
our sins.
Man’s redemption and salvation
rest entirely upon the benevo-
lent, gracious, and merciful act of
our loving God. He loved us be-
cause He decided to do so and
not because we were deserving
or attractively loveable. The de-
scription of humanity set forth in
the Scriptures is shockingly gro-
tesque and is simply summarized
in the concept that we were de-
praved, dead in trespasses and
sins, the enemies of God. Yet,
though we were in this sorry and
ugly state, God sent His only be-
gotten Son to die for us so that
we might live with Him. Acknowl-
edging this truth starts to give us
understanding about the godly
love our Father wants us to live
by and manifest forth to our fel-
low man. We love others the way
God loved us because He loved
us first.
“Why is she giving me these
gifts?” I responded, “Because it is
your birthday.” “She doesn’t
even know
me, so why
would she
give me
gifts?” I said,
“ B e c a u s e
she loves
you!” “Why
would she
(Continued on page 11)
LOVE LIKE GOD
By Vince Finnegan
11
love me if she doesn’t even know
who I am?” “She loves you be-
cause God loves her and tells her
to love others as He loved her.”
My words were heard but not nec-
essarily understood as this soul
recently made inquiry about my
wife’s actions. Our standard for
love is based upon God and not
what others do or don’t do or
what they deserve or don’t de-
serve. We love others the way God
loves us.
1John 4:11 and 12
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also
ought to love one another. No one has
seen God at any time; if we love one
another, God abides in us, and His love
is perfected in us.
In the same breath of exhortation
to love one another, we are re-
minded that we are God’s beloved
and that He loves us. Until we en-
ter the Kingdom in the age to
come, we have limitations with
our relationship with God. How-
ever, the great enhancer to grow
as close to Him as possible is to
love one another. How can we
ever raise to such a level of love?
The prayer in Ephesians gives us
some insight as does the last verse
we consider in the epistle of
1John. The spirit enables us to
have Christ in our minds and love
in our lives.
Ephesians 3:16 and 17
…to be strengthened with power
through His spirit in the inner man, so
that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith and that you, being rooted
and grounded in love…
1John 4:13
By this we know that we abide in Him
and He in us, because He has given us
of His spirit.
The only way we can love others
the way God loves us is with His
help through the holy spirit. “God,
help us to be like You and to love
as You love, all to Your glory.”�
(Continued from page 10)
Love Like God Continued...
Word, and they live it daily. Space
here doesn’t allow for the volumes
I could write about the godly love
and care that these families pro-
vide. One common example that
comes to mind is that many fami-
lies take in orphans even though
they barely have the means to
provide for their own children and
grandchildren. The adoptees I met
were of all ages, many were in
their teens. It vividly reminds me
of Acts 2:44-47.
I had the privilege of praying with
many of my Congolese family.
They exude faith and confidence
that YHWH will provide, and in-
deed He does. To this day, I cannot
explain how they provide for each
other in the ways that they do
other than to quote what my won-
derful sister Adele told me time
and again when I asked her about
this subject. She would respond
with her wonderful smile and say:
“YHWH provides. That’s the an-
swer, YHWH provides.”
I am so thankful for being afforded
the opportunity to meet and come
to know our brothers and sisters
of the Congo. Although the travel
was hard and many challenges
tempted me, I was able to experi-
ence time and again YHWH’s grace
and goodness in a way that I have
never before. But then again, I
have never been in situations like
those before! At every turn, there
were crazy challenges that I can’t
explain adequately, but I can say
with great confidence that YWHW
provided a peace and comfort that
allowed me to know how truly
wonderful He is.
Newsweek, Time, nor even Google
can truly tell you of the full sharing
that our brothers and sisters of
the Congo have. With thankful-
ness, YHWH provided to me an
answer to one my prayers (and
many others as well). He allowed
me to experience the faith and
heart of a people that I can now
call my family. I was able to experi-
ence firsthand the love and gener-
osity of an extended family that
loves God with all of their heart,
soul, mind, and strength, and for
that I am grateful.
Please continue to pray fervently
for our family in the Congo, for
YHWH to continue to provide in
miraculous ways, and for our
brethren to continue to stand
firmly upon His promises and to
demonstrate His love to all that
they can.�
(Continued from page 9)
Congo Connection Continued...
458 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham, NY 12110
Nonprofit Org.
US Postage
Paid
Latham, New York
Permit No. 128
Surrender and Take Control
Biblical Education Class
January 15th to March 5th
Tuesdays 7 to 9pm
What could be more discouraging than exerting all our energy trying
to control our lives to live godly only to experience repeatedly that our
best efforts are not good enough? Surrender and take ControlSurrender and take ControlSurrender and take ControlSurrender and take Control will pro-
vide correct biblical doctrine to eliminate this torturous but prevalent
lifestyle. The class will also contain many practical, easy to understand
and apply instructions to help us gain control of our lives.