Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus,

“. . . The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not he other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people.” Romans 12:3-4 (MSG).

“. . . You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me — that’s the only way you’ll ever come. . . . Anyone who has spent any time at all listening to the Father, really listening and therefore learning, comes to me to be taught personally . . . since I have it firsthand from the Father. No one has seen the Father except the One who has his Being alongside the Father . . . Whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life. I am the Bread of Life.” John 6:43-48 (MSG)

“I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. . . The person who trusts me will not only do what I am doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it.” John 14:6-13 (MSG)

GOD does the calling forth; He does the qualifying; He gives a person to Christ Jesus; He renders us right; He brings each one out of the dominion of darkness and into the Kingdom of His only begotten Son (John 6:37,44 & 14:6; Colossians 1:12-13). Of course, it is God’s plan to rescue all which is by His grace or unmerited favor and man’s (i.e., male, female) faith or trust in Him (Romans 1:16-17). We might wonder why some choose not to believe but God is Omniscient; He knows well in advance who will come. Neither does God love non-believers any less, “For He is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked” Luke 6:35 (NKJV & NLT combined).

God is kind but not soft; and those who do not heed His advice are on a downward spiral (Romans 2:1-4 [MSG]). Although it is for us to recognize the evidence of good fruit, it isn’t our job to judge; for God is the judge of all people, and recompense is of Him (Proverbs 20:22; Hebrews 10:30). Rather, our job is to grow-up in Christ Jesus, “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” Ephesians 4:13 (NIV). To grow-up in Jesus, and that level of maturity has everything to do with our love walk (John 15:12; 1Co 13:1-3). To grow-up in Jesus, and reach unity in faith begins with belief powered by agape. More specifically, “to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave command” 1 John 3:23.

Jesus is Lord because God the Father put Christ “in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from this rule” Ephesians 1:20-21 (MSG). And now, having received the sacred ministry-of-authority in the Name above all names, we are to do the same works, yea even greater works, as Jesus the Anointed One and His Anointing during His earth-bound ministry; for each one of us reconciled unto the Family of God by the blood of Jesus is commissioned of Him. Take joy that you are of the chosen; GOD chose you!

Speak the promise . . . Harriet