Any Christian who has posted and read various Christian newsgroups is
acutely aware of individuals who teach a false gospel and hates, curses
and
mistreats anyone and everyone who attempts to correct him Biblically in
love. And any Christian who has posted and read various Christian
newsgroups
is acutely aware of all the atheists, agnostics, heretics, false prophets,
false teachers, mockers of God, cultists and other unbelievers who seem to
go out of their way to show their hatred and mistreatment of Christians
and
Christianity. I came across Ron Ritchie's article that addresses a very
similar issue and it is as if Ron Ritchie read such Usenet posts. His
sermon
is encouraging and uplifting for Christians.
May God bless,
Carl
website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
HOW SHOULD WE REACT TOWARD THOSE WHO HATE, CURSE AND MISTREAT US?
By Ron Ritchie
I recently had a conversation with a woman who works on the administrative
staff of a Christian college that was established years ago on the edge of
a
certain town. The town has now grown to the point that the college is
surrounded by urban sprawl. Angry neighbors are demanding that the college
either reduce the number of students or sell out and relocate. She told me
she was emotionally shook up by the hate mail they are receiving and the
angry attitudes of their neighbors at the city council meetings. What
should
they should do in this difficult time in the college's history was her
question to me.
This kind of thing happens not only to Christian colleges but to churches
as
well. When our church was built it was surrounded by orchards. Traveling
the
few blocks to the main thoroughfare, El Camino Real, was a big trip in
those
days. Times have changed, however. Today, our neighbors wish they did not
have to deal with the large numbers of people and the traffic around here
during the week. Emotions run high because by nature we all want to claim
our rights.
The question the college administrator was asking is, "How should we react
towards those who hate us, curse and mistreat us?" I turned to Luke
6:27-38
and shared with her that in spite of the community and political pressure,
she needed to ask the Lord to lead her to some individuals whom he could
empower her to love. There is a much higher calling than merely protecting
our property or our rights. The issue is eternal life.
We also need to ask ourselves in the midst of a fallen and evil world
system
how our Lord would want us to love our enemies. And our Lord would
instruct
us to,
I. Treat others the way you want to be treated, Luke 6: 27-31
But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate
you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits
you
on the cheek, offer him the other also other also; and whoever takes away
your coat, do not withhold your ****rt from him either. Give to everyone
who
asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way.
We have already learned that our Lord had chosen the 12 apostles on the
instruction of his Father. Jesus will now begin to prepare them to work in
the ministry with him, giving them power and authority to heal the sick
and
cast out demons. Even as our Lord sat down to teach, the shadow of the
cross
was falling over his ministry. He knew from the Messianic prophecies that
he
would experience many of the spiritual truths he was about to teach his
followers. Soon he would have to go up to the City of Peace and there
suffer
under the hands of the Jewish religious leaders who were under control of
the prince of the kingdom of darkness.
Luke 6 records that our Lord came down from the hills of Mount Hermon
after
praying all night to his Father, and chose his 12 apostles from among many
faithful disciples. He then proceeded to heal all who came to him. As the
crowds gathered around him Jesus turned to his apostles and disciples and
delivered the address we now refer to as "The Sermon on the Mount," or the
"Secrets of How to Live in the Kingdom of God." Luke 6:20-26 records our
Lord's blessings on those who were willing to declare themselves
spiritually
bankrupt, and those who were spiritually hungry, weeping and persecuted
for
the sake of the Son of Man. He also pronounced the woes that would come
upon
those who were rich, well fed, laughing at life, and living as
men-pleasers,
refusing to acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah.
Today's passage, Luke 6:27-31, continues the Lord's explanation of the
secrets of the kingdom. Notice that Jesus' sermon expands the theme that
runs throughout the gospel of Luke: "I have not come to call righteous
men,
but sinners to repentance." When Jesus says that we must love our enemies,
it is not so that people feel good about each other and have a happy life
on
earth. His purpose is to bring the world of sinners into life as found in
him as the Son of God (Luke 5:32)--eternal life now as well as after our
physical death.
Our Lord uses this op****tunity to challenge the misinterpretation of the
law
as it was taught by the Pharisees and scribes. In Matthew 6:44, he said:
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor' [found in
Leviticus 19:18] and hate your enemies'" [which had no biblical
reference].
According to Leviticus 19:18, the Jews knew that they were not to hate
their
Jewish brothers: "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge
against
the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I
am
the Lord." On the other hand, the Pharisees knew Psalms 5:5-6: "For Thou
are
not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with you. The
boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all who do iniquity,
you
destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed
and
deceit." They used these verses and others like them to argue that they
could join God in his hatred of sinners in their country and in the
surrounding Gentile nations. Certain passages from the Dead Sea Scrolls
used
by the Essenes during Christ's time, state that the Jews should love the
"sons of light and hate the sons of darkness." In this context, hatred is
synonymous with the crime of murder, as the Lord points out later in his
address.
During the days of Christ the Jews were surrounded by enemies. The Greeks,
barbarians and the Romans made life miserable for them. The Jews had a
deep-seated hatred for the Romans. From the high priest down to the
poorest
beggar the Jews abhorred them. The Romans in turn treated the Jews with
contempt, and sentenced them to unjust beatings and instant imprisonments
on
the most trivial charges. This hatred gave fuel to the Jewish Zealots who
sought every op****tunity to terrorize the Romans. Further, the
self-righteous Jews hated those whom they regarded as unrighteous Jews
within their own nation--those who broke the law by not attending the
temple
feasts and the synagogue service of instruction, etc. Finally, they
loathed
tax collectors, harlots, wine-bibbers and swine herdsman. They regarded
them
as the lowest members of society.
Who were the enemies of Jesus and his followers? Ever since he
intentionally
broke the Sabbath traditions and proclaimed himself to be the Son of Man,
the Jewish religious leader****p under the authority of the high priest
sought to kill him. They waited for the op****tunity to charge him publicly
with law-breaking so as to destroy him before his ministry spread and
achieved more power than their authority. Therefore, when our Lord taught
his disciples to love their enemies he was acknowledging that he and all
who
loved him were surrounded by real enemies. Certain people were threatened
by
his person and message, and they could cause great harm to the disciples.
The Lord Jesus took on the problem of how to relate to an enemy by saying
the disciples should extend agape love, self-sacrificial love or love in
action, towards all those who hated them. He taught them to act towards
their enemies with the same agape love the Father demonstrated to us in
his
Son. The apostle Paul said of the whole human race". . . if while we were
enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more,
having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life" (Romans 5:10).
This kind of love can only be demonstrated when we declare our spiritual
bankruptcy and trust our Lord to love our enemies through us. The way to
love an enemy is not to rely on ourselves, but acknowledge that we cannot
do
so; then we should ask God to love them through us by the power of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. Agape love can only be produced by God as he
expresses it in our hearts. It is not a matter of feeling, but a matter of
the will. This kind of love is based more on action then words. The Lord
demonstrated this when he visited Jerusalem just before he was crucified.
He
cried, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those
sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as
a
hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" (Luke
13:
34).
Today, the genuine Christian is surrounded by a host of invisible evil
powers which influence our visible enemies, political, philosophical and
social, who hate the Christian community. The most dangerous enemies,
however, are those found on the religious level--those who reject Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior, calling him instead a good man, a prophet, a
teacher, a son of God rather than the Son of God. Our enemies are the New
Age philosophers and gurus who mock and ignore Jesus as the Lord of Lords,
King of Kings and Savior of the world. The enemies of Christ surround us;
and because they are his enemies they are our enemies as well.
Our Lord laid out a foundational principle when he said that we are to
love
our enemies. He subsequently presented his apostles with six spiritual
principles to apply to the personal conflicts they would confront daily.
These were to demonstrate that it was possible to express love in a
corrupt
society, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice that our
Lord
did not lay out principles of passive resistance, but rather principles of
aggressive love. The apostle Paul summarized the spiritual principles of
aggressive love in Romans 12:17-21: "Never pay back evil for evil to
anyone.
.. . . If possible so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God,
for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord' (Deut.
32:35). But if your enemy is hungry, [aggressive love] feed him, and if he
is thirsty, [aggressive love] give him a drink (Prov. 25: 21f). Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil [aggressive love] with good."
The Lord deals with his disciples' hearts in the spiritual realm, cutting
across human knowledge on how to live in a community on the physical and
emotional levels. He sought to begin anew by working in their hearts which
he had invaded to become King. As such, he promised to supply them with
the
resources to enable them to move into the community so they in turn could
invade it with love.
The first thing Jesus says is to do good to those who hate you, those who
would like to murder you. The language here means to continue to do good
to
have a lifestyle of goodness. At that moment, Jesus knew the Pharisees and
scribes hated him enough to plot his murder. Later he would warn his
disciples, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before
it
hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but
because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19). We must remember that our
enemies hated Christ before they hated us, yet we must not respond by
seeking personal revenge.
Our Lord would later illustrate for his disciples how to do good to those
who hated them. On the night he was betrayed, Judas brought the soldiers
of
the high priest to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus, "And they
laid
hands on him and seized him. But a certain one of those who stood by drew
his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. But
Jesus answered and said 'Stop! No more of this.' . . . And he touched his
ear and healed him" (Mark 14: 46-47; Luke 22:51). What a wonderful example
of doing good to those who hate you!
Secondly, Jesus says to "bless [continue to bless] those who curse you."
When men pronounce evil against you, return their curse with a blessing in
either word or deed. That is certainly a hard thing to do--especially on
the
busy freeway! I am amazed at how easily men curse you, whether you're a
Christian or not. How do you return evil for good? How about allowing that
other driver to merge into your lane even though there is personal cost in
terms of your own schedule? It might be a way to bring a little light into
his world during a stressful time in his day.
Third, Jesus says to "pray [continue to pray] for those who mistreat you"
(Matt. 5:45). After our Lord had been whipped, mocked, scourged and
crowned
with thorns he demonstrated this at the cross when he prayed for the crowd
who mocked him: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are
doing" (Luke 23:34). Jesus was the only innocent in all creation. He did
not
deserve the treatment he was receiving, yet he continued to pray for those
who persecuted him.
Stephen, the first martyr, followed his example. After giving testimony
before the Sanhedrin that Jesus was the Messiah, Stephen was sentenced to
be
stoned to death. As the stones rained on his body, he looked up to heaven
and prayed, "'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!' And falling on his knees, he
cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them!'"
(Acts 7: 60). Jesus was willing to die so that others might live, and
Stephen followed his glorious example.
Fourth, Jesus says, "Whoever hits you on the check, offer him the other
also." In the first century, the Jews did not have the civil rights we
enjoy
today. What the Lord is referring to in this instance is not a slap in the
face, unloving insults from evildoers that could create a spirit of
revenge
in the believer's heart. The things that Jesus already asked of us do not
affect our person, but now the enemy is hitting us right where it hurts. A
natural desire for vengeance surfaces when we are made to feel embarrassed
before those from whom we seek respect. According to Jesus, we should
respond to this kind of an insult by relying on the Holy Spirit to give us
the courage to turn the other cheek and respond with words or acts of
love.
He wants us to know that there is something more valuable than our pride
at
stake at that moment: the eternal life of the one who just hit you is in
the
balance. It is obvious that your enemy cannot hear about Jesus if you
respond by pummelling him into the ground!
At his trial, our Lord himself was struck on the cheek by the high
priest's
guard, but rather than turn and offer his other check he asked, "If I have
spoken wrongly, bear witness of the wrong; but if rightly why do you
strike
me?" Later Pilate had Jesus scourged, and Peter reminds us how our Lord
responded: ". . ..Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for
you to follow in his steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found
in his mouth (Isaiah 53:9), and while being reviled he did not revile in
return; while suffering, he uttered no threats, but kept entrusting
himself
to him who judges righteously" (I Peter 2:21-23).
Jesus continues, "Whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your ****rt
from him either (Luke 6:29) in order that you may be sons of your Father
who
is in heaven; for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and
sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matt 5:45). The tunic
was
a long, sack-like garment made of cotton. Even the poorest man would have
a
change of tunic. The cloak was a great, blanket-like outer garment which a
man wore as a robe by day and used as a blanket at night; without it he
would freeze to death. But the Jew only had one cloak, and this could not
be
taken away from him. Exodus 22:26-27 says: "If you ever take your
neighbor's
cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, for
that
is his only covering, it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he
sleep
in?" Jesus says, however, that if a man wants your coat and you see that
he
is hurting, give him your ****rt also. Do not in any way assert your rights
by refusing when someone comes to take your protective covering. Rather,
wait on the Lord in prayer before responding.
Jesus says to give to everyone who asks of you, but I am tempted to
respond,
"We'll get cleaned out lock, stock, and barrel!" The law states, "If there
is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your
land which the Lord your God has given you, you shall not harden your
heart,
nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your
hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in
whatever he lacks" (Deut.15:7-8). Proverbs says, "He who is gracious to a
poor man lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his good deed"
(19:17). These scriptures point out that every time you are helpful to the
poor you are loaning to the Lord, and the Lord is always obligated to pay
back. He says, "You give that person the resources he needs, and I will
take
care of your needs."
Next, Jesus declares, "And whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand
it back." He is referring to a thief who forcefully and unjustly takes
something that is rightfully yours and then denies that he ever took it.
What should we do? The key to the passage is to look for ways to love
people
who do not have the Lord in their hearts. If a thief should come and steal
something from you, do not go after him to seek revenge. Rather, it is
proper and right to go through the legal system. Re****t the robbery, and
if
he is apprehended, use the op****tunity to meet him in jail and tell him
about Jesus.
Once again, the issue is not our property or our rights, but rather the
enemy's eternal life. After all, the apostle Paul tells us that the
kingdom
of God is made up of such people: "Do not be deceived; neither
fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homo***uals, nor
thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit
the
kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you
were
sanctified, but your were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and
in the Spirit of our God" (II Cor. 6:9-11). The only kind of people who
enter the kingdom of God are sinners like you and me. We are all former
thieves, former adulterers, former fornicators. We were saved because we
came to see our dire need. Do not chase the thief to kill him. How will he
enter into the kingdom if you kill him? He might become your brother in
Christ if you share the gospel with him.
Finally, the Lord sums up the secret of Christlikeness, "And just as you
want men to treat you, you treat them in the same way." Matt. 7: 12
records
Jesus' words this way, ". . however you want others to do for you do so do
for them; for this is the law and the prophets." Here the Lord sums up the
39 books of the Old Testament, all that the law and the prophets were
saying, in one simple but profound sentence: "Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you [by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit]." This
is
the simplicity of the gospel.
A man came to our home the other day to see my wife about something. I was
outside wa****ng my car, and I saw that his car was dirty. I thought, "Oh,
Lord, don't do that to me! Don't bring those Bible verses to my mind right
now. I've got my rights!" In reality, my whole life in the kingdom of God
is
God taking me by my ****rt collar and "leading" me into righteousness. So I
responded to the Lord's prompting and washed the man's car so that it
looked
really nice. But the hot sun quickly dried the car and the pavement so
that
when he came out he never noticed that I had extended myself to wash it!
My
flesh wanted an immediate reward rather than resting in the commandment of
our Lord to treat others the way you want to be treated, by the power of
the
Spirit, then walk on into the next good work to the honor and glory of our
Lord Jesus.
The Jews' response to these directives was probably much like ours would
have been: "How in the world can we live out these words in a corrupt
world
filled with Romans, Greeks, and barbarians, let alone the Pharisees and
corrupt, mean-spirited fellow Jews?" The key is found in Luke 6: "Blessed
are the poor in spirit." They are the people who declare their spiritual
bankruptcy, are indwelt by King Jesus, and receive all of his spiritual
resources through the power of the Holy Spirit. That power is available to
do good, to keep the law and the prophets. The whole law was summarized by
our Lord when he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;
and your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10 :27).
Our Lord takes the law and all the teachings of the prophets and distills
it
down to this simple but overpowering statement: "Just as you want men to
treat you treat them in the same way." Men desire to be loved, respected,
held in high esteem and treated as eternal beings. As we look at this
statement we discover that the process must begin with us--"You treat
them"--and then we realize that we cannot do it. This statement comes
within
the context of prayer in Matthew 7:7-12. We are to pray that the Lord will
love men in and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Power will be
given to us to love and to do all the law and the prophets (Luke 11:3).
The
Holy Spirit is given to those who ask for him.
As we look back over these guidelines for living in the kingdom of God we
are reminded that our Lord Jesus Christ lived out every one of these
commands on his way to the cross of Calvary. It was his lifestyle to use
aggressive agape love as he depended on the Father to give him the Spirit
to
work this out.
The conversation with the college administrator concerned how to respond
to
the hostile attitude of the neighbors. Based on this passage, I asked her
if
she and her co-workers ever took time to investigate the problem from
their
neighbors' point of view. She admitted that when she went to the council
meeting the neighbors were so angry she became defensive and did not look
at
the problem from their point of view. She then said she would spend the
following week asking them for their perspective and hope for an
op****tunity
to minister to them in the love of Christ.
How should we react towards those who hate, curse, and mistrust us? Treat
them as you desire to be treated, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and be
just as merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful.
II. Be just as merciful as your Father, Luke 6: 32-38
And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even
sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good
to
you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you
lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same amount.
But
love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and
your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he
himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your
Father
is merciful. And do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not
condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned
[I
don't think that necessarily means on this earth]. Give, and it will be
given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,
they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be
measured to you in return.
Keep in mind that it is God the Father who is protecting you; you are the
sons of the Father. That passage describes a loving God who is aware of
our
every action, and he is the rewarder of the faithful.
Jesus follows up the Golden Rule with some practical suggestions. He
challenged his disciples to break out of their conditional love patterns,
saying, "And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
For
even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do
good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same
thing.
And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is
that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the
same
amount." That is normal living, the way the world keeps things even, but
the
Lord does not want us to live on that level anymore. He wants us to move
into a whole new arena.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies, and do good (to our enemies), and lend
(to our enemies) expecting nothing in return. How in the world does one
live
like that? How would we ever get ahead in this world? This is the way it
works now and has always worked in the past. Everything we have ever done
in
our community--hating our enemies, not expressing agape love, only doing
good to our friends, lending them material goods, but always expecting
something in return--is just as natural to us as breathing. Now we are
being
called to do this and not expect that we will receive anything in return!
Our Lord had in mind the hopeless cases among them, those who could not
help
themselves and might never be in a position to repay.
John R.W. Stott writes,
....all human love, even the highest, the noblest and the best, is
contaminated to some degree by the impurities of self-interest. We
Christians are specifically called to love our enemies (in which love
there
is no self-interest) and this is impossible without the supernatural grace
of God flowing through us. . . . The question Jesus asked is 'What more
are
you doing than others?' This simple word 'more' is the quintessence of
what
he is saying. It is not enough for Christians to resemble non-Christians;
our calling is to outstrip them in virtue. Our righteousness is to exceed
that of the Pharisees and our love is to be more than that of the
Gentiles.
.. . .
What is the motivating factor for us to live this way? It is clearly
stated:
" . . . and your reward will be great." When do we get the reward? When we
participate in the act of aggressive love we receive joy, love, peace and
wholeness. There may be other rewards in heaven, but we receive these
blessings right away. God the Father sees the love and goodness and
lending
from the heart of his true sons as all done to his glory--and it is not to
be seen by men. As children of God we derive joy from resembling our
heavenly Father--like Father, like son. Jesus added, "'And you will be
sons
of the Most High." People begin to see the sons of God resemble their
Father
as they extend love, expecting nothing in return. Our greatest reward is a
relation****p with our heavenly Father. Therefore, be like him by being
merciful, just as our Father is merciful, with compassion, acts of love
and
deeds of kindness.
Then the Lord warns his apostles: "Do not pass judgment and you will not
be
judged." The Son of God commanded them to not pass judgment by being the
judge, jury and hangman. We are certainly asked to be discerning, to form
opinions based on someone's expressions and actions. Since we cannot know
what is in his heart, however, we must be careful to not criticize. I have
at times listened to gossip about someone and formed opinions based on
appearances. Then when I finally sat down with the person in question, I
have been rebuked because I acted like a judge and had badly missed the
mark.
The Lord encouraged his apostles, "Give and it will be given to you; good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into
your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in
return."
W.M. Hendriksen writes,
The underlying symbolism is that of the Near East grain market, but
similar
conditions are found all over the world. Anyone who had had anything to do
with the sale of grains, fruits, or vegetables knows that a bushel loosely
filled contains far less produce than one in which the grain or other
agricultural products have been pressed down, shaken together, and added
to
until they run over the edge of the container. The promise of God here is
that the person who gives generously will also receive back generously.
God wants us to have that kind of life. For by our standard of measure it
will be measured to us by God who sees all. As Christians, when we look at
each other, do we see Jesus? Is our standard of mercy like our Father's?
Our Lord encouraged his followers to have the same heart as their heavenly
Father, a heart that is generous towards his sons and equally generous
towards his enemies. Why? The issue for humanity, whether sons or enemies,
is eternity. God desires that all men come to him through his Son Jesus
Christ. He wants his enemies to see his Son in the loving, good, generous
lives of his sons and daughters. We must pray that they will be drawn to
come to Jesus as their Lord and Savior and receive the gift of eternal
life,
the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and live their
new
lives on earth by his power and love.
What do we do in this community when people hate us just because we love
Jesus? The Lord says it clearly to his disciples: Treat all men, but
especially those who are our enemies, the way you would like to be
treated.
When you meet people, treat them with the gracious mercy of God. What is
at
stake is not our rights but their eternal destiny. It was the love of
Christ
extended to us when we were his enemies that brought us into the kingdom
of
God. Now that we are in, we must not forget how we got in! Live in such a
way among your enemies that they might see God the Father, his Son, and
the
Holy Spirit extending aggressive agape love toward them; and pray that
many
of them might come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Copyright © 1989 Discovery Publi****ng, a ministry of Peninsula Bible
Church.
This data file is the sole property of Discovery Publi****ng, a ministry of
Peninsula Bible Church. It may be copied only in its entirety for
circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must
contain
the above copyright notice. This data file may not be copied in part,
edited, revised, copied for resale or incor****ated in any commercial
publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other
products offered for sale, without the written permission of Discovery
Publi****ng. Requests for permission should be made in writing and
addressed
to Discovery Publi****ng, 3505 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto, CA. 94306-3695.
|
