How to preach the gospel

[Shev]

I was thinking tonight about how the gospel is supposed to be preached - not in an exact, formulaic way, but in response to an assertion (that you have no doubt all heard) that we must "preach the bad news first", and that the whole counsel of God involves hitting people over the head with their sin first in order to establish how offended God is with them, before then bringing in the story of Jesus to show why they must be saved from their wormlike existence. In many ways, this might be called the ET pattern - "scaring with hell first, to encourage acceptance of heaven".

I decided to look at the first sermon given by the ekklesia itself, that of Peter in Acts 2. The pattern is so very different. First there, is a display of the power of God, causing people to wonder, before the following subjects are covered by Peter:

1 - The outpouring of the Spirit as the fulfillment of a prophecy of Joel.
2 - Jesus being handed over to evil men by the foreknowledge and will of God, to be crucified.
3 - A prophecy of David that the Holy One would not see corruption.
4 - Jesus Christ fulfilling this same prophecy by rising from the dead.
5 - Jesus ascending and pouring out the Spirit that was then being demonstrated.
6 - God having made this Jesus, whom they crucified, both Lord and Christ.

The men then cry out to the disciples asking what they should do, upon which they are told:

7 - Repent, be baptized and receive the gift of the Spirit.
8 - That the promise of God is to them and their children, and to all the Lord will call.
9 - They then urge the people with many words, urging them to be saved from the crooked generation.

Again, this is not to make a formula of the preaching, but we see Christ proclaimed first, and no belaboring of the men, but rather an urging and encouraging at the end of the matter, once the people had already begun to repent and respond. To me it is just remarkable how different this sermon is from how the gospel is "supposed to be preached". There is no mention of hell, no detailing the many sins of the people, but rather a proclaiming of who Christ is, what He has accomplished, and how all of this is according to the will of the Father. 

[rosered]

  Shev ,
    The BIG difference for me  in between the two  messages
  the ministration of death  , preaching and et , is they are all still carnally minded ...

   The good news of the gospel and preaching   reconciliation is done though the Holy Spirit   

   They are  night and day difference to me .

   Jude , that   short chapter , a letter really ,     to me comparing   the differences , between the  two

[marie glen]

I love Acts! And those first preachings! (speeches) ..first through Peter .. "on this rock/pebble, I will build my church".. I love the order of them.. as you pointed out! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :dsunny:


Amen Rose! (and Shev) the Holy Spirit first and makes all the difference..!

[rosered]

  I really read you post Shev and agree   with you it was Jesus Christ   pouring out      EVERYTHING [good gifts /Holy Spirit ]   on all flesh



  Him now   being   the Lord of the dead and the living    [  either    alive or   dead = meaning all ]  this means all things  are subject to Him

When you look at the scriptures saying   Jesus  Christ    is being betrayed   unto   the hands of sinners ...

  We realize   that while were were yet sinners Christ died for us ....

  But When you come to the scriptures  that says   I lay my life down , NONE takes it from  Me     John 10...

17"For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18"No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. [/b]This commandment I received from My Father." 19A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words....



Matt 26

44And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45Then He came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46"Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!"

   Destroy this Temple and  in  3 days  I will raise it up again


I can see  what you  mean  in the Old  we have this witness also of Isaiah   53  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+53


Where it was  His      Holy pure  innocent   beautiful  [FULL ] Life given for the sinners  lawless ones /transgressors   as poured out and emptied    so they   would live    in and though and because of Him and His sacrifice of LOVE       

[rosered]

ps  everyone is given a measure of His faith  :HeartThrob:  and it is what you do with it  that can and  does make a difference  spreading the seeds of faith as a mustard seed
Author and finisher of our faith

Hebrews 12 1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,


2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.


3For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

  Have not denied my faith   rev

2 12"And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

13'I know where you dwell, where Satan's /adversary throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan/adversary  dwells.


14But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality....

[marie glen]

.... :Chinscratch: :Book: here's something else to ponder... the way Jesus preached while here.. He preached "the kingdom" by saying things like "the law and the prophets bear witness.." and by HIs parables - "the kingdom of God is like..."

Again, no hell fire except the reference to gehenna the city dump.. and Lazarus and rich man parable, (a simile about another "age"?) oh, and I forgot (edit) the "furnace of fire" at the end of the age - Armageddon?

...just down to earth teaching about God's kingdom... what it is, what it is like..

He was the door (of course) -

"2 - Jesus being handed over to evil men by the foreknowledge and will of God, to be crucified.

Then the first preachings of 'the church' preaching these things, which Paul also later repeated some of these:

1 - The outpouring of the Spirit as the fulfillment of a prophecy of Joel.
2 - Jesus being handed over to evil men by the foreknowledge and will of God, to be crucified.
3 - A prophecy of David that the Holy One would not see corruption.
4 - Jesus Christ fulfilling this same prophecy by rising from the dead.
5 - Jesus ascending and pouring out the Spirit that was then being demonstrated.
6 - God having made this Jesus, whom they crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Very good food for thought!

ps  everyone is given a measure of His faith  :HeartThrob:  and it is what you do with it  that can and  does make a difference  spreading the seeds of faith as a mustard seed
Author and finisher of our faith

  Amen, Rose! :thumbsup:

[marie glen]

...I wonder what sort of preaching would parallel 1-6 today... :Chinscratch: as, for instance most folks don't even know who Joel is (was)..

just wondering exactly what a 1-6 might look like today.. and how close could we get to the original 6?

[Dandelion]

How the Gospel should be preached.....an interesting question.

Off the top of my head I will say:

First by example; love all you come into contact with; do not judge other's motives. Only God can see our hearts.

Preach Law and Gospel......heavy on the Gospel. Don't leave the Holy Spirit out of the mix.

The Bible is the source of written information and our home base, first and foremost.

Share your testimony; share Bible stories when possible and at the right time.

Give people lots of room to be who they are and to grow. We are all on our own journeys. Respect that. Remember that true grace and inspiration comes from God alone....we are the catalysts, at best. We are doing the Lord's work.

Always point to God, and not ourselves. He is the source of our light and strength.

Be joyful, humble, grace-filled, as we are given,..... remember to have faith, hope and love.....the greatest of these is LOVE.

Off the top of my head........... :2c:

D.

Who will be Jesus....an inspiring song.


https://youtu.be/p8KzR2Lxv_c

[marie glen]

...Off the top of your head.. pretty dang good!! and the song says it all perfectly too! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: Amen D  :iagree:

[eaglesway]

I have seen first hand the effects of proclaiming and implementing the gospel in this way. God will answer by His Spirit.

"And the Lord worked with them confirming the word with signs and wonders."

[CHB]

I have heard it said that "we are the only Bible some people will ever read." I kinda think that to be true.

Since all the things that happened to Israel was an example for us, we should live our lives as an example for others. (1Peter 5:3) Neither as being lords over God's heritage but being ensamples to the flock.

CHB

[Shev]

I have heard it said that "we are the only Bible some people will ever read." I kinda think that to be true.

Since all the things that happened to Israel was an example for us, we should live our lives as an example for others. (1Peter 5:3) Neither as being lords over God's heritage but being ensamples to the flock.

CHB

Amen CHB!

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;  3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

[eaglesway]

 :thumbsup:

[Dandelion]

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;  3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

I must remember this quote, Shev. I don't remember seeing it before. Beautiful!

Thank you, also, to those who liked my  :2c:

I owe my thoughts to those dear people whom God has put in my path.......Spirit-filled, anointed, loving people, who taught me to trust in God, and showed me, by example and discussions, how to live a Godly life. They have been my Jesus in the flesh. And, of course, a special Thank You, to the Holy Spirit, who has been with me, since my earliest memories, guiding me in God's path.  :HeartThrob:

D.

[sheila]

very edifying thread.... :girlheart:

[lastpost]

Forgive me if I take a step back from the more specific reference of the initial demonstrations of the Spirit, and look for a while at perhaps a more general view. I see this as the beginning of the era of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reigns today to reveal the Christ Spirit – the Spirit of Christ in and amongst man.

First was revealed God the mighty Ruler. Then Christ the loving Saviour was revealed. Then in the era of the Holy Spirit, the third era if you will, the Risen Christ stands in the midst of men for those with eyes to see.

In the era of the Ruler, it was supposed by some that the coming Messiah should match and supersede the splendour and raiment of the wealth of Solomon and when he should arrive they should partake in the prosperous kingdom.

And I see the same happening with some expectations of this reign of the Spirit where partaking in Christ's kingdom is of the material, and the Spirit is spoken against because it appears in an unexpected apparently un-enumerated form, even reviled by some in its strangeness.

Yet I believe His kingdom is spiritual and Christ's return is spiritual, in and around men as Spirit, the Christ Spirit - the principle of Christ lived and living amongst humanity in the highest form of the truth a man can grasp, the spiritual Comforter, alive and everywhere, speaking plainly through the safe Door of Christ, but against which fight the seen and unseen adversaries.

Christ said "love thine enemies and pray for those who persecute you". I see this as an immovable and unchangeable truth with no proviso, yet this is something alien to some, even unthinkable that the adversaries – both seen and unseen enemies – should be forgiven and loved seventy times seven even. Yet I believe that until man comes to this simple understanding, harmony shall be absent, preventing complete reconciliation. Who shall call themselves followers of Christ and then hate their enemies?

According to my understanding of the matter, the Risen Christ and the Gospel of His kingdom shall be widespread, and He shall appear to each one in a recognisable form as Jesus – yet He will already be living fully within - alive.  The principle of Christ was once incarnate, and the same principle is in the Risen Christ who is of the Spirit. The Christ is resurrected, the principle of Christ re-worked, revived, because the Spirit reigns.

The Divine Love of the Great Healer of all, according to my understanding, is the Heart of the Gospel of the Risen Christ which is spread far and wide by and through the Holy Spirit so that sleeping material man shall awaken to the fact that there is indeed a life to come in which his doings today have their bearings upon tomorrow; in which the prospect of immortality is brought to light by the very existence of the teaching of the Holy Spirit itself - by the blessed existence of the Comforter to man's misunderstandings and miseries; where man can see and hear the Holy Spirit remind him of the Master's words and beg him take care, beware, your future is assured through Christ yet be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I believe the era, being of the Spirit, is in place until man is full of Spirit – it will happen in God's good time when man is ready to take. There are convulsive disruptions between transitions of aeonial state, not least the change between the material and the spiritual which is being carried out by the Spirit over many hundreds of years – material ideas being abandoned and allowing the spiritual to be ushered in more and more; the unreal world of evil and imitation good with all its earthly deceit being transformed into the only real Good of the Holy Spirit which is of God. The material must die for the spiritual to arise in His kingdom which has no end – it is but shown by Jesus Christ Himself, the Truth made manifest.

This, I believe, is but absorption into God's kingdom, the straightening of the crooked, that which was perverted healed. And the earth joins the Spiritual, passing into the Greater World of the Spirit, even that which was material being made one with Spirit by the Blood and water that gushed out from within Him to bless the world.

Peace and rest in Service.

[Shev]

Great post, lastpost! You have written of the spiritual mystery of Christ in a very relatable manner. I enjoyed your phrase "There are convulsive disruptions between transitions of aeonial state". I agree entirely, and it seems there is almost an overlap between different ages, when those who ascribe to the powers of a passing age fight against the greater manifestation of the coming age, such as the Jews who fought against the powers of the coming Church Age, or even those who now wrestle against that which is coming soon.

I appreciate how you describe the spiritual nature of the kingdom. It seems the quickest way to become one who fights against the powers of the next age, is to reduce spiritual mysteries to earthly dimensions, so as to await a messiah who overthrows the Romans by force of arms, or in present context, a savior who does the same to the naughty nations, sitting on a literal throne in literal Jerusalem after coming on literal clouds, granting us literal mansions on literal streets of gold, and the right to eat from a literal tree of life.

Indeed, great is the mystery of the things to come - but we see the reality dawn like the first soft brushes of sunlight against a dark canvas, as the Spirit conforms us to the image of the Blessed One within.

[sheila]

Amen...

[sheila]

at the 'transfiguration" Peter suggested..perhaps 3 tents need be put up. But Father said..'This is MY SON,HEAR YE HIM"

  of Him..the greatest of men born of woman said 'He must go on increasing..I must go on decreasing."

  when the spirit is on the move[pillar fire/cloud] so do you....or..as the popular series 'Left Behind" shows you are not caught up

on the Day of Lord..in the spirit

[eaglesway]

Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9 I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the [c]son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

The Disciples in the World
13 But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

20 "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Their Future Glory
22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected [g]in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

25 "O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

[marie glen]

I decided to look at the first sermon given by the ekklesia itself, that of Peter in Acts 2. The pattern is so very different. First there, is a display of the power of God, causing people to wonder, before the following subjects are covered by Peter:

1 - The outpouring of the Spirit as the fulfillment of a prophecy of Joel.
2 - Jesus being handed over to evil men by the foreknowledge and will of God, to be crucified.
3 - A prophecy of David that the Holy One would not see corruption.
4 - Jesus Christ fulfilling this same prophecy by rising from the dead.
5 - Jesus ascending and pouring out the Spirit that was then being demonstrated.
6 - God having made this Jesus, whom they crucified, both Lord and Christ.

The men then cry out to the disciples asking what they should do, upon which they are told:

7 - Repent, be baptized and receive the gift of the Spirit.
8 - That the promise of God is to them and their children, and to all the Lord will call.
9 - They then urge the people with many words, urging them to be saved from the crooked generation.

Again, this is not to make a formula of the preaching, but we see Christ proclaimed first, and no belaboring of the men, but rather an urging and encouraging at the end of the matter, once the people had already begun to repent and respond. To me it is just remarkable how different this sermon is from how the gospel is "supposed to be preached". There is no mention of hell, no detailing the many sins of the people, but rather a proclaiming of who Christ is, what He has accomplished, and how all of this is according to the will of the Father.

"this is not to make a formula of the preaching" Well, i'm a real nerd, and i LOVE formulas! :laugh2: :pointlaugh: I love to be organized.. and i'm getting a bit forgetful.. so a sort of outline could come in handy.. your post has stayed in the back of my mind, and this is what I came up with which i think of as "today's witness" (an intro to the u.r. gospel for the not yet believers, going to use on my blog; thanks, it was really missing this!)

Israel is a (western) nation from ancient times, for whom "God had parted the Red Sea" so they could escape slavery. It was an example of how God would send "one like Moses" who would save humankind from death.

We all, since Adam and Eve, were born imperfect. Yet God is life and also perfection, so imperfect is the opposite of life! The bible says he built in the rescue (from death) from the very beginning and this rescue is His Son, Jesus. He, himself engineered things so all would take this journey through imperfection all together. All learning good from evil.

Israel, because of the prophecies and the prophets was expecting a Messiah (savior of the world) but not the humble street preacher which Jesus was. He became dangerous to certain seats of power, and so he was executed.

Jesus himself had said, revealing God's intent "if I am lifted up from the earth" (on the cross) "I will draw all people to me". The people who knew him and lived with him, left written accounts of "that which we saw and heard and our hands have touched, this we proclaim and testify".. "God also testifying to it by signs, wonders and various miracles ".

These witnesses later were executed rather than take back their testimony "that Christ died for our sins - was buried - and rose again on the third day" - just as long ago had been prophesied and written. And he "was seen afterward, alive, by the disciples and by over five hundred at once" when "he showed himself alive, after his suffering, being seen by them for forty days as he spoke and taught.."

"And this is the testimony, that God has given eternal life, and this life is in His Son, Jesus." This good news spread like wildfire and changed a large part of the world. But it was written (prophesied) that untruth (wolves) would bring false ideas into the gospel. Until we get to today and many folks don't even realize there is the need to be rescued from death but believe we are inherently 'immortal'.

"God is the savior of all" and Jesus promises to return and "set up a kingdom (paradise/perfection) which will never end".

"He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

There will be a "new heavens and a new earth" ..."the lion will eat straw like the ox and the bear will graze with the cow." .."There will be no more tears, nor death, nor sorrow.. God himself will dwell with man upon Earth".

John, the only apostle (disciple of Jesus, one of the twelve) who was not executed for his faith, wrote "..these things we write to you that your joy may be full". He also wrote "God is love".

Deuteronomy 18:18; Hebrews 4:3; Psalm 2:6-8; 1 John 1:1-3; Psalm 16:10; Hebrews 2:4; 1 John 5:11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6; Acts 1:3; 1 Timothy 4:10; Matthew 24:29-30; Daniel 2:44; Micah 4:3; Isaiah 11:7; Revelation 21:1-5; 1 John 1:4; 1 John 4:8

[And be prepared to give answers if asked about the times we are in (signs of the times) like the first preachings which included the (signs of the) time, days, age they were in.]


       

[eaglesway]

 When I was a young evangelist(23) in the Assemblies of God, I met another young evangelist from the United Pentecostal Church(25). We began to seek the Lord together, from a perspective of deconstructing the gospel in a similar manner to what Shev has done in this thread. Shortly after this we met a young couple who were starting a Christian commune(Florida East Coast). The four of us fasted and prayed and studied the word. We saw that the early church was not led by a single man but by groups of believers gifted in different ways for the edification of the body(Eph 4, Rom 12).

We began to proclaim the gospel as Peter had in Acts 2 and 3, and to live with all things in common as the early believers did. The Lord worked with us, confirming the word with signs and wonders. it was amazing and beautiful. Most of the people we baptized came up out of the water filled with the Spirit and speaking in tongues or prophesying. Many people we laid hands upon were filled with the Spirit. Within a period of about 2 years hundreds of young people were saved and filled with the Spirit.

We were not yet aware of the truth of UR, but we were ministering in a spirit of reconciliation. Following scriptural patterns is not a futile endeavor- as long as it is in faith and freedom as opposed to legalism(which we eventually fell into and the Spirit of the Lord departed).

[Shev]

 :iagree:

Great responses thank you all! I do think what is largely presented today as the necessary manner to preach the gospel - belaboring people with their sin first, to make them aware of their wormlike misery before bringing them the good news - has no basis in scripture, and I like what John wrote above about following scripture not being a futile endeavor. Those must have been amazing times, John!

To me, everything always starts with Christ, who is the beginning, middle and end of all of the plan of the Father. This agrees with the sermon in Acts that Peter gave - proclaiming what Christ had done, before counseling those who were drawn to Him, as to what they should now do. The whole book of Ephesians is like this also, with the first three chapters devoted to the grand vista of God's plan, and the last three chapters dealing more with how we live as a consequence of these mighty workings.

Proclaiming the glory of the Father and His Christ is infinitely better than proclaiming the misery of the blind, sin-bound creature.

[rosered]

:iagree:

Great responses thank you all! I do think what is largely presented today as the necessary manner to preach the gospel - belaboring people with their sin first, to make them aware of their wormlike misery before bringing them the good news - has no basis in scripture, and I like what John wrote above about following scripture not being a futile endeavor. Those must have been amazing times, John!

To me, everything always starts with Christ, who is the beginning, middle and end of all of the plan of the Father. This agrees with the sermon in Acts that Peter gave - proclaiming what Christ had done, before counseling those who were drawn to Him, as to what they should now do. The whole book of Ephesians is like this also, with the first three chapters devoted to the grand vista of God's plan, and the last three chapters dealing more with how we live as a consequence of these mighty workings.

Proclaiming the glory of the Father and His Christ is infinitely better than proclaiming the misery of the blind, sin-bound creature.

Hi Shev ,

make them aware of their wormlike misery before bringing them the good news - has no basis in scripture,

I do not think you can bypass that   worm like state    of sin consciousness  and able to say the  law is not good  in [Romans 7 and 8 ]  and there is plenty of scripture    to show us there is NONE good but God   

  Standing up erect in truth    we will surly stumble  ,  John said legalism   ,  go back to the law  and ministration  of death    under the weakness of the flesh

Pride of life  , and than the pride of overcoming   ''the pride of life''   what a cycle ..    :sigh:
   I agree   with you it   is the Lord  Jesus Christ   and proclaiming the good news of the gospel  as a GREAT LIGHT to overcome the darkness , darkness makes people sleepy and  sad .

   The healing and   laying on of hands [powers ]  raising the dead and casting out the  demonic  activities and the lusts  , these things are  coming  from ''thoughts '' that rise up in our minds  and hearts   out of no where .

    What wears  against the Spirit to the  point of the saints [ holy ones]   are  being overcome ?

   Where do these wicked thoughts come from ?

  And just when you think  your safe in the arms of Jesus ,  than  all of a sudden  , there is that wicked thing to torment you all over again ?

   The world calls it ''mental illness  ''    the Word calls it  sin  sickness unto  death

  We see this continually  and yet are powerless over it ?  WHY ?

As Christians should we not  be seeing results ?

   What about the fellow  Night flight  that was here a  few weeks ago   asking for help ?   

  and   he found none here and since has went silent  .

Examples such as these  are still like ''spots in the love feasts ''.   

  I just wonder  what you think about this ?

  I am  really grieved   and honestly  wonder   are we to just sit  back and wait on   things to change and let God do it  all ?

  Why are things getting worse instead of better   ?    Are we just sitting ducks   hated by the world  and still  fearful and powerless to speak against evil  because if you Stand in Truth you will be crucified  like Christ ?

I want nothing more than to speak of Gods love for the world  and all that is in it , but   wonder if that is a false sense of security  , I only say this because  of the scripture   in Luke 16   are we to   act  more shrewdly/ wiser   , Like Paul said  come with a rod of correction or with Love ?

Are we as UR believers


  The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward


...7"Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8"And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly;


for the sons of this age are more shrewd/wise  in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.


9"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings....

Strong's G5429 - phronimos
φρόνιμος
Transliteration
phronimos
Pronunciation
fro'-nē-mos (Key)

Part of Speech
adjective
Root Word (Etymology)
From φρήν (G5424)
TDNT Reference
9:220,1277
Vines
View Entry
Outline of Biblical Usage
intelligent, wise

prudent, i.e. mindful of one's interests

      Considering   and  acting with or showing care and thought for the future.

     Are we to be more mindful of   others suffering   to the point of making a difference ?   These are the things   that concern me
  Should we go out a  proclaim   the good news   no matter what happens to us  or would we  be mistaken ?

   Like   lighting a fire under ones butt  or putting a bee in ones bonnet ?

  Jesus was  angry in His Spirit when   he turned over the money tables  in the temple 
and when     Mary doubted Jesus would raise her brother   Lazarus from the dead   this was  a righteous  indignation .       Showing us how much   God hates evil doing .

Love does  show emotion and its not always a sweet thing