 | Teaching:
'Laying the Right Foundation Part 4' |
| Jesus Christ is Lord!
Andrew Shreeve Ministries
Partner Letter – June 2009
‘Bringing good tidings, publishing peace and salvation’
(Isaiah 52:7, Romans 10:15)
Sow a financial seed this month and partner with Andrew in proclaiming peace and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ to all nations.
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| Contents
- Welcome
- Resources
- Teaching – “Laying the Right Foundation – Part 4”
| Welcome
| Dear partners and friends,
I have travelled overland from Southern Cambodia to Laos. The lands are filled with idols and spirit houses. Exodus 20:3-5 says thou shalt have no other god’s before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image… thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. The spirit houses and idols are clearly not devoted to our creator, the Almighty, the God of Israel; they are rather devoted to the worship of the fallen devil spirits (Luke 10:18). When preaching and teaching the gospel, I have found the locals are respectful and appreciative to hear about Jesus Christ. Mostly they say this is the first time someone has told them about Jesus Christ. In the nations of Cambodia and Laos there are more than 20 millions people, created in God’s likeness who are lost, in darkness, and with few to help them to get saved from eternal hell (John 3:18, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). It would be good if we opened our hearts to consider how the Lord may want us to increase our efforts to bring God’s Word to these two nations.
This month we continue our series of establishing the right foundations of truth in our heart. Jesus said, if ye continue in my Word, then ye are my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32). If we want to experience the Lord’s freedom, it is vital that our hearts are established in the truth of God’s Word. The circumstances of our lives are created by our heart (Proverbs 4:23). This month’s teaching of the foundation of love will bring blessing into your life.
| Resources
| To view 26 short videos (each less than ten minutes) by Andrew go to: www.youtube.com/AndrewJShreeve .
To study 77 short written teachings go to: www.andrewshreeve.org click on the icon, ‘Partner Letters’. You may copy and print the teachings for easier study.
| Laying the Right Foundation – Part 4
Copyright © Andrew J. Shreeve 2009
| Most of us are aware that foundations are extremely important. If a building has poor foundations it will one day become worthless rubble. Inopportunely, many Christians have poor or even incorrect foundations concerning what God is like, and how God’s kingdom operates. After many years as a Christian, I had to re-examine and re-lay some of my foundations according to the bible, and not according to the traditions and teachings of men. It has proved very beneficial that I remained open to the option that my foundations needed renovation. If you are not experiencing the power of God’s promises in every area of your life, keep your heart open, and humble yourself to the possibility that you also may need to lay new foundations.
In this series, we have laid three foundations: 1. God’s Word is seed; 2. God’s Word is living, powerful, creative, and able to change any situation in our lives; and 3. Righteousness is God’s gift to humanity, received by grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The fourth foundation we will now lay is: God is love.
God has revealed himself in the bible in various ways; as a judge, as jealous, as holy, as a healer, as slow to anger, as merciful, as righteous, and with further study and thought we could find many more attributes and characteristics of God. However, we can confidently say that above all these attributes one stands as larger, more important, of higher priority, and most fundamentally defines who God is: God is love! (1 John 4:8).
The Word translated as love in 1 John 4:8 is the Greek Word ‘agape’. W.E. Vine’s dictionary defines ‘agape’ as: “having a deep and constant interest in an unworthy object.” Strong’s dictionary defines it as: “affection or benevolence, feast of charity, dear, and love.” Webster’s dictionary defines charity as: “that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favourably of their fellow human, and to do them good.” The Word ‘agape’, which God is defined as being, includes God’s attitude towards His human creation as one of deep interest and affection, inclining to give us favour for our good.
As Jesus Christ came to earth, as God in a man’s body, a study of His life will give us insight into agape/ love. 1st Timothy 3:16 says: God was manifest in the flesh. John 1:1 says: the Word was God and verse 14 says: the Word (God) was made flesh. In the letter to the Hebrews 1:8 God says: unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. We can boldly say from Scripture, Jesus of Nazareth was God in a male human body. So, what can we see from the life of God, in the person of Jesus, concerning love?
Jesus came to be cursed so we could be blessed (Galatians 3:13-14). Jesus bore our sins and sicknesses so we could be forgiven and healed (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus healed everybody who came to Him in faith for physical healing. Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery (John 8:11). Jesus taught us to forgive our brother seventy times seven times (Matthew 18:22). Jesus fed the 5,000 (Matthew 14:21). Jesus prospered the fishing business of Peter (John 21:6). Jesus provided the tax money in the fish’ mouth (Matthew 17:27). Jesus turned the water into wine (John 2:9). Jesus taught of the forgiveness and acceptance of the Father, to the son who wasted his inheritance on riotous living (Luke 15:20). We see in the life of Jesus (God) a picture of mercy, forgiveness, love, healing, blessing, and abundance towards people. Jesus demonstrated agape/ love.
Other evidence we have that love is an essential foundation in our understanding of how God sees us is the teaching of Jesus. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind… and the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Matthew 22:37, 39). The Word translated love in these verses is the Greek word ‘agapao’. Jesus’ greatest emphasis is for us to agape. If Jesus teaches us that love is to be our highest priority towards God and our fellow human, we can confidently know love is also God’s highest priority towards us.
In addition to these strong emphases of love, we have the teaching of the apostle Paul to the church. Paul says he will show us a more excellent way (1 Corinthians 12:31). 1st Corinthians chapter 13 talks about ‘agape’ as that more excellent way! Paul goes into considerable detail defining what ‘agape’ is, and concludes with the statement in v.13: now abideth faith, hope, charity (agape), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (agape).
The evidence is conclusive that love is a pre-eminent theme of the Scriptures. To be in tune with God therefore, we must see God as love, and love must be established as an essential foundation in our heart. Most religions and even many ungodly worldly people advocate doing the second commandment, to love thy neighbour as thyself. However, an often overlooked area is how to lay the foundation that God is ‘agape’ in our heart. The apostle John gives us insight into how to lay this foundation of love in our hearts:
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10
The above verse tells us that love is understood through the actions and work of Christ. Therefore, we can lay the foundation of love in our heart, through receiving the knowledge of what Jesus Christ has achieved for humanity through His death on the Cross of Calvary. The outcome of Jesus’ death was the deliverance to humanity of a rich inheritance (Ephesians 1:18). The promises of God are the details of that inheritance. As we meditate the promises we receive the knowledge of the blessing which Christ’s sacrifice has brought. The meditation of these promises will establish our heart with the foundation of God’s love:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature. 2 Peter 1:4
Through meditating God’s promises we are receiving the specific seed which will reveal the love/ divine nature of God to our hearts. Jesus taught that God’s kingdom works when we plant His Word in our heart: so is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground (Mark 4:26). As the seeds of the promises take root and grow in our heart, our understanding of God’s love-nature grows, and our heart becomes established in the knowledge of God’s love for us.
Pray with me; “Father God I worship you because you are love. I am determined to lay this foundation in my heart. I will understand love when I understand all that Christ has done for me. I will meditate your exceeding great and precious promises so that I can receive the revelation of your love, and partake of your love nature. Then I will be able to love you with all my heart, and also to love my neighbour as myself, in Jesus Christ name. Amen.” |
| | | | | | | | ANDREW SHREEVE MINISTRIES
‘Bringing good tidings, publishing peace and salvation’ (Isaiah 52:7, Romans 10:15) | |
