March 31^st . 2019

9:30 am ---- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- --- God’s Word in the Wilderness – Luke 3:1-2

10:00 am ---- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -- Rejoice In The Lord, Brethren – Philippians 3:1

Wednesday: 7:00 pm -----------------------------------------------BlessThe Lord O’ My Soul – Psalm 103

Love As Brethren -- “ . . . having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous . . ." -- I Peter 3:8

Blood relations, generally speaking, are very forgiving, longsuffering, and understanding with each other . . . they are brothers! "Love as brethren." Brothers know each other well and realize they are just alike. "Love as brethren." A brother will quickly forgive his brother just about any offense. "Love as brethren." A brother does not want to believe the worst, but rather the best about his brother; believing whatever he did or said wrong, was just due to a bad day or something. "Love as brethren." A brother doesn't want to believe any bad report about his brother and certainly doesn't want anyone talking about him to others. "Love as brethren." A brother will never hold a lasting grudge or be bitter against his brother for too long, knowing the brother didn't deliberately hurt or offend him. "Love as brethren." A brother will never talk privately about his brothers faults and failures, but rather wants others to think highly of his 'brother.' "Love as brethren." A brother knows his brother is capable of doing and saying wrong things, after all, he is his brother . . . same parents, same home, same upbringing, same nature, same world, same temptations, same weaknesses, same problems. A brother realizes what his brother is made of . . . SINFUL FLESH, living in a sinful world. "Love as brethren."

Does someone ask, ' Who is my brother?’ That's what the Pharisees asked about their neighbor (wanting to know who they could hate rather than love). Every man is my brother in Adam and I am told by my Lord to love him, do good unto him, forgive him, and be merciful to him, . . . but especially those of the household of faith. "Love as brethren." Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. He wants nothing more than to divide and cause discord amongst brethren. He accuses the brethren before God, before the law, to their own consciences and will even use us to bring an accusation against our brother. Brethren, resist the devil. Don't let him use you to accuse, to sew discord. God hates it. Resist the devil by calling on your Lord. Resist him by not believing the accusations about your brother. "Love as brethren."

I have a friend and brother in Christ who has a very Christ-like, exemplary trait. Whenever he hears a bad report about someone, he calls that person and asks them about it; wanting to get to the truth of the matter. Don't you wish everyone would do that for you? That's what love does. "Love rejoices not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth." I want to be a friend like that. I want to love like that.

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, EVEN AS GOD FOR CHRIST'S SAKE HATH FORGIVEN YOU. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and WALK IN LOVE, AS CHRIST ALSO HATH LOVED US, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." (Eph.4:31-5:2)

There are hundreds of perversions of God’s Word in print today. Only one, the King James, is directly translated from the original languages in which God’s Word was written. The so-called ‘Living Bible’ is one of the more popular ones and has been around for years. Notice the blasphemous differences in just these two texts.

King James: "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

Living Bible: "When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and rejoiced in Paul's message; and as many as wanted eternal life, believed."

King James: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."