We have a faithful God!

In what way is the believer, the disciple different from the unbeliever?
We have received the gift to be able to know and trust and live as if, we have a faithful God.
He has been faithful since He told Adam and Eve one day their Seed
would crush the head of their enemy.
He has been faithful to the chosen people because of the Fathers, Abraham
Isaac, and Jacob.
He has been faithful to bring the Messiah, whose life and death and resurrection
opened a new chapter in the continuing story.
He has been faithful to expand the Kingdom and send the Spirit to honor the
faithfulness of the Son.
Adam and Eve's failures did not change the faithfulness of God.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's failures did not change the faithfulness of God.
Israel's many failures did not change the faithfulness of God.
My failures and your failures do not change the faithfulness of God either.
When He returns the names He chose to have written on Him are Faithful and
True.
The Potter will continue to work the clay until it becomes what He envisioned.
The Shepherd will continue to leave the 99 and come looking for you and He
will not stop until He finds you, and when He finds you He will rejoice over you.
There are consequences but there is no condemnation.
Praise Him for His faithfulness and His steadfast love!

We become what we receive

"We become what we receive."  Wise words from Jason Upton  here...  https://vimeo.com/222541491

As I listened to this message, I repented of not loving people.  1 Cor. 13 sits right there in the middle of the chapters on the giftings because the giftings can very easily become points of pride and arrogance.  Jesus loved Peter, when speaking to him about his denial he immediately spoke of his restoration and the importance of Peter going onward from the dark night of his soul. 

I repented of not valuing people in whatever stage of the process they are in.  Step back and let Jesus show you how He sees them, with eyes of love, that hopes all things and believes all things. 

How often do expectations lead to frustration and death is the result.  Choose love, choose life.

I found myself expressing gratitude to God for a friend who understands that love and people are all that matter.

Lastly, I feel He spoke that true intercession is not being okay with anyone being left behind.  The Shepherd wants to gather all back into His flock.  Come Home.  It really doesn't matter what all you did, God loves you and He is waiting to throw you a party upon your return.

Yeshua loves, get out of the way and let Him do His thing!

The true foundation

"So we have come to know and to believe
         the love that God has for us." 1 John 4:16

Perish means perish. Eternal life is given to His sheep only. Humans are not immortal.

John 10:²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.


Ezekiel 18:⁴ Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
Ezekiel 18:²⁰ The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.


Amazing how when you see something, you begin to see it everywhere.  Here is a great article on why it matters.  Simple clear and concise.


^{http://www.afterlife.co.nz/2006/theology/articles-c-i/why-is-conditional-immortality-important/}

2 pages of early conditionalists

“As far as we have been able to determine, Athenagoras was

the very first Christian writer to teach the doctrine of Natural Immortality -- some 75 years after the death of the Apostle John!

77

Considering his background (before his conversion), it would seem appropriate

to conclude that the doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul was literally “imported” intoChristianity from Platonism, rather than being any part of ancient Christian theology, as the doctrine of Conditional Immortality evidently was.” Page 52 of this document

http://www.truthaccordingtoscripture.com/documents/death/immortality-early-church/John%20Roller%20--%20Doctrine%20of%20Immortality%20in%20the%20Early%20Church.pdf

“And, “souls and spirits... endure as long as God wills that they should have an existence and

continuance” since “life does not arise from us, no

r from our own nature; but it is bestowed

according to the grace of God. And therefore he who

shall preserve the life bestowed upon him,

and give thanks to Him who imparted it, shall

receive

also length of days forever and ever. But

he who shall reject it, and prove himself ungrateful to his Maker, inasmuch as he has been

created, and has not recognized Him who bestowed [the gift upon him], deprives himself of [the

privilege of] continuance forever and ever” (2 Heresies

34:3).

85

This is a pretty clear statement of

the conditional nature of human immortality. “ Page 54 of the same document quoting IRENAEUS OF LYONS

“Thus, both in Eusebius’

history, and in Origen’s own writings, there is preserved a record of the fact that in the middle of

the third century AD, both Natural Immortality and

Conditional Immortality were being taught in

Christian churches, and there was an active, ongoing debate between the proponents of the two positions” Page 69 same document. So this has been an ongoing debate and it is those who side on the soul being inherently immortal who are the new kids on the block. Those who believed that immortality is a gift conferred by God who alone is immortal were the orthodox, and this other belief in immortal souls and eternal conscious torment were the ones proclaiming something “new”.

“Arnobius

makes it clear where he stood in the debate, saying, “We have been taught

by the greatest teacher (i.e., Jesus) that souls are set not far from the gaping jaws of

death; that they can, nevertheless, have their lives prolonged by the favor and kindness of the Supreme Ruler if only they try and make an effort to know Him -- for the knowledge of

Him is a kind of vital leaven and cement to bind together that which would otherwise fly apart”

(2 Disputations 32:1). page 79

“The second, and next most important, thing we have

learned is that, during the period

under study, Conditionalism, and not (as it is today) Naturalism, was the more prevalent view of the writing Fathers of the Church. This fact can be demonstrated by a simple enumeration, as follows:

Conditionalists:

16 definite, 4 probable

-- total, 20

Naturalists:

8 definite, 1 probable

-- total, 9

Unclassified: 1

So Conditionalism was favored over Naturalism by approximately a 2/3 majority of the

thirty Fathers we have been able to classify. “ page 81

“It is clear from this chart that Conditionalism was the original doctrine of the Early

Church (AD 95-177), and that Naturalism was first introduced by Athenagoras of Athens, and

popularized by Tertullian of Carthage, after whose time it rapidly became the predominant view, though there continued to be an outspoken minority of Conditionalists. “ Page 84

Later on “John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, John Milton, and John Darby” are listed as conditionalists. Page 84

“We have seen that there are two radically different opinions on the question of human

immortality: we have come to know them as Naturalism and Conditionalism. We have also seen that throughout most of Christian history a “debate” has raged between proponents of the two positions. Furthermore, we have discovered that almost all of the Church Fathers who wrote before AD 200 were Conditionalists, and that most of those who wrote between then and AD 310 were Naturalists. We have concluded that Conditional Immortality was the original, and predominant, doctrine of the early Church.” page 85