Jesus told his disciples to go out and spread the Word, that whoever believes in God will be saved and whoever doesn’t will be condemned. In terms of their own morality, did the disciples, having heard Jesus’ teachings, have a choice in the matter? Could any of them have just said something like, “Nah, let the others do that, I want to spend my life sitting under a fig tree and watch the traders go by on their camels with their wares?”
Did you ever wonder, maybe, what compelled the disciples to drop everything of their former life and commit themselves to Jesus’ teachings? Did they feel they were lacking, not partaking in the riches that others had? Were their egos stoked so that, like today’s politicians they look to be glorified?
Perhaps none of these things apply. Perhaps their souls were lit up by the second commandment of Jesus which is to love eachother as you love yourself, and by his first commandment which is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. And perhaps considering what Jesus told them, are there any other things greater than the love of others, than to reveal God to them, offering them the possibility of living in the House of the Lord forever, a place where their true treasures are stored up? Perhaps they realized that in loving others this way, they themselves would receive God’s Grace.
And God may not confer His Grace on us on the basis of our works alone, but our works may show our faith in Him. Would He sprinkle His Grace on anybody at random, including evil doers? If God does confer His Grace on evil doers, it would be because they accept Him at long last, as He would accept the condemned criminal hanging who asked Jesus to remember him, with Jesus responding in Luke 23:43, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
But the things that Jesus’ disciples learned and experienced, and the things that those who learned from the disciples and undertook in their own missions to spread the Word, were of the Spirit of the Lord, to those who believed.
So I tell you that you cannot fully love another person as you love yourself, if you do not look to share with that person the things about God and what He does, to the extent the person doesn’t seem to know.
And when you convey the Word to anyone, through your words and your deeds, it should be with the end result being that the person accepts what you convey to them, and uses this knowledge to better themselves, as God said in Genesis to be fruitful. And ideally it should be with the end result being that the person accepts God out of love, instead of out of fear.
Did you ever wonder, maybe, what compelled the disciples to drop everything of their former life and commit themselves to Jesus’ teachings? Did they feel they were lacking, not partaking in the riches that others had? Were their egos stoked so that, like today’s politicians they look to be glorified?
Perhaps none of these things apply. Perhaps their souls were lit up by the second commandment of Jesus which is to love eachother as you love yourself, and by his first commandment which is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. And perhaps considering what Jesus told them, are there any other things greater than the love of others, than to reveal God to them, offering them the possibility of living in the House of the Lord forever, a place where their true treasures are stored up? Perhaps they realized that in loving others this way, they themselves would receive God’s Grace.
And God may not confer His Grace on us on the basis of our works alone, but our works may show our faith in Him. Would He sprinkle His Grace on anybody at random, including evil doers? If God does confer His Grace on evil doers, it would be because they accept Him at long last, as He would accept the condemned criminal hanging who asked Jesus to remember him, with Jesus responding in Luke 23:43, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
But the things that Jesus’ disciples learned and experienced, and the things that those who learned from the disciples and undertook in their own missions to spread the Word, were of the Spirit of the Lord, to those who believed.
So I tell you that you cannot fully love another person as you love yourself, if you do not look to share with that person the things about God and what He does, to the extent the person doesn’t seem to know.
And when you convey the Word to anyone, through your words and your deeds, it should be with the end result being that the person accepts what you convey to them, and uses this knowledge to better themselves, as God said in Genesis to be fruitful. And ideally it should be with the end result being that the person accepts God out of love, instead of out of fear.
