Do You Love Me?...Then Feed My Sheep
“So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus (God [spirit and truth and love] is my salvation) said to Simon Peter (hearing the rock [of salvation]), “Simon (hearing), son of Jonah (dove [of peace]), do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “yes Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
He said to him a second time, “Simon (hearing), son of Jonah (dove [of peace]), do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
He said to him a third time, Simon, (hearing), son of Jonah (dove {of peace]), do you love (have affection for) Me?”
Peter (the rock) was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus (God is my salvation) said to him, “Feed My sheep.”
Now the most important thing that Jesus (God is my salvation) ever fed His sheep, and is what He expected His disciples and apostles to feed them, because that is what love is, is the truth, in all its rawness and brutality...but with a love and compassion that let those who heard it understand that it was meant for their salvation.
The people were fed up with being fed lies and fairy tales from the man-gods, and needed more than anything to hear the truth so that they could at least begin to prepare for the future coming. Some accepted the truth, that their sins were forgiven, and no one could lord these things over them any more, and now turned towards the future, that included their children, and their children’s children.
No one in this world could ever pretend to be more righteous than anyone else and therefore worthy of ruling over them based on moral self-righteousness, sin and the imperfection of humanity…because, no matter the appearance, all have fallen short of the perfection Christ Jesus has shown us. We have all become partakers in His death by our sins. Amen.
Yet today, sin abounds, in that we have once again set those above us who have sold us on the idea that they are somehow more superior to us in ethics and morals so that we no longer have to be responsible for the decisions that they make.
Shame on us!!!
Shame on our silence!!!
Where then is the truth that we should all be hungering for?
It is suppressed by fear, propaganda, and lies...it's suppressed by the desire to serve self...it's smothered in all our worries and cares.
You have the word. Its close…its in your mouth and in your hearts…yet your mouths will not confess it…then you do not have a faith that can save… you do not believe with a pure heart…you are cowards and hypocrites. You give lip service to the truth because you are afraid of being rejected…and the government you serve counts on this…they have nurtured this…they rely on it solely from your actions…lukewarm and without effect…trampled underfoot by all mankind, vomited out by the ones who rely on the truth the most...the ones at the bottom of the societal chain.
Cowardice asks the question - is it safe? Expediency asks the question - is it politic? Vanity asks the question - is it popular? But conscience asks the question - is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Perhaps it’s the alternative that you want…perhaps you might say to yourselves…”not in my lifetime…” Then you have sold your children for your comfort. Are you using up the resources that God has given you for your own self? Or are you trying with all your might to save something for your children? Believe you me; The Lord of the Flies knows the difference. He knows your hearts desire, whether you do or not. He’s ready to take you down that road of human desire and down that road of human passion so that you can be like God. Whatever your heart desires...democracy, freedom, mixed with unfettered capitalism...will be provided.
All of which remove us from the will of God.
What road will you take? The wide road, or the narrow way?
Ask yourself this…Will future generations look back upon our generation with blessings…or curses? Will they bless us with the foresight of our vision for them…or will they curse us for our avarice, apathy, and silence, having eaten up the inheritance of a world that can no longer sustain them? Will it be said that we loved those who came after us more than ourselves…or will we be called a wicked and evil generation? Whatever the case, you can rest assured that it will remain with you for all eternity.
I sit here now, in a room filled with man’s creations. As I look around, with the exception of one potted plant, there is nothing that surrounds me that has any life in it. Certainly it is all useful, serving a purpose, but is it all necessary? How much life had to be destroyed so that I could obtain these things, life that once destroyed could never again live...how much energy waisted, how many starving mouths gone empty?
Whole forests, grasslands, natural beauty, and resource for living were carved up from the planet so that I can have comfort, and someone else could get wealthy. And for what purpose does it serve if not for self and greed? These dead works that are the creations of man are a mere substitute for the fruitfulness that God intended for mankind. The abundance of our creation has destroyed the abundance that we once had.
When God created man, he gave him the duty of being fruitful on the earth, to multiply, fill, subdue and have dominion over all that was in it. Now some may take this as a command to take as much of it for themselves as they want, but this duty was intended literally to grow fruit (for food), to bring this fruit in abundance on the planet, to replenish what we use. The duty of subduing the earth was a simple statement to disregard what was here, to give little or no attention; to ignore.
God knew that in the heart of man was the potential for greed. He knew that too much attention to the abundance we were to bring forth would insight this greed, and so in subduing the earth, we are to disregard the greed for the abundance that it produces. Rather we are to have dominion over all its abundance and the life that is in it.
Quite specifically, this means, "to crumble off."
Crumbling off does not in any way infer that we are to take from this earth anymore than what we need for our own day today living. "Give us this day our daily bread.”
It does not say to take what we need for our comfort or store up for ourselves anymore than is necessary for day to day living. If anything,we should bring our abundance into the treasury of the church so that it can be given to anyone who might have need.
Unfortunately for many though, this is not the case. And in the end times, men will heap up for themselves treasures of the earth in greater abundance than what is necessary for their day to day survival.
God has provided everything necessary for our survival, and yet, we have a majority of the population who go hungry every day. Why? Because the over-abundance enjoyed by so few are using up the resources of this planet faster than the earth can be replenished...creating also climatic conditions and poisonous gases that are ruining our planet for the sake of comfort and plenty.
Why is this?
Because some men have made merchandise out of the every substance necessary for day to day life…day to day life that God intended that all men should benefit from. Because some men were unable to have dominion over the greed for the earths abundance, crumbling off no more than was necessary for their day to day living, because they were unable to disregard earth’s abundance, subduing this desire in order to appear to others that they are god. They have left in the path of their greed a swath of human misery that starves on a planet that was meant to sustain abundance for all.
This is capitalism, the the great whore that rides the back of our beastly governmentf…the whore that rides the beast. Make no mistake about it. It takes for its own posterity what it wants from a beast that devours the earth. And it is fed by the people who are in the belly of it.
"Come up out of her My people, before you partake of her sins, and share in her plagues."
Now you might think to say to yourself, “well, that’s just the way things are.” You might think to say to yourself, “that’s the way the world has always been.” You might think to say to yourself, “what can I do about it; I deserve to have things too?” You might even think to say to yourself, “what am I suppose to do, be poor?” And all I have to say to you is, “Think about what you might say to yourself.”
If the situation was not as direly critical as it is today, what I am writing here may not seem to be so important. I may as well be clanging cymbals, or sounding brass. But because God has given me a heart that can love, He has also given me a heart to know the truth. I cannot love my fellow human without including for his salvation, the truth of what I’ve been taught, as my brother’s keeper, concerning myself in love and the desire for his salvation. And while I cannot save anyone, the truth that will set you free can, if you only take hold of it.
He said to him a second time, “Simon (hearing), son of Jonah (dove [of peace]), do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
He said to him a third time, Simon, (hearing), son of Jonah (dove {of peace]), do you love (have affection for) Me?”
Peter (the rock) was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus (God is my salvation) said to him, “Feed My sheep.”
Now the most important thing that Jesus (God is my salvation) ever fed His sheep, and is what He expected His disciples and apostles to feed them, because that is what love is, is the truth, in all its rawness and brutality...but with a love and compassion that let those who heard it understand that it was meant for their salvation.
The people were fed up with being fed lies and fairy tales from the man-gods, and needed more than anything to hear the truth so that they could at least begin to prepare for the future coming. Some accepted the truth, that their sins were forgiven, and no one could lord these things over them any more, and now turned towards the future, that included their children, and their children’s children.
No one in this world could ever pretend to be more righteous than anyone else and therefore worthy of ruling over them based on moral self-righteousness, sin and the imperfection of humanity…because, no matter the appearance, all have fallen short of the perfection Christ Jesus has shown us. We have all become partakers in His death by our sins. Amen.
Yet today, sin abounds, in that we have once again set those above us who have sold us on the idea that they are somehow more superior to us in ethics and morals so that we no longer have to be responsible for the decisions that they make.
Shame on us!!!
Shame on our silence!!!
Where then is the truth that we should all be hungering for?
It is suppressed by fear, propaganda, and lies...it's suppressed by the desire to serve self...it's smothered in all our worries and cares.
You have the word. Its close…its in your mouth and in your hearts…yet your mouths will not confess it…then you do not have a faith that can save… you do not believe with a pure heart…you are cowards and hypocrites. You give lip service to the truth because you are afraid of being rejected…and the government you serve counts on this…they have nurtured this…they rely on it solely from your actions…lukewarm and without effect…trampled underfoot by all mankind, vomited out by the ones who rely on the truth the most...the ones at the bottom of the societal chain.
Cowardice asks the question - is it safe? Expediency asks the question - is it politic? Vanity asks the question - is it popular? But conscience asks the question - is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Perhaps it’s the alternative that you want…perhaps you might say to yourselves…”not in my lifetime…” Then you have sold your children for your comfort. Are you using up the resources that God has given you for your own self? Or are you trying with all your might to save something for your children? Believe you me; The Lord of the Flies knows the difference. He knows your hearts desire, whether you do or not. He’s ready to take you down that road of human desire and down that road of human passion so that you can be like God. Whatever your heart desires...democracy, freedom, mixed with unfettered capitalism...will be provided.
All of which remove us from the will of God.
What road will you take? The wide road, or the narrow way?
Ask yourself this…Will future generations look back upon our generation with blessings…or curses? Will they bless us with the foresight of our vision for them…or will they curse us for our avarice, apathy, and silence, having eaten up the inheritance of a world that can no longer sustain them? Will it be said that we loved those who came after us more than ourselves…or will we be called a wicked and evil generation? Whatever the case, you can rest assured that it will remain with you for all eternity.
I sit here now, in a room filled with man’s creations. As I look around, with the exception of one potted plant, there is nothing that surrounds me that has any life in it. Certainly it is all useful, serving a purpose, but is it all necessary? How much life had to be destroyed so that I could obtain these things, life that once destroyed could never again live...how much energy waisted, how many starving mouths gone empty?
Whole forests, grasslands, natural beauty, and resource for living were carved up from the planet so that I can have comfort, and someone else could get wealthy. And for what purpose does it serve if not for self and greed? These dead works that are the creations of man are a mere substitute for the fruitfulness that God intended for mankind. The abundance of our creation has destroyed the abundance that we once had.
When God created man, he gave him the duty of being fruitful on the earth, to multiply, fill, subdue and have dominion over all that was in it. Now some may take this as a command to take as much of it for themselves as they want, but this duty was intended literally to grow fruit (for food), to bring this fruit in abundance on the planet, to replenish what we use. The duty of subduing the earth was a simple statement to disregard what was here, to give little or no attention; to ignore.
God knew that in the heart of man was the potential for greed. He knew that too much attention to the abundance we were to bring forth would insight this greed, and so in subduing the earth, we are to disregard the greed for the abundance that it produces. Rather we are to have dominion over all its abundance and the life that is in it.
Quite specifically, this means, "to crumble off."
Crumbling off does not in any way infer that we are to take from this earth anymore than what we need for our own day today living. "Give us this day our daily bread.”
It does not say to take what we need for our comfort or store up for ourselves anymore than is necessary for day to day living. If anything,we should bring our abundance into the treasury of the church so that it can be given to anyone who might have need.
Unfortunately for many though, this is not the case. And in the end times, men will heap up for themselves treasures of the earth in greater abundance than what is necessary for their day to day survival.
God has provided everything necessary for our survival, and yet, we have a majority of the population who go hungry every day. Why? Because the over-abundance enjoyed by so few are using up the resources of this planet faster than the earth can be replenished...creating also climatic conditions and poisonous gases that are ruining our planet for the sake of comfort and plenty.
Why is this?
Because some men have made merchandise out of the every substance necessary for day to day life…day to day life that God intended that all men should benefit from. Because some men were unable to have dominion over the greed for the earths abundance, crumbling off no more than was necessary for their day to day living, because they were unable to disregard earth’s abundance, subduing this desire in order to appear to others that they are god. They have left in the path of their greed a swath of human misery that starves on a planet that was meant to sustain abundance for all.
This is capitalism, the the great whore that rides the back of our beastly governmentf…the whore that rides the beast. Make no mistake about it. It takes for its own posterity what it wants from a beast that devours the earth. And it is fed by the people who are in the belly of it.
"Come up out of her My people, before you partake of her sins, and share in her plagues."
Now you might think to say to yourself, “well, that’s just the way things are.” You might think to say to yourself, “that’s the way the world has always been.” You might think to say to yourself, “what can I do about it; I deserve to have things too?” You might even think to say to yourself, “what am I suppose to do, be poor?” And all I have to say to you is, “Think about what you might say to yourself.”
If the situation was not as direly critical as it is today, what I am writing here may not seem to be so important. I may as well be clanging cymbals, or sounding brass. But because God has given me a heart that can love, He has also given me a heart to know the truth. I cannot love my fellow human without including for his salvation, the truth of what I’ve been taught, as my brother’s keeper, concerning myself in love and the desire for his salvation. And while I cannot save anyone, the truth that will set you free can, if you only take hold of it.
posted by hugh lipsius at 4:12 PM
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