Before we even began our first week of this study a question was asked and of which I asked that discussion be deferred until after we had discussed at least the first three chapters.
The question:
Is it all or nothing?
Are we lost unless we totally and completely surrender to the call of discipleship?
Some interesting thoughts on the subject that I have found this week:
From Class Leaders: Recovering a Tradition by David Lowes Watson (1991, Discipleship Resources, Nashville)
The Mystery of Christian Discipleship
Of all the mysteries that confront the Christian disciple - the mystery of sin, evil, and suffering, the mystery of death and resurrection, the mystery of God’s love and redemption in Jesus Christ, the mystery of time and eternity, and the mystery of the coming reign of God - there is nothing more mysterious than Christian discipleship itself...
The mystery lies ... in why so many church members who profess the name of Jesus, who witness to his saving grace, and who take part regularly in so many aspects of congregational life and work, do not seem to take seriously what the scriptures have to say about the cost of discipleship. Jesus made clear that there were conditions to following him.....
It is hard to find a word that is used so widely in the church today yet defined so loosely as “disciple”.... the reality of congregational life in the United States of America would seem to indicate one of two things: either that the great majority of church members are not Christian disciples at all; or else that many millions of Christians in the North American church are in for a rude awakening when they finally discover what they agreed to be and to do when they answered the call to discipleship.
And in a recent post Steve Manskar had this to say:
Two Kinds of Disciples
John Wesley provides some help with identifying types of discipleship in his sermon, “The More Excellent Way.” Here he reflects on the nature of Christian discipleship. He acknowledges a long held belief that there are two kinds of Christians:
The one lived an innocent life, conforming in all things not sinful to the customs and fashions of the world, doing many good works, abstaining from gross evils, and attending the ordinances of God. They endeavoured in general to have a conscience void of offence in their outward behaviour, but did not aim at any particular strictness, being in most things like their neighbours.
The other sort of Christians not only abstained from all appearance of evil, were zealous of good works in every kind, and attended all the ordinances of God; but likewise used all diligence to attain the whole mind that was in Christ, and laboured to walk in every point as their beloved Master. In order to this they walked in a constant course of universal self-denial, trampling on every pleasure which they were not divinely conscious prepared them for taking pleasure in God. They took up their cross daily. They strove, they agonized without intermission, to enter in at the strait gate. This one thing they did; they spared no pains to
arrive at the summit of Christian holiness: 'leaving the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, to go on to perfection'; 'to know all that love of God which passeth knowledge, and to be filled with all the fullness of God'. (§5)
The first group composes the vast majority of Christians. They attend worship in varying degrees of frequency, give money to the church, may attend a Sunday school class, send their children to Sunday school, and do their best to be good, decent people. Their appearance and behavior is virtually indistinguishable from that of their non-Christian and non-religious neighbors. These are the majority of disciples present in any given congregation.
The second kind of Christians described by Wesley are those women and men who have made an intentional, deeply personal commitment to following and serving Jesus Christ in the world through loving obedience to his commandments. They are more disciplined in practicing the means of grace, both the works of piety and the works of mercy. These disciples are deeply committed to Christ and exhibit a way of life that leads to holiness of heart and life.
Wesley is very clear in this sermon to say that both groups are equally “saved.” They all are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Each is following Christ in the way that best suits them at the time. That being said, Wesley also asserts that it is the responsibility of the community of faith and its leaders to encourage and equip the first type of Christians to desire to mature and move toward the second.
Both articles seem to answer the question the same way: it is not all or nothing. All Christians are “saved”. Few Christians are disciples. The job of the disciple is to serve the non-disciple Christians and all non-Christians. The moment that the disciple develops an attitude of superiority is the moment that he ceases to be a disciple.
Chapter 4 - Discipleship and the Cross
Mar 8:31-38 ESV
(31) And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
(32) And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
(33) But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
(34) And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
(35) For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
(36) For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
(37) For what can a man give in return for his life?
(38) For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
In Chapter 2 we discussed the call to discipleship and in chapter 3 we discussed how the call is a call to obedience. At the beginning of chpater 4 Bonhoeffer notes that in this passage of scripture the call to follow is closely connected to Jesus’ passion. Jesus had to suffer and be rejected. Bonhoeffer went on to state that this suffering and rejection applied to disciples as well. Just as Jesus had to suffer, so disciples must also suffer. One cannot be a disciple unless one adheres to the person of Jesus. Jesus had already demanded a decision when he said, “follow me.” In this passage Jesus calls for a second decision. What is the decision called for in this passage?
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
What does it mean to deny yourself and follow Jesus?
How is suffering involved?
Rom 5:1-11 ESV
(1) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2) Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
(3) More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
(4) and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
(5) and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
(6) For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
(7) For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--
(8) but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(9) Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
(10) For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
(11) More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Luk 9:23 ESV(23) And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
How do we suffer for Christ?
What is the first suffering that all disciples must suffer?
Denying our self, abandoning worldly attachments.
In what way do we “take up our cross daily”?
Some hypothetical scenarios:
Someone we know, a great Christian, has been diagnosed with a deadly disease. He will have to face many months of agonizing treatments and will still have very little chance of survival. If the disease wins, the death will be slow and agonizing. Is this suffering for Christ, taking up a daily cross?
What is the difference in this man’s suffering and the suffering done by millions of non-Christians every day?
Another great Christian had devoted her life for the last several years to her two beautiful daughters. One day the older daughter, who rode her bike to the elementary school down the block disappeared. The bicycle was found on the sidewalk almost within sight of their home. Vanished without a trace. No clues. No physical evidence. Many years pass and the fate of the daughter is never discovered. The Christian lady’s life had been devastated. She suffered later from addictions and mental disorders. Is this suffering for Christ, taking up a daily cross?
What is the difference in this lady’s suffering and the suffering done by millions of non-Christians every day?
I would be tempted to say, and I think that Bonhoeffer would agree, that this type of suffering has nothing to do with the cross. This type of suffering experienced by all of humanity is a result of the Fall. What is the suffering that we must experience for Christ’s sake?
More hypothetical scenarios:
I have been working very hard nonstop for the past few months at a very stressful job. I am just about ready to take a few days for some much needed rest and relaxation. Some coworkers are planning on a trip to Panama City Beach. They make it sound like so much fun. A long weekend of girls and guys gone wild. A binge that you would never forget, unless of course you drank so much that you can’t remember. What would be the harm in that? What would be the damage of some “innocent” fun? But I am a Christian now. I have accepted the “exclusive attachment to the person of Christ”. I have to search my Christ-formed conscience: In taking on Christ, wherever I go and whatever I do, He is with me. Does He want in on this fun-filled weekend of debauchery? Absolutely not. And if He’s not going then I’m not either. Is this suffering for Christ? Have I just denied self and taken up a cross?
Another:
A family member is down on his luck. Just divorced, lost his job, the repo-man is on the way to haul off his double-wide. I have two choices, actually three, the two good choices would be to either take this family member into my home and help him get back on his feet or to help him financially so that he can keep his own home. The bad choice would be to just ignore his problems and let him handle them the best he can. I love this person, but really don’t want my home disrupted, so I help him out financially. Is this suffering for Christ?
What have I done that most non-Christians would not do for a family member?
Because I am a Christian and because I love that relative, I never even think about how I suffered financial hardship because I helped him. I know that Jesus said that if someone wants your coat, to give them your shirt as well and if someone wants you to carry their load for a mile, to carry it for two, and that if anyone asks you should give. Because I know all these Christian teachings, I have totally forgotten about the money that I gave to my relative. Have I suffered for Christ?
What would the average non-Christian’s feelings be toward this relative?
A few months later my relative scratches off a lottery ticket worth $100,000.
What would be the average non-Christian reaction be now?
Great. Maybe now this dead-beat will pay me back the hard-earned money that I spent on his expenses to help him out in his time of need. But what does the relative do? Well the first thing he does is head off for a wild weekend in Panama City Beach. Weeks, then months, go by with no offer of repayment.
What would be the average non-Christian reaction be now?
Most folks would want to haul this guy off to Judge Judy. We live in a world of lawsuits.
But what would be the suffering way-of-the-Cross reaction?
Can we safely say that every time we face down a worldly temptation that we have suffered for the cross?
Carrying the cross involves the suffering associated with being tempted, and since every believer is tempted every day, then every day the believer must suffer for Jesus Christ’s sake. This is the cross we bear.
“Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship.”
Taking up our cross begins with the abandonment of the world and requires a daily self-denial. Our self-denial has nothing to do with “acts of mortification” or asceticism.
Discipleship means adherence to the person of Jesus, and attachment to Jesus means submission to the teachings of Jesus: The Law of the Cross. The law of the cross calls for the denial of self and the choice to daily take up the cross given to us that day. Enduring the cross is not a tragedy but is the fruit of our exclusive attachment to Christ.
Remember that Bonhoeffer wrote this book while under a Nazi order not to write or publish. The publication of this book put him under risk of persecution. How does Bonhoeffer himself define the essence of self-denial?
“Just as Christ is Christ only in the virtue of His suffering and rejection, so the disciple is a disciple only in so far as he shares his Lord’s suffering and rejection and crucifiction.”
What does that statement mean?
Chapter 5 - Discipleship and the Individual
How does the world view individuality?
Is a person made an individual through his own personal effort?
This chapter opens with the assertion that “through the call of Jesus men become individuals.”
How is this so?
Luk 14:26 ASV
(26) If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
We all receive an individual call to be a Christian disciple. But what do we generally do with our call?
We attempt to align ourselves with others who share our beliefs. These alignments may actually even be a barrier which prevents our heeding our call.
“Every man is called separately, and must follow alone. But men are frightened of solitude, and they try to protect themselves from it by merging themselves into the society of their fellow-men and in their material environment...
But all this is only a cloak to protect them from having to make a decision. They are unwilling to stand alone before Jesus and be compelled to decide...”
Could this be an indictment of the people in the German Church?
Why is individualism a necessity for a disciple?
Individualism is the call of Christ to come apart from the world. He wants to be the center. When we receive the call, we realize that our world has been built on an illusion. When we receive his call, we realize that even in such relationships as parent and child, or husband and wife, stands Christ, and no other relationship can be as important as the one with Christ. Christ is our mediator, not only between God and man, but between individuals.
The question:
Is it all or nothing?
Are we lost unless we totally and completely surrender to the call of discipleship?
Some interesting thoughts on the subject that I have found this week:
From Class Leaders: Recovering a Tradition by David Lowes Watson (1991, Discipleship Resources, Nashville)
The Mystery of Christian Discipleship
Of all the mysteries that confront the Christian disciple - the mystery of sin, evil, and suffering, the mystery of death and resurrection, the mystery of God’s love and redemption in Jesus Christ, the mystery of time and eternity, and the mystery of the coming reign of God - there is nothing more mysterious than Christian discipleship itself...
The mystery lies ... in why so many church members who profess the name of Jesus, who witness to his saving grace, and who take part regularly in so many aspects of congregational life and work, do not seem to take seriously what the scriptures have to say about the cost of discipleship. Jesus made clear that there were conditions to following him.....
It is hard to find a word that is used so widely in the church today yet defined so loosely as “disciple”.... the reality of congregational life in the United States of America would seem to indicate one of two things: either that the great majority of church members are not Christian disciples at all; or else that many millions of Christians in the North American church are in for a rude awakening when they finally discover what they agreed to be and to do when they answered the call to discipleship.
And in a recent post Steve Manskar had this to say:
Two Kinds of Disciples
John Wesley provides some help with identifying types of discipleship in his sermon, “The More Excellent Way.” Here he reflects on the nature of Christian discipleship. He acknowledges a long held belief that there are two kinds of Christians:
The one lived an innocent life, conforming in all things not sinful to the customs and fashions of the world, doing many good works, abstaining from gross evils, and attending the ordinances of God. They endeavoured in general to have a conscience void of offence in their outward behaviour, but did not aim at any particular strictness, being in most things like their neighbours.
The other sort of Christians not only abstained from all appearance of evil, were zealous of good works in every kind, and attended all the ordinances of God; but likewise used all diligence to attain the whole mind that was in Christ, and laboured to walk in every point as their beloved Master. In order to this they walked in a constant course of universal self-denial, trampling on every pleasure which they were not divinely conscious prepared them for taking pleasure in God. They took up their cross daily. They strove, they agonized without intermission, to enter in at the strait gate. This one thing they did; they spared no pains to
arrive at the summit of Christian holiness: 'leaving the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, to go on to perfection'; 'to know all that love of God which passeth knowledge, and to be filled with all the fullness of God'. (§5)
The first group composes the vast majority of Christians. They attend worship in varying degrees of frequency, give money to the church, may attend a Sunday school class, send their children to Sunday school, and do their best to be good, decent people. Their appearance and behavior is virtually indistinguishable from that of their non-Christian and non-religious neighbors. These are the majority of disciples present in any given congregation.
The second kind of Christians described by Wesley are those women and men who have made an intentional, deeply personal commitment to following and serving Jesus Christ in the world through loving obedience to his commandments. They are more disciplined in practicing the means of grace, both the works of piety and the works of mercy. These disciples are deeply committed to Christ and exhibit a way of life that leads to holiness of heart and life.
Wesley is very clear in this sermon to say that both groups are equally “saved.” They all are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Each is following Christ in the way that best suits them at the time. That being said, Wesley also asserts that it is the responsibility of the community of faith and its leaders to encourage and equip the first type of Christians to desire to mature and move toward the second.
Both articles seem to answer the question the same way: it is not all or nothing. All Christians are “saved”. Few Christians are disciples. The job of the disciple is to serve the non-disciple Christians and all non-Christians. The moment that the disciple develops an attitude of superiority is the moment that he ceases to be a disciple.
Chapter 4 - Discipleship and the Cross
Mar 8:31-38 ESV
(31) And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
(32) And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
(33) But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
(34) And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
(35) For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
(36) For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
(37) For what can a man give in return for his life?
(38) For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
In Chapter 2 we discussed the call to discipleship and in chapter 3 we discussed how the call is a call to obedience. At the beginning of chpater 4 Bonhoeffer notes that in this passage of scripture the call to follow is closely connected to Jesus’ passion. Jesus had to suffer and be rejected. Bonhoeffer went on to state that this suffering and rejection applied to disciples as well. Just as Jesus had to suffer, so disciples must also suffer. One cannot be a disciple unless one adheres to the person of Jesus. Jesus had already demanded a decision when he said, “follow me.” In this passage Jesus calls for a second decision. What is the decision called for in this passage?
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
What does it mean to deny yourself and follow Jesus?
How is suffering involved?
Rom 5:1-11 ESV
(1) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2) Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
(3) More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
(4) and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
(5) and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
(6) For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
(7) For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--
(8) but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(9) Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
(10) For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
(11) More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Luk 9:23 ESV(23) And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
How do we suffer for Christ?
What is the first suffering that all disciples must suffer?
Denying our self, abandoning worldly attachments.
In what way do we “take up our cross daily”?
Some hypothetical scenarios:
Someone we know, a great Christian, has been diagnosed with a deadly disease. He will have to face many months of agonizing treatments and will still have very little chance of survival. If the disease wins, the death will be slow and agonizing. Is this suffering for Christ, taking up a daily cross?
What is the difference in this man’s suffering and the suffering done by millions of non-Christians every day?
Another great Christian had devoted her life for the last several years to her two beautiful daughters. One day the older daughter, who rode her bike to the elementary school down the block disappeared. The bicycle was found on the sidewalk almost within sight of their home. Vanished without a trace. No clues. No physical evidence. Many years pass and the fate of the daughter is never discovered. The Christian lady’s life had been devastated. She suffered later from addictions and mental disorders. Is this suffering for Christ, taking up a daily cross?
What is the difference in this lady’s suffering and the suffering done by millions of non-Christians every day?
I would be tempted to say, and I think that Bonhoeffer would agree, that this type of suffering has nothing to do with the cross. This type of suffering experienced by all of humanity is a result of the Fall. What is the suffering that we must experience for Christ’s sake?
More hypothetical scenarios:
I have been working very hard nonstop for the past few months at a very stressful job. I am just about ready to take a few days for some much needed rest and relaxation. Some coworkers are planning on a trip to Panama City Beach. They make it sound like so much fun. A long weekend of girls and guys gone wild. A binge that you would never forget, unless of course you drank so much that you can’t remember. What would be the harm in that? What would be the damage of some “innocent” fun? But I am a Christian now. I have accepted the “exclusive attachment to the person of Christ”. I have to search my Christ-formed conscience: In taking on Christ, wherever I go and whatever I do, He is with me. Does He want in on this fun-filled weekend of debauchery? Absolutely not. And if He’s not going then I’m not either. Is this suffering for Christ? Have I just denied self and taken up a cross?
Another:
A family member is down on his luck. Just divorced, lost his job, the repo-man is on the way to haul off his double-wide. I have two choices, actually three, the two good choices would be to either take this family member into my home and help him get back on his feet or to help him financially so that he can keep his own home. The bad choice would be to just ignore his problems and let him handle them the best he can. I love this person, but really don’t want my home disrupted, so I help him out financially. Is this suffering for Christ?
What have I done that most non-Christians would not do for a family member?
Because I am a Christian and because I love that relative, I never even think about how I suffered financial hardship because I helped him. I know that Jesus said that if someone wants your coat, to give them your shirt as well and if someone wants you to carry their load for a mile, to carry it for two, and that if anyone asks you should give. Because I know all these Christian teachings, I have totally forgotten about the money that I gave to my relative. Have I suffered for Christ?
What would the average non-Christian’s feelings be toward this relative?
A few months later my relative scratches off a lottery ticket worth $100,000.
What would be the average non-Christian reaction be now?
Great. Maybe now this dead-beat will pay me back the hard-earned money that I spent on his expenses to help him out in his time of need. But what does the relative do? Well the first thing he does is head off for a wild weekend in Panama City Beach. Weeks, then months, go by with no offer of repayment.
What would be the average non-Christian reaction be now?
Most folks would want to haul this guy off to Judge Judy. We live in a world of lawsuits.
But what would be the suffering way-of-the-Cross reaction?
Can we safely say that every time we face down a worldly temptation that we have suffered for the cross?
Carrying the cross involves the suffering associated with being tempted, and since every believer is tempted every day, then every day the believer must suffer for Jesus Christ’s sake. This is the cross we bear.
“Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship.”
Taking up our cross begins with the abandonment of the world and requires a daily self-denial. Our self-denial has nothing to do with “acts of mortification” or asceticism.
Discipleship means adherence to the person of Jesus, and attachment to Jesus means submission to the teachings of Jesus: The Law of the Cross. The law of the cross calls for the denial of self and the choice to daily take up the cross given to us that day. Enduring the cross is not a tragedy but is the fruit of our exclusive attachment to Christ.
Remember that Bonhoeffer wrote this book while under a Nazi order not to write or publish. The publication of this book put him under risk of persecution. How does Bonhoeffer himself define the essence of self-denial?
“Just as Christ is Christ only in the virtue of His suffering and rejection, so the disciple is a disciple only in so far as he shares his Lord’s suffering and rejection and crucifiction.”
What does that statement mean?
Chapter 5 - Discipleship and the Individual
How does the world view individuality?
Is a person made an individual through his own personal effort?
This chapter opens with the assertion that “through the call of Jesus men become individuals.”
How is this so?
Luk 14:26 ASV
(26) If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
We all receive an individual call to be a Christian disciple. But what do we generally do with our call?
We attempt to align ourselves with others who share our beliefs. These alignments may actually even be a barrier which prevents our heeding our call.
“Every man is called separately, and must follow alone. But men are frightened of solitude, and they try to protect themselves from it by merging themselves into the society of their fellow-men and in their material environment...
But all this is only a cloak to protect them from having to make a decision. They are unwilling to stand alone before Jesus and be compelled to decide...”
Could this be an indictment of the people in the German Church?
Why is individualism a necessity for a disciple?
Individualism is the call of Christ to come apart from the world. He wants to be the center. When we receive the call, we realize that our world has been built on an illusion. When we receive his call, we realize that even in such relationships as parent and child, or husband and wife, stands Christ, and no other relationship can be as important as the one with Christ. Christ is our mediator, not only between God and man, but between individuals.
1 comment:
About 3 years ago I dropped into a black hole – four months of absolute terror. I wanted to end my life, but somehow [Holy Spirit], I reached out to a friend who took me to hospital. I had three visits [hospital] in four months – I actually thought I was in hell. I imagine I was going through some sort of metamorphosis [mental, physical & spiritual]. I had been seeing a therapist [1994] on a regular basis, up until this point in time. I actually thought I would be locked away – but the hospital staff was very supportive [I had no control over my process]. I was released from hospital 16th September 1994, but my fear, pain & shame had only subsided a little. I remember this particular morning waking up [home] & my process would start up again [fear, pain, & shame]. No one could help me, not even my therapist [I was terrified]. I asked Jesus Christ to have mercy on me & forgive me my sins. Slowly, all my fear has dissipated & I believe Jesus delivered me from my “psychological prison.” I am a practicing Catholic & the Holy Spirit is my friend & strength; every day since then has been a joy & blessing. I deserve to go to hell for the life I have led, but Jesus through His sacrifice on the cross, delivered me from my inequities. John 3: 8, John 15: 26, are verses I can relate to, organically. He’s a real person who is with me all the time. I have so much joy & peace in my life, today, after a childhood spent in orphanages [England & Australia]. God LOVES me so much. Fear, pain, & shame, are no longer my constant companions. I just wanted to share my experience with you [Luke 8: 16 – 17].
Peace Be With You
Micky
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