In Part One of this series, it was established from biblical source material the existence of God not only predates God’s love for the inclusive community of the inhabited world, but the world itself. God’s action was presented to reveal itself through the demonstration of six primary components of Christian Spirituality. They include diligent love, amazing grace, community communion, intentional individual meditation, private and community prayer, and human service.
Part Two of the series spoke to diligent love or the living out of intentional and on purpose affection for the object of affection. The object of God's affection is humanity. Being diligent is characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort to live equal to one's commitments. God's ability to be diligent and human ability to be diligent are radically different.
Part Three of the series shares the unconditional love of amazing grace as central to God loving the world so much that gave his the best expression of himself possible. Grace is determined to be the blessing of continuous good even when it is undeserved. Amazing grace is that liberating power that frees us not only from our inadequacies and ungodly behavior but sets us on a path to live out our appreciation for God's gift on our behalf throughout our lives.
The grace of God expressed through diligent love decides to become human to experience what it means to be human. God does this because humanity had not and has not been able to manage living equal to God's expectations. Humans have failed to live at the level of God's expectations from the very beginning down to the present moment.
The grace of God expressed through diligent love decides to become human to experience what it means to be human. God does this because humanity had not and has not been able to manage living equal to God's expectations. Humans have failed to live at the level of God's expectations from the very beginning down to the present moment.
Humans just cannot manage to live right, righteous, and holy. We want things God would rather us not want. We do things God would rather us not do.
In becoming human, God knows from experience what humans experience. God as a human being is the man named Jesus. Jesus, God as a human being is reported to have been the only human able to live a human life at the level of God's expectations.
In doing so, God restores humanity to right standing and right relationship with God. The text alone makes this commentary clear, :For God so loved the world of humanity, he gave his only begotten son. says John 3 vs 16 a. Other biblical source material will say,in 2nd Corinthians Chapter 5 vs 21, "For God made him (Jesus) to be sin for us who had not sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
It is to this end that Richard Allen's great declaration came forth. As America was becoming a nation, particularly in Philadelphia, Richard Allen grew weary of slavery, prejudice and discrimination among the people of God.
Allen had been a slave named Negro Richard. When he purchased his own freedom, he changed his name to Richard Allen.
Once while worshiping in St, George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, he and other free black people were accosted by white worshipers who demanded they rise up from the altar and cease their praying. From this moment, Allen remembered freedom from slavery but more so remembered his freedom from sin to be loved by God. Hence his dungeon shook and his chains fell off,
God's amazing grace is a liberating power that frees us not only from our inadequacies and ungodly behavior but sets us on a path to live out our appreciation for God's gift on our behalf throughout our lives. Appreciate that God has loved humanity so much that he became a human to literally share our experience and live equal to his own expectations.
Until next time when we shall take on community communion, receive God's amazing grace into your life and live free to be and become what God has provided you opportunity to be. For God so loved the world with his amazing grace that he gave his only begotten son to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in him. As God has blessed us with his grace, so we must go forth to bless others and share our experience.
Until then, May God bless you and keep you, care for you during your sleeping and your waking, in your going outs and your coming ins, in your labour and your leisure; May God make his face to always shine upon you and give you peace. Amen!
It is to this end that Richard Allen's great declaration came forth. As America was becoming a nation, particularly in Philadelphia, Richard Allen grew weary of slavery, prejudice and discrimination among the people of God.
Allen had been a slave named Negro Richard. When he purchased his own freedom, he changed his name to Richard Allen.
Once while worshiping in St, George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, he and other free black people were accosted by white worshipers who demanded they rise up from the altar and cease their praying. From this moment, Allen remembered freedom from slavery but more so remembered his freedom from sin to be loved by God. Hence his dungeon shook and his chains fell off,
God's amazing grace is a liberating power that frees us not only from our inadequacies and ungodly behavior but sets us on a path to live out our appreciation for God's gift on our behalf throughout our lives. Appreciate that God has loved humanity so much that he became a human to literally share our experience and live equal to his own expectations.
Until next time when we shall take on community communion, receive God's amazing grace into your life and live free to be and become what God has provided you opportunity to be. For God so loved the world with his amazing grace that he gave his only begotten son to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in him. As God has blessed us with his grace, so we must go forth to bless others and share our experience.
Until then, May God bless you and keep you, care for you during your sleeping and your waking, in your going outs and your coming ins, in your labour and your leisure; May God make his face to always shine upon you and give you peace. Amen!
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