“For he says, “‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
~ 2 Corinthians 6:2
Hi James and Ellen,
If you are not already Christ-followers, would you like to be Christ-followers? If you have already become Christ-followers, when did you become Christ-followers? What does it mean to you to be a Christ-follower? Paul specifically directed his letters to Christ-follower communities of guys and gals. The two Corinthian Books were sent to guys and gals in the Corinth Christ-follower fellowship. Paul in 2 Corinthians 6 tells the guys and gals who are in the Corinth Christ-follower fellowship how to comport themselves and what they are to expect while being a Christ-follower guy, gal or kid. A Christ-follower guy, gal or kid is to be an example for a new Christ-follower guy, gal or kid. A Christ-follower guy, gal or kid is to have a mindset of serving or helping other Christ-follower guys, gals and kids and even non-Christ-follower guys, gals and kids. A Christ-follower guy, gal or kid is to be committed to enduring all kinds of troubles, hardships and/or hurts without getting angry, upset and/or bitter – knowing that whatever happens as God unfurls a soul being who He has living on planet Earth happens because He has planned, ordained or predestined it to happen. A Christ-follower guy, gal or kid is to be prepared to accept riots, beatings and imprisonments for having an unshakeable faith in a Divine Being that non-Christ-follower guys, gals and kids just cannot comprehend or understand – which drives them out of jealousy and fear to do whatever they can to have a Christ-follower guy, gal or kid reject his or her faith gift. A Christ-follower guy, gal or kid is to be dedicated to working hard, having sleepless nights and/or being hungry so that the Good News gets told to the guys, gals and kids who still have not had the opportunity to make verse 2 a life verse, “For he says, “‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” A Christ-follower guy, gal or kid is to be always clothed with a demeanor that communicates empathy, understanding, patience, kindness, compassion and purity so that God – as God the Spirit – because of the love of the Christ-follower guy, gal or kid, can do His work of divinely guiding a non-Christ-follower guy, gal or kid to the grace/faith door – giving the non-Christ-follower guy, gal or kid the opportunity to pass through the grace/faith door and into the body of Christ as a regenerated Christ-follower guy, gal or kid. A Christ-follower guy, gal or kid is to be filled with words of truth that are empowered by God – as God the Spirit. A Christ-follower guy, gal and kid is to be armed in both hands with weapons of honesty and virtue. A Christ-follower guy, gal and kid at one moment will be honored by the presence of God’s glory and at the same moment be cruelly dishonored by non-Christ-follower guys, gals and kids. A Christ-follower guy, gal or kid at one moment will be of good report and real in God’s eyes and at the same moment be given a bad report and called an imposter or a fake by non-Christ-follower guys, gals and kids. A Christ-follower guy, gal or kid – because of his or her faith, will not be killed because of fear, will always rejoice during all life trials and will be okay with being materially poor while helping other guys, gals and kids to become spiritually wealthy and at the same moment will not be recognized by non-Christ-follower guys, gals and kids, will be beaten by non-Christ-followers guys, gals and kids, will be made to cry by non-Christ-follower guys, gals and kids and will never be materialistic wealthy in the eyes of non-Christ-follower guys, gals and kids.
Per what Paul conveyed to the guys and gals who were members of the Corinth Christ-follower fellowship, an authentic, born-again Christ-follower guy or gal will always make a conscious commitment to not identify with any guy who deliberately distorts the fundamental reason for why the Good News paradigm replaced the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law had sacrificing animals on altars and good works driving worship and belief criterion or norms while the Good News paradigm is centered on Jesus sacrificing His life on a cross with grace/faith driving worship and belief criterion and norms. Another very real concern that Paul clearly expresses to the guys and gals who were members or adherents of the Corinth Christ-follower fellowship is the importance for a Christ-follower guy or gal to always marry another Christ-follower guy or gal. Paul expressly says that it is not a good thing for a Christ-follower guy or gal to decide to be yoked with or to be married to a non-Christ-follower guy or gal. Paul’s argument against a Christ-follower guy or gal marrying a non-Christ-follower guy or gal is that it is impossible to mix honesty and virtue with dishonesty and decadence, that light and darkness cannot happen at the same time and that no guy or gal can worship Christ at the very same time when he or she is worshipping Belial or Satan. Your grandpaa agrees with Paul that there is no commonality between a Christ-follower guy and gal and a non-Christ-follower guy and gal.
The Bible education program that your grandmaa and grandpaa implemented in Bolivia underpinned and enabled guys with knowledge and skills to enable their friends and family to be enabled Christ-followers. Your grandpaa received recently an e-mail from Abram Apodaca. Abram was a Centro de Capacitación student in the rural resident leadership training center in Concepción, Ñuflo de Chávez. Abram wanted to thank your grandmaa and grandpaa for the opportunity that he and Carmen had for two years in Concepción to be taught Biblical truths. The Programa de Educación Bíblica (PEB) that your grandmaa, grandpaa and Hector and Patty Pivaral started in Guatemala in 1997 is continuing to enable guys with Biblical truths. Because of enabled guys, your grandmaa and grandpaa have seen exponential growth of the number of Christ-follower guys and gals in Bolivia and Guatemala.
2 Corinthians 6 (689)