“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
~ 2 Corinthians 3:18
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you able to read your kid friends? Are your kid friends able to read you? Do you like to read books? Books are teachers for kids who want to learn. The Bible is a book. The Bible is a teacher for guys, gals and kids who have God the Spirit sanctifying their lives. Before God the Spirit came to planet Earth to live in the hearts of the guys, gals and kids who God specially elected for Himself – as God the Son, God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group, lived by the law which God gave to Moses while Moses was on Mt. Sinai. Before Jesus – God the Son, died after being nailed to two crossed wooden beams, God expected His specially chosen guys, gals and kids to obey the Law that He gave to Moses. After Jesus – God the Son, died while nailed on a crude cross, every guy, gal and kid who God specially elected for Himself – as God the Son, before He created planet Earth and who make a decision of faith to believe in what Jesus – as God the Son, did specifically for them when He died on a cross made from two roughly hewn beams, will have God the Spirit leading them to obey God. The law that God gave to Moses had been written by God’s finger on stone tablets. When a decision of faith is made by a guy, gal or kid believing that his or her sins are forgiven through the death of Jesus – as God the Son, on a cross, God the Spirit enters into the life and lives in the heart of that guy, gal and kid. Can you tell if a guy, gal or kid has God the Spirit living in his or her heart? Can a guy, gal or kid tell if you have God the Spirit living in your heart?
A Christ-follower community almost 2000 years ago received a letter. It was the second letter that this same Christ-follower community had gotten from the writer of the letter. This Christ-follower community was in a city called Corinth. The letter’s author was Paul. Paul sent other letters to Christ-follower communities – to help the guys and gals in these Christ-follower communities understand better what took place when Jesus suffered and died on a cross made from two crossed timbers. The Corinth Christ-follower community was located in a city that was full of guys, gals and kids who did not know about what really happened when Jesus died on a cross. Corinth was a city that was visited by a lot of guys from other cities and countries. The Corinth Christ-follower community had guys showing up wanting to preach. These guys were using preaching to earn money. These guys were not interested in teaching the Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals truths about the life and death of Jesus. Do you know who the guy was who jumpstarted the Corinth Christ-follower community? Paul was the guy. Your grandpaa believes that Paul had friends among the Corinth Christ-follower community guys and gals. Paul had a time investment in the Corinth Church-follower community. Paul did not like it at all that strange guys were showing up wanting to preach to the guys and gals in the Corinth Christ-follower community. These guys were communicating wanting to change what Paul had taught the guys and gals in the Corinth Christ-follower community to believe. Paul – in Corinthians 3, asks the guys and gals in the Corinth Christ-follower community to not to just ask for letters of recommendation from the guys who wanted to preach to them but to read these guys lives. Paul reminds the guys and gals in the Corinth Christ-follower community to remember how important it is that their lives are open to be read by others.
Your grandpaa knows that when he is listening to a guy, gal or kid talking that he is reading the face, the eyes, the hand motions, the voice intonations and the posturing of the guy, gal or kid a whole lot more than to the words that the guy, gal or kid is saying to him. Your grandpaa has to be careful with his facial expressions. Guys, gals and kids sometimes think that your grandpaa is angry with them – or that he does not want to talk with them, because your grandpaa’s facial expression sometimes looks really grumpy. Your grandpaa has found it really intriguing when he and your grandmaa have both talked in a church. When your grandpaa begins to talk, the guys and gals in the church will begin to lean back, cross their arms and put a look on their face which your grandpaa reads as saying that your grandpaa better have something good to say or . . . when your grandmaa begins to talk, the guys and gals in the church will begin to lean forward, uncross their arms and put a smile on their face – even before your grandmaa has said one word, which your grandpaa reads as saying that the guys and gals even before your grandmaa begins to speak, already like your grandmaa. Because of her genuinely warm, beautiful smile, it is easy to like your grandmaa. During the first years when your grandpaa was a missionary in Bolivia, your grandpaa would visit different rural villages where your grandpaa would oftentimes be asked to speak. Your grandpaa one day was asked to speak to the Christ-followers who live on a ranch called Villa Cruz. As your grandpaa spoke, an senior age gal who was sitting a short distance in front of where your grandpaa was speaking, kept smiling at your grandpaa and nodding her head at just the right times as your grandpaa was speaking. After the church service, your grandpaa told some guys who were talking with him how much he appreciated how the senior age gal had listened to what he said. These guys asked your grandpaa who the senior age gal was. When your grandpaa described the senior age gal, the guys began to laugh. The guys told your grandpaa that the senior age gal could not have understood anything that your grandpaa had said – as she could only understand her own indigenous language. What do you think that the senior age gal was reading in your grandpaa as he spoke? Verse 18 says “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3 (130)