translater
God has given us all that we need to lead a life pleasing to Him. We abandon confidence in ourselves or other men, and cast ourselves on Jesus, "The author and finisher of our faith".
1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
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Brother Larry Crabb presented a seminar on Maui last weekend based on his new book, "66 love letters". Larry's message is essentially that we in the West have tried to fit God into our story, instead of letting Him reveal to us where we might fit into His story. That is, we seek God for comfort, or riches, or ease in relationships. We have treated Him as if He were our servant, a cosmic genie in the sky.
I watched the movie "The Matrix" for the first time last week. In this movie, Keanu Reeves is a computer programmer by day, and a computer hack by night. Like all men, Reeves supposes himself to be free to do as his pleases, but he is beginning to wonder. If he is free, why does he spend most of his waking hours at work? Free men do what THEY want to do, not work to please others. So one night, hacking away on his computer (an old dinosaur- this was 1999), someone from a place called "Zion" contacts him. He is invited to take a red pill that will transform his mind. When he does, he is taken into a vision of reality. No, Mr. Anderson, you are NOT free. In fact, you are hooked up to a computer program, and you will do exactly what you are programmed to do.
“And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.” (Lu 9:51-56 AV)