St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse:17a, Fraternal Correction: Appeal to the church to save him.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Fraternal correction) Part 4.  

The battle is with sin and the weapon is love.  We love our brothers and sisters.  We would have them saved.  We would have them share in the riches of heaven.  We would have them experience the love of Christ and the protection of God the Father.  But the ways of sin are deceiving.  The ways of sin will blind.  The ways of sin will overpower and contaminate the mind and the soul.  And the soul will lose the light of life when it turns away from light into darkness.

Christ tells his disciples if the face to face talk fails, and the meeting with two or more fails, then appeal to the church.  For we are at war with sin.  We need reinforcements to overcome the black grip of sin.  Sin will enter the soul.  Sin will take hold.  And sin will overpower the mind and the soul until one is unable to recognize the deep dark hole that sin has taken us to.  Light become darkness.  Good becomes evil and our sister or brother may be lost to the ways of sin.  Christ tells his disciples:  "And if he refuse to hear them, appeal to the Church."

Seek the counsel of the church.  Seek the wisdom of the elders.  Seek the prayers and supplications of the body of Christ that thy brother or sister may be saved from sin.  For if there is any hope, if there is any good left in them, if there is any spark of life left within, then every effort must be made to save them.  Who would want to see thy brother condemned?  Who would want to see thy brother or sister cast into the fire of eternal damnation?  They know not what they do.  They have no understanding of the consequences of their actions.  They are blinded by the appeal of sin.  They are asleep in the world of sin and do not know that they are asleep. 

Try to awaken them and they resist.  Try to appeal to them and they deny.  Try to show them and they refuse to see.  For they see the world in a different light than we do.  They see the world through rose colored glasses and everything is fine to them.  Yet to take off the glasses is unwanted in their eyes.  The battle is with sin and the weapon is love.  For God's love fulfills all.  God's love completes all.  God's love is all that our life and our light needs for fulfillment.  And without his love we are nothing.  Without his love we are void.  Without his love we wither and die and become darkness. 

So take the light of love with thee and shine it into the darkness that they may see the truth.  Love thy brother.  Love thy sister.  Not with a physical love but with a spiritual love that comes from the heart, should we love one another.  For we are spirits.  We are aliens.  We are the light that Christ gave us when he became our sacrifice.  Through him we have been given life anew.  And with this new life one can find the peace and love and charity that comes from God.  

With the realization of the truth of who we are comes the separation of the mind and the spirit.  And with this separation comes the open door that brings forth the light of the Holy Spirit.  For he will provide.  He will protect.  He will counsel.  He will show forth the love that God our Father has for each and every man, woman, and child.  Come!  Follow the path that leads to understanding.  Follow the path that will enlighten.  Follow the path that will open the door to the light of life that is within you.  Christ awaits you.  The Holy Spirit seeks to know you.  And the Father seeks to love you as his child.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.  

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse:16, Fraternal Correction: Second: Take thy witnesses.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Fraternal correction) Part 3.  

And if thy brother listens then you have won him back.  For it is the battle with sin that we wage.  It is the temptations that sin brings that causes us to stray.  It is the sway of those who have accepted sin in their lives that causes us to run with the crowd.  But Christ says to his disciples, win thy brother back.  Speak to him face to face.  Love him face to face.  Offer to him the love and protection that the father gives that he may know the truth.  For sin will blind.  Sin will corrupt.  Sin will turn the soul away from the father and bring judgment.

And if he does not listen to thee, bring others to confirm.  Bring others to persuade.  Bring others with thee that they may be witnesses to thy brother's/sister's sin.  Bring others that they may assist in the fight against sin.  The goal is to win back.  The fight is with the sin that has taken our brothers and sisters.  The battle is not to defame,  not to belittle, not to cast out the baby and the bath water.  For we love our brothers and our sisters just as we love ourselves.  And Christ and the Father loves them more.  This is why he spoke to his disciples instructing them to take one or two others with them to speak with thy brother that they may help in the fight against sin.  He told them:  "But if he do not listen to thee, take with thee one or two more so that on the word of two or three witnesses every word may be confirmed.    

Sin corrupts the mind and the body.  Sin takes hold like an octopus and will not let go.  And yet it is the love of Christ that we seek to pass to our beloved brothers and sisters that they may know the truth of who they are in Christ.  If they only knew what they do.  If they only knew what they for sake.  If they only knew what they will receive.  It is this knowledge that we seek to give, seek to convey to those that have turned away.  For without it we are easily persuaded by sin.  Without the truth of who we are in Christ we do not see the light of life that is within us.  Without it we do not know the truth of who we are in Christ and we then are easily persuaded by the tricks of sin and the traps of evil.

Evil seeks to turn us away from the light of life.  Evil seeks to kill the light of life that is within us and turn us into darkness.  For darkness can live within us just as the light of life is who we are.  God created us in his image and likeness and gave us the light of life that we may know who we are.  The Holy Spirit will come and reside with those who seek him.  The Holy Spirit  will come and protect those who want to know him.  The Holy Spirit will come and provide for those who love him.  For Christ has told us that he will not leave us as orphans but will send the Advocate to be with us. 

Fight the good fight.  Seek the truth of who you are in Christ and you will know the light of life.  For you are an alien in this world.  You are a resident of heaven and are only here to carry the message that Christ lives and Christ loves and Christ provides.  Be the light that shines upon the hill that everyone can see.  Turn away from the temptations of sin and turn to the light of life that is within you.  Seek to know the truth that is within your heart.  God loves you.  Christ sacrificed for you.  The Holy Spirit will come to you and then you will know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Come!  Follow the path before you.  Life has been given to me and I seek to show you the path that has been given me to follow.  Great is the way of the Lord. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.  

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse:15b, Fraternal Correction: Win thy brother.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Fraternal correction) Part 2.   

Christ continues to instruct his disciples on the importance of correction.  He wants them to understand how to approach one in sin.  He wants to teach them how to help each other when sin comes into the relationship.  For sin will come.  And sin will cause one to fall, sin will cause one to fail, sin will cause one to stray.  But it is with the help of their brothers and sisters that they can overcome sin, they will cast out sin, they can be brought back to Christ.

For he told them that one must approach thy brother alone and show him/her their faults.  Do not talk behind their backs.  Do not talk with others about their sin.  Do not write about it, text about it, discuss it with your friends.  For Christ has given them the blueprint of how to overcome sin.  Go and speak with thy brother/sister face to face about their sin.  For the purpose is to confront sin.  The purpose is to win back.  The purpose is to show love to thy brother/sister that will allow them the opportunity to come back to you.  The purpose is to win thy brother/sister back from sin.  Christ told them:  "If he listen to thee, thou hast won thy brother."

Love thy brother.  Win thy brother.  Show thy brother the fault, face to face, that they may have the opportunity to turn back from sin.  For sin will come.  Sin will tempt.  Sin will try to take away thy brother/sister.  But it is up to you, it is your responsibility to confront sin.  It is your duty to win back.  It is your love of the Father that seeks to show the truth of the circumstances.  Christ has given to us the light of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily lives here on earth.  For we are aliens, not of this world.  We are citizens of heaven belonging to our Holy Father who created us.  And it is that knowledge that will guide us, protect us, show us the way when sin comes to tempt us.

Some may understand.  Some may know.  Some may see the truth of the light of who they are.  It is up to those who know the truth to show the ways of sin.  Not preaching.  Not teaching.  But through the love that is within does one demonstrate.  Through the love that comes from God does one enlighten.  Through the love that is our nature as citizens of heaven that empower us to shine forth through the darkness, through the deceit, through the lies, the lust, through all the tricks and traps of sin.  It is through love that comes from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit that empowers us to overcome. 

From that spirit of love we were created.  It is through love that we conquer sin.  It is through love that we seek to share the truth of who we are.  It is through love that we hope to win our brothers and sisters.  For they are lost.  They are asleep.  They walk the wide path to destruction without the knowledge of who they are within.  Come!  Seek the knowledge that is promised to you.  Know the truth that Christ has given you.  Receive the love that the Father showers upon you, simply by asking to know him.  The desires that the world has to offer cannot compare to the satisfaction that awaits you in Christ.  The desires of the world cannot compare to the all fulfilling love of the Father.  The Holy Spirit awaits your beckon.  Open the door and let him in. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse:15a, Fraternal Correction: First: Speak, Face to Face.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Fraternal correction) Part 1.   

Christ has given his disciples the joy and glory that will be celebrated in heaven over the return of a single little one.  He told them that it is not the will of the Father that a single little one should perish.  For God loves all his children and desires that they, will love him when they know him.  But that is the will of the Father.  Man has his own will.  So Christ has given them the opportunity to understand the happiness and love that awaits them in heaven.  He has set the framework around which they can begin to understand what God has prepared for all in heaven.  And the mystery will be revealed.

Christ goes further in teaching his disciples how to love one another.  If thy brother sins against thee, what does one do?  Accuse him/her!  Speak foul of him/her!  Talk with others about their sin when they are not present?  What should one do?  Christ gives his disciples the answer to what they should do.  "But if thy brother sin against thee, go and show him his fault, between thee and him alone."

Consult thy brother face to face, alone.  Seek his/her understanding of the sin without malice or accusation.  Express love for thy brother that he/she may turn away from sin.  These are the ideas and principles that Christ seeks for his disciples to understand.  He spoke these words that they may know how to approach each other when sin comes into a relationship whether it be a relationship  between men or our relationship with God.  When we sin, God comes to us quietly seeking to have us recognize the sin that is within us.  He does not shout it out.  He does not bash us over the head or punish us immediately because of our sin.  He continues to love us until we can recognize the sin that is within us.  For it is his children that he seeks to save, just as it is our brother that we should seek to save.  It is the sin within us that we should seek to expel through the love that is within us for one another.  Satan seeks to divide.  Satan seeks to separate.  Satan seeks to control.  Satan seeks to turn us away from God our Father and to turn us to himself.  And he will seek to do this in any way that he can.

Does thy brother know that he has sinned against thee?  Does thy brother have any conscience of his error?  Does thy brother understand the consequences of his actions?  Does thy brother know that he has opened the door to Satan?  Has Satan taken control and turned him/her completely away from thee?  Love is the key.  Love thy brother/sister, for they do not know what they do.  And if they do know what they do then they do not understand the consequences of what they do.  For no one desires to jump into the fire.  No one seeks to live eternity in damnation, if they truly understand what they do.  Yet many are blinded.  Many are without understanding.  Many have not been made fully aware of what they do.  And yet we all have the capacity to understand.  We all have the ability to make sense of our world.  Yet, in that sense, we choose what path we walk.  We choose what road we travel.  We choose the outcome of what we are.

God has given us a spirit of love.  For he is love.  He is light.  He is life and he has given us life through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.  His love is so fulfilling that it overwhelms the mind, the body and fills the soul.  And we cannot fully comprehend the complete meaning of his love for to do so would be too much for our being.  Yet he loves us.  He completes us.  He provides for us.  He fills us with a peace that nothing on earth can provide.  Our desires, our passions, our wants, cannot begin to compare to that which he can provide.  No amount of gold, diamonds, jewels or paper money can come close to the wealth that the Father has prepared for each of us.  The choice is ours, provided we understand, provided we can make sense of it all, provided we can believe and receive the spirit that he will send to show us his ways. 

Seek thy brother alone and reconcile thy difference.  Love thy brother as God has loved thee.  When we were in sin, he did not let go.  When we were in sin, he did not turn away.  When we were in sin, he walked with us.  When we were wrong, when we were in the darkness, when we were tempted by Satan, he was still there.  He still loved us.  He still cared for us.  He still allowed us to sin.  By his grace we awoke from our worldly sleep and turned away from sin.  By his grace we were forgiven.  By his love we were cleansed.  By his mercy we will be restored.  By his love we will rejoice at his glory and power and majesty.  Seek to express the love of the Father to thy brother that he may understand.  For one does not desire to jump into the fire if one understands.  Christ loves us.  The Father provides for us.  The Holy Spirit will teach us the ways of truth and light.  Come!  Follow the path before you.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.  

St. Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 14, The Lost Sheep: The will of the Father.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost Sheep) Part 5.

There will be rejoicing in heaven over the return of a lost one.  For the lost sheep are just as precious in the eyes of the Father as all the others.  They are the little ones.  They are the children that Christ placed before the disciples as an example of what they must become.  For the key to entering the kingdom of heaven is to turn and become like little children who do not worry about the cares of the world, who are not concerned about what tomorrow may bring, who rejoice in the here and now because their father will provide for them.

Christ wanted to teach them about the things of heaven.  He wanted them to know what heaven was like.  He wanted them to have all that heaven has to offer.  But first they must rid themselves of worldly ideas, worldly mindsets, and worldly passions that would prevent them from entering into the kingdom.  For it is not the will of the Father that anyone should perish.  It is not the will of the Father that anyone should be lost.  It is not the will of the Father that anyone should not be with him in heaven.  That decision is ours, given us by our father.  So Christ told his disciples the will of the Father.  Even so, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that a single one of these little ones should perish.

The little ones should not perish, this is what Christ told his disciples.  That is the will of the Father in heaven.  So each and every little one is protected, provided for, and cared for.  But there is evil in the world.  There is desire in the world.  There is lust in the world.  There is scandal in the world and all work towards turning the little ones away from the Father.  For the Father gave man free will.  The Father allowed man to decide.  The Father did not command that we choose.  He gave us the opportunity to make up our own minds, to decide what we wanted. 

Do we know what we want?  Do we see the results of our wants?  Do we understand the consequences of our wants?  For there will be consequences.  There will be repercussions.  There will be judgments.  There will be payments that must be made as a result of the decisions that we make of our own free will.  What do we know?  We believe that we can decide.  We believe that we have the capacity.  We believe that we know.  And we follow what we know.  We follow what we are told.  We follow what we are led to believe based on what we see in the world, what we feel about the world, what we hear in the world. 

We follow the path that is before us, the path that is given us.  And for those that lay out the path, those that create the path, they are driven by what they think is good and right and just in the mind of the market.  But the market is led by greed.  The market is led by desires and passions.  The market is led by the forces of commerce that are driven by the influences of the world.  And there is evil in the world.  Do we believe?  Do we see?  Do we know?  The choice is ours. 

We can sleep in the world or we can awake from the drugged slumber that the world offers.  Christ knocks at the door.  Christ holds your hand.  Christ lives in your heart.  Do not turn him away.  Do not close the door on him.  Do not go back to sleep when he talks to you.  Wake up!  See the being that you are in Christ.  Wake up!  See the light within you.  Wake up!  Know the truth that is within you.  For the Holy Spirit wants to visit you.  The Holy Spirit wants to live with you.  The Holy Spirit wants to know you.  The Holy Spirit wants you to know him.  Wake up and see!  Wake up and know!  Wake up and live in Christ! For it is not the Father's will that a single little one should perish.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 13, The Lost Sheep: Rejoicing over the one.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost sheep) Part 4.  

The Son of Man came.  He came to reclaim what was lost.  He came to save.  He came to take back the little ones.  For they are the lost sheep, scattered by the evil one.  They are the ones without a shepherd.  They are the loved ones of the Father.  Even though he had many, he came to reclaim the one.  Even though he loved all, he came to find the lost.  Even though he is all powerful, he has mercy.  Even though he passed judgment, he is forgiving.  Even though he issues wrath on those who trespass, he is compassionate.  For Christ came to carry out his father's will, to bring back the lost, to save the little ones.

There will be rejoicing.  There will be happiness.  There will be sorrow.  There will be sadness for each little one that is lost.  But there will be rejoicing at each little one that is saved.  The choice was given to each.  The decision is ours to make.  But the influence leads us in a direction that we do not know.  The turn of the head, the blink of the eye, the sound of the music can lead astray, away from the flock and into lost territory.  But Christ came to save.  Christ came to restore.  Christ came to take back what was lost.  He came to pay the price that we may have life.  And there will be rejoicing for each that returns to the flock, for each that returns to the Father.  "And if he happen to find it, amen I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray." 

And if he happens to find it, the lost one, he rejoices.  Christ tells this parable to demonstrate to his disciples and to us the depth of love that the Father has for his little ones.  For they were created from his heart.  They were created from his love.  They were brought forth from nothing into life that his love and his passion may be shared.  We have a God and Father that loves us deeply.  We have a God and Father that protects us totally.  We have a God and Father that provides for us completely.  The question is will we let him.  Will we seek him?  Will we open our hearts to him?  Will we allow our minds to comprehend that which is incomprehensible to the mind but lies hidden in the heart?

We have all the documentation in history.  We have the facts laid before us.  We have the institutions that help us to understand.  We have the grace of Christ, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit to provide for us, if we believe, if we seek, if we desire to know, if we love, if.  And it is that if that deters us.  It is that if that delays us.  It is that if that causes us to pause.  It is that if that turns us away.  For that if, is what is used against us in the world. 

Can we not believe?  Can we not see with the eye that was given us, the key to the soul?  Can we not understand that which is within us, within our nature, within our being, within our soul?  If we are told otherwise, we can not.  If we are fed lies, we can not.  If we are deceived, we will not believe.  For deception is the tool of evil.  Deception is the blindfold that allows us to continue to sleep, to turn away, to follow the path of destruction.  But Christ came to save.  Christ came to take back.  Christ came to give new life.  Will you accept it?  Will you believe in it?  Will you be open to it?  Or will you be deceived?  Come!  Follow the path before you.  Seek the truth that is within you that you will know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Believe and you will see.  For he told us how to find the truth that is within us.  He gave us a path to follow.  Will you follow it?  Will you seek to know it?  Will you find you?  Christ awaits.  The Holy Spirit beckons.  The Father will rejoice at your coming.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 12, The Lost Sheep: Searching for those that have strayed.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost sheep) Part 3.   

What do you think, Christ asked his disciples?  Why do you think that he came to earth?  He wanted to have them speak what was in their minds.  He wanted his disciples to understand the true reason of his coming.  Though they did not know, he told them.  He gave them the key to opening the doors of heaven.  He told them how they should turn from the ways of the world and seek the knowledge held by little children.  For the little children were the example that Christ put before his disciples that they could see who they were to become.

Little ones, he said.  Precious ones, he knew them as.  Loved ones, as he saw them through the eyes of the father.  Protected ones, by the angels themselves in heaven, guarded by the knowledge of God himself.  For Christ came to collect.  He came to return what was lost.  He came to reclaim that which did not belong here on earth but belong in heaven and he wanted his disciples to know.  He told them.  He gave them examples.  And he demonstrated the love for them through a parable.   "What do you think?", he asked his disciples.  And he continued to demonstrate his passion:  "If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them stray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, and go in search of the one that has strayed?  And if he happen to find it, amen I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray."

And so it was given to the disciples to understand the tremendous love that a man has for his one lost sheep.  And they understood the love that the Father has for mankind, his lost sheep, his lost little ones, his lost children.  For we are the ones that were lost.  We are the ones that strayed.  We are the ones that he loves so dearly that he sent his son to reclaim us.  For Our Father is a merciful father.  Our Father is a loving father.  Our Father is a forgiving father.  For he understands who are his children and he understands the mistakes that they will make.  And despite our mistakes, our errors, our downfalls, he still loves us.

We are brought into this world to experience life.  For we were not.  We knew not.  We did not until we were given life.  But there are those who came before us.  Those that had life before we were.  Those that would steal us away from the Father.  So the choice is ours to make.  But we must understand clearly the choice that we make.  We must know the truth of our actions.  We must know the truth of who we are.  For without the truth we are misled.  Without the truth we are swayed.  Without the truth we are stolen, not knowing who we are, not knowing the life that we have, not knowing the destiny that is ours in the Father. 

We live in a world but are not of the world.  We see ourselves as physical but we are not physical.  We believe in the things of the world but we are in disbelief of who we are because this is the misinformation that we are given, the misinformation that we are fed, the misinformation that programs us from birth.  But God is with us.  Christ came for us.  The Holy Spirit will be with us, if we choose. 

Wake up from your sleep and see the truth before you.  Let not the influence of the mind stop you.  For the evil of the world will invade the mind.  The evil of the world will persuade the mind.  The evil of the world will turn the mind away from the truth that is in the heart.  Open the heart to Christ and you will find all that the heart desires.  For Christ is our truth.  Christ is our satisfaction.  Christ is our peace.  Christ is our love, and our protection, our provider.  He will give all.  He will show all.  He will lead you and guide you so that there is nothing that will sway you again to the world.  Come!  Open the heart to Christ and receive the Holy Spirit.  For Christ loves you.  The Father adores you.  And the Holy Spirit will be with you all the days of your life.  Amen.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 11, The Lost Sheep: Why the Son of Man came.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost sheep) Part 2.    

The little ones have angels in heaven.  The little ones have a direct connection to God our Father.  The little ones are protected.  The little ones are provided for.  The little ones are special in the eyes of God.  But the little ones were lost.  The little ones were divided.  The little ones were without a shepherd.  And then Christ came. 

Christ came to take back what was lost.  Christ came to redeem.  Christ came that all was not lost and all the little ones would not face the justice of God.  For man had sinned.  Man had disobeyed the command of God.  And man must face the justice of God, for God is the ultimate judge and justice must be served.  There was a contest.  There was a battle.  There was a test between man and Satan, between physical and spiritual, between the lowly flesh and the spiritual cunning of a fallen angel.  Man lost.  The punishment was pronounced.  The sin was committed and the judgment was enacted.  And Christ came.  He came to renew.  He came to take back.  He came to be tested.  He came to pay the price.  He came to be the sacrifice.  He came to save.  And Christ told his disciples:  "For the Son of Man came to save what was lost."

What was lost?  Where can it be found?  Is it something that is worth finding, something of value, something that we should waste time thinking about finding?  Christ thought so.  God thought that it was worth getting back.  He gave a precious gift to have it returned.  He wanted it returned.  He did not want to loose it. 

Our Father is a loving father, so much so that he forgives, he loves deeply, he has mercy, he understands, he is compassionate.  The Son of Man came to save what was lost.  He came to be tested.  Adam was tested and he failed the test.  Christ came and he passed the test.  He came and he was tried.  He came and he would not bend, he would not relent, he would not give up, he would not yield to the temptations, and they killed him because he could not be broken.  He paid the price.  He was the sacrifice.  He was the restitution for the injustice.

I was lost.  I was asleep in the world.  I was committed to the world, even though I had been given the truth as a child.  I was raised in the church.  I was committed to the church and yet I left the church and went out into the world.  I wanted to be a part of the world.  I wanted to be accepted in the world.  I wanted to be successful in the world.  And I committed myself to it.  The world used me.  The world abused me.  The world tore me down.  And the world took me to the crossroads of temptation. 

The world said to me, in order to be successful you must be ruthless.  It said to me, in order to be successful you must be cunning.  It said to me that in order to be successful you must be vengeful, you must be murderous.  I was lost.  I was on the verge of stepping off that cliff.  And then, out of desperation, I sought help.  I called out to my father for help.  I cried for relief. And he reached out and held my hand.  He reached out and lifted me up.  He reached out and pulled me from the brink of destruction. 

He gave me hope.  He gave me faith.  He showed me compassion.  He opened my eyes and allowed me to see the truth of who I am.  I am no longer lost.  I am no longer wandering.  I am no longer asleep.  I am here and I am now.  I am in him and he is in me.  I am a light in the darkness because I know who I am.  Christ came to save me.  Christ came to save you.  Christ came to save all that want to be saved.  Do you want to be saved?  Do you want to know the truth of who you are?  Ask him to save you.  Ask to know him.  Ask to believe in him.  Ask to seek him and he will seek you.  He saved me and gave me a new life.  He will save you!  

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 18, verse10, The Lost Sheep: Despising the little ones.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost sheep) Part 1.   

Christ has instructed his disciples about the little ones, those who are humble like little children.  He has given them a simple example through a little child.  Do not seek to be ambitious, he tells them.  But seek to be like little children, without worry, full of play, having the world before you, as a new place to explore and enjoy.  For such is the kingdom of heaven, he tells them, filled with little ones.  Those that are humble, those that are meek, those that are mild of manner, those that are at peace, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.

But despise not the little ones.  Hold not a grudge against these little ones.  Bear not hatred against those that have turned to become like little children.  For they are protected.  They are watched over.  They are the ones that the angels provide for, protect, and care for.  Christ tells them that these are the ones that the Father in heaven hears about because their angels behold the face of God.  " See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven always behold the face of my Father in heaven."   

Do not despise the little ones.  Do not despise those that are humble and clean in spirit.  For they are the new life from the tree of life, uncorrupted and undefiled.  They are the ones that are protected.  They are the ones who's angels behold the face of God.  They are the ones who's angels have the ear of God the Father to petition to him for retribution, for wrath, and for
vengeance.  Be careful how you speak.  Be careful how you think of the little ones.  Be careful how you act with, around and influence the little ones, for they are the ones that are protected.

We are adults living in a modern world that requires our physical being to live, to survive, to rest, to play, to work, to be alive.  For we seek to be alive, to live a life of freedom, without fear, without pain, without worries, without restrictions, free to live as we please.  What is this but to be a child?  What do we seek but to not have the cares and worries of the world.  To play with our children, as though we were children ourselves, brings such joy and happiness, such  pleasure.  It makes us feel alive.  But the world comes crashing in and we must return to being adults again. 

Christ offers us that freedom.  He gives us that opportunity.  He tells us that we must turn away from the world and become like little children.  For children do not worry.  Children do not have cares.  Children rest with ease and are at peace.  And children have parents who watch over them and care for them as we have a father who watches over us.  Do we trust him?  Do we rely on him?  Do we believe in his ability to provide for us?  Most do not.  Yet he waits patiently that you may discover his presence, that you may come to him, that he may show you his love, his care, his provisions, his peace. 

Come!  Seek the peace that Christ offers.  He gave you new life.  He came that you would not be lost.  He made the sacrifice that you would live.  Open your heart and let him in.  Open your mind and see the truth.  Open your soul and welcome in the Spirit of the Lord.  You will know his love!  You will know his provision!  You will know his protection!  You will know his peace!  I do. I have come to know that I have a Father in heaven who provides for me, a Father who protects me, a Father who loves me, a Father whom I trust in all things and who gives me peace.  Follow the path before you and awake to the new life that is within you and you too will come to know your Father.  

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 9, Occasions of sin for the Eye .

Our paragraph topic is:  (Avoiding scandal) Part 6.   

Drastic as it may sound, Christ continues to warn his disciples of the dangers of occasions to sin through the parts of the body.  The eye is the key to the soul and if it leads to sin then Christ says that it should be plucked out and cast away.  The vision to plucking an eye out is very hard to imagine.  Plucking an eye out compared to being cast into the hell-fire is not imaginable since we have no real comparison to the hell-fire.  But Christ knows and he warns his disciples so.  He warns the people of the same.

And the occasions of sin of the eye are the causes of scandal.  The people heard his words.  The disciples heard his words and how drastic or bad, or unbelievable they did sound.  Yet they were spoken from the mouth of Christ, the mouth of the Messiah.  For one must imagine the loss of an eye as compared to the hell-fire.  And if the plucking of an eye is bad then the hell-fire must be ten times worse.  Control the eyes.  Let them not lead to sin.  Let them not stray.  Let them not be controlled by evil such that one commits sin as a result of what one sees.  For the words were spoken.  And the words were written.  And Christ told us:  And if thy eye is an occasion of sin to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee!  It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell-fire.    

It all starts with what we see.  For through the eyes and into the mind and settling in the heart begins the passion of our desires.  For we desire earthly things.  We desire cars and houses and clothes and women and money and power and all manner of earthly things that become ingrained in our minds and desirous of our hearts.  We are fed these desires on a daily basis.  And it is through these desires that we make plans.  It is through these desires we scheme.  It is through these desires that we take actions that lead us down the road to the commission of sins.  And through the commission of those sins, our hearts turn black and we become instruments of evil.

Guard what the eye sees.  Reject the desires of the mind.  Fill the heart not with the desires of the world but with the love that Christ has given us.  For it is through his love, through his passion, through his desire for man to live eternity with him and the father that we find our freedom from sin.  We are heavenly beings created in the image and likeness of our father.  Creatures of light and not of darkness.  But evil would have us live in ignorance.  Evil would have us destroy our likeness and assume its likeness.  We are not evil.  We are not of the darkness.  We are children of light.  

Come!  See the light that is within you.  Know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Seek the knowledge that will provide freedom from the desires of the world and your father will provide for you.  Your father will protect you.  Your father will strengthen you to walk in his goodness.  For Christ came that we may have life.  He restored us to new life.  He provides us with the opportunity to live a life of eternity in heaven, if we choose.  But without choosing we live in darkness.  Without the knowledge of who we are we are asleep.  Without the truth of the light of the Holy Spirit we live in darkness.  Open the door and let him in.  Seek the light that Christ has given you and you too will know the true self that is within you.  Christ loves you.  God the Father adores you.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  Let him in.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.