Category: Established in Grace.


Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 20: Marks of maturity, concluded;

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June 17, 2012

Welcome to “Abounding Grace” as we conclude “the marks of maturity” in our study of being established in grace. To-day we will take a look at the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, as I said last time this was not just a tiff, this was a disagreement of note, these two men parted company, and if I understand the situation correctly they stayed out of each other’s way for quite some time.  Eventually the quarrel was finally resolved.

Let’s analyze the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas.

Acts.13:5. (Amp) When they arrived at Salamis, they preached the Word of God [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John [Mark] as an attendant to assist them.

Paul and Barnabas set out on a missionary expedition with the aim of carrying the Word of salvation through Christ to a gentile people, firstly that is not an easy undertaking and as we know from the Word that they encountered many hardships, they take along a youngster by the name of John Mark, a relative of Barnabas’s.

Acts.13:13. (Amp) Now Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John [Mark] separated himself from them and went back to Jerusalem.

Whatever the reason was I don’t know but the youngster decides he has had enough (hey, maybe he was just plain homesick) of the campaign and goes back to Jerusalem, in Pauls thinking, that is something that should never have happened and looks at it like Mark had deserted them. Then the two stalwart’s decide to go and visit the brethren in all the cities where they preached, Barnabas wants to take John Mark along and Paul flatly refuse to have a deserter along with him.

Acts.15:36-38. (Amp) And after some time Paul said to Barnabas, Come, let us go back and again visit and help and minister to the brethren in every town where we made known the message of the Lord, and see how they are getting along. Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark [his near relative]. But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

Remember, two more dedicated men could not have been found in the early church, both effective and both spiritually minded, neither selfish nor immature but sparks flew when these two men of spiritual strength clashed.

We have a critical issue here: Should a person who defects from a mission and leaves people in the lurch be given a second chance?

The various viewpoints: Paul says no, while Barnabas says yes, each thinks he is right, because each man views the issue from a different vantage point, we see Barnabas as a people oriented man, a man of compassion and a builder of men, he looked at the issue from the viewpoint of the overall good of the man, while Paul is more task orientated, he is a man of conviction, he plants churches and looks at the issue from the viewpoint of the overall good of the ministry.

Acts.15:38. (Amp) But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

(Mess) But Paul wouldn’t have him; he wasn’t about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia.

The word desert is a word from which we get the word apostatized from and it means to be unfaithful, to be a traitor. It would seem as if Paul is being a bit harsh. Is He?

Prov.25:19. (Amp) Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint.

In a disagreement it is hard to see both sides of the issue when emotions are flaring and that is what was happening here, it was sharp contention. In the Greek the word uses is paroxusmos and it means an angry dispute, we get our English word paroxysm from it which is a fit of violent emotion, and such a rift resulted from Paul’s and Barnabas’s disagreement that the torn relationship could not easily be mended, it took time but eventually the two were reconciled. The result of the disagreement was that the two men “separated from each other”.

Acts.15:40. (Amp) But Paul selected Silas and set out, being commended by the brethren to the grace (the favour and mercy) of the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways continuing in the ministry, they didn’t spend the rest of their lives getting back at one another and that takes grace.

We must learn to disagree graciously and to do this keep the following four points in mind:

Always leave room for an opposing viewpoint.

If an argument must occur do not assassinate the other parties character, an argument is one thing character assassination is another thing altogether.

If you don’t get your way, get over it and get on with your life.

Sometimes the best solution is separation. The Paul and Barnabas situation sets the biblical example for us; they couldn’t come to terms so they took to the road. If separation is the best solution do it graciously. When your disagreements start outweighing your agreements it may be time to distance yourself from that person. Separation is never easy but it may be God’s way of moving you on to another dimension of ministry.

That is all I have for now, be blessed this beautiful Sunday, and don’t forget to go into your closet and wish your heavenly Father a happy father’s day, don’t forget to apply the lesson if you run into any unexpected opposition to-day.

If you are not a born again child of God then you must know this, that it is the will of God for you to come to know the divine truth of His Word and that He loves you so much He sent Jesus just for you, imagine that, if you were the only person in the whole world that would make a decision then God thought if worthwhile to send Jesus to die just for you. Your part in salvation is to receive what has already been purchase for you at the cross of Calvary; you can do that right now by praying the following prayer:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 19: Marks of maturity;

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June 14, 2012

Hi and welcome once again to “Abounding Grace”, To-day we will be discussing the marks of maturity in the lives of grace orientated children of God. I trust by this time our minds are somewhat renewed to the grace message, as individuals we must realize that there are going to be disagreements with others, the question is how do we conduct ourselves in the midst of a disagreement, I know from my own experience that if ever I was involved in an argument and it look like I was going to lose, my next reaction was to choke the life out of the opposition, but I’m glad to say that the Word has made a bit of a difference in me over the years of studying grace and I don’t act so unbecoming so often now days. Let us take time to look into the lives of two men that were called by the Holy Spirit to a certain work, and yet these two men had a disagreement on an issue that split the partnership and cause a rift in their relationship for a period of time.

Acts.15:36-41. (Amp) And after some time Paul said to Barnabas, Come, let us go back and again visit and help and minister to the brethren in every town where we made known the message of the Lord, and see how they are getting along. Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark [his near relative]. But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. And there followed a sharp disagreement between them, so that they separated from each other, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul selected Silas and set out, being commended by the brethren to the grace (the favour and mercy) of the Lord. And he passed through Syria and Cilicia, establishing and strengthening the churches.

In the King James verse 39 says: “And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other”

This was no little disagreement, this was a very serious tiff, and it actually split a partnership that the Holy Ghost had ordained. One of the marks of maturity is the ability to disagree without becoming disagreeable, the household of God ought to be at a place where a person can find tolerance, tact, open mindedness and plenty of room for disagreement, we are not to close the doors on differing points of view, but usually when Christians disagree it is done in a blunt and tactless way.

Eph.4:29. (Amp) Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favour) to those who hear it.

The word unwholesome means, harmful, poisonous, degrading, demoralizing, immoral, perverting and corrupting, these sorts of words should not precede from our mouths, instead only speech that is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, words that are a blessing and give grace (God’s favour) to the hearers. What a goal.

No matter what we do, disagreements will arise and we must understand that disagreements are inevitable and no matter what the subject is there will be differing points of view. This is what freedom is all about, respecting other people’s points of view, and we must allow for differences. Even Godly people will sometimes disagree, and it can be hard to understand how two people that love Jesus and His Word can stand opposed on certain issues, but they can and in every disagreement we will find the same two ingredients:

  • There will be various issues.
  • There will be various viewpoints.

The issue’s will involve principles and are usually objective whereas the viewpoints involve personalities and are usually subjective or relating to the subject. Herein lays the source of every clash, a disagreement on an issue because of an opposing viewpoint. Understanding these two simple ingredients will help us keep calm in conflicts with others. In most disagreements each side would have a valid argument and differing viewpoints are not so much an “I am right and you are wrong’’ issue as they are an “I see it from this perspective, and you see it from that perspective”. In any disagreement either side would have strengths and weakness, nevertheless they lead to division and any conflict can create a rift in a relationship.

That’s all for now folks’, we will continue next time by analyzing the disagreement that took place between Paul and Barnabas, in the meantime I’ll say “till next time”. Have a happy day and be a blessing to someone to-day that you know doesn’t deserve your favour, allow the grace of God to flow from you to them.

If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life then I want to give you an opportunity to receive the grace that God is offering you to-day, by praying the following prayer and receiving your salvation by faith you can enter into covenant with God the Father through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 18: Guidelines that magnify grace, concluded;

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June 12, 2012

Hi and welcome back to “Abounding Grace”. We will conclude our study on the guidelines that magnify grace to-day. I trust you have been blessed by what has been shared and that you are becoming established in grace, the Christian life is a life founded and grounded in the grace of God, I trust you have come to realize that you actually are in need of God’s grace every day, each new day brings a day where we are to exercise faith in the receiving of God’s grace, not only do we exercise faith to receive, but we exercise our faith daily in the extending of grace to others. One thing I have come to realize in my own life is that faith is always now, present tense, you can’t exercise faith for yesterday and you can’t exercise faith for tomorrow, tomorrow is always future tense, you can have and expectation (hope) for tomorrow but faith is always now.

Hebr.11:1. (Amp) NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

  • The third guideline is found in:

Rms.14:9-12. (Mess) That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other. So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly, or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture: “As I live and breathe,” God says, “every knee will bow before me; Every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I am God.” So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

Freeing others means we never assume a position we are not qualified to fill. There are a number of things that disqualify us from being able to judge, such as, we are not omniscient, we do not know all the facts, we are finite beings and we lack the whole picture. Being human ourselves we are imperfect, inconsistent and subjective; we have preconceptions and are prejudgemental therefore we cannot fill the position of judge. We must understand that we won’t always agree, but we can agree to disagree, we are to be civil in our conflict.

  • The fourth of our guidelines is found in:

Rms.14:13-18. (Amp) Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and endeavour never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am convinced (persuaded) as one in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is [forbidden as] essentially unclean (defiled and unholy in itself). But [none the less] it is unclean (defiled and unholy) to anyone who thinks it is unclean. But if your brother is being pained or his feelings hurt or if he is being injured by what you eat, [then] you are no longer walking in love. [You have ceased to be living and conducting yourself by the standard of love toward him.] Do not let what you eat hurt or cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died! Do not therefore let what seems good to you be considered an evil thing [by someone else]. [In other words, do not give occasion for others to criticize that which is justifiable for you.] [After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. He who serves Christ in this way is acceptable and pleasing to God and is approved by men.

Loving others requires us to express our liberty wisely and we must allow love to rule, our goal is not to please others or ourselves but to be pleasing to the Lord.

2Cor.5:9, 15. (Amp) Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth away from Him] or away from home [and with Him], we are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him. And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.

2Cor.5:10. (KJV) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

We shouldn’t act out our lives according to what others say, but rather on the basis of our love for others, because we answer to Jesus. The way to show our love is to enjoy our liberty wisely, quietly and privately with those of like mind.

  • There are certain actions that signify grace.

Rms.14:19. (Amp) So let us then definitely aim for and eagerly pursue what makes for harmony and for mutual upbuilding (edification and development) of one another.

  • Concentrate on things that encourage peace and things that help others to grow.
  • Always ask yourself, is this going to encourage peace, will it help and strengthen others or is it going to hurt, and offend?
  • Always remember that sabotaging the saints hurts the work of God.
  • Enjoy your liberty only with those who can enjoy it with you.
  • Determine where you stand and refuse to play God in anyone else’s life.

By letting others be, you free yourself to give full attention to what God is trying to do in you and when you are totally absorbed with that, you won’t have the time or energy to hold on to anyone else’s life.

Thank you for joining me in this study of grace, I believe that to-day will be the best day of the rest of your life, you have received so much Word on the grace of God so please take the Word of His grace and share with others who are struggling to find their footing in the God life, spread His love around, freely you have receive, so freely give.

If you are not a born again child of God then you must know this, that it is the will of God for you to come to know the divine truth of His Word and that He loves you so much He sent Jesus just for you, imagine that, if you were the only person in the whole world that would make a decision then God thought if worthwhile to send Jesus to die just for you. Your part in salvation is to receive what has already been purchase for you at the cross of Calvary, you can do that right now by praying the following prayer:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 17: Guidelines that magnify grace;

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June 11, 2012

Welcome once again to “Abounding Grace”. We ought to realize by this time that grace is not something we use for our benefit only, but grace is something that we extend to others, it is good for us to accept the grace of God that is extended towards us, but to stop there would be selfishness, God did not extend grace towards mankind for His own benefit, it was solely for our benefit, as I stated at the beginning of this series, Grace Is God’s Love in action, it is not something we talk about, it is something we do, not only for our benefit but for the benefit of all men around us. Let us now have a look at some of the biblical guidelines that magnify grace.

  • The first of these guidelines we find in:

Rms.14:1-4. (Mess) Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with, even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

Accepting others is basic to letting them be. This was not a food problem but a love problem, we restrict our love by making it conditional, and how often do we make the acceptance of others conditional to our expectations? When we don’t accept one another conflicts arise.

Rms.14:3. (Amp) Let not him who eats look down on or despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains criticize and pass judgment on him who eats; for God has accepted and welcomed him.

To despise means: To regard with contempt; to regard as nothing, to utterly despise, neglect, undervalue and to discount entirely.

To judge means to criticise, to view negatively, and to make assumptions that are exaggerated, erroneous and even damaging to character. It means to form an opinion in one’s mind.

No matter what your convictions are about certain things, judging others who disagree is wrong.

Rms.14:4. (Amp) Who are you to pass judgment on and censure another’s household servant? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he shall stand and be upheld, for the Master (the Lord) is mighty to support him and make him stand.

The convictions of others are none of our business, it is Gods job to direct them, and we are to accept them.

Acceptance will see you valuable just as you are, it will allow you to be the real you, and it takes your ideas seriously as they reflect you, it means you can talk about how you feel, someone cares, you can try out your ideas, without being shot down, and that no one pronounces judgement on you.

  • The second guideline is found in:

Rms.14:5-8. (Mess) Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience. What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to, all the way from life to death and everything in between, not each other.

By refusing to dictate to others we allow the Lord freedom to direct their lives, so to really help people grow to maturity we are to let them grow up differently, let them grow at their own pace and in their own way, let them decide for themselves and allow them freedom to fail, let them learn from their mistakes. We are to realise that each one of us belongs to the Lord and we are to trust Him to direct our lives.

That is all for now my friends, I pray that God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will grant unto each one of us the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of Him, that we can grow to be all that He has ordained us to be, that by His grace we will extend grace to one another so that we as His body can be built up in love. Don’t forget to share His Word of grace and spread the fragrance of His love everywhere you go, you were created to be a blessing.

If you have never accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and saviour then I would like to extend that opportunity to you this very moment, there is nothing you can do to enter into eternal life except, bow your head and accept the grace of God by praying the following prayer from your heart and receiving the grace by faith in His promise, all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 16: Two aspects of grace;

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June 8, 2012

Welcome once again to “Abounding Grace”. We are busy studying what it means to be established in grace, and we have covered a lot of ground concerning this subject. I trust you have been blessed and helped in some way through the teachings we have already completed. To cover the subject of grace we need to look at two aspects of grace:

  • Amazing grace, which is vertical and it holds out hope to sinners. God’s grace towards us.
  • Charming grace, which is horizontal and gives people room to breathe? Grace that flows towards one another.

The question we need to ask ourselves is how are we demonstrating Gods grace to others, are we giving them room to breathe; do we lessen their guilt or add to it; and do we promote liberty or do we restrain it? These questions have to do with attitude, depending on whether our attitude is gracious or rigid, liberty or legalism will be the result. We are moulded into the people we are by the inner decisions we take more than by outer influences and we need to uncover the attitudes that keep us from living out the promise of grace, we also need to discover the attitudes that help us extend the kind of grace that lets others be whoever and whatever God is leading them to be.

The Scripture below represents the essence of Christianity. Take hold of this Word from the Lord and meditate it and allow it to become a part of your life, I love the part that says “be aglow with the Spirit, serving the Lord”, what a contrast to a lifeless, dull and frustrating Christian life that is actually offered through legalism and religion. Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rms.12:9-17. (Amp) [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good. Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honour to one another. Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavour; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of God’s people [sharing in the necessities of the saints]; pursue the practice of hospitality. Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others' joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others' grief]. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone.

There are two things that hinder us from living like this:

  • We compare ourselves with others and that leads us to criticize or compete with them, most people prefer sameness, predictability and common interests, the result is if anyone acts differently we get nervous. We tend to see things only on the surface, therefore we put too much weight on the externals, we judge by appearances and not by actualities. Comparison knocks our attitude out of alignment, it makes us prejudiced and it opposes the work of grace. Legalism requires things to be alike, uniformity, while grace finds pleasure in diversity, it encourages individuality and leaves room for differences of opinion, so, to be able to demonstrate grace to let others be who they are we will have to get rid of the legalistic tendency to compare.
  • We need to change the attitude of desiring to control others. This tendency is found among those who find security in religious rigidity, they manipulate by using fear tactics, threats and hints to get their own way. Controllers win by intimidation and whatever the method used, controlling like comparing nullifies grace.

That is all I have to share for now my dear friends, to-morrow we will continue with a look at some Biblical guidelines that magnify grace, so I’ll say “till next time”, in the meantime have a lovely day and don’t forget to share the Word of grace with someone and spread the fragrance of His love everywhere.

If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life then rejoice my friend because to-day salvation has come knocking on your door and all you have to do is open the door of your heart and accept what God the Father is offering you at this moment in time. Wherever you are and no matter what you are doing just stop for a moment, bow your head and pray the following prayer from your heart, this will be the moment in time that you changed your eternal destination:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 15: Four strong defences;

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June 5, 2012

Hi and welcome back to “Abounding Grace”. In the last two postings we discussed the three adversaries to our freedom in Christ and they were: doctrinal heresy; ecclesiastical harassment and personal hypocrisy. To-day let us look at four strong defences we have to overcome come these subtle adversaries. Don’t ever forget that you are free. Don’t live your life behind a fence of false feelings and don’t let your relationship with Jesus be regulated by a rigid set of religious rules, become everything God created you to be, not poured into someone else’s mould.

  • Keep standing firm in your freedom. If the group your in is giving you grief because you don’t live up to their expectations, leave the group.
  • Stop seeking the favour of others, seek the favour of God alone, don’t look to other people for approval no matter how spiritual they may seem.
  • Refuse to submit to bondage, there is no system of slavery as devastating as legalism; it enslaves your attitude as well as your actions. It closes up your feelings for Jesus instead of freeing them.
  • Continue being straightforward about the truth, live honestly and when you fall admit it. No matter how big a slip you make people will usually forget it if you’re honest about it and don’t try to cover it up.

Always remember you are free.

Gal.5:1. (Amp) In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].

(Mess) Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

The letter to the Galatians is a proclamation of freedom. It is God’s official document that proclaims that we who are in Christ are free; anyone trying to live by the law will find that it impedes their relationship with Jesus. What we are free from is the Old Testament law.

Gal.2:16, 21. (Mess) We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it, and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

Gal.3:2, 10, 12 – 13, 15 – 19, 21 – 25. (Mess) Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you? And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: “Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law.” Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: “The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them.” Christ redeemed us from that self -defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the Cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Once a person’s will has been ratified, no one else can annul it or add to it. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. You will observe that Scripture, in the careful language of a legal document, does not say “to descendants,” referring to everybody in general, but “to your descendant” (the noun, note, is singular), referring to Christ. This is the way I interpret this: A will, earlier ratified by God, is not annulled by an addendum attached 430 years later, thereby negating the promise of the will. No, this addendum, with its instructions and regulations, has nothing to do with the promised inheritance in the will. What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us. Obviously this law was not a firsthand encounter with God. It was arranged by angelic messengers through a middleman, Moses. If such is the case, is the law, then, an anti – promise, a negation of God’s will for us? Not at all, its purpose was to make obvious to everyone that we are, in ourselves, out of right relationship with God, and therefore to show us the futility of devising some religious system for getting by our own efforts what we can only get by waiting in faith for God to complete his promise. For if any kind of rule-keeping had power to create life in us, we would certainly have gotten it by this time. Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for. But now you have arrived at your destination:

Gal.5:4, 18. (Amp) If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God’s gracious favour and unmerited blessing). But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

(Mess) I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

Thank you for joining me to-day and I trust that you have been blessed thus far, Paul’s question to the Galatians was “who are you trying to please, men of God?” and that question is still a valid one to-day, to please men you will have to squeeze yourself into their mould, but if your aim is to please God then you will have to give the Word of God first place in your life, it is that simple. Have a blessed day and don’t forget to share the Word and spread the love all around.

If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life then to-day would be a good day to consider Jesus, and know this, Jesus came to seek that which was lost, the will of God for all men is that they would come to the knowledge of Christ and be saved, if you hear the Spirit beckoning do not harden your heart, just pray the following prayer by faith and receive the promise of eternal life that God is offering you to-day:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 14: The adversary of personal hypocrisy;

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June 1, 2012

Hi and welcome to “Abounding Grace”. In the last two postings we looked a doctrinal heresy and ecclesiastical harassment to-day we look at the last of the nasty little adversaries that can creep in and rob us of our freedom in Christ which in turn will rob us of our joy and turn us into a bunch of law abiding Christians with no real purpose except to do some kind of works to be accepted by God and to please those around us. God forbid. We will see that personal hypocrisy reared its ugly head right in the beginning of the church age and sad to say it is still around to-day. It saddens my heart to hear how when some Christians get divorced then they have to step down from the positions in leadership and ‘sit on the bench’ as it is called until the hierarchy decides their fate, yet when it happens to the big boss then the same rule does not apply, that I think is personal hypocrisy. Let us look at a example in the early church.

The heresy of legalism that led to the harassment of the gentile believers also revealed the hypocrisy that existed within the very highest echelons of the leadership of the church, Peter himself.

Gal.2:11-14. (Mess) Later, when Peter came to Antioch, I had a face-to-face confrontation with him because he was clearly out of line. Here’s the situation. Earlier, before certain persons had come from James, Peter regularly ate with the non-Jews. But when that conservative group came from Jerusalem, he cautiously pulled back and put as much distance as he could manage between himself and his non-Jewish friends. That’s how fearful he was of the conservative Jewish clique that’s been pushing the old system of circumcision. Unfortunately, the rest of the Jews in the Antioch church joined in that hypocrisy so that even Barnabas was swept along in the charade. But when I saw that they were not maintaining a steady, straight course according to the Message, I spoke up to Peter in front of them all: “If you, a Jew, live like a non-Jew when you’re not being observed by the watchdogs from Jerusalem, what right do you have to require non-Jews to conform to Jewish customs just to make a favourable impression on your old Jerusalem cronies?”

Acts.10:10-15. (Amp) But he became very hungry, and wanted something to eat; and while the meal was being prepared a trance came over him, and he saw the sky opened and something like a great sheet lowered by the four corners, descending to the earth. It contained all kinds of quadrupeds and wild beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him, saying, Rise up, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, No, by no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unhallowed or [ceremonially] unclean. And the voice came to him again a second time, What God has cleansed and pronounced clean, do not you defile and profane by regarding and calling common and unhallowed or unclean.

In this incident Peter wanting to get away went up on the roof and was praying, he fell into a trace and the Lord gave him a vision, the next day he takes off for Cornelius’ house and say’s to them that God showed him that all are accepted who have faith, not only the Jews

Acts.10:34-35. (Amp) And Peter opened his mouth and said: Most certainly and thoroughly I now perceive and understand that God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he who venerates and has a reverential fear for God, treating Him with worshipful obedience and living uprightly, is acceptable to Him and sure of being received and welcomed [by Him].

(Mess) Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favourites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from–if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open.

Through this revelation Peter understood that God accepted the gentiles and that the Jewish laws concerning food had passed away. Yet when some hob nobs came from Jerusalem brother all of a sudden the revelation of God’s grace seems to have vanished in the haze and now no more pork chops for him, what will Jerusalem think. What a stumbling block for the Galatians, it made Paul so mad that he confronted him on the turn, I like Paul, yet there is another time when Paul went up to Jerusalem he followed the custom of purification, so yeah, seems this ugly little attitude has been around for a while so guard yourself against it. Always remember: God does what He does by grace; I am what I am by the grace of God and I’ll let you be what you are by the grace of God.

That’s all folks, it’s weekend so smile and don’t forget to be a blessing to all around you. Have a good one. See you next time.

If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life then I want to give you an opportunity to receive the grace that God is offering you to-day, by praying the following prayer and receiving your salvation by faith you can enter into covenant with God the Father through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace13: The adversary of ecclesiastical harassment;

Filed under: Established in Grace. — Leave a comment
May 30, 2012

Hi and welcome once again to “Abounding Grace” as we continue our study of what it means to be established in grace. At this time we are discussing being free from legalism and I said that we are to guard against three ugly and subtle adversaries that can creep into a grace orientated fellowship. The first of these adversaries is doctrinal heresy. The word “heresy” in the Bible simply means, “an opinion.” Many of the doctrines circulating in today’s churches are merely opinions, not based upon the Word of God. When Paul went to Berea and ministered we find we find a group of people with a bit of sense:

Acts.17:11. (Amp) Now these [Jews] were better disposed and more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they were entirely ready and accepted and welcomed the message [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] with inclination of mind and eagerness, searching and examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

My dear friends we don’t just accept any teaching into our hearts as truth, it doesn’t matter who the minister is, man is a fallible creature, so for your own good search the scripture to see if it so. People who express teachings not taught in the Scriptures are guilty of spreading heresy. There are sincere people in every church, who attempt to help others by offering unsought advice. Unfortunately, much of this advice is heresy. Let us now continue with a look at ecclesiastical harassment.

Gal.2:1-6. (Mess) Fourteen years after that first visit, Barnabas and I went up to Jerusalem and took Titus with us. I went to clarify with them what had been revealed to me. At that time I placed before them exactly what I was preaching to the non-Jews. I did this in private with the leaders, those held in esteem by the church, so that our concern would not become a controversial public issue, marred by ethnic tensions, exposing my years of work to denigration and endangering my present ministry. Significantly, Titus, non-Jewish though he was, was not required to be circumcised. While we were in conference we were infiltrated by spies pretending to be Christians, who slipped in to find out just how free true Christians are. Their ulterior motive was to reduce us to their brand of servitude. We didn’t give them the time of day. We were determined to preserve the truth of the Message for you. As for those who were considered important in the church, their reputation doesn’t concern me. God isn’t impressed with mere appearances, and neither am I. And of course these leaders were able to add nothing to the message I had been preaching.

The word ecclesiastical comes from the Greek word ‘ekklēsiastikos’, and means “an assembly of citizens”, harassment comes in all forms and shapes but has the same objective and that is to control restrict and reduce the lives of free Christians. Legalists, known as Judaizers, who professed Jesus yet sought to place gentile converts under the requirements of the Mosaic Law, had prompted this meeting after spying on the Galatians freedom and this same form of legalism is at work to-day, it can come from the leadership of a church or from the people themselves. Remember that you are free, to make up your own mind on matters pertaining to your walk with Jesus.

Thank you for joining me and trust you have been blessed. Go in the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Share the Word of Grace and spread the fragrance of His love everywhere.

If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life then I want to give you an opportunity to receive the grace that God is offering you to-day, by praying the following prayer and receiving your salvation by faith you can enter into covenant with God the Father through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 12: The adversary of doctrinal heresy;

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May 29, 2012

Welcome once again to “Abounding Grace” as we continue our study of being established in grace. To-day we will continue with a study of a number of subtle adversaries that rear their heads in our lives and the lives of those that we fellowship with, we need to be aware of these things and we should know how to handle them.

First of all we are encouraged by the Word of God to be established in:

  • Faith:

Acts.16:5. (KJV) And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

  • In the better covenant that is established on better promises:

Hebr.8:6. (KJV) But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Jesus’ is ministry as our high priest is far superior to the ministry of Moses, our covenant is far superior to the Mosaic covenant, it is established on better promises, we are to be established in our covenant rights and are to partake of the better promises.

  • Our hearts are to established in grace:

Hebr.13:9. (KJV) Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

  • We are to be established in present truth or we could say we must be established in the Word.

2Pet.1:12. (KJV) Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

These are but a sprinkling of things that we are to grow in and become established in, remember to be established means to be, rooted, to be founded and grounded. It also means to demonstrate and to show. We are to be rooted, founded and grounded in the above areas of our Christian lives, and they are to be demonstrated and shown forth. People are through with hearing about Christianity what they want is a demonstration of what Jesus is all about. With that in mind let us now begin to-days study of identifying three subtle adversaries that creep into our lives.

In the first two chapters of Galatians three subtle adversaries rear their ugly heads:

  • Doctrinal heresy.
  • Ecclesiastical harassment.
  • Personal hypocrisy.

To-day we will have a look at doctrinal heresy.

Gal.1:6-10. (Amp) I am surprised and astonished that you are so quickly turning renegade and deserting Him Who invited and called you by the grace (unmerited favour) of Christ (the Messiah) [and that you are transferring your allegiance] to a different [even an opposition] gospel. Not that there is [or could be] any other [genuine Gospel], but there are [obviously] some who are troubling and disturbing and bewildering you [with a different kind of teaching which they offer as a gospel] and want to pervert and distort the Gospel of Christ (the Messiah) [into something which it absolutely is not]. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to and different from that which we preached to you, let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)! As we said before, so I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from or contrary to that which you received [from us], let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)! Now am I trying to win the favour of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah).

The heretical message of the legalists was that the Galatians must let Moses finish what Christ had began and theirs was a theology rooted in the law rather than grace and it appealed to human works, not the finished work of Jesus on the cross. The good news of the cross is that salvation began with the gracious love of God; it was carried out by the death and resurrection of His son Jesus and is brought to pass by the Holy Spirit. The result is all the praise goes to God. Whenever human works is factored into this equation it distorts the truth because it steals some of the glory that rightfully belongs to God only.

That’s all I have for to-day, be blessed and don’t forget to share the Word and spread His love all around. Tomorrow we will have a look at ecclesiastical harassment.

If you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life then don’t put it off until tomorrow, to-day is the day of salvation the Word says, so right where you are at this moment in time just bow your head and pray the following prayer from your heart:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 11: Free from legalism;

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May 28, 2012

Hi and welcome once again to “Abounding Grace” as we continue our study of being established in grace. Remember to be established means to be, rooted, to be founded and grounded. It also means to demonstrate and to show. The reason we ought to be established in grace is so that we can be free from legalism, which is trusting in one’s own works as a way to salvation, instead of trusting God and what He has done for us through Jesus concerning salvation. There are three truths we are remember and they are: God does what He does by grace; I am what I am by the grace of God and I’ll let you be what you are by the grace of God. It was once stated that where slavery is, there liberty cannot be; where liberty is, there slavery cannot be. We cannot trust in both our own works and God at the same time, slavery to the law and liberty in Christ cannot live side by side; it is either one or the other. One of the most serious problems facing the Christian church today is the problem of legalism. One of the most serious problems the church faced in Paul’s day was legalism. In every day it is the same. Legalism wrenches the joy of the Lord from the heart of the believer, and with the joy goes his power for vital worship and vibrant service. Nothing is left but a cramped, sombre, dull and listless profession of Christ. The truth is betrayed, and the glorious name of the Lord becomes a synonymous with dead religion, actually there are two kinds of Christianity in the world to-day, the one is a thing called Christianism that evolved out of true Christianity, it is a religion like any other religion such as Judaism, Mohammedanism, Buddhism or any other ism, they all rely on self works and are contrary to dependence on God, then there is Christianity and it relies on the grace of God for justification through faith, it is by grace through faith that we are saved. The Christian under law is a miserable misrepresentation of the real thing.

Let us define two significant terms so that the distinction between liberty and legalism won’t get blurred.

  • Liberty

Liberty is freedom, freedom from sins slavery to enjoy the abundant life made possible by the sacrifice that Jesus made for us at Calvary. It is freedom from the bondage of sin’s power and guilt and from God’s wrath. It is liberation from the curse of the law and its relentless demands. It is emancipation from the fear of condemnation and an accusing conscience. This freedom allows us to revel in Jesus’ finished work on the cross and empowers us to become all He means us to be, regardless of how He leads others.

The dictionary defines Liberty as: freedom from restraint; power to act according to one’s inclination.

  • legalism:

Legalism is an attitude that is law like in nature. It is an obsessive conformity to a standard for the purpose of exalting self and it is an effective motivator because it uses guilt, which leads to a negative emphasis on what we should not be and things we should not do. It is incomprehensible that people who have tasted the fresh water of liberty would ever want to return to the stagnant pools of legalism. But they do. They defect from liberty because the heresy of legalism promises to quench a person’s thirst for acceptance from his peers. This is what happened to the church of Galatia.

Gal.5:7. (Amp) You were running the race nobly. Who has interfered in (hindered and stopped you from) your heeding and following the Truth?

(Mess) You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience?

Gal.3:1. (Amp) O you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated or bewitched or cast a spell over you, unto whom, right before your very eyes, Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was openly and graphically set forth and portrayed as crucified?

(Mess) You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the Cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.

Gal.1:6. (Amp) I am surprised and astonished that you are so quickly turning renegade and deserting Him Who invited and called you by the grace (unmerited favour) of Christ (the Messiah) [and that you are transferring your allegiance] to a different [even an opposition] gospel.

(Mess) I can’t believe your fickleness, how easily you have turned traitor to him who called you by the grace of Christ by embracing a variant message!

Well, that’s all I got for to-day, I trust that through our study of grace that you are becoming more established in the grace that God the Father is holding out to you, and that through faith in His Word you are being set free from any form of legalism that is attempting to keep you in bondage, Jesus said:

John.8:32. (Amp) And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

Have a really blessed day and may your day be filled with love, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit, don’t forget to share the Word of His grace, and spread the love, joy and peace all around.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour then you are outside the covenants of God, you are in this world without God, and are by nature a child of indignation, but God in His love for you is holding out eternal life and sonship to you this day and all you can do to accept a heavenly pardon is give your heart to Jesus by praying the following prayer from your heart by faith:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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