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"It Is No Secret (What Can Do)" by Stuart Hamblen

"Oh Glorious Love" by John W. Peterson (Performed by Reuben Capistrano and Pianist Shirley Ladion)

"Spirit Song" by John Wimber (Performed by Shirley Ladion)

"Via Dolorosa" by Billy Sprague (Performed by Shirley Ladion)

"I Asked The Lord" by Jimmy Duncan and Johnny Lange (Performed by Reuben Capistrano)

"His Eye Is On The Sparrow" by Charles H. Gabriel (Performed by Shirley Ladion)

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New Achievement

Mid-Week Manna

• 
  The Third Person of the Godhead Series – Part 30: LOVE: The FIRST ‘FRUIT’ OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 3)
  by Pastor Nathaniel Fajardo
  October 3, 2024

  MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
  October 2, 2024

  The Third Person of the Godhead Series – Part 30

  LOVE: ThE FIRST ‘FRUIT’ OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 3)

  A solemn, constant reminder for all time and occasions: the Spirit, Christ’s only appointed Successor, Vicar, or Vicegerent on earth since His ascension never was and never will be any finite mortal man, verily the third Person of the Godhead, but unlike Christ the Creator who, in the “great mystery of godliness” and “love divine and love excelling”
  incarnated into “the likeness of sinful human nature” (Rom.8: 3, 1-14) is “devoid of the personality of humanity and independent thereof.”

  “God is love, light, and life,” and this truth remains fresh “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Absolutely “nothing whatsoever and whoever can separate us from this love.” Rom. 8:35-39. 

  Let’s talk about love. There are four kinds of love known to man. The first three are brilliantly dissected for us by Leslie Harding, PhD.. in his book With Jesus in His Sanctuary, p. 228, published by the Book Publishing Division of American Cassette Ministries, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.. (all emphasis and bracketed words mine):

  “Three Greek Words for Love. The Greeks had 3 words to describe love. EROS was the name of the god of sexual love, and so Eros came to mean love which was an outgrowth of his nature. Eros is driven by sexual drives and emotions [and passions, too], and is a longing, and yearning desire for the UNPOSSESSED. Eros thinks only of SELF and SELF-PRESERVATION. Our English words ‘erotic,’ ‘erogenous.’ and ‘erotica’ are derived from this Greek root. Eros or its derivatives are NEVER found in the New Testament. R. C. Trench sagely observed: ‘The absence is significant’ (Synonyms of the New Testament, 43). In the Septuagint two of the forms occur, but rarely (Est. 2:17; Prov. 4:6; Eze. 16:33; Hos. 2:5).

  “The common Greek word for LOVE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE, —friends, children and companions, and often based on a blood-relationship, — was PHILOS. Several English words have sprung from this root combined with its objects. PHIL-ADELPHIA means love of a brother. PHIL-ANTHROPY means love of mankind. PHIL-OSOPHY, love of wisdom, etc. While this love is actuated by EMOTIONS, these exist in a different level from those which
  drive EROS. Philos occurs in the Scriptures. [However] Respect and reverence are NOT involved in Philos.

  “The third Greek term is AGAPE, ‘a word born within the bosom of religion; it occurs in the Septuagint (2 Sam. 13:15; Cant. 2:4; Jer 2:2), and in the Apocrypha (Wisdom 3:9); but there is no trace of it in ANY HEATHEN WRITER ever’ (Trench, op.cit.33). A peculiarly CHRISTIAN term, AGAPE, it describes God’s RELATIONSHIP with man. As a consequence of ‘God’s LOVE shed abroad in our hearts’ [Rom. 5:5] we are ABLE to build ideal relationships with each other on a richer plain (1 John 4:7-11).

  “AGAPE IS NOT DRIVEN BY EMOTION OR FEELING BUT SOLELY BY PRINCIPLE. It describes the forming of relationships on a carefully considered intellectual level with a view to bringing about EVERY GOOD RESULT TO ALL CONCERNED. It ‘expresses a more reasoning attachment, of choice and selection. . . . respect and reverence. . . . While men are continually hidden ‘agapan ton Theon’ (Matt. 22:37; Luke 10:27; 1 Cor. 8:3), and good men are declared to do so (Rom. 8:28; 1 Pet. 1:8; 1 John 4:21), the ‘philein ton Theon’ is COMMANDED THEM NEVER. The Father, indeed, both ‘agapan ton Huron’ (John 3:35), and also ‘philei ton Huion’ (John 5:20)’ (Trench, op.cit. 41,41). GOD REQUIRES MANKIND TO SHOW HIM ‘AGAPE’-LOVE.

  “God’s love, Agape, CREATED the universe [not only ‘the earth and its heaven’] ‘in the beginning,’ and everything was VERY GOOD.’ Goodness contains the idea of UNIVERSAL well-being. There is NOTHING OF SELF in ‘agape.’ God’s LOVE-CREATION required the setting up of all the RELATIONSHIPS necessary for the maintenance of every form of existence in a STATE OF PERFECTION.” (end quote from Harding).

  The fourth is “platonic love,” conceptualizes by the influential Greek philosopher, Plato, which we will pick up on next week’s MWM, God willing. Bless all, NMF.

• 
  The Third Person of the Godhead series – Part 29: LOVE: THE FIRST ‘FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 2)
  by Pastor Nathaniel Fajardo
  September 25, 2024

  MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
  September 25, 2024

  The Third Person of the Godhead series – Part 29

  LOVE: THE FIRST ‘FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 2)

  Before considering more Scriptures that amplify the sublime meaning of the sacred nature this “love” fruit borne only by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the true believer, take a closer look at how, by inspiration of the selfsame Holy Spirit, apostle Paul contrasts by comparing two detailed lists of the 17 “manifestations of the works of the flesh” on one hand, and the the 9 (actually 10) manifestations of the “fruits of the Spirit” on the other. See Galatians 5: 19-21, then 22, 23; cf. 14-26, K.J. V.

  Notice that heading the list of the “works of the flesh,” ADULTERY comes first, followed by fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness. . . .” While heading the list of the “fruits of the Spirit” is LOVE. This by no means is coincidental or happenstance but by divine design. Here’s why:

  Beginning in the fall in Eden, where Adam “was not deceived like Eve was” (1 Tim. 2: 13, 14) but knowingly chose to join his wife in disobeying the Creator because “he could not bear the thought of losing her.” He loved his wife more than his Creator!

  The original, pristinely pure principle of “love” that emanates from “the God of love, life, and light” steadily degraded into the carnal, corrupted, perverted, earthly, sensual, self-pleasing, self-indulging, emotionalism, sentimentalism, and romanticism, idolatrous worship of man for his fellow mortals and his achievements and works, bringing in its train the curses that brought the long-suffering wrath of God upon the wicked antediluvian world with the flood. Gen. 6: 1-22.

  Jesus plainly warned our final generation: “As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of man.” Matt. 24:37-51.
  John made it plain and simple: “LOVE not the WORLD neither the THINGS that are in the world. If any man love the world, the LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM. For all that is in the world, the LUST OF THE FLESH, and the LUST OF THE EYE, the PRIDE OF LIFE, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the WORLD PASSETH AWAY AND THE LUSTS THEREOF; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever [never passes away!].” 1 John 2: 15-17.

  Find time to see for yourself the expanded list of the “works of the flesh” and their certain consequences and final rewards in the following: Rom. 1: 16-32; 1 Cor. 1: 19, 20; Eph. 5: 1–17, etc.

  Unless our hearts and mind are transformed by God’s amazing, empowering grace, and the “old man” with a carnal
  mind is replaced with “the new creature in Christ Jesus” possessing “the mind of Christ,” the “love fruit” of the Holy Spirit cannot be manifest in us! What will appear are its many counterfeits that “will have the form of godliness but will deny its power thereof.”

  To be continued next MWM, God willing. Bless all, NMF.