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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 31: LOVE: THE FIRST ‘FRUIT’ OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 4)
  by Pastor Nathaniel Fajardo
  October 9, 2024

  MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
  October 9, 2024

  The Third Person of the Godhead Series – Part 31

  LOVE: THE FIRST ‘FRUIT’ OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 4)

  After identifying last week the three different root words translated into the common word love, namely, “eros,” “philos,” and “agape,” thus clearly revealing the stark differences between them, but not till thus carefully analyzed. We now consider the fourth kind (not cited in any order of importance), “platonic love,” a brainchild of the Greek philosopher, Plato.

  Knowing more about the man reveals even more of this kind of love, more specifically, if it is based on God and His divine love. The following is quoted from the authoritative secular source of Webster’s Unified Dictionary and Encyclopedia, published by H. S. Stuttman Co. Inc., NY, 1960, p. 3304 (all emphasis mine):

  “Plato. 428-438 B.C., Greek philosopher was born at Athens, of one of the most distinguished families of the city. In early life a pupil of SOCRATES, he set up his own PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOOL, the Academy, c 387, having spent the interval between his master’s death and that date in travel in Italy and elsewhere. All Plato’s authentic writings, and some others on which both ancient and modern critics have cast more or less doubt, have come down to posterity. Practically all of them are in the ‘dialogue form,’ which he particularly affected. Plato’s PHILOSOPHY, briefly, was IDEALISM: THE BELIEF THAT IDEAS, RATHER THAN MATTER, ARE THE TRUE REALITY, ETERNAL AND UNCHANGING, FROM WHICH ALL LIFE AND CREATION STEM. 
  
  “Plato GLORIFIED the RATIONAL SOUL as ORIGINAL, IMMORTAL, SUPERIOR TO THE BODY. He was one of the MOST INFLUENTIAL of all philosophers  in Western civilization.” (end quote). 

  How did Paul, ‘the apostle to the Gentiles’ of the Christian era of the New Testament describe in his Holy Spirit-inspired epistles the vaunted “wisdom” of the Greek philosophers of who still wield such a powerful influence in these last days, not only upon Western civilization but in the beliefs and doctrines of its different religions, sects, and denominations but all united in two fundamental doctrines: the immortality of the soul and the sacredness of the first day of the week!

  Thus it is of the greatest urgency that all professed Christians humbly “examine themselves and prove themselves” strictly by God’s word as to how they understand “love” as given in “God so LOVED the world. . . “, “If you LOVE Me, keep My commandments.” John 3:16; 14: 15, etc., or the so-called “love chapter” of 1 Corinthians 13.

  We will summon the testimony of New Testament regarding the philosophy and wisdom of the Greeks compared to the principles, knowledge, and wisdom of the omniscient, and omnipotent LIVING God of love, light, and life, God wiling. Bless all, NMF.

• 
  The Third Person of the Godhead Series – Part 30: LOVE: The FIRST ‘FRUIT’ OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 3)
  by Pastor Nathaniel Fajardo
  October 2, 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.