I don't know how many people take the time and effort read the whole
Bible, the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT), together in 'one'
session. I know quite a few believers who did this and not only once... When people read
the Bible as 'a whole' the reader or believer will realize that there is an
underlining tone which connects both parts which is God's love.
The OT says: 12 If you pay attention
to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will
keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors
(Deuteronomy 7, NIV). Thee NT, as an extension of the OT, adds; 16 For God so loved
the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life (John 3).
The
connection between the two parts of the Bible very obviously is God's love, mentioned
over and over again. In the OT God created the world with the first humans out
of love, “15 The Lord God took
the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from
any tree in the garden ', ...18 The Lord God said, “It is not good
for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. (Genesis
2)”.
If
this is not love, what is it?
Later God saved Noah, “9 a righteous man, blameless among the people
of his time, and he walked faithfully with God (Genesis 6)" from the
flood. God reached out to call Abraham, because “3 Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Romans
4).” “11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac
(Genesis 25)”. It is very clear In above examples that God's love is not a
one-way relationship. Noah was saved because of His righteousness
Abraham was called because he was righteous, Isaac was blessed because he
followed God.
It is very clear, not only for me, that the love from God is not a one-way street.
God created the garden Eden for Adam “16 And
the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in
the garden; 17 but you must not
eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from
it you will certainly die. 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be
alone. I will make a helper suitable for him (Genesis 2)”. But “when
the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the
eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She
also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it (Genesis 2)”.
Because Adam and his wife did not follow the command of
God “23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of
Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken (Genesis 2)”.
While it is clear that people have to 'earn' the love of God by
respecting Him through a righteous life it is strange that there are still many
'vague ideas' about the relationship between God and humans. This is because
many Christian leaders and teachers do not teach very clear.
In
the Great Commission Jesus told His disciples: “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, 19 and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you (Matthew 28)”. Teaching them is a very clear part of the Great Commission...
While serving the homeless I took my job serious, not just go there to 'have a good time' but trying to teach the Bible in a way that everyone could understand it. I did not take a prepared 'old' sermon like an older Pastor advised me but each time I started with a white piece of paper. prayed and asked God to give me a direction for the sermon which I followed. Before my sermon I made a habit to handle out Chinese (Mandarin) copies of the Bible verse because many homeless do not have an own Bibles. These papers became so popular that many started reading immediately after they got them in their hands...
I had one sister, clearly possessed by the devil, who volunteered to read the scripture in Taiwanese, a local dialect. Many elderly people in Taiwan can not read but they listened carefully and even asked questions and gave comments concerning the Bible. It was a wonderful experience to see people thinking about their lives. I saw many changes within the brothers and sisters as a result of God's words.
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Homeless
and Low Income Family Members lining for Dinner
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The person in charge came once to me saying “It is strange that now so many people are in this church...Last week when you lead the sermon there joined a record of 72 people attending Sunday worship”.
My 'secret' is that I take God seriously, I am serious about my call and work and respect people generally; if old or young, female or male, rich or poor! And I know that it is not my work but the work of God!
Be blessed, Gerhard
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