Category: Giving

As 2018 Comes to a Close.

1 Samuel 16:7 CSB

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the LORD sees, for humans see what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart.”

Good morning to our humble family of believers which are bound by a name that Jews to this day, would never say aloud in fear of the 3rd Commandment of using it in vain.

But we know now, by revelation that UNLESS we use His name for uniting the believer with the Holy Spirit in baptism, then all other uses are in vain.

Now we can use His mighty name for other things, however we will be avoiding the sole purpose on why His name was given.

Because when we have studied all the scriptures and all the biblical stories both Old and New, we should have come to a conclusion that it was never a teaching of what was right and wrong, but of order.

And the “believer” may want to use His great name in receiving the greatest gift of God, the Holy Spirit via Acts 2:38, before attempting to desire lesser gifts.

1Cor 12 ends it’s last verse 31 that we should “desire greater gifts, and I will show you the most excellent way”,

And then Chapter 12 ends and Chapter 13 begins on what “love” truly is.

As 2018 closes, remember the scripture above, because we often look at the outside of things more than what God is doing to our hearts. And the inside of the cup is where it starts.

In honor of King Solomon, there is no sense in having all the nice external things in life, if we DO NOT have the wisdom nor the maturity for it all.

Circumstancially, Jesus and his disciples were a mess, if you disagree you haven’t been in a life group with a dozen broken men in it! Lol and we had 40!

Man, we were a mess, BUT regardless how much we looked like a bunch of misfits, we made lots of noise and guess what?

It worked! And it continues to work!

Not by man’s intellectual STANDARDS, but by the FOOLISHNESS of God.

So meditate on how God humbled your heart this year.

Also meditate on how God trusted you with adversity and how your heart has matured and lastly, how much we have drawn closer to the Creator than to Creation.

The things of this Earth will only become strangely dim, if only a greater light, comes into our hearts and life. As the MOON 😉 yields to The SUN/Son every morning as a testimony of this.

So let us be CONTENT and NOT COMPLACENT as this year closes everyone.

For this is not only the day, but also the YEAR God had made and let us likewise be glad and rejoice in it!

To the Author and Maturer of each of our faith, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Your brother in our war against, fear, depression, anxiety and everything left brained.

Ray Evangelista,

Amen.

Ecclesiastes 10:2 NIV

“The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.“

WAIT!

One question for you all!

For 2019, will you give God and others FULL CONSENT to “USE” you?

By answering “yes” we understand that we will be “used” in the worse scenarios possible and used without NO expectations of receiving anything in return other than the joy it solely creates in our heart to bless and love someone.

Introduction to The Promises of Malachi 3:10 vs. the Promises of Calvary.

Now if you cannot recall Malachi 3:10 by memory, then this note is most likely not for you. lol

However, if you recall Malachi 3:10 by memory, then you have had a desire in your heart to stay reminded of the Holy Tithe in your life.

Now as long as I can remember, the Holy Tithe has always came with a condition. At least with the churches that I have been associated with that is. Some place guilt trips, some say you are stealing from God and some will argue about the tiniest issues of whether it should come from the net income or the gross. lol.

A pastor once said that a church member asked if a certain attire was okay to wear to church and the Pastor’s gentle response is that if you question anything on whether it is appropriate or not, its probably not appropriate.

And to me, that goes with the heart of giving. Love is the fulfillment of the law. What is given out of love, does not need to be understood, just received and given with thanksgiving and compassion.

But for all of us who are “left brainers” that need to understand how it all suppose to work together for the good of them that “love” God, let me give you a biblical break down on what any giving, including the Tithe was suppose to produce.

So the big question is if the Old Testament laws still apply?

Yes, the only thing that changed post Calvary was that these laws moved from being written externally on scrolls and tablets of stone to that internally of human hearts. It changed from an era of “having to” to “wanting to” be obedient. Because obedience without love becomes Religion.

2 Corinthians 3:3

“Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.”

Proverbs 3:3

“Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Jeremiah 31:33

“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

DEUTERONOMY 15:10

“You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.”

DEUTERONOMY 16:17

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.”

1 CHRONICLES 29:9

“Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.”

MATTHEW 17:26

“24After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25“Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” 26“From others,” Peter answered, “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27“But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

MATTHEW 6:3-4

“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

2 CORINTHIANS 9:7

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

1 CORINTHIANS 16:2

‘On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”

2 Corinthians 3

The Glory of the New Covenant

1Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! 2The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in oura hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

4We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

7The old way,b with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

12Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

16But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

Summary:

So in summary, the promises of the Old testament including Tithing were great but the promises of Calvary were even greater.

Old Testament Laws and promises came with expectations. However post Calvary, God’s love became NON or un-conditional, because this is how “grace” is defined.

The sacrifice God made where He gave us His Son PAID all debts in FULL.

In fact, if there is any debt left outstanding, it is only the debt to love one another with this same un-conditional love.

If we address each others heart, then the works will eventually follow.

If obedience has not come, then don’t push for it more than we push for love. We wait on love because God is love.

Finally,

Tithing will NOT unlock more grace. However loving others will and by this same love, we had fulfilled and surpassed any expectations that God’s Laws were suppose to produce.

There is so much more I will post on this blessed topic, but felt that I needed to post what I have so far.

Remain blessed, your brother in our war against sin,

Ray Evangelista

Crossing Over From Sacrifice to Love. 

Acts 19 NIV“11God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”

A simple reminder that we should never underestimate what little we do out of true unselfish love.

Mark 12 NLT

“41Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

43Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

Now on a side note, on verse 44, I would like to point out what the KJV and other versions like the YLT translate that was lost in other translations. 

“44for all, out of their abundance, put in, but she, out of her want, all that she had put in — all her living.” YLT/KJV

“But she, out of her want,” Out of her want, not out of sacrifice, not out of compulsion, or reluctancy, not out of tradition or what was lawful, not out of vanity, not out of fear that she was stealing from God, not out of any promise of good fortune, but simply out of her want.  

Amen? 

And also, the bible says she gave “two mites” which is the smallest of all Roman coins so we can say our equivalent was maybe two pennies.   

So ask yourself, would it be harder to give two pennies or two hundred dollars to someone? 

For me, because I worry what people think, it would be more difficult for me to give two pennies because my logical mind says this is foolish.   Really, two pennies? 

Now two-hundred dollars or more however is more logical, whether a “tithe” or an “offering”, this amount is more logical because more can be done with this amount. But that is where we are deceived. 

And to help us not get into the numbers game, God simply was looking at the hearts of those who gave and not the amount.  Because there are some who do give lavashly out of want and love and to them I say amen. 

This is why everything that is done in word or deed must be done in the name of Jesus Christ because His name is a reminder to us of this kind of “giving” via a heart of thanksgiving and love. 

Remember, “For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His only Son”.  Out of love, not out of compulsion, reluctancy, or doubt, but out of love.  God did not have to, but wanted to.  There is no logical explanation for love, like there is no logical explanation for God and forgiveness. 

What is given freely should always be freely given.  Now this world has a way to sell us something that God has given us freely and to make us feel the sacrifices of life and what we have in this world is solely about what we earn and work for, however this “feeling” of having to “work for it” was a part of our curse in Eden.  

“It is only hard work if you lost your love and joy for it!” 

Genesis 3:17 NIV

“To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

From what we eat, to things we “buy” or what is given will carry a “curse” unless we have the faith to address it spiritually.  

Any “exchange” even with the air we breath, should always be received in love with a thankful heart.

Why?

Because of our fall in Eden, God had placed a curse on all things, physical and spiritual. And this curse is only broken if we can have the faith on what Calvary accomplished.  And Calvary addressed ALL spiritual and physical debts, with only one debt unpaid and that was the debt to love one another.  

Colossians 2:13-15 NIV

“13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Other translations of Verse 14:

KJV

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

GWT

“He did this by erasing the charges that were brought against us by the written laws God had established. He took the charges away by nailing them to the cross.”

Galatians 3:13 NLT

“But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Now back to Acts 19, in the case of Paul where these items simply touched by him left a spiritual “fingerprint” so to speak, was powerful enough that demons recognized that these items now represented something different and no longer was in a sacrificial “CURSED” state, but instead, a reminder of God’s love and grace.

So if we look at things touched by sacrificial hearts and things done for selfish reasons, then these same demons, this legion of evil also leave there spiritual fingerprint in our lives and piggyback, disease, illness, and misfortune. 

Now I am not an anti-tither or giver.  But I do believe in everyone examining there heart before they give because so many give with an expectation and when our expectation of giving are not met, then guess what this produces?  

And true love gives without any expectations or an exchange, it is what defines grace.  

Our only expectations in life should be the promises from God and not of men.

And personally, the promises of Calvary far exceeded the promises of the “flood gates” via tithing in Malachi 3:10.   

Many Pastors will say, “Those who do not tithe is stealing from God.” Well, you cannot steal what God has given to you freely by grace.  But let us just all simply understand what Calvary was suppose to produce, and that was a change in our heart before a change in our circumstances.  

The Pharisees and Saduccees were very obedient in the Old Testament, even more so than us, however it was Not about simply obedience, but obedience in love.  

It was not enough to provide for my wife and kids physically, but also spiritually.  

“Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be added unto you.” 

And if you remain pessimistic on what the Tithe was suppose to produce, you need to read Matthew 17:24:27 and The Rev. Billy Graham’s position on the Tithe. 

Jude 1 GWT

“22Show mercy to those who have doubts. 23Save others by snatching them from the fire [of hell]. Show mercy to others, even though you are afraid that you might be stained by their sinful lives.24God can guard you so that you don’t fall and so that you can be full of joy as you stand in his glorious presence without fault. 25Before time began, now, and for eternity glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

And on those scriptures I close and also say, amen. 

Brotherly love,

Ray

Rebirth: The Beginning of Giving Freely. 

Matthew 16:19 NIV

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Today’s 13th reminder of God’s love. 
Luke 22:27 NLT (2+2+2+7=13)
“Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.”

And in our family group Friday we spoke about how much we gave or if we gave a “TIP” at some places like Sonic, Golden Corral, Furrs, etc., it was surely eye and heart opening discussion.

It was a blessing once again to gently (Galatians 6) wise, to be reminded of why we give via tithes, offerings and all of us who serve the “Church” in where we all have the faith to embrace God’s blessing of drawing nearer.   
And to be encouraging, and to defend those that religion frowns upon because you are not doing “enough”, my message to you is that if you help a christian brother or sister, or show love to the unlovable, then you are serving the “Church”.   

It may not be associated or in the capacity of the walls of a “church” building, but it is what Jesus stood for and that is serving “outside” of the walls of a temple and serving the “least” of his brothers and sisters”. (Matthew 25:40)

Now those of us that serve at a church, thats where it starts and where it should start, but just know that it also doesn’t end there. For me, I spent a lifetime around religion where people didn’t have the FAITH to take what was “in” the “church” outside into our communities, our jobs, schools or even in our homes. And we wonder why “christian” principles are leaving our schools and workplaces? 

What was once a feast of the gospel in our country has now become a famine. 
Now tithes and offerings is not rocket science, its really not even left brained logical. Its about being liberated from the legalism by the gospel and helping others in being freed from a life of “having to do” something out of expectations and compulsions to now “wanting” to do something out of love. Calvary should have CHANGED everything in the OLD TESTAMENT and in our hearts.
It should have changed our hearts from what we do for God and for each other from obligation to love, from “needing to do it”, to “wanting to do it”. 
From “God said so”, to a now more intimate, “I feel led to do it”.  
You heard me say before, “What was the difference between Jesus and the Pharisee’s or the “religious” people of His time?”

They both had the Holy Spirit, both served and even both were obedient to scripture. Jesus even bragged about their obedience. (Matthew 5:20)

The difference you may ask? 

What separated Jesus from the “Old” ways was in His intimacy with God. One served out of sacrifice and the other served out of love.  

One wanted to do His will and the other had to do His will (Levitical law). To the religious, it was a Father’s love, and to the disciples, a love of a friend and now to us, an even more intimate love of a Husband via the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
So the blessed tithe and offerings and serving is about examining our hearts.  

For ANYTHING that God asks us to do POST Calvary, should now be on behalf of love. For let NO debt remain other than the debt to LOVE one another. 
So simply, The Blessed tithes and offerings is about funding those who preach the gospel of God’s love and keep in mind that what we sow is what we produce.  

Now ofcourse I will be more “loving” when it comes to my definition of “Tithes and Offerings” because I don’t have the pressures or the overhead of a physical church. Believe me, my family started churches that still exist today and remember the hardships of having the “funds” to continue. 

 And sadly you have to take on a legalistic mindset and cadence when preaching about giving because here is the TRUTH, if you don’t make it like the Old Testament and imply sacrifice and obligation than the people just won’t simply give.   

We won’t do it on our own because in our “mind” our money represents what we “earned”. We do not see it as something sown by God’s love. 

In our hearts we earned it with our own “hard labor” and why should God have some of it!” 

A great pastor said, 
“It is easier to tithe when it is someone else’s money, amen?”

And it is, and our salaries should reflect that. We just had the blessing to “earn” it. But it was not ours because although it may feel like sacrifice to you, it was truly sown out of God’s love.  

So unless our heart changes, unless we can end the curse of receiving things out of sacrifice and into a heart that receives things out of love, then the curse never changes.

This is why we should receive everything with thanksgiving. 
1 Timothy 4:4-6 NIV

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,5because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.6If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed,”
So now on serving, serving is about giving and “giving” is like the manner we give “gratuity” at a restaurant.  
By definition via dictionary.com, “gratuity” means; “something given without claim or demand.” And in my heart it lines up with scripture on being a “cheerful giver” without obligation or reluctancy.  

I believe that it is the Holy Spirit speaking to us that reminds us gently and out of love and compassion.  
I don’t believe that Jesus gave anyone guilt trips, for even Jesus knew that Judas’ deeds were evil and yet he loved him extra because that is what Jesus did, He loved the unlovable.  

Evil will often remind you of evil, but good will always remind you of good. 
Now “Sin” is a tricky thing. It is written, 
James 4:17 NIV

“James 4:17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
“Sin” like you heard me before is nothing less than the state of being SEPARATED from God.  

Now the “Acts of sin”, or bad works is the product of being separated from God. However the “acts” good or bad mean nothing alone but just shows a peak in one’s heart and maturity.

This is why “works” alone won’t save you because good works done out sacrifice to me remains just as much separated from God as an evil work.   
God just doesn’t want a exterior result, He wants our heart.  

Psalm 51 NLT

“16You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.17The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”

Psalm 40 NLT

“6You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. 7Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures:

8I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”

Matthew 12:7 NASB

“But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”

Hosea 6:6 ESV

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

God DOES NOT desire our sacrifices no more than our spouses or loved ones do, all we want and they want is our love.   
As men, we should provide for our families because we WANT to and not just because we HAVE to. Because when something becomes like we have to, then we LOSE our love for it.  
God didn’t curse Adam, He cursed the ground which meant Adam lost the connection from what he once did for love to now a sacrifice of labor. Jesus, the “second Adam” restored where Adam failed. He restored God’s will of FAITH, HOPE and LOVE first. 
You heard me say before, the scriptures in 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “THESE THREE REMAIN, faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love”. Now if we look at that scripture, it says, “these three remain?”  
So my question, “Remain from what?” 

I believe the Old testament has 10 Commandments and the New Testament had these 3 (Faith, Hope, Love), which totals 13. And after Calvary, the 10 commandments or “The Law” ended and grace via faith, hope and love began.  
The Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes and the San Hedrin all were divided on how many laws they should observe. They knew about the 10 but some also knew that there should be more. This is why from the time God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, to the time Jesus came, it turned into over 600 laws!  
Really people? 

So one attribute of our failure in Eden was what we once did out of love, has now become sacrifice or work. 
Genesis 5:29 NIV

“He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.”
Jesus didn’t die on the cross because He HAD TO, but because He wanted to. 
Hebrews 12:2 NLT

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the JOY awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
Imagine that “joy” that He was awaiting? Kinda like Christmas morning! Lol
I want that joy too where I can endure all things where I have disregarded its shame and persecution. Don’t matter what this world throws at me, there IS a JOY awaiting me! The jokes on yall! Lol
John 15:13 NIV

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Jesus was speaking of Calvary. He loved us so much, that God was literally willing to do anything to get our FELLOWSHIP back via the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
Now do you believe God gave His Son out of compulsion or out of reluctancy? Because he Had To or because He wanted to? 

You decide.  
I like the ISV of this blessed scripture. 
John 10:18 ISV

“No one is taking it from me; I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This is what my Father has commanded me.”

This is why Jesus was not taken via force or when it was not the appointed time. Because IT HAD TO BE SOWN IN LOVE! His HEART had to be ready for this day because it was the beginning of a new covenant! It was the BIGGEST most important SEED to be sown!  
Mark 14 NIV

“48“Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? 49Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50Then everyone deserted him and fled.”
Notice the emphasis of Jesus not being taken by force or not by His will. 
Odly enough, how 1 John 3:16 complements John 3:16. 

1 John 3:16
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
And with emphasis on laying down His life “willingly” out of love AND we should observe this SAME LOVE to willingly follow His commands of love in wanting to do good things because God loves a cheerful giver.  
Don’t get me wrong now, what made Jesus a man was that He too felt the “sacrifice” of His labors.

Mark 14 NIV

“35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36“Abba,fFather,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

The word “Abba” translated is aramaic for a word used as “daddy” as I would like to believe a son would talk to his father when frustrated.  
So we were not alone. But you have heard me say many times the last few years that in all things we wait on God and if God is love than we wait on love. Just like the example Jesus set for us. Willingly the scriptures said He gave His life. When His heart was finally right with God, then it was time to assemble the Last supper.

Jesus was believed to be 33 years old. In the Jewish faith, it was an age of MATURITY. This IS the definition of maturity, to simply know when it is time do something. It is self discipline. As the scriptures states, that HE is the author and perfector of our FAITH. And the Hebrew word for “perfector” is “Tilos” meaning mature or maturity.  
At 33, Jesus came of His age of perfection, the age of maturity and this was His maturity in love and then it was finished. 
For if we cannot do it in love we do it out of sacrifice and sacrifices will produce great things but doing things with love comes with a promise of producing greater things for this life and the life to come

Lastly,
For those of you who have yet to observe Acts 2:38 out of love I close with this;
John 12 NIV

“23Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.”

Once again

“28Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.”
Acts 2:38-39

“38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
There is a Kingdom of God and this Kingdom has a door who is Jesus Christ but this door has a lock of revelation that was to Peter who holds these keys to unlock the mystery of Jesus Christ which is via the Holy Spirit. Its the most intimate of the triune God, more intimate than a father’s love and more intimate than a love of a best friend, it is a love of a spouse or a husband, its a love that a groom has for His bride. 
Ephesians 5 NIV

“31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”c32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.”
It was God “above us”(Father), God “with us”(Son) and now, God “in us” via the Holy Spirit. 

  
Make sure you have it brothers and sisters. This is the gospel, this is the true Good news, draw nearer than the love of a father and a friend, become one with God by receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit via baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.  
And by His name, a name by why a bride will take on the name of her husband and lose her own, a name that does not deserve to be left out in our baptism which is the most intimate testimony that a Christian will publicly observe, the name above ALL names, the name by which every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

With Agape love, your brother in our war against sin, 

Ray Evangelist

“What defined a great teacher in Jesus Christ will define a great husband, wife, father, mother, brother and sister.”

And for me, a great teacher is patient and creative.