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(Our Father gave us the work of bringing people back to him. What exactly are we most often "telling" people to bring them back, since actions speak louder than words? 2 Corinthians 5, from Paul?s 2nd letter to the Messianic community in Corinth translated in plain English:)
When the earthly "tent" (our body) in which we live is destroyed, we know that we have another building, which comes from the Father, a house in the heavenly worlds, not man-made. It lasts forever.
That is why we groan, yearning to be clothed with our heavenly house. Since we will be clothed, we will not be a naked. While we are in our bodies now, we are groaning because we feel burdened. That doesn't mean we want to die; we only want a new life. Then life will swallow up that which can die.
The Father made us for this very reason and He has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. Therefore, we are always cheerful. We know that, while we are at home in our physical bodies, we are not with the Father--where home is. We live by believing, not by seeing. But we are cheerful; we would rather leave our bodies, and be at home with the Father. So, whether we stay on earth or go home, we always want to please the Father.
All of us must appear in front of Yeshua's judgment bench. Then each person will receive good or bad as a reward--according to what he did while he was in his physical body. We know what the fear (respect) of the Father really means. So, we try to persuade people. The Father knows all about us; I hope your consciences know us, too. (Again we are not patting ourselves on the back in front of you. No, we are only giving you a good reason to be proud of us. Then you will have something to say to people who are proud of outward things, and not proud of what is in the heart. If we are crazy, then we are crazy for our Father! If we are in our right mind, then it is for your sake.)
Yeshua's love controls us. One man died for everyone. So, everyone died. We are sure of that! Yeshua died for everyone, so that people who are alive won't live only for themselves anymore. Instead, they will live for the one who died and came back to life for them. So, from now on, we really don't know a person by merely looking at his physical body. At one time, we knew about Yeshua from a human viewpoint, but we do not know him in that way anymore. So, if anyone is in Yeshua, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away.
Listen, everything has become new. Everything comes from the Father. He uses Yeshua to bring us back to Himself. The Father gave us the work of bringing people back. When the Father was bringing the people of the world back to Himself in Yeshua, He was not counting their sins against them. The Father gave us the message about how He brings men back to Himself. We are representing Yeshua. It is as though Father is encouraging you through us. We beg you, for Yeshua's sake, come back to the Father! Yeshua never sinned, but the Father caused him to become sin for us, so that we could be right with Him in Yeshua.
(2 Corinthians 5, from Paul's 2nd letter to the Messianic community in Corinth.) |
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