Food for the Body

Christ

	*The Body of Christ News* *Food for the Body*
July 2, 2004	Volume 8, Number 6
�Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..� �But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.� 1 Corinthians 12:7 �Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.� 2 Corinthians 1:10	All Good Things Flow Out Of Love God loves us so much. He gave us Jesus, His only son. Jesus volunteered to pay the price for our disobedience and sin. God�s Agape Love was Revealed to mankind in Jesus. Jesus� ministry was to show us the Father. Jesus only did good things. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, the lame walked, raised the dead and cast out demonic spirits. He displayed Agape Love by His actions. Jesus also taught us about God, the Father, and the Kingdom of heaven. One of the first messages given by Jesus was about the Kingdom of heaven. Matt. 4:17 *�From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.�* Jesus� contemporaries did not understand that Jesus was not going to set up a kingdom on this earth. The disciples did not understand this Truth and asked Jesus just before He ascended into heaven. Jesus gave many parables and lessons about the Kingdom of heaven because that is where the Father dwells. Jesus was not of this world, nor are we of this world. This earthly realm is not our home because we are born again and have renewed our minds to the Word of God. Jesus continued to teach the disciples about the Kingdom of God and how to function in it until He was taken out of their sight. Acts 1:1 �The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.� God loves us so much. God gave us the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit gives us power to be witnesses of Jesus everywhere we go. The Holy Spirit is a Gift of Agape Love from God to you and me. God loves us so much. God gave ministry gifts to the first century believers so they could complete the work of Jesus on the earth. The gifts of God are only good. Matt. 7:11 *�If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?�* These are the gifts given by God out of Agape Love to His Body. These are some of the manifestations of Agape Love. Rom. 12: 4-8 �For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.� These are the gifts of Agape Love given by God to build the structure of His Body. 1 Cor. 12:28 �And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.� God loves us so much. He gave us gifts that are to operate in the Body of Christ cells or small groups. These gifts are for one purpose, which is to perfect the saints, the work of the ministry, and the edification of the believers. The goal is for each member to become mature and stable in Christ so one no longer is deceived. Eph. 4:8-15 �Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:� God loves us so much. He gives us many wonderful gifts. He has a specific call and election for each of us to do in the Kingdom of heaven. We are a part of the Body of Christ. Because He loves us so much, He calls us to His divine purpose. He does not change His mind. We have a choice to make. We must be honest with each other and ourselves about our choices and commitment to the Lord. God loves you more than you currently understand. Fellow members in the Body of Christ love you more than you currently understand. Rom. 11:29 *�For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.�* Jesus gave and displayed Agape Love to the world. He loved His disciples with gave Agape Love. However, there was one who Jesus called that changed His mind. This one was deceived. Jesus addressed the issue with His disciples at the last supper. We must also address this issue now. Matt. 26: 20-24 �Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.� There is a witness of two scriptures. Mark 14: 18-21 �And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.� Each one who receives this newsletter today has said �yes� to God. Each person answered the call and election of the Father. Each one received a gift from the Father�s heart in Atlanta. Each one is called to be a part of the structure of the Body of Christ. The Father has been looking for those who would commit to and finish His work on the earth. The Father has been looking for a group since the first century church became tainted with fear. God is not playing games. This is a time of: let your �yes� be �yes� and your �no� be �no�. It is time for each one to be honest and speak what is in their heart. This warning is given out of Agape Love. It is also given with a heavy heart. Ponder these things. Take this to the Father. Ask Him to Reveal the Truth to you. Prov. 13:12 *�Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.�*
E-mail: dgpadgett@earthlink.net We�re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com

Christ

	The Body of Christ News Food for the Body
July 3, 2004	Volume 8, Number 7
�Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..� �But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.� 1 Corinthians 12:7 �Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.� 2 Corinthians 1:10	What Fruit Do You Have? The Father wants us to be fruitful and multiply. God commanded man to populate the earth. We are to do the same in the Kingdom of God. Jesus taught His disciples about the Kingdom of God. The Words Jesus spoke were Life and caused changes in these men. We see the result of the Word of God activated by the power of the Holy Spirit in the first century church. Jesus gave a simple, direct commandment. Mark 12: 30-31 �And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.� The Word of God planted in our heart and activated by the power of the Holy Spirit is to cause obvious changes in our life and in our society. We can then love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We can love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. With the power of the Holy Spirit we can do all that God asks us to do. The result of walking in Agape Love is joy. Joy is a fruit born out of love. We cannot conjure up joy. It is something that comes from our re-born spirit. If you do not possess joy in ALL situations then you must check your heart because Agape Love is not working in your life. Rom. 14:17-18: �For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:� James 1:2�4: �My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.� God calls us to walk in His divine nature. His divine nature is Agape Love. Joy is also part of His nature. He is delighted to see us complete His will. He rejoices as He sees His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. He wants to display His pure Agape Love to a lost world. The world needs to know and receive the Love of God. Take these things to the Father for His Revelation. Share what He gives you.
E-mail: dgpadgett@earthlink.net We�re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com

Christ

The Body of Christ News

Food for the Body

July 4, 2004

Volume 9, Number 1

�Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..�

�But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.� 1 Corinthians 12:7

�Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.� 2 Corinthians 1:10

Vision For The Body Of Christ

This newsletter is God�s way of feeding the Body of Christ on the earth. The Body will always receive its food from the Head, which is Jesus Christ. The Body of Christ will mature and begin to feed itself.

We look in the physical realm for an example. The six-month old baby attempts to feed itself. As the baby grows it learns how to eat with a spoon, drink form a cup and later from a glass. The toddler or young child learns how to use a knife and a fork to feed it. Later, the child or adult prepares their meals. This is how it should be with us, the Body of Christ. Currently I am doing the newsletter but soon that will change because each of you can go to the Father and ask Him for fresh food. This fresh food is to be shared with the Body of Christ. Eventually others will take on this part of the ministry to the saints. So I lovingly encourage each one to grow up and ask God for fresh manna to feed the Body of Christ.

Greetings brethren in the name of Christ. This letter is being sent to you as an explanation of the vision of the Body Of Christ as I see it. Some may not understand all things relating to the vision that has been set forth at this time. This is the reason for this Word.

As you know, the vision for the Body of Christ was set forth first by Christ. You know He prayed that His brethren would all be one even as Christ is one in the Father and the Father one in Christ. We are to be one in Christ Jesus. The fact is that Christ was and is in full submission to the Father only doing what He sees the Father doing. Full obedience by Christ is the only way Christ can be One with the Father. The same is with us. We must obey Christ in all things if we are to be One with Christ and the Father.

Jesus explains this part of the vision when He explains that if His Words are in us and we observe and do all He commands, the Father and Son will come and sup with us. The meaning here is that we are included in this Oneness with the Father and the Son through obedience to the Words of the Father as given through the Son. Jesus made it clear that the things He said and did were not His own sayings and deeds, but it was rather the Father who did the works and said the things that He said. So by obeying the Son by default we obey the Father.

Now that we have established the way to be in Jesus Christ and for Him to be in us is through obedience to His words, we can see how we are part of His body. You cannot be in something if you are not where that something is. If the Body is going one direction and you decide to go another way, you cannot be a part of the Body.

Therefore, the need for mutual submission one to another in Christ becomes very important. In the natural body every part goes together. If the head tells the Body to move, it must move. For example, an arm might be tired and worn out and cannot lift the weight, so a pain signal is sent. At that point the rest of the body takes in a deep breath, the helping arm gears up to take more of the weight and legs tighten and every other part of the body gets focused and the job gets done. So are we since we are the Body Of Christ.

Now we move on to the next part of the equation. Let us say that the finger decides it does not want to obey the Body and the head anymore. When we try to move the finger it will not move. We take it to the doctor and then what? The doctor prescribes the proper procedure to get it working. What if no procedure will work? What if the finger not wanting to obey the Body will not receive blood from the rest of the Body? The finger gets cold because of lack of blood and eventually becomes infected. What happens if part of the Body gets infected? Eventually it will have to be cut off - amputated. Why? Because anyone knows that infections in the Body are never self-contained. The infection will spread to the rest of the Body.

Now with this understanding Christ spells out his vision by saying, �If your eye offends you pluck it out that the whole body will not perish and be thrown into Hell. If your right hand offends you cut it off that the whole body will not perish and be thrown into Hell.�

During the Atlanta meeting it was shared that God was establishing His body and that it is no longer an option to get out of it. We voluntarily said we would be a part of the Body at the meeting and God started to see us as His Body. Therefore, if any of us decides at this point that we do not want to be a part of this, we are becoming that finger or body part that needs a doctor.

The best thing is to make the repair fast before it becomes a situation where a transplant is needed or an operation or an amputation is needed. Thus, we need to all come to an agreement to really listen to one another, watch out for one another lest we become gangrene and infected and subsequently infect the entire Body.

The vision was shared by Christ and was also shared by Paul close to 2,000 years ago. We must examine our own hearts and see and discern the Body. The Life of God is being spread through the Body. We must open ourselves to receive that Life. Without it we do become gangrene and infected and will lose our ability to operate within the Body.

Why do I share these things? It is not I who share these things. I have the Spirit. I write under inspiration and I actually could not do this if the Lord was not pouring out His Spirit upon me to share these things. We need to hear the Lord today and act as the Body and not as individuals that we may not only partake of the good of the Body but also be contributors to the Body that the Body through edifying itself in Love may mature and be full of grace and goodness and Love.

We remember Love covers a multitude of sins and Agape Love must flow full and free throughout the Body. For Love is God and God is Love. They are one and the same.

Please think on these things and look at these things and make your calling and election sure and be an effective part of the Body you are which is the Body Of Christ.

E-mail:

dgpadgett@earthlink.net

We�re on the Web!

www.thebodyofchrist.com

Christ

The Body of Christ News

Food for the Body

July 5, 2004

Volume 9, Number 2

�Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..�

�But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.� 1 Corinthians 12:7

For My Body

I looked upon the earth from heaven

And what did I see?

I saw the body of Christ broken,

Beaten in bondage and in poverty.

I wondered as I looked down

As if to question what brought it down

To the place it had become

From being a light and beacon.

I looked at other men�s groups

Who thought they were the light

The had everything man needed

And everything in which to delight

They had cars, and buildings, and movie stars

They had stage and screen and bands

They thought they had the strategy

To burst the bands on men�s hands.

But as I looked down to see

The frolic and frivolity

The eyes of the body began to shine

In brilliance like light shown from inside.

I wondered as the head started to rise

And then to my surprise

The mouth called to the Body of Christ

And said �Arise my son arise!�

You must rise up and take your place

In this earth and in this darkness

Your clothes may be soiled and dirty

And your insides stagnant

But I will breath life into you

And this is what I want you to do

Get on your feet and stand

And I will surely anoint you.

I want you to go out to the highways

And there you must share your light

The light that I now give you.

You must show in whom you delight.

I have not given you stage and power

Of men in their wealth and their might

But I�ve given you a sword of power

And might to get up and fight.

So do not wallow in your despair

That others don�t see you or understand

I have called you to obey me

And that is what you must do.

You must loose the bonds of wickedness

Tear down the darkness and the pride

Release all of the captives

Bring holiness to all in sight.

I want you to be fearless as I am

Not afraid to stand alone

For the many who see themselves righteous

Will not see you as you are.

They have lived their lives in wantonness

They do not have Godly fear

They only see their own good works

And their own generosity

Yet they did not hold fast to me

And they ceased to be my Body

And now they are rich and you are poor

But not in the way they think.

You are rich in faith my son

In pureness and sincerity

You do not need wealth to prove it

Or a big congregation to follow you.

You just need me my holy one

For I am your reward

Now go forth in my power

In the power of my Word.

There are no limitations

To all that you can do

For the One is anointing you

There�s nothing impossible to do.

So do not fear the evil one

Or anything he can do

I will shine so powerfully

Through you, through you.

E-mail:

dgpadgett@earthlink.net

We�re on the Web!

www.thebodyofchrist.com

Christ

	The Body of Christ News Food for the Body
July 6, 2004	Volume 9, Number 3
�Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..� �But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.� 1 Corinthians 12:7 �Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.� 2 Corinthians 1:10	God�s Big Picture Each one of us must pay particular attention to God's promptings and how He uses you. You were part of the Atlanta meeting where our Heavenly Father started something Fresh upon the earth. Theocracy. Each one of us is experiencing being used by Him in new and unique ways. Theocracy has not been seen to any significant degree on the earth or in the church since a short time after the day of Pentecost But it is about to be seen again though in great power and might. Actually, this is part of His plan. Since Theocracy has little observable history, many of the things the Lord has the "Atlanta 12" doing will be unique and different than how things were done in the past. The Lord indicated that many of the elements of Theocracy have similarities to things we have seen in the church today, but motivated by Agape Love instead of fear. As the Lord uses us in this Theocracy we must pay attention so we don't get caught up like the church did in error over the last 2,000 years. For example, the Baptists are focused on baptism, which is a vital Truth, but not the end in itself. The Pentecostals are focused on the baptism in or with the Holy Ghost, which is necessary for Victory, but not the end in itself. Likewise, the Lord is going to show TBOC many, many things none of which we are to major in and all of which we are to minor in. This is an exciting time! We are excited. God is excited and the earth and all the elements are excited, crying out for the manifestation of the sons of God, of which we are to be named. It is essential that we realize and see God�s Big Picture as He matures us in His calling upon each one of us. It is important that we encourage one another as we see His calling on our brother or sister in Christ. The Body needs to learn how to feed itself moving out of the spoon-fed mighty milk-toast syndrome the worldly church organization has plunged us into. We must encourage each other to grow and mature as the manifested sons of God. The Father has called us out of the mediocre life-style found in the worldly church into His Theocracy as it is in heaven. We must realize that we are members of one another as declared in the Bible. This is part of God�s Big Picture. We are dependant on each other to function fully as a member of the Body of Jesus. Just as in the human body, no individual part of the body ever does "its own thing". On the contrary, every member enjoys the safety and power of corporate activity. If the body gets up and moves to the next room, the hand, arm and foot go with it. All receive the same nourishment; no one gets to go off on their own food binge. If the finger is off on its own apart from the Body, it is not of the Body as there is no way physically or spiritually this can happen. The finger has cut itself off from the rest of the body and will die because it is dismembered. Take these things to the Father and He will Reveal His heart to you. Share what He gives you in your local cell group and then with the newsletter. The entire Body benefits from a healthy balanced diet.
E-mail: dgpadgett@earthlink.net We�re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com

Christ

	The Body of Christ News Food for the Body
July 7, 2004	Volume 9, Number 4
�Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..� �But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.� 1 Corinthians 12:7 �Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.� 2 Corinthians 1:10	Part Of The Body Of Christ We are part of the Body of Christ. This is good news! We are part of Jesus. We are part of His Body. 1 Cor. 12:27 *�Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.�* We are living stones in the temple not made with hands. 1 Peter 2:5 *�Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.�* The Father has promised to feed the over comers with hidden food. He also gives the over comers a white stone. He writes a new name on the stone. No man knows the new name. The Father and the recipient know the new name. Jesus knows our new name as He gives us a white stone and our new name. Rev. 3:17 �He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.� The Word says we are graven in the palm of His hands. See Is. 49:16. Jesus knew our name when He went to the cross and died for us. What is the purpose of us being parts in the Body of Christ? Eph. 4:12 *�For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:�* Take these things to the Father. He wants to share hidden manna with you. Questions to ponder: What does the Father want to share with me about being part of the Body of Christ? What hidden manna does He want to share with me?
E-mail: dgpadgett@earthlink.net We�re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com

Christ

The Body of Christ News

Food for the Body

July 8, 2004

Volume 9, Number 5

�Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..�

�But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.� 1 Corinthians 12:7

In The Vine

Jesus shares a wonderful parable with His disciples. He paints a picture where He is the vine, we are the branches and the Father is the gardener. Branches growing from the vine will bear fruit. The Father and the Holy Spirit feed and water the plant so it is healthy and well fed. The vine is capable of bearing a lot of fruit.

We must remain in Christ. We cannot live the life God has called us to live unless we abide in Christ. We must spend time in the Word and in fellowship with the Father so we know His voice. We must listen for His Words and see what He�s doing. Then we must follow through and do and say what He what we�ve seen in heaven. This is how Jesus lived His entire life while on the earth. Jesus was fully submitted to the will of the Father. We must also be fully submitted to the Father. We are to give ourselves completely to God�s call and election for our life.

The Father wants us to abide in Jesus. When we abide in Him the Father can do many great things. He is able to work through us because we are obedient and do signs, wonders and miracles so the lost may see the Glory of God.

We are commanded by Jesus to Agape Love one another. We are commanded by God to abide in Christ and bear much fruit. All these things are done so the Father may be glorified. As we are obedient we will be full of Godly Joy, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Godly Joy is a reflection of our obedience to the Father.

Jesus also tells us that we can ask Him anything and He will do it. This is because our heart�s motive is Agape Love for each other and obedient to the Father. We are the Father�s friends because we Love each other and obey God. He shares personal things with us because He trusts us.

John 15:1-15 �I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.�

Take these things to the Father and ask Him to reveal the Truth to your heart. God richly bless you.

E-mail:

dgpadgett@earthlink.net

We�re on the Web!

www.thebodyofchrist.com

Christ

The Body of Christ News

Food for the Body

July 9, 2004

Volume 9, Number 6

�Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..�

�But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.� 1 Corinthians 12:7

I Have Overcome The World

�I have overcome the world.� Jesus said this even before He completed His work on the cross. He saw the work completed in the spiritual realm and proclaimed it as fact in the earth. Man�s redemption was complete. It only would be a matter of time until Jesus would declare, �It is finished.�

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples so they might have peace. The peace of God is not peaceful circumstances but it is a calm peace deep inside. God�s peace comes out of obedience. Jesus was at peace because He completed the Father�s will. He finished the work. He was peaceful inside and could impart peace to those around Him.

John 16:31-17:26 �Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

During Jesus� ministry He glorified the Father by the things He did and said. Now the Father would glorify Jesus on the earth. Now Jesus would finish the Father�s work and make it possible for mankind to have a relationship with God again.

17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Jesus gave the disciples the words of Life. Jesus prayed for those who would believe on Him because of the work of the disciples. That�s us! Notice that Jesus did not pray for the world. He prayed for those given to Him by the Father.

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Jesus was not of this world. That is the reason why people were drawn to Him. He displayed Agape Love. We are not of this world and we are to display Agape Love.

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them

Food for the Body

July, 2004