‘And to all you beloved of God, out there in Scrip-Bit land, whatever your physical location, surely called to be saints; Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus.’ Oh Friends, that’s my reworked version of Bruh Paul’s standard greeting to the various churches, and it just shows the great mind he possessed since the scholars claim that ‘grace’ was the usual Greek greeting, whereas ‘peace’ was the traditional Hebrew salutation. Most likely Bruh Paul combined them to appeal to both sets of people. And as promised, we will continue looking at some of his greetings to the various churches. Usually, after his opening remarks, he would offer thanks and prayer, in an effort to encourage them, to lift up their faith, and/or keep it strong. Let’s look at two examples, beginning with the Ephesians, in a prayer for knowledge and understanding. ‘Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and LOVE unto all saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set (seated) him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world (age), but also in that which is to come. And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.’ (Eph.1:15-23) That’s Bruh Paul at his most fervent, trying to explain Jesus’ authority; how he came by it and what it means to believers. Meanwhile, to the Philippians, he wrote re thanksgiving and prayer; ‘I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ. Even as it is meet (right) to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds (chains), and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers (sharers) of my grace. For God is my record (witness) how greatly I long after you all in the bowels (affection) of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement (discernment); That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil.1:3-11) Oh Friends, how can you not LOVE Bruh Paul eh! His language might be a bit highfalutin but he certainly knew how to stir up a believer. He might also have had a special place in his heart for the Philippians because from the very start of their conversion they shared their all, both financially and in spreading the gospel with him. Lydia opened her house to him and his associates, (Acts 16:14-15) and later on her home became a church, (Acts 16:40) while the jailer who found Christ after the earthquake wrecked the prison, fed them and looked after their injuries (Acts 16:19-34). The Philippians were also one of the first to help him financially, sending him money in Thessalonica (4:16), Corinth (2 Cor.11:9), and at Rome (4:14-18) And the purpose of all this you ask? Nothing spectacular my Friends, but simply to educate, exhort, uplift, and edify fellow believers, especially those who were fairly new to the faith. Oh my people, I’m sure all of us are very aware of the fact that Christianity is a hard road to follow -what with LOVING your enemies, turning the other cheek and giving generously of your time, talents and money – and when the problems, the vicissitudes of life come against us, every believer, mature or babe in the woods, needs those things to keep them strong and well grounded in the faith. Remember our faith is a spiritual and mental thing, not physical, so it’s not something we can easily manipulate. And furthermore, we need to keep working at it all the time to strengthen it, just the way we do our muscles with physical exercise, and our brains with studying. It’s not something that just comes easily Friends, so one of the most important things we can do is to encourage and lift up a fellow believer. We can never get too much encouragement because Lucifer never stops trying to steal our peace and joy, which is only found in being faithful and steadfast in the Lord God Jehovah, surrendering our will to Him and letting Him guide us safely on this earthly journey. Ah mih people, I certainly hope this little glimpse into Bruh Paul’s mind set will have a positive effect on us all, in the way we react to believers, as well as unbelievers, for our God’s character is based on caring for all and sundry, based on LOVE, that wonderful and most powerful emotion in the universe. So let’s get out there and practice it nuh; let’s put that LOVE Revolution we’ve been talking about in high gear nuh, for that’s the only thing that will bring back our evil-filled world from the brink of disaster where it’s currently poised. Remember LOVE conquers all. Much LOVE!…it’s time for all believers to rise up and seriously…LOVE our God…LIVE our Faith…and SPREAD His Word…
SCRIP-BITS 