To love one another is not a flowery ideal, but the evidence one has been born of God; this is the testimony of the apostle John. To know God is to love, and to love like God loves. So, Christian love is not sentimental moralism, caretaking, or codependent control; rather, it is walking in the Spirit and practical care for others with Christlike character. It is the chief evidence that we are in walking in truth.

The New Testament is clear that Christ's flock is numbered among the few not the many. Christ's words, -Fear not, little flock,- are counter-intuitive to everything we think. In America especially, we think to be little is an indicator of failure- it's the big churches that God likes and blesses, or so we think. But that is not the New Testament witness- rather, we read that Christ's flock is small, it is a remnant of the remnant, and as we approach the day of his return this will become only more apparent.

-Codependence- is a term the therapeutic community uses to describe the universal condition of relational brokenness. It effects believers and unbelievers alike in its patterns. And Christians are commanded to overcome this subtle form of idolatry. The good news is that God in Christ has made provision for us to overcome this sinful condition and learn to develop healthy, loving relationships. Here we discuss the nature and characteristics of codependence and offer you five points as tools for recovery from this spiritual disease.

The New Testament is clear that Christ's flock is numbered among the few not the many. Christ's words, "Fear not, little flock," are counter-intuitive to everything we think. In America especially, we think to be little is an indicator of failure; it's the big churches that God likes and blesses, or so we think. But that is not the New Testament witness; rather, we read that Christ's flock is small, it is a remnant of the remnant, and as we approach the day of his return this will become only more apparent.

Human beings live within the limites of finite time and space- we cannot pierce those limits and reeach God. God must come to us. The gospel is the proclamation that God has indeed come to us, not in wrath, but in reconciliation. The eternal Son became flesh so that we who dwell among the tombs, and terrorized by the darkness, might know true life and true light. And this life and light cannot be overcome by death and darkness. What is more, God deals with us on the basis of grace and truth, and this, too, will never change.

The Christian life involves the working out of what it means to be a child of God after the image and model of Jesus. The Christian is a child of God- born of God. Now, you are a child of God, and it has not yet been fully realized what that means. But we will one day see Jesus, and we will then be perfected in his image. This is the hope that purifies.

Do you realize you are a joint-heir of Christ- This means you have a true standing in the household of God. And this standing came about not as a result of your merit, nor is it anything you can forfeit. The indwelling Holy Spirit is your assurance that this inheritance is yours. It is an eternal inheritance, and you are kept by the power of God in order that one day you will know the full realization of this glorious inheritance.

In his self-imposed alienation from his Creator, man placed himself in the position of needing a mediator, a priest. The Levitical priesthood was designed by God to be a foreshadow of the coming priesthood of Christ, who then became the substance, the reality. Jesus fulfilled the Levitcal priesthood. Those who insist on an ordained priesthood today, or even an elevated clergy, are simply denying the all sufficient priesthood of Christ--don't let them to do it.

God sent his Son into the world, not because humanity was worthy, but because we were lost in moral depravity and the blackest darkness. He came to rescue us. And that rescue includes deliverance from any delusion that with a little help, we could have saved ourselves. No, we come to Christ only because he first comes to us, and he saved us to the uttermost, and from a place of helplessness.

We live in a time of 24-7 cable news, social media, internet, and phone devices, and all the noise and voices which comes from them. Let's remind ourselves that the only true voice we must listen to is that of our Lord, our good Shepherd, and as he is revealed by the Spirit through the text of Scripture. In the end, the only thing that will matter is whether we listened to him, or not.