II CORINTHIANS

Once again, I could not type until the late afternoon, but I wanted to type a few thoughts: 1) MEMBERS OF A BODY- I Cor. 12:27- "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."  We are part of a body and we are all individual members of that body. Let us not fight other members of that same body, but co-exist and love each other. 2) TWO BODIES- I Cor. 15:44- "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."  And, as a believer, we have both natures.  The nature of the natural body and the nature of the spiritual body... therefore, God can use us to represent Him because we are spiritual, and speak to humanity, because we are natural as well.  We are two natures, and we are one body that will become another upon death. 3) SEALED- When we are saved, we are sealed.  II Cor. 1:22 says: "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."  Two powerful anallogies are used here to tell us we are saved forever.  First we are sealed upon salvation.  When I was a teenager, we used epoxy to seal bugs in a cube of epoxy.  They were sealed unto the day of redemption, and so are we by God Himself. Second, we are given the earnest of the Spirit.  Now an earnest is what is put down to show that you are serious about following through on the contract.  If you do not follow through with the contract, you lose the earnest money put up.  If upon Salvation, we are given the earnest of the Holy Spirit, if Salvation was not to be later given to us, then God the Father would lose God the Holy Spirit because He has been given to us as the earnest of our Salvation!  So, we are sealed and given an earnest.... saved forever!!  Praise God!! 4) OUT FOR REVENGE!!  Yes, as believers, we should be out for revenge.  (on Satan that is.)  II Cor. 10:6 says, "Have in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."  In other words when we fail our Lord because Satan or our own flesh trips us up, then we should "revenge" that disobedience by our stirred up obedience!! Satan will think twice about tripping you up if you work all the harder to serve Christ when you are tripped up!  Well, I hope you have a blessed day.  It is a beautiful day here in Oregon, God has blessed, last night I led a young man to Christ who was so eager to know Christ as His Savior.  It was a great night, a great week, a great month!!  Praise God for His faithfulness!! Dr. Mike Mutchler